#john Mercer

[ikranamaktoyu]

Pin the Knife on the Mercer

[cyren-myadd]

Avatar Parents/Parental Figures Tier List

Explanation below the cut:

S tier: Neytiri, Tonowari, and Ronal are all great parents who love and support their children, but also discipline them when needed. None of them hesitate to run into battle to save their kids.

A tier: I put Jake in A instead of S just because of him saying "you've done enough" to Lo'ak when Neteyam died. Was it a realistic and human thing for him to do? Yes. Did it make him a good father? No. He's great otherwise. Norm's also in A because I'm sure he's a great parent, but we don't really see him parent on screen at all. Same with Grace. We know she had a maternal relationship with Neytiri and Tsu'tey and surely would've been a great mother to Kiri, but we never get to see it. Mo'at and Eytukan get A because even though they love their daughters dearly, they still put Neytiri in an arranged marriage with a guy she clearly didn't have romantic feelings for.

B tier: Ka'nat cares about Etuwa a lot, but he also treats her like a child sometimes and doesn't respect her role as tsahik. The way he treated her would be more forgivable if she were the age of Jake's kids, but she's a grown adult. Paz is kind of the true neutral of this chart. She died when Spider was so little, so we never really got any kind of inclination of what kind of parent she would be.

C tier: here are the assholes who do love their kids, but also won't hesitate to throw them under the bus to get what they want. Quaritch loves Spider and protected him from torture/Neytiri, but he also had no problem forcing him to translate while he threatened innocent villagers. The other two are Artsut and Ateyo, Tsu'tey's parents. After Tsu'tey died, they wanted their youngest son, Arvok, to become olo'eyktan instead of Jake, so they gave Arvok a poisoned knife when he challenged Jake to a duel for the title of olo'eyktan. Arvok had no idea about the poison and wanted to duel honorably, but when the poison was discovered, he was also banished alongside his parents.

D tier: I debated back and forth about whether or not to put her in the same category as Quaritch, but eventually decided to put her below him. Quaritch is an awful parent to Spider, but he loves Spider for who he is and does occasionally step up to protect him. Alma only seems to love the Sarentu children for what they can give her: a way to play out her fantasy of being na'vi and a mother. She tried to insert herself in their culture despite them asking her not to, did nothing while they were abused for years and only did something at the last second when she would no longer be in danger of harm from Mercer, didn't bother to check if they were still alive for 15 years, and she lied to them about their real origins for months, knowing how much distress it was causing them.

Mercer tier: Mercer

[nikloka]

Anqa is a menace but speaks what we all think

How I love background dialogues

Anqa talks about Harding and Mercer

[anxious7sami]

I was looking at afop stuff and I noticed something. Aha’ri didn’t have a scar when she was younger but she does the last time we see her(granted the scar is healed).

Anyway, I wonder what happened 🤔 I bet Harding or Mercer had something to do with it

[naavispider]

Merciless

What if, 16 years after his Ambassador Programme failed, Mercer returns Bridgehead to deliver his quarterly mining report to Ardmore, only to run into Quaritch? What if he'd heard whispers of a human boy captured from the hands of the Na'vi, with incredible physiological adaptations? And what if Quaritch knew of Mercer's merciless past... his history with children who don't belong? (Inspired by a prompt from @hyperfixatedfandomer 💞)

“There’s only so much you can do, boss…” Wainfleet’s voice tailed off as they entered the mess hall. The canteen was filled with soldiers hungry for lunch, who all looked up at the recoms as they entered. They still hadn’t gotten used to seeing them around base. 

The men weren’t what got Quaritch’s guard up, however. There was something else. A face, across the room… one he hadn’t seen in sixteen years. 

Quaritch’s usually alert tail stilled behind him. John Mercer’s presence filled any room he occupied with a heavy sense of trepidation. It was a feeling that Quaritch had become familiar with as a human, one that he himself exuded. Looking at the disgraced RDA leader now, Quaritch was disturbed to find that the sense of unease exuded by his ugly presence had only grown.

“As I live and breathe…” Mercer’s eyes caught Quaritch’s and widened in disbelief. He had always been a short man, even shorter now that Quaritch had grown several feet himself, but unlike most men who seemed to shrink in Quaritch’s presence, Mercer stood up straighter. His thick set eyebrows framed his calculating, dark eyes. “Miles Quaritch, they told me you’d come back, but this is something…”

“Mercer,” Quaritch greeted him shortly. He closed the short gap across the canteen. “It’s been a while.”

“And Lyle Wainfleet too,” Mercer’s eyes roved over Quaritch’s second in command, taking them both in. 

“I didn’t expect to find you here,” Lyle commented awkwardly.

Mercer’s lips curled up in an unpleasant smile. “I wasn’t about to pass up a shot at revenge. Much like yourselves I assume. What have they got you running around for now, then?”

Quaritch’s tail flicked involuntarily behind his back. The conversation around them had quietened, the soldiers who were eating nearby interested in this exchange, though they tried to hide it. 

Something in Quaritch told him not to divulge the specifics of his latest mission to Mercer. The man opposite him was known for his brutality and mercilessness, and an uncomfortable sensation was starting to prick at the back of Miles’s neck.

He sniffed. “Same old business, Mercer. Sully’s still out there. Which means we got races to run.”

Mercer appraised him for a moment, as if still taking in Quaritch’s new body. “There’s no doubt they got the best parts of you in there,” he said slyly. “I always admired your… commitment to the cause.”

Quaritch nodded. “What about you, Mercer? I thought the Ambassador Programme closed down after the war.” A sliver of unease ran its way down Quaritch’s spine. A nagging sensation that even as he said them, his words could be wrong. 

A sly smirk slithered its way across Mercer’s dark features. The soldier who he’d just been talking to grabbed his tray and moved on, leaving them to it. “The Ambassador Programme was cut short too soon. We were in the process of wielding great results.”

Quaritch nodded, making sure to keep his ears from flicking backwards in annoyance. If there was anyone who would be able to read him, it would be John Mercer. 

“I’m in the mines now. Overseeing production in the North. Only checking in with base every now and then to report on progress. It doesn’t quite have the… job satisfaction… as my previous work.” The slippery tone of his words floated across the air ominously. “Speaking of, I’ve heard some very interesting things about you, Colonel.”

Quaritch had become too still. 

“Tell me... Is it true what they’re saying?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Quaritch replied evenly, trying to appear uninterested. His heart was thundering. 

“Come now, Quaritch. Don’t be coy.” His ugly smirk was back in place, and Mercer took another step closer, leaning in so that the other soldiers wouldn’t be able to hear. “There’s a human boy on base. One that grew up on Pandora, with the natives.” 

Quaritch schooled his expression, looking down at the ugly little man in front of him. How had Mercer found out about the kid? “He’s being ground for information now. There won’t be much left of his brain when they’re through with him. He’s worthless.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could get some results.”

Beside him, Wainfleet took a step towards Mercer. “The kid is in SecOps custody. There are no plans to release him.”

Mercer turned to Lyle, his hungry expression settling into one of boredom. “A shame.” He returned his icy eyes to Quaritch, each word dripping with threat. “A great shame. That boy is worth a great deal.”

Quaritch couldn’t help the flinch his hand made towards Mercer. Every inch of him wanted to throttle the vile man standing before him. He had to cool it. 

“As my Corporal said, the boy is undergoing information extraction. He’ll be put to use by our SecOps. Apologies if you had any interest.” 

Mercer never stopped smiling, as if he already had a plan. It was beginning to scare the shit out of Quaritch. Eventually, Mercer made a gesture of acceptance, jovially exclaiming that he might still ‘get his hands on�� Spider eventually. 

It was all Quaritch could do to nod goodbye curtly as Mercer turned to rejoin his companion at a table across the hall. 

“What a psychopath,” Lyle mumbled. 

Quaritch didn’t know how to respond. He had never seen how creepy Mercer’s attitude was until now. In all his years as a human, it had never bothered him. Hell, he’d even been curious to hear about Mercer’s progress with TAP. Why now did it boil his blood to picture Mercer locking Spider into one of his science experiments? 

It was no worse than what the kid was facing now in the Neuroscanner. 

Quaritch set his jaw, thinking hard. “Spider needs to talk.”

With Mercer sniffing around, eager to snap Spider up into some sick reimagined version of the Ambassador Programme, Quaritch doubted that Ardmore would be lenient, even if the kid did talk. 

“Okay, but what then?” Lyle pressed as they grabbed their food. “He reveals Sully's location and then… the RDA dispose of him?”

“Jesus, Lyle, I don’t know!” Quaritch didn’t want to think about it, because he didn’t have the answers. 

“If the kid talks, he’s sealing the nail in his coffin.”

Quaritch looked up sharply from the coffee he was pouring. 

“He’s of no more use to Ardmore,” Lyle said, with the air of delivering bad news to a sick patient. 

“That’s not gonna happen.”

He didn’t know how, but he had to make a deal with Ardmore. And he had to do it before Mercer got there first. 

***************

“Well, well, well. John Mercer. I never thought I’d have the privilege.” General Ardmore flicked the report closed on her desk, determining that that particular problem would have to wait. “What brings you to my door?” She narrowed her eyes shrewdly, though she thought she had an inkling already. 

“General,” Mercer saluted before entering her office, closing the door behind him. “Thank you for seeing me. Word of your successes gets around. I’m sure you’re a busy woman.” He paused, but Ardmore made no sign of replying. He decided to cut to the chase. “I assume you know about my previous projects on Pandora?”

“You assume correct.”

“Well, mining is essential to our progress here, but I’m sure you can understand it isn’t where my heart lies.”

Ardmore sighed. “Your efforts in helping to colonise the Western Frontier have not gone unnoticed. You’ve made a strong vice president in resources acquisition.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” He bowed his head. “However I cannot deny that I feel somewhat… misplaced in my current deployment. My previous programmes-”

“Your previous programmes were shut down. And for good reason.”

“The Ambassador Programme was leading to real results!” Mercer urged, taking a step towards Ardmore’s desk. His passion came through in a way Ardmore hadn’t expected of the washed up, sleazy ex-mission leader. He came alive when he spoke of TAP. 

“I can promise you right now, if you hand the human boy over to me, I will get you results.”

Ardmore considered him, joining her hands together on the table in front of her. Mercer looked desperate - greedy - which was precisely the quality that worried her most about him. She wasn’t above brutality in war, but Mercer didn’t seem to have a conscience at all. He proved that when he ordered the massacre of the TAP children. 

“And precisely what kind of results do you think I’m after?” she asked.

“You want the location of Jake Sully, right? So do I. I can get you that, first and foremost. But the boy is worth far more than just that. He’s grown up on Pandora. His whole physiology is different - he has adaptations we can study and utilise. He can teach us so much about how to adapt in this environment. We can learn how to use this to our advantage!”

“I hear what you’re saying, Mercer. And yes, eventually it would make sense to study him. But we are at war. And there are other considerations to be taken into account.”

Mercer paused. “Other considerations, ma’am?”

It was sensitive information, but Ardmore saw no point in hiding the truth. “The boy. He’s the biological son of Miles Quaritch.”

Mercer’s jaw had tensed, his eyes narrowing. 

Ardmore continued. “The recombinant Colonel has already started to form… an attachment. The RDA poured billions into his creation and we cannot afford any… defects. The situation is sensitive. I’m afraid we are bound by keeping Quaritch on side.”

At this, Mercer visibly bristled. “So you’re holding back the progress of all mankind on the whim of not wanting to upset your Colonel?” 

His voice had risen just too much. Ardmore wouldn’t entertain this tangent any longer. “That, is not your place to question, Mercer. It is my decision what happens on this moon, and I do not take kindly to insubordinates.”

This seemed to have stumped Merer, though he still surveyed her with a foreboding glint in his dark eyes. “Of course not, ma’am.” His voice was silky smooth, laced with poison. “I would never mean to imply I disapprove of your decisions, hard as they may be.”

“Is that all, Mercer?”

Mercer smiled. Ardmore wasn’t easily intimidated, but he had the uncomfortable ability to make her skin crawl. “Yes, ma’am. I apologise if I overstepped the line.”

“See that your next report has the highest gross profit,” she said by means of dismissal. 

Mercer bowed his head respectfully and was about to leave before turning, his hand on the doorknob. “If you run into any… problems… with your Colonel, you know where I’ll be.”

With that, the greasy haired man disappeared around the corner and out of view.

[dilfsyndrome]

Found this at the party,

✨ Cute ✨

[skxawngonearth]

Frontiers Memes without context

(cut for Spoiler protection)

PS. I don't know how to meme

[terrythemerry]

Alma notes/logs + some of my thoughts on them.

Warning these notes are very spoiler heavy and talks about a lot of late game content.

@elffees

These are some of Alma’s easiest to find notes and on the surface they paint a picture of a kind, maternal woman worried about the kids she was forced to leave behind. Two words jump out at me in the last two notes though “sacrifice” and “choice. I’ll talk about that at the end though. The next part is where things get messy.

These are all her notes, the rest of this is going to be a bit of a rant because these last few notes are the ones that make my blood boil.

Alma never planned on rescuing them. While putting on a motherly facade she planned on leaving all of the Sarentu survivors to rot until their life support gave out. The only thing that made her act was the fact that wonderful Priya found out we were there, otherwise no one was coming for us.

Then there is how she refers to the children in “The Final Option”. She talks about all the potential glory and accolades she’ll get once she “has” them. Not when they come to her, when she possesses them. She acts like she doesn’t know in the notes, but she admits in game that deep down she knew they were going to steal the kids and killed Na’vi and let it happen anyway so she could have her little project. This is the “sacrifice” she’s trying to frame in the note “Back to Tap”. Personally I don’t see how a genocide and kidnapping is in anyway a “sacrifice”, sounds more like a war crime to me.

Last is the School Records and two things important to note are the initials in the document and the of “additional note” versus “note”. The initials show that only two people wrote in this document AC (Alma Cortez) and JM (John Mercer). Every single section degrades the children and talks about the “best” ways to manipulate them to TAP’s goals before being followed up with an “additional note” by Alma saying the opposite. The thing is I fully believe that Alma wrote the original sections and that the “additional notes” have been edited in later to try and cover her involvement in TAP.

The thing that makes me think this is Alma’s position as teacher and Mercer’s note. Alma was the one who spent the most time with the students, she’s the one who observed every aspect of their day to day, so she is the only person it would logically make sense to write about their temperaments and interests. Mercer had other things to do besides sitting around a classroom all day watching these kids, same for Harding. They’d be able to step in as discipline and for surprise inspections, but Alma was clearly the main observer. That means all the coded talk about discipline(abuse) and skills(usefulness to the RDA) is all her.

Mercer’s note was the big tip off to me that she retroactively edited the document. Mercer’s only note is that Aha’ri was killed. It was probably entered immediately after her death, because Mercer doesn’t care. He’s meticulous, organized, compulsive, etc. He doesn’t see the children as anything more than a tool so he has no shame in updating the document like it was a regular note about a generator going out. Because he entered it immediately the entry was logged as “note”.

A lot of websites will mark a comment as edited after a certain amount of time has passed. I feel like this is the case with the “note” vs “additional note”. The second giveaway is that Alma’s final note calling Mercer’s murderer is also logged as an “additional note” when there is no reason for Alma to manually input it herself. By that logic all of the additional notes were logged long after the original document was made and it’s just Alma’s way of trying to minimize her role in the abuse at TAP. This means that all of the suggested “discipline” aka brutal bone breaking and beatings was recommended by her in certain cases.

Alma isn’t a good person, she has a toxic savior complex and will go to any means to see that vision met. She might be on the right side, she might be doing good things now, but she is not a good person. Maybe she can be forgiven one day, but she’s still in toomuch denial about her own involvement to be forgiven this day.

[tomc4t]

Am I… wrong for saying he’s fine as shit?

[dumbass-tumbler-cryptid]

What if Quaritch tried as a last resort to regain custody and miraculously succeeded when Spider was 15? It's very, very unrealistic, but let's assume that if there was a change of judge or he would be able to bribe someone. So he has legal custody, he can live with his son legally and not cut off from the world. How would everything go then? How would Spider react if he suddenly found out that after so many years of running away he was going to live with his father, what would their relationship be like then?

Oh I’ve got ideas for this so this is going to be a long one. It became a whole au in my head.

So for starters i don’t think Quaritch getting custody back would be unrealistic. If you read the last chapter of cabin Quaritch showed Spider that his court ordered therapist was Max Patel. That would be a huge conflict of interest so with a good lawyer Quaritch could bring that to court and demand a re trial with a new judge.

I’ll change the Cabin timeline a little and say Spider was 14 when he started living with the Sully’s. He’s about to turn 15 when surprise the court gives his father back full custody. Spider tells the judge flat out he doesn’t want to live with him but the judge doesn’t care. The judge views what happened to Quaritch years ago as a miscarriage of justice that he is now correcting.

On moving day Spider runs away. Quaritch calls the cops on him to bring him to his new home. It’s definitely not a great start. His eyes are red and there’s dried tears on his face but Spider glares daggers at him no matter what Quaritch does and never says a word. That’s generally how things go every day for weeks, even on Spider’s birthday when Quaritch tried to throw him a party. Spider just looked at the set up and walked out, hiding in his room to FaceTime with Kiri and Lo’ak.

Quaritch refuses to call Spider by his chosen name and Spider refuses to call him dad. Spider ignores Quaritch if he calls him Miles or Junior. Quaritch does the same when Spider calls him old man. Spider used to call him a fucking bastard ass old man but that got him grounded, so Spider stopped. He didn’t want to be forced to stay in that house any longer then he had to.

Luckily for Spider he didn’t have to change schools in the middle of the year. Neytiri raised hell to get him enrolled in the same private school as the Sully’s and he loves it there. Coincidently it’s the exact school Quaritch would have sent him to if given a choice so he approves. Unfortunately their house is to far out for a bus to pick him up so Spider’s old man has to drop him off and pick him up everyday. Quaritch purposely tries to embarrass him by shouting “bye son I love you!” Spider slams the door and yells “I fucking hate you get out of here!”

Spider’s first week of school after moving in with his dad, he decided to fuck with Quaritch by not telling him about his after school clubs. After ten minutes of waiting Quaritch started to blow up Spider’s phone with calls and texts. Spider had his phone on silent and didn’t even notice. After another ten minutes Quaritch stormed into the school shouting Spider’s given name through the halls for everyone to hear. Spider pops out of the art room looking mortified. “What are you doing.” Quaritch who was terrified answers, “lookin’ for you a ‘course! Y’a couldn’t have told me you were in a club! Y’a didn’t answer your phone. I was worried sick!” The worse part for Spider wasn’t that he got yelled at in front of his classmates. It was that he could tell just how concerned his father had been over him and it makes him feel incredibly guilty. After that Spider always tells Quaritch about his after school activities.

Months go by. Spider slightly warms up to his dad but he’s still super standoffish. He goes over to the Sully’s house every chance he gets. Quaritch hates it. He won’t let Spider spend the night there or even eat dinner with the Sully’s because of how jealous he is. And Spider gets so angry every time Quaritch shows up to collect him, fighting to stay, arguing all the way home, running off to his room slamming the door behind him. It makes Quaritch think that maybe - it’s time they move.

Quaritch asks Spider, “what do y’a think of taken a little road trip this summer? We could get a camper van. go to all the national parks, see some big landmarks..

“I’m good.” Spider doesn’t want to spend his summer locked in a van with his father far away from the Sullys.

“Well too damn bad then ‘cause that’s what we’re doin’.” It’s a huge fight between them for weeks. Spider runs off the day he gets home and sees their shiny new camper van in the driveway. Quaritch hunts him down dragging him back kicking and screaming. Spider refuses to pack as their departure date draws closer. Quaritch does it all for him while he’s at school with Spider coming home to a near empty room, a room so empty it looked like they were moving completely and not just going on vacation. Spider brushes it off as one of his father’s punishments.

Spider is told that they’ll be leaving a few days after school lets out. So he’s completely shocked to see his father waiting for him in their usual pick up spot, driving the camper van. “You told me we were leaving in a few days!” Quaritch just shrugs, “I did. But then I got to thinkin’ what are we waitin’ for! We hit the road now we can be across state lines by dinner.” “But the Sully’s are having a party to celebrate the end of the semester! Grandma Mo’at finally back and I haven’t gotten to see her yet, and I haven’t even said goodbye to my friends!” Quaritch waves him off, “that’s what phones are for. Now get in before I put you in.”

The trip starts off very tense. Spider won’t speak to him at all, but he will have very pointed very loud phone conversations with Kiri and Lo’ak just trash talking Quaritch the entire time. Quaritch turns his dad rock up as high as the stereo will go, making Spider have to shout. When they finally stop for the night they have a quiet agitated dinner outside. Spider is so tired from it all that he’s falling asleep sitting up. Quaritch takes the opportunity to swipe his phone. After Spider goes to bed Quaritch chucks it in the river. Spider notices it’s gone when he wakes up the next morning. Unfortunately for him Quaritch had already been driving for hours. “I can’t find my phone. I think I dropped it outside last night.” “Well what do y’a want me to do about it?” “Turn around!” “Pff, i’m not wastin’ time ‘cause your irresponsible. Now sit down and go eat breakfast or something.”

Spider is pissed but at least he has his laptop he thinks as he starts looking through his stuff. Only to not find it anywhere. “Where’s my laptop.” “How should I know.” “You packed all my shit!” “Yeah well if y’a wanted it so badly y’a should have packed it yourself!” Quaritch in fact left his laptop behind on purpose. Now Spider has no way of contacting the Sully’s.

Spider tries his best to act like he’s completely miserable, but he can’t pretend for long. He hates to admit it but him and his dad have similar ideas of fun, spending days camping and exploring national parks, doing things like zip lining, and exploring caves. They do more touristy things too, like visiting museums (Quaritch loves history museums while Spider prefers art museums) and major landmarks (though they both agree to go early as possible to avoid the crowds at all cost). Early on Spider gets the idea to send the Sully’s postcards so they at least know he’s okay. He has to sneak away from Quaritch to mail them but luckily public mailboxs are pretty easy to come by. It helps him feel better about everything and gradually he actually starts to bond with his dad to the point where it starts to feel like they’re a completely normal father and son.

The summer starts to draw to an end. Spider has been happy with his dad but he’s eager to get home and see the Sully’s. He misses them so much. Plus traveling is exhausting. He can’t wait to sleep in a bed that doesn’t change states ever few days. Spider expects that they’ll turn around soon because they keep going west when they live on the east coast. He’s about to question Quaritch about it when they reach Wyoming. Nothing interesting is in Wyoming so why are they here? They pass by nothing but farmland for hours until finally they pull off the road eventually coming to a small farm. It looks really nice, rustic and inviting. When they stop a bald man, who Quaritch introduces as Spider’s uncle Lyle, greats them at the door along with a boarder collie that races right up to Spider jumping all over him in excitement. Spider instantly loves the pup who he’s told is named Cupcake.

Lyle gives them the grand tour. The farm grows tons of different fruits and vegetables. There a dairy cow grazing in a field, chickens scurrying about in a large fenced in patch of grass, two horses - a father and his son - chilling in the barn, and a barn cat that catches mice. Spider also instantly falls in love with the cat picking him up and cradling him. Spider likes the farm a lot. It’s peaceful. At dinner Spider says, “this is a really nice place Lyle.” “Glad you like.” He says smirking. “By the way cap, I’m gonna head out at five tomorrow morning. I want to get back home in time for my daughter’s first day of school.” Spider gives him a questioning look, “isn’t this your home?” Lyle laughs in his face, “no it’s your home.” He might as well have slapped him. He turns to Quaritch, “what is he talking about?”

Quaritch sighs, “I got a job offer.” “What do you need a job for! I thought you were fucking loaded from all the settlement money the courts gave you!” “I am. But do y’a know how boring it is being a stay at home dad…”. “Oh boohoo get a job as a Walmart greeter like all the other retirees. You fucking planned this all summer - hell before that even, and you never thought to tell me!” “Hell no! I wanted us to enjoy our summer together..” “fuck you! This..this is fucking kidnapping.” “Pff..stop being so dramatic. We just moved that’s all.” “And you fucking lied about it!” Spider runs from the table not able to stand the sight of his father any longer.

Days later when Quaritch finally catches Spider as he’s trying to sneak down to the kitchen, he explains what going to happen. He was offered a job (a lie. He applied for it) as vice principal at Mercer’s Military Academy. It’s a semi-boarding school twenty minutes away. And Spider’s the school’s newest student. He flips his shit, “a fucking military academy! Why can’t I just go to the nearest public school!” “Because it’s an hour and half away! Plus you get free tuition as my son.” “I’m not fucking going.” “Yes you are.” “You can’t make me!” “Yes I can!” “I’m going to get myself expelled on the fist day!” Quaritch laughs, “good luck with that.”

At some point in Spider’s brooding Quaritch tosses his new schools rule book into his room. Spider reads it to get ideas for how to raise hell. Of course he’ll be breaking all the dress code rules which go on at length about the exact why he’s supposed to wear his uniform (neat at all times, no customizations no rips or tears) and the strict guidelines for how he’s supposed to wear his hair (for boys it’s a tapered style of any kind as long it doesn’t touch his ears or the top of his collar). He will definitely be disrespecting every adult, especially his father. He can’t wait to embarrass him so bad he regrets the day he reapplied for custody. Maybe he’ll start a food fight. Maybe he’ll find the school bully and start a real fight. Hell if they deserve it maybe he’ll hit a teacher. Or just his dad. He really wants to punch his dad.

The weekend before the start of school Quaritch takes him into town- which is a whole two hours away- to get his new uniform. Spider is uncooperative as ever, refusing to stand still to get his measurements taken to the point where Quaritch has to hold him in place. After hours of wrestling with his son an exhausted Quaritch pays for the uniforms. The store manager who is equally tired looks at the disgruntled teen and say to Quaritch, “I see why you choose military school.” Spider hears and storms out.

He’s expecting to go home now but instead Quaritch parks the car in front of a barber shop. “I don’t know why your stopping here because I’m sure as hell not getting out.” Quaritch turns to look at him his rage palpable. “Now you listen here. Y’a have some grand idea of gettin’ expelled, but that ain’t gonna happen. Mercer loves a challenge. He loves taking disrespectful, unruly, feral little monsters like you and breaking them to pieces. And the harder you make that, the more fun he’ll have. So I suggest you march in there right now, pick a haircut you can live with,then Sunday night you shine your shoes, iron your uniform and get your tie ready. Or else Monday morning when you walk through those doors lookin’ like your little punk ass self, Mercer will drag you to his office and after that…well choices have consequences.” Spider bristles under the warning but doesn’t break. “I’ll take my chances.” “Fine,” Quaritch says throwing the car in reverse, “I warned y’a. just don’t come crying to me.”

Monday morning Spider does his hair in intricate braids, wears his most ripped frayed pair of jeans, dirtiest sneakers, and a band t-shirt that would definitely get him called a satanist by a pearl clutching old lady. He’s beaming with confidence as he walks into the kitchen. Quaritch eyes him over his newspaper and just shakes his head. Before they leave he puts Spider’s uniform in a plastic bag knowing he’ll need it for later. 

You already know what’s coming. Mercer drags Spider into his office on sight. In the office two muscler upperclassman are standing at attention waiting for orders. Mercer tries to verbally intimidate Spider. Spider just cusses up a storm instead. For that he gets grabbed by the upperclassman and bent over Mercer’s desk for some corporal punishment with a wooden paddle. It doesn’t end until he’s a sobbing mess. Then Mercer breaks out the clippers. There’s a guard on them leaving Spider with about an inch of length all around. Mercer doesn’t bother to undo his braids. They all come off in one piece and Mercer seems to take pleaser in waving them in his face taunting him over the “savage” style. Then he’s made to change into his uniform. Spider’s glassy eyed and numb by this point. Mercer and his goons don’t give him the courtesy of turning around, making Spider feel even more vulnerable then he already did. the last piece of his uniform is his tie but he doesn’t know how to knot it. Mercer laughs at him throwing it in his face. “Go find your father. He’ll show you.”

Spider’s in a daze as he stumbles around the halls completely shell shocked. He sees the back of Quaritch as he’s monitoring the halls for anyone out of class. “Da..dad,” Spider calls weakly. Quaritch whips around. It’s the first time Spider has ever called him dad and he is momentarily thrilled before he looks at his son. Quaritch is instantly filled with overwhelming guilt as he takes in his child. “I…I need help…I…I can’t tie my tie.” Spider hold it up like he’s a small child with a broken toy.

Quaritch ushers him into an unused classroom. “What happened,” he asks cupping Spider’s face to make him look up. Spider shakes his head before bursting into tears. Quaritch pulls him into a hug. “How could you do this to me! I was starting to trust you! I actually thought we could be happy! Why did you lie to me! How could you bring me here!” “I’m sorry,” is all Quaritch can say, over and over again. When Spider’s cries finally quiet Quaritch says, “all I ever wanted was to be a family again. I love you more then anything in this whole world. Not a day went by when I didn’t worry about y’a. I couldn’t know if you were safe, if you were healthy, if you were happy. It was torture. I was so relieved to get you back. But y’a wouldn’t even give me a chance. You hated me from the jump. Y’a just ran off to be with the Sully’s every day.” Spider and Quaritch are still hugging but Spider can hear that his dad is crying. “I’m big enough of a man to admit that I was jealous. And it hurt to have you constantly running away from me. But I was selfish to do all this to you.” They stay in their hug for a little while longer until they both feel the weight of time on them. They break apart, and wipe their eyes. Quaritch ties Spider’s tie for him. “We’ll talk more about this tonight okay. For now y’a got to get to class.”

Spider floats through the morning too emotionally drained from everything. At lunch he doesn’t really have an appetite but goes through the motions anyway. It’s when he’s walking the room, looking for a place to sit that he spots a group of five kids sitting in the farthest corner of the room. Spider instantly recognizes the tell tail features of the Na’vi. He races to sit with them happily greeting them with Oel Ngati Kameie.

Hope you enjoyed. I definitely have ideas for a part two so let me know if your interested in that 💙

[zethsmo]

I FORGOT TO POST IT HERE OOPS

[pandorafallz]

Ashes in her wake | C2

Alma sipped slowly from her cool cup of herbal tea, her head still feeling foggy and tired but far better than she had been in the last couple of days since waking up after her transfer. Her body was healing well, according to Okul who had been tending to her more often and had the singular daily visit from Anufi to verify all was on track. Her visits were often very short.

Her burns were still bad and had another week to heal with dressing before she’d have to let it breathe and heal for a few days without, and her broken rib was still healing. It was estimated to be about two weeks before she’d be able to be more physically adventurous. A human bone, or rib, would take over a month to heal but Na’vi and Dreamwalker bodies were more resilient and coupled with efficient Na’vi medical treatments, the time was far shorter. The bruises looked bad but healing around the edges now. Most of the stitches from the debris had been removed this morning so she was feeling a little drained from that experience.

She had been left to rest in a quiet area of the Hollows, away from the people and she was thankful for the privacy when possible. She had been resting mostly when children would try and sneak in before their parents quickly pulled them away. Alma knew why; they had never seen a Dreamwalker before. Innocent souls with vast curious minds but she often remained posed as asleep so as to not make it awkward.

Still, the privacy had its… odd lonely tendencies when Okul wasn’t around so she kept herself occupied when not asleep with a few simple tasks, like spinning flax which was the easiest thing to do in her current state. Before Raj had joined the resistance on the second visit, Alma had to make or alter her own clothes for her avatar, a skill she had picked up after her first meeting with the Aranahe but she was no expert. She had learned it mostly to talk to the weavers and to get to know the clan better but it didn’t last. Spinning she could do, sorting fibres and combing it was another so it filled the hours without being too adventurous.

At least the tea was good. It helped bring down the swellings since. Her threadwork was set aside for now as she rested.

“<Dreamwalker,>” Okul appeared around the entryway quite cheerfully with a new set of bowls. “<I have brought food. Anufi is back. I believe she’ll join us soon so, while we wait, you should eat. A full belly is a happy one.>” They set the bowls down, simple meat and mushroom stew and took one to eat themselves to sip.

“<Thank you.>” She set her tea down, shifting the blanket from her legs and slowly reached forward and pulled it towards her, inhaling the savoury scent that drifted up.

“<How did you sleep? Resting well?>”

Alma took a hearty sip, chewing down slowly on a large piece of white mushroom with a stilled expression. “<Not really. Small dozing is dreamless.>” Fragments of memory always seemed to resurface at night although it was mostly Nor’s stabbing of her that replayed often, leaving her waking up at odd times shivering with phantom sensation down her right side. Resting during the day gave her some reprieve but… it hadn’t helped clear her head. She was fine. She could handle it.

It took years to stop seeing the Moot in her nightmares. Life had been easier once that had stopped. Something else now just took its place. She was sure Okul might have something to induce a dreamless sleep but that was a question for later.

“<Ah,I suppose that is still expected.>” Okul didn’t sound surprised, “<It has only been six days since…>” They trailed off but they both knew their implication.

“<I am aware.>” Her hand came to her side, not touching over the dressing too hard. “<how is the clan? It’s been very quiet. Only one child seemed to wander in earlier.>”

“<Very busy with the resistance. I don’t know too much myself but it seems very big and the Zeswa are very unhappy since the sky people brought down the celebration arches—>”

Alma almost choked on her stew, her eyes widening in alarm as she stiffened up. “<The RDA brought down the arches?!>”

Okul blinked in surprise at her outburst. “< A terrible event but the site was shut down by our Sarentu friend, they were there and saw it happen. The Upper Plains should not be attacked again with such horrible machines.>”

“<Is.. is she okay?>”

“<Of course, the Sarentu is a very good warrior. I do not know what has happened since but do not worry.>” Okul said, very firm in their belief and assurance.

Alma’s heart hammered before she forced herself to take a steady breath. Because… like it or not, she knew Kìoetey was a good warrior and no doubt had it handled and she didn’t doubt her skills but… she worried. Perhaps it was the maternal side of her that never had much of a chance to bloom due to Mercer’s interpersonal restrictions between her and the kids (and other personal reasons). Kìoetey was fine, they said.

Still. The Arches collapse was no small event either; the Zeswa were probably foaming at the mouth for revenge. At least The Resistance had all the tools to help warn and aid the Zeswa in achieving it without it turning into a one-sided slaughter against the Na’vi. Maybe she could help once she was cleared by Anufi somehow?

“<Relax. You’ll hurt yourself.>” Okul’s hand touched her wrist, reminding her of her bowl before she sat back with a huff.

“<I... I should be allowed to return to the Resistance now. I can probably be more helpful there than here.>” She could actually talk to So’lek and her people again. Socialise, even. It’d be pleasant to talk to them and she was sure a shared task would make it easier. She didn’t doubt the spread of gossip but it was probably worth the trip.

“<You’re not healed. You’d hinder them more than help in your current state, Alma.>” Okul said

“<I… I have to do something. I am part of the resistance.>”

“<You are doing something. Resting.>” Okul stated, “<You cannot fight and you have the concentration of a child and the sleeping pattern of a baby. I don’t believe you’ve fully realised the extent of what truly happened to you. It’s not quite there.>” They tapped their temple.

Alma shot them an annoyed look. “<My head is getting better.>”

“<Better does not mean healed. You’ve endured a significant trauma to not only this body but to your spirit; your spirit must rest to heal from being severed from your sky-people body and replanted into this. A few more days at the least before we can consider allowing you to roam free as a Meer deer. A sick or separating spirit can lead to never waking up. Are you willing to risk such a possibility?>”

“Ugh.” Alma groaned into the bowl, taking a less heartfelt glug but there was clearly no way to convince the Tsakarem here to allow her out. Their heart and mind was clearly set. At least the food was nice.

Okul sighed deeply. “<I know you are anxious to return but you must think of yourself as well. Once you’re done eating, I can show you where to put the threads you’re spinning to use.>”

Alma threw a glance at her basket but begrudgingly nodded. “<Okay.>”

She supposed it would be useful to know more things if she was going to be like this for another few days. She had no idea where her clothes were so she was given a spare waistcloth and top for the meantime which took some getting used to but she looked forward to returning for her old clothes. Maybe Raj could help her get something together as well? Increase her wardrobe. She’ll see, she supposed.

Alma eyed Okul’s clothing for a moment, on what inspiration she could draw from them, however, her curiosity piqued as she noticed the strap around their chest. She had seen them before, but… they did look good; very well crafted.

“<Those bottles you have on you, did you make those bottles yourself?>” She hadn’t seen many Na’vi wear them so… maybe that was more worth learning about as well.

Okul looked down to their chest, where the string lay crossed to their left side. They hummed curiously and pulled out forward. “<This interests you?>”

“<Yes, our bottles are made of glass or metal. I’d love to learn more of this… if you’d show me>”

Okul hummed far more cheerfully, their eyes lighting up excitedly. “<I’ll get the supplies. This will be fun>”

-

Okul was a good teacher, and it burned through time as they let her craft with them but she had only made one successful bottle, made from Meer Deer horn, twine and various plant saps that were heated at a few different temperatures to achieve different goals, such as waterproofing, glue and means of sealing the bottle of leaks. All fascinating.

She was quite proud of her bottle, just smaller than her palm but she let Okul fill it with some painkilling medicine so she painted a cross on its front in green paint with her little finger since it was the only colour on hand.

“<What is that symbol?>” Okul asked as she set it to dry.

“<It’s a Cross symbol. Sometimes religious in a human context but a red cross is a human symbol of healing, impartial humanitarian care and neutrality. Earth has a group devoted to care and this symbol is used to signify It.>” Alma explained, “<The group does not exist on Pandora so a cross, regardless of colour is more generic and often found on our medical packs to simply signify medical aid.>”

“<Fascinating.>”

“<If you’re curious, Kìoetey might show you where they are in abandoned sky people camps. I noticed she carries the gel packs from the kits for and from her missions.>”

“<Perhaps. I did not realise symbols like this carried weight.>”

“<Humans have had a written language for thousands of years, the symbols we have on boxes are often text to describe the group who owns them, the weight and size, the content and potential hazards>” Alma explained, “<I should probably draw out the symbols if you continually poke at sky people stuff… so you don’t hurt yourself.>”

“<I doubt that will be necessary but I appreciate your suggestion.>” Okul declined but finished up with the thread and took the bottle from her hands and showed her how to wrap the bottle and secure it. Hot wax was used to hold it into place before it was returned.

“<Thank you.>”

Alma slowly helped clear up with Okul, wincing a few times as she did so and Okul carried the tray away before she was left alone. Her fingers playing with her bottle, debating on if it was worth taking another nap because she was feeling tired now. The craft session had been fun but now… she was drained.

She sighed deeply, moving back into the blankets on the floor and lay back…

…

…

“<Alma. It is time for you to wake up. >”

The noise was abrupt, pulling her mind from the blissful dark within a couple of moments, her resting heart picking up quickly and her eyes snapped open to the hazy few of someone leaning over her. She groaned, blinking rapidly and rubbed her eyes before she realised it was Anufi.

Anufi was looking tenser than she had seen her before but clearly ready for something. She handed over a vial. “<Drink, this will provide you more energy.>”

Alma blearily held it, taking note of the tear-shaped bottle and tasselled stopper before she pulled the top off and down it. The taste was bitter and salty, but she felt the immediate surge of energy; her sleepy mind sharpened and her heart seemed to pick up fast within her chest. “Woah…”

Anufi’s head tilted, her hand coming to her chest first to feel her heart then pulled her hand up to the slight shake the new energy was giving her. Not quite like an adrenaline shot but it certainly felt like it. “<I should have allowed only half, I didn’t realise you’d absorb it so quickly. My apologies.>”

“<I’m a rapid metaboliser… the effect may wear off sooner than usual>” She had that as a human too but it was only ever prominent when drinking coffee… or back when she had an epidural for the C-section. She was surprised Anufi hadn’t clocked on sooner but… she supposed the daily visits weren’t enough to see. Okul knew given how many times they upped her medicinal tea strength the last week.

“<Then take a moment. The Sarentu are here and I feel your spirit is settled within this form enough to share your memories with them.>”

“<What? Today?!>” Alma couldn’t shake the alarm in her voice. “<I thought I had more time…>” She suddenly felt under prepared. Surely there was a few more days or hours for her to get mentally geared for this.

“<There is much happening that you do not know of and the Sarentu have waited long enough.>” Anufi said, not uncaring but stern in her words. “<I am not asking you, either. I did not tell you earlier so as not to get you too riled with anxiety or attempt to escape.>”

Alma swallowed thickly, her gaze dropping. “<I wouldn’t have run>” Not just on the basis of having a broken rib that was still healing but she couldn’t do that to the kids. The truth was coming out and she accepted that… just not suddenly and then and there. It was suddenly very overwhelming.

“<I can’t know that. You kept them in the dark for sixteen years and asleep for fifteen more. You have not been honest.>”

Alma sighed deeply and slowly scrambled out of her blankets, pulling her waistcloth straight as well as her top, her side aching uncomfortably so she kept her hand pressed softly to the dressing. Her tail didn’t settle and swished continually as she nodded for Anufi to lead the way; best to get this over with, right?

The stares were lingering, burning as she passed the people and some, she was glad did not notice her as they were too busy with their own work. She was led down and out of the main left-side structure and down past Heykinak who was crafting a new bow.

“<… is Anufi really letting a Dreamwalker into the Circle of Ancestors?>” A Kame’tire whispered of soft disapproval to her friend. “<It’s not right.>”

Alma stamped down her feelings in regards to that and instead focused ahead to see both Kìoetey and Ri’nela waiting close to the whispering Greatcaps.

Both looked a little mentally preoccupied but Kìoetey was crouched and content. Ri’nela was pacing a little, not so at peace but both turned their way at their entry into the circle. A few woodsprites bouncing close.

Kìoetey spared a look at her then away, then sharply back as if suddenly recognising her. “Alma?” She asked, her eyes dropping down to take her in fully. “You’re wearing Na’vi clothes?”

Alma’s arms came and wrapped around her chest, feeling a little self-conscious at the attention. “I didn’t have my clothes coming here. It was this or my underwear.” She felt the heat flood her ears and cheeks. At least her hair was the same.

“Ah,” Kìoetey nodded, “I forgot about that. Sorry, I should have asked So’lek or someone to bring some down.”

“That doesn’t matter right now,” Ri’nela spoke, drawing their attention. “<Now is the time for answers.>”

“<Indeed. Connect with Eywa, all who wish to see. I will stand by should you need me>” Anufi said, offering a space near the mushroom.

Alma’s stomach churned with dread and anxiety as she knelt by the strand of the Greatcaps, cool to touch with her fingers as she pulled it towards her, her other hand finding her kuru slowly but she found herself staring.

A hand touched her shoulder, almost burning but there was a soft squeeze. “<No more stalling.>”

“<I know…>” but she was scared. She knew she must tell this truth but… what would come of it.. she had no idea. Of course, she knew it’d only be worse if she kept finding reasons not to do this; the Sarentu wanted their answers. She couldn’t hide it forever.

Alma took a final breath before she let the end of her kuru curl around before she felt the familiar wash of white….

Then the next she found herself standing in the middle of a forest tunnel. Familiar in terms of a path once walked; the tunnels of the moot site. Eywa’s construct to house her memories in this visits to transverse rather than jumping to memory after memory. Allowing an ease of observation. Her memory was hazy but clearing the longer she stood there. Distant memories she had tried to suppress seemed to bubble and settle in the conceptual forest around her and waiting for her steps.

Them. Their steps

She wasn’t alone but she could feel Ri’nela and Kìoetey behind her close.

“Why is it dark?” Ri’nela asked. Her voice rang in her ears.

“I suppressed a lot of my memory,” Alma admitted. “I... I wanted to lock it away. From myself. From you.”

“To make it easier for you?”

“Guilt and shame will do that. It was my coping method. Now it all lies ahead of me.” She stared down the tunnel but found the strength to move and take the first few steps. “I know I have to show you the truth.”

The tunnel seemed so long and yet, she soon found herself at the first scene she had seen of the clan, the people so happy dancing around the fire and she felt… surge of memory resurface from the dark, the blue haze lightening with colour that made the two behind her gasp as she saw their people move and dance, the echoing drums.

“I’m starting to remember… back then, I was so thrilled at the idea of meeting the Sarentu. What that could have meant for us… me. I told myself we were doing a good thing but… that’s not how it ended.”

Ri’nela stepped forward before their vision was swamped with a new vision, flooding with the scene from the ship above. Watching from the outside, she saw the ship of soldiers; herself clinging on with uncertainty.

“This is where Mokasa told me to find the Sarentu but—”

“Hey,” Mercer’s tone was sharp, cutting her hesitant statement short. “No time for cold feet, now.”

“We’re just talking to them.” Her memory counterpart echoed, her tail lashing softly, “Do we need this many soldiers.”

“This is our last chance. They’re too primitive to understand what we can do for their children.”

Memory Alma looked more swayed at the latter of that statement, “It’s for the children…” her tone far softer.

“Exactly!” Mercer jumped onto that, “ Just think about what we can achieve. Finally.”

Airily, Memory Alma nodded, “We’re helping them. They’ll see it. In time…” Trying to sound hopeful.

The scene returned back to the clearing of dancing and celebrating Sarentu, but she couldn’t look at them as she led the way through. “It used to be beautiful here.” Alma said, “Then we came.”

Kìoetey tapered off a little to look at the group of children… then to paintings on the rocky wall. “That mural… I’ve seen it before. The colours are so vivid…”

Alma didn’t linger but her eyes came to the foggy shapes of humans, armed and the distant sound of their echoing, breaths that rasped through their mask filters.

The two Sarentu needed no context as to why they were there so they walked silently through these stilled moments. Dread settling in her stomach at what was next, the dark was heavy but she had little choice but to move on towards the clearing. Then they were lurched into a horrific scene.

“No! What are you doing?!” Memory Alma screamed out, amongst the soldiers who fired on the Sarentu. Bodies fall every few seconds from the flickers of metal. “Let me talk to them!”

“Don’t let them run!” Harding’s voice echoed the loudest. “We can’t find them in the forest”

“<Please, stop running! Don’t fight them!>” Memory Alma spoke in Na’vi as if that would stop the shooting. Two more Sarentu fell behind, fires no longer in control and spilling out…

“Harding. No one gets out.” Mercer called.

Memory Alma continued to look out at the scene in horror, helpless.

Then they were back… but the dancing scene they had started off was now a scene of death. Bodies laid as they fell.

Her mouth felt dry, a temporary numbness settling in which allowed her to speak. “I... I always said I didn’t know. But I did.” She admitted, leading on over the bodies because they could not stay here. “I hungered for glory… recognition at any cost. But our dream started with a massacre.”

She walked past the barrels of toxic chemicals, used to cover up and dissolve the bodies. Hide the evidence from the outside world. But the next and last clearing had her falter a little… little Aha’ri in her Sarentu clothing, crouching down in front of Colonel Harding… terrified and traumatised to have witnessed her clan’s demise. Her own mother’s death.

“No, Aha’ri…” Alma whispered with regret. She took a heavy breath to carry on, the guilt and the grief of her actions felt so tight around her ribs and threatened to choke her. “I had to focus on you. The children. Protect you… but now I know we’re the ones you needed protection from. We… We wanted our school. Our program. So we stole you. Your clan tried to stop us… so we killed them.” There was no denying her part in it. “My human death is no absolution to the crimes we committed here. I understand that…”

Memory Alma was kneeling now, almost defeated amongst the horror of the unexpected death and destruction. “The Na’vi will never forgive us. Never.”

“The Na’vi will never know,” Mercer said, cold as ever.

Memory Alma’s head bowed in shame, her shoulders sinking down.

“Here, take this.” Harding’s voice was bored.

 Memory Alma turned to see and her attitude changed to something soft as she rose carefully to Aha’ri who was more or less pushed her way. “Don’t worry, little one.” She pulled the girl close as if to shield the six-year-old’s view of the burning and death around. “I’ll protect you.” The loudest sound was the little doll Aha’ri dropped onto the grass…

She found herself back out of the memory, lingering for a moment before she felt Ri’nela and Kìoetey disappear from the memory… the clearing. Leaving her alone without a word. She swallowed thickly before she felt the grass under her real body return and the other hand touch hers…pulling her hand and kuru away.

The scene around was replaced by the Circle of Ancestors… Anufi stepped back to allow her space.

Alma’s head turned but she had no words to speak as the two Sarentu looked at each other, tears in their eyes but there was more to it. No words needed to be spoken as Kìoetey rose to her feet, jaw tensing and loosening. Ri’nela was quick to follow but first to leave with clenched fists and nothing said.

“K-Kìoetey…” Alma tried, her voice cracking.

“No.” Kìoetey shut her down instantly, not even looking at her before she more or less stormed from the circle…

Alma stared before she ducked her head, regret once again filling her stomach.

“Come, back to rest in quiet; they need time to comprehend what they have seen.” Anufi was stern, pulling her up to her feet but she had no strength to fight her on it; to try and chase after and explain but… her head felt funny. The energy she had had was fading fast and she felt the new dregs of tiredness behind her eyes.

“<Are-Are you gonna see too?>” She asked, allowing herself to follow.

“<Not today. I have seen enough pain and death. Hear me when I say this, do not mistake the care we provide as anything less than duty. As you’re part of the resistance, you’re an ally of Kame’tire and privileged, despite the blood on your hands.>”

Which as Alma understood, was the only reason she was still not shoved out into the cold like Mokasa. They held the same crime but Anufi knew the connections were thin between the human side of the Resistance and the clan; she was treading carefully to not snap those bonds when they needed them. A political move, so to speak. Mokasa on the other hand had no ties to protect him.

“<When can I go? Return to the resistance?”

“<Tomorrow>”

Alma nodded. “<Okay.>” She had time to plan her next course of action. She hoped Anqa would pick her up otherwise it was going to be a very long walk.

[sutxdreamwalker]

Trans Teylan Hcs

My little unstable mind just came up with this idea, and one this is just a little HC Au scenario thing, so like it’s a like a “what if?” Thing and whatever

• So while growing up at TAP Teylan just started wanting to feel more like a boy

• Like he cut his hair short to look more like one and try to dress like one but it wasn’t that hard cause everyone at TAP basically dressed the same

• Eventually when he was around 12-13 he finally realized that he is trans

• Obviously it took him long to figure it out cause one he didn’t know what being transgender was yet

• Two when Mercer started to see Teylan try to be a boy he tells him he can’t be and that he was born female and that all he’ll ever be

• So Teylan would doubt himself and would question himself but the other sarentu would support him no matter what

• He learned about being trans from Alma when he asked her that he if it was normal to want to be a boy even though he was born female

• Alma told him it’s ok if he wants to be a boy and that he shouldn’t be ashamed, so Alma does support him too

• So in the classroom Alma would address Teylan with masculine pronouns and he just felt so comfortable with that

• But when Mercer or Harding step into the classroom they still addressed Teylan with feminine pronouns

• That did make Teylan feel uncomfortable but he couldn’t say anything cause he knew he would get scolded

• Once Teylan got more older he started wearing shirts that were slightly big and baggy so that his chest wouldn’t look obviously feminine

• But Mercer caught on with that too and yell at Teylan for that and make him stop and even prevent him from cutting his hair when it got long

• The sarentu tho would sneak Teylan a baggy shirt and help him cut his hair in the bunks

• Soon after the whole cryo sleep thing and they are free from TAP Teylan would be anxious about addressing himself as trans to the resistance

• Priya, Alex, Anqa and the others would obviously know Teylan is trans cause Alma would of told them

• Priya would be so supportive of him and even tell him that they could do top surgery on him and makes Teylan so happy his cry’s

• Teylan would of already be intimidated by So’lek so he would be really nervous to ask him about of their other Na’vi like him

• So’lek has heard about Teylan’s struggles and would tell him that there are other Na’vi like him and that he shouldn’t be ashamed for expressing who he really is

• So So’lek is also supportive in his own way

• Once they do Teylan’s top surgery he’s overjoyed, he can finally look like a man, feel like himself

• With the clothes he wears he intentionally wants to hide his trans scars cause there’s still a part of him that feels ashamed thanks to Mercer

• Eventually tho over time he started to get less self conscious, and that made him wear Na’vi clothes sometimes that showed his trans scars and he didn’t feel ashamed

• For angst, when he went back with Mercer after the incident with the party, Mercer would ask of Teylan’s top surgery and Teylan would respond with saying that this is who he is

• “T-This is who I am, I-I’m a man, I’m not a woman”

• “Don’t be ridiculous, you were born female and you are female, your just being delusional, it’s just a silly phase you never grew out of”

• Mercer would be super transphobic and Teylan did not like it but with his manipulation Teylan didn’t speak out

• Then once he switched sides again and helped save the western frontier, he would break down about all the things Mercer said to him

• Ri’nela and the sarentu mc will comfort him like the always did and reassure that Mercer won’t harm him anymore

• At the great games when he was making friends with Okul and told them about how they were trans Okul support him

• They even explained how they were intersex (that is my hc and might as well be canon) and how they balanced out their female and male parts and don’t care about what anyone thinks

• Basically Okul helps Teylan become more confident with himself and it creates a strong bond with the two (and might even spark something :3)

[winterfieldfrontiers]

John Mercer, I know who you are.

Parker don't give a fuck to you! Mercer.

He's only cared about Quaritch.

[sylwanin-was-right]

Tson Merser lu txavä'a ayvrrtep atsewtx !!!! - John Mercer is a dirty, disgusting, monster !!!!!

[naavispider]

Merciless - part 2

(Part 1 here)

In which John Mercer stops by Bridgehead during the events of ATWOW. When he hears of the human boy raised on Pandora with the natives, his curiosity gets the better of him.

The sound of his clunky footsteps echoed down the pristine corridor. John Mercer had never been down in this section of the RDA’s largest stronghold. It all looked the same as what he was used to however; the hallways and signage were presented in a similar layout, and the gleaming metal walls just barely reflected his determined gait as he made his way down to the boy’s cell.

Technically, he didn’t have clearance to be down here, but thankfully for him, years of service and being a veteran of Pandora meant he had fingers in a few very important pies. He stopped when he reached the sign displaying ‘Socorro, Miles’. 

He laughed to himself - Quaritch always did have an extremely large ego. How did he expect to keep it quiet that this was his boy with a name like that? He stopped short of the cell entrance, opting instead for the observation room next door. Stepping into the dark viewing space, his eyes took in the monitors and discarded notes, still attached to clipboards with coffee mug stains on them. He shook his head, marvelling at how amateur the whole operation was. 

Thankfully, no one else was here, so he took a seat behind the double sided mirror. 

It was quiet inside the cell. The boy was in a corner, sleeping with his head resting on his knees. The first thing Mercer noted was how big he was. From what he understood, the kid could only be around 16, yet he was larger than the average fully grown man. Even sitting down, it was obvious he was over six feet tall. And strong too. He was perfectly toned all over without an inch of excess body fat. He was probably in better shape than most athletes. 

Aside from the tarzan-style fashion choices, the boy looked like a formidable opponent in the field. Mercer glanced at the camera footage, playing on one of the monitors while the boy slept, which showed Socorro first being brought in. His suspicions about the boy’s strength were confirmed at the sight of four men struggling to drag him into the room. Socorro used every asset available to him to fight and resist his captors until he was eventually overcome by sheer force of manpower. Curious, Mercer fiddled around to unmute the footage. Had the boy developed language? Could he speak Na’vi or English? It would be interesting to get a glimpse into his psychological state. 

Socorro seemed to scream and shout a lot, most of it unintelligible. That was definitely an American accent though. Interesting. Even the youngest of his previous students never lost their Na’vi accents. Further evidence that the indigenous were less adaptable than humans due to their more constricted vocal chords. 

The tingling sense of excitement that Mercer hadn't felt in a long time started to return. Finding this boy was like finding a goldmine. It would be a complete and utter waste to use him for anything other than research purposes. There was no doubt in Mercer’s mind that the boy held the key to advancements for mankind. Maybe it would even be enough to rebuild his tattered reputation within the RDA and prove once more the worthiness of his projects. It was a sham how TAP ended, and Mercer wouldn’t be blamed for it for one more day. Socorro spelled redemption. 

A warm flare had sparked to life in Mercer’s belly, one he knew too well. It would grow and grow, burning in the background until it finally blazed hot down his veins. 

He took a deep breath, regaining some control over his runaway thoughts. He couldn’t get overexcited. Ardmore wasn’t budging, and neither would Colonel Quaritch. 

Just then, his train of thought was interrupted by the sound of the door clicking. He spun around to see a woman with brown hair wearing medical scrubs enter the dark room. 

“Oh! Sorry…” she said when she saw him, frowning in confusion at his presence.

“Don’t be.” He offered her a slick smile. “I’m only observing.”

“Right…” she still looked unsure as to why he was there, which perhaps explained why she hadn’t moved from the doorway. 

“Please, don’t let me get in your way.”

She entered hesitantly, bringing out a clipboard and viewing the boy from the mirrored glass. Her name badge told him her name was Janine. 

“Is he in good health?” he asked, suddenly concerned there was an unforeseen issue.

She sighed. “Generally, yes. The neuroscanner is taking its toll on him though.”

“What are the side effects?” 

“Headaches, nausea… that type of thing.”

“Anything permanent?”

She turned to look at him. For some reason, Mercer got the feeling that she was judging him. What for, he couldn’t possibly predict.

“No. Nothing permanent.”

The air suddenly became very still and cold between them. Satisfied that the boy wasn’t going to be permanently damaged by Ardmore’s interrogation techniques, he decided that stepping out and introducting himself was better than remaining here with the nurse with a stick up her ass.

As his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the corridor outside, he once more took in the strange sight of the half-naked, feral hybrid sitting behind the glass. 

“Miles?” he asked, his heart beating rather faster than usual. It felt strange to call him that. 

The boy’s head lifted from his knees, and Mercer had to contain his gasp. Miles’s brow was furrowed and the expression of disgust was so akin to his father’s that it threw him temporarily off guard. 

“How are you doing in there?”

The boy’s eyes narrowed in even further suspicion. “Amazing, asshole.”

A sense of humour too - this was the dream project. 

“How long have you been in there?” He kept his tone light, but was careful to fake enough concern. 

Miles scoffed. “Why do you care?”

“It doesn’t look very comfortable.”

The boy scoffed again, shaking his head. “What do you want?”

“I want to introduce myself. My name is John Mercer. I used to work on the Western Frontier.”

Miles scrunched his nose up. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

“No,” Mercer chucked slightly. “I suppose it wouldn’t.”

“Whatever,” Miles retorted. “You’re a coloniser. Congratulations.”

“I know why you see it that way. But my line of work was a little more… political than all that. I wanted to build bridges, not tear them down. I did a lot of work for SciOps.”

“You’re a scientist?” The boy didn't look impressed, but Mercer could tell he was curious.

“In a manner of speaking.”

Miles’s eyes were beginning to lock onto Mercer’s. Somehow, Mercer’s words were working. He'd surprised even himself.

“Did you know Dr Augustine?”

Grace Augustine? How the hell did this kid know about her? She died around the time he was born, if Mercer’s timeline was correct. 

“Not personally.”

Some of the fire behind the kid’s eyes seemed to die down at this news. He slunk back against the wall. 

“Listen, Miles-”

“That’s not my name,” the kid hissed. 

Daddy issues too? Perfect. 

“Okay. What do they call you then?”

The boy grinned conspiratorially, as if by withholding his name he’d won some kind of strategic standoff. 

“Okay,” Mercer said slowly. “Your file says Socorro. So let’s use that shall we?”

The kid’s eyes flashed dangerously in his direction, but he didn’t speak. 

“Ardmore’s drilling you pretty hard. You don’t want to give up everything and everyone you’ve ever known. I understand that. But she’s not your problem.”

Socorro was playing the part of the moody, uninterested teenager well, but Mercer knew he was listening closely. 

“The recombinant out there? That’s not your father. And you being here causes him a few issues.”

Socorro glanced up, ill-hidden confusion written all over his face. 

“Think about it. Don’t take this personally, but your existence is embarrassing for him. You shouldn’t have been born. He broke a huge safety protocol and will have to face the consequences. Second, if you’re not going to talk, then you’re useless to him and them. They won’t keep you around for long.” Suddenly, Mercer felt sorry for him. “I know this is a hard situation for you, but there’s no use forming an attachment with someone who’s going to have to terminate you.”

Socorro hissed loudly at this, catching Mercer off guard. He truly was a feral little Na’vi after all. 

“I’m sorry to put it so bluntly-”

But he was stopped in his tracks by a large, cold hand gripping his shoulder from behind and spinning him around, bringing him face to navel with the intimidating figure of Miles Quaritch. 

“What the hell are you doing talking to him?” 

Quaritch’s hand was vice-like on his shoulder, and Mercer tried his best to not let the strain of it show in his face. 

“Colonel Quaritch. I’m afraid I couldn’t control my… professional curiosity. Is there a problem?” He recounted what he had just said to the kid, trying to work out whether Quaritch had a right to be mad. From the looks of him, whatever he’d heard, he didn’t like. 

Quaritch’s face was seething with barely repressed anger, his clipped ears pinned down almost flat against his skull. His eyes darted from Mercer to Socorro, before settling on burning a laser hole through Mercer’s own eye sockets. “Get. Out,” he growled, his voice deadly. 

With that, Mercer was shoved out of Quaritch’s way so forcefully he stumbled and almost fell. Behind Quaritch stood Wainfleet, who Mercer was not surprised to see still acted as his boss’s obedient dog. Knowing his time was over, he stood up straight and dusted down the front of his previously crisp shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles from Quaritch’s grip. 

“Gentlemen,” he said more confidently than he felt, and then turned his back on the cell and the recoms, his mind spinning with everything he had just learned.

It was so interesting to write from Mercer's perspective and give him and Spider some interaction! I have ideas about where this fic could go... but I won't commit to anything right now! As always, big thanks to @hyperfixatedfandomer for being such a huge source of inspiration!