Me When The Plot Is About A Man Becoming An Unwilling Parent And Learning The Horrors And Joys Of Fatherhood

Me when the plot is about a man becoming an unwilling parent and learning the horrors and joys of fatherhood

Update on Common Enemy: Avatar fancomic part 2

I'm almost done sketching out the whole thing! I've completed 12/15 so only 3 pages left before I can finally start working on line-art and coloring. I am planning to take a break from drawing once I finish sketching all 15 pages, but I believe I'm on track to finish part 2 and have it posted sometime in mid-July. I'll keep you guys posted as I make progress.

Sometimes when I sketch I get carried away and add unnecessary details that don't fit with the mood of the story. Here are two little "bloopers" that I already know I'm gonna have to cut from the final draft of the comic:

I should draw Lo'ak more. I love drawing his goofy wide-set eyes lol.

As I've been working on this, I've also discovered there's potential for an interesting dynamic between Lo'ak and Quaritch that I haven't thought about before. As far as Quaritch is concerned, Lo'ak is just Jake Sully 2.0, while Lo'ak himself doesn't believe he's anything like the "legendary Toruk Makto." Lo'ak would be weirded out by Quaritch making some irritated comment of him being "just like your daddy 🙄" because he doesn't think he can live up to Jake. He doesn't realize the reason Jake is so hard on him is 'cause Jake is scared Lo'ak will make similar mistakes that he did because he IS so much like him. And Quaritch on the other hand can see how much Spider cares about Lo'ak and can relate it back to how he and Jake used to have an amicable relationship. Quaritch would be scared of Lo'ak "turning" on Spider the way Jake "turned" on him... especially knowing that the Sullies won't be thrilled when they find out why he's still alive.

I don't have the time to explore that in this comic, but maybe I could write something about it one day 🤔

Hi, can I ask how old you are? If you don't want to reply, just ignore it, I'm just curious how many of us are of a similar age, because I noticed that the most active people in this fandom are around 20-29 years old (I'm 23) and sometimes I wonder what causes it

I don't feel comfortable sharing my exact age, but I'll say I'm in my early 20s, so I fall into the age range you're talking about, and yeah, I've noticed that most of the Avatar fans I've interacted with seem to be in this range.

I think part of it isn't so much that Avatar appeals to people in their 20s, it's moreso that we're all on tumblr. Tumblr's demographics have aged since its heyday so I think most of its users are young adults now. If you go on Tiktok, you'll find lots of teenage and child avatar fans, and if you go on reddit's r/Avatar you'll find a slightly older mix of adults. I don't really use twitter and instagram as much, but I'm sure you'll find different age ranges there.

So the cause is just the website you're using to interact with Avatar fans.

"Like a person who would not hesitate to try and chase a car on foot."

Harding whenever she sees the Sarentu trying to escape in a car:

I was looking at this and I wonder where her scars came from. She’s isn’t one of the good guys but doesn’t stop her from looking so good 😍

I really want to know what everyone’s story was for acting the way they do. Is money that worth it? I mean like, I love money too but damn… I don’t love money THAT much. Geez guys.

I love this AU! Spider would be even more protective of her, I bet he'd always offer to help her when she's having trouble climbing and of course she's always get sassy and tell him she can do it herself. And I love the idea of Kiri being human but still having that deep connection to Eywa, it would just be so cool to see an alien have a deep bond with a planet she doesn't belong to.

swap au! kiri human and avatar spider

Thanks for the shout out, but

Spider bby nooooo 😭

🕸️🕷️ Weaving the Web 🕷️🕸️

Chapter 22: Shattered

More shout out to @cyren-myadd for more angsty trauma for Spider trying to sort out his trust issues based on water cooler gossip.

TW: Suicide Attempt

“Spider, I want you to eat a little more than that.” Quaritch said with equal parts concern and sternness. His boy was starting to look, dare he say it, weak. He was absolutely thinner than when he was first captured and it wasn’t just from lack of activity. Spider was losing muscle mass and definition as well. The recom had only started to notice after his last mission.

”I don’t want to…” the teen grumbled as he looked away from the stew he’d been swirling round for the better part of an hour now. It was ice cold by now and Quaritch could count on one hand how many bites the boy had taken.

”I know you don’t want to, that’s the problem.” Quaritch said flatly. Keep it in check; don’t get upset. These were just a few mantras the hardened marine had been saying to himself the last few days. Not only had Spider’s eating habits diminished, but he was exceptionally moody. Picking fights over small things and being oppositional for the sake of it.

”I’m not hungry.” Spider said as he dropped the spoon with a loud clatter into the dish and pushed it away before crossing his arms. It was what Quaritch had started calling ‘teenage tantrums’. More than once, he had lost his temper with Spider and it ended horribly. One of the other two always showed up. If it was MJ, Quaritch ended up apologizing a hundred times before the kid would stop crying. If it was Miles, it ended in a scrap.

Only Prager was at the recom table with them. It became something of an unwritten rule lately that the colonel always had backup, except at the apartment. Though Wainfleet and Ja had managed to score one right next to Quaritch’s after one particularly bad fight resulted in a split lip for the recom and dislocated shoulder for the boy. And Spider wasn’t stupid; he felt the eyes of the others on him.

”We really gonna do this again here?” Quaritch said with a tired sigh. He loved his son more than anything, but for fuck’s sake! Every goddamn day with the kid was a trial by fire ever since the first mission Spider was left behind. As much as Quaritch tried to argue it was detrimental to his health, Ardmore would not let up on this joint custody bullshit. That nothing had happened while Spider was in McCosker’s care.

”Sure, why the fuck not?” Spider said as he snapped his head forward with a mean glare.

Quaritch ground his teeth as he trapped a growl in his throat. What the hell was wrong with his boy? But no, he would not make a spectacle of himself or his son. He leaned forward and quietly ordered, “Home. Now.”

Spider shook his head as he slammed his hands on the table and pushed back off the seat. As much as Quaritch wanted to reprimand the boy for not cleaning up his plate he barely ate from, the recom had to jump out of his own seat and quickly dash after the boy as he stormed out of the mess hall. He shoved his hands into the pockets of the sweatshirt he wore all the time now with the sleeves ripped off above the elbows and the hood always up covering his face.

After a brisk walk back to their apartment, Quaritch expected to have to chase the boy into his room but Spider knew it wasn’t worth it. He’d let his father yell at him to just have it over with. He flopped back on the couch in a low slouch and crossed his arms, glaring at the wall.

”Alright, enough is enough. What the hell is wrong with you, boy?” Quaritch said harshly, not even feeling bad about his tone or choice of words. He was angry; the boy was angry. It was clear who Spider got his temper from.

”A whole fuck ton of things last I checked…” Spider spat back just as harshly.

“Nah, don’t pull that shit, Spider. Something is wrong. Something recent. I’ve told ya to come to me with anything. If ANYTHING is wrong, you come to me and I’ll make it right. I’ve kept my word on that. I can’t take back the mistakes that got you here but I’m doing my damnedest to make it right.” Quaritch said, staring at the boy’s profile barely peeking out from under the hood.

Spider bit down hard on the inside of his cheek at the guilt churning in his stomach to the point he tasted blood. He knew in his heart he didn’t want to be such a pain in the ass, even though it was Quaritch’ fault he was in this whole predicament to begin with. His father couldn’t fix him, but he had been bending over backwards to help.

Don’t trust them. I warned you.

Don’t trust who exactly? Who warned who? Were those messages between his other sides?

Spider had started regularly talking to a therapist after his stay with McCosker resulted in him unintentionally scratching his arms while under his former foster father’s care. It was weird at first. Really weird. But eventually it became a nice reprieve to talk to someone who was genuinely neutral and didn’t care what he talked about. The next closest neutral party was Ja but that had changed. He was, dare Spider admit it, starting to feel like an older brother. With a medical degree.

The silent treatment did nothing for Quaritch’s fraying hold on his temper. He crossed the room in a few strides and crouched in front of the boy while pulling him up by the shoulders to sit properly and pulled the hood down so he could see his face. Despite the kid’s eyes immediately darting to the side, Quaritch kept one firm hand on Spider’s shoulder to ground both of them. It almost felt bony underneath the fabric of the oversized sweatshirt.

“You show me some respect, boy, and look at me when I’m talking to you. I’m trying real damn hard not to slap some sense into you.” Quaritch said, still angry but some of it faded when Spider’s big, brown doe eyes finally looked up. Not only did his son inherit his temper but also his resilience to back down from a challenge. But Quaritch wasn’t Spider’s only opponent. He had two very strong alter egos to contend with.

”You’re gettin’ skinny.” Quaritch said with a defeated sigh, “It’s got me worried, ok? I don’t know if it’s the meds or somethin’ up here.”

Quaritch emphasized ‘up here’ with a light tap to Spider’s forehead. As much as Spider wanted to tell him all the things that were wrong, how could he explain it? He didn’t know who was leaving him messages on mirrors. He’d heard rumblings from people who passed him by in the hall that the colonel may not actually have his best interest in mind. Wouldn’t these two things go hand in hand?

”You’ve been skippin’ out on the gym. Not eatin’ right. Or sleeping.” Quaritch said the last part a little firmer and didn’t scold the boy for sheepishly looking down. He’d caught the boy spitting out his sleep medication one evening after dinner, making it almost impossible for Quaritch to trust if he was taking any of them regularly.

”Why don’t we go out tomorrow? Just the two of us. I got a clear schedule and you could use some time out of this metal box.” Quaritch offered. It was a small olive branch considering every outing ended with going back to the city. He continued with a nod to Spider’s arm as he slid his large, blue hand from his shoulder to his forearm, “I can’t even see your stripes these days.”

Spider still didn’t look up, but did nod this time. It was a good enough answer. At least they didn’t fight.

”Good.” Quaritch said approvingly as he ruffled Spider’s hair. But the truce didn’t feel fully reciprocated and it put the recom on edge. He knew something was still wrong and it wasn’t just his condition. He’d learned enough about his boy to sense when something was very, very wrong. Gently moving his knuckles under Spider’s chin, he lifted his face until their eyes met again. His heartstrings twisted into a knot when he saw the extra shine to his eyes as he fought back tears. “Tell me what’s wrong, tiger. Please.”

Spider’s eyes darted back and forth between Quaritch’s. He wanted to say - no, scream - that he was scared to go to sleep at night. That he was afraid of his other sides. That he was terrified that his father was lying to him just to get him well enough to be malleable for the RDA again. That he couldn’t trust anyone…especially himself.

More silence.

Quaritch set his jaw tightly and nodded, sliding his hand to the back of Spider’s head and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. He knew the kid wanted to say something but wasn’t letting it out. So, three things. The holy trinity of Quaritch’s personality had been passed onto his son: temper, resilience, and stubbornness.

After the one-sided conversation, Spider willingly ate a protein bar as a poor stand-in for the stew he didn’t eat. But at least he wasn’t going to bed hungry or risking nausea from the sleeping pill Quaritch watched him consume. Micromanaging Spider was the last thing he wanted to do but he needed his kid to get back on the good track he was on. He stayed up later than Spider to make sure he fell asleep.

Most nights the kid went out like a light within twenty minutes of taking his meds. Tonight was one of those nights and Quaritch was readying himself for bed an hour after Spider had gone to sleep. He did one more check on his boy, pulled the blanket that had been kicked to the floor back over him, and lightly pressed the back of his hand against Spider’s forehead. He was a bit clammy, no wonder the blanket was on the floor, but it didn’t feel like a fever.

Quaritch would make a note to tell Ja in the morning. All was calm and quiet in the apartment when the recom settled into his own bed. He never used to be a night owl before the kid came into his life. He was early to bed and rose with the sun. Strange how much he had changed with Spider in his life. Yes, finding Jake Sully was still the mission. But the initial drive wasn’t there like it had been.

He fell asleep quickly and woke almost as quickly to pressure on his neck. Quaritch woke in a panic but his keen eyes could see clearly in the dark that it was Spider looming over him. How the hell the kid managed to sneak into his room AND get astride his stomach like a predator ready to pounce before waking him up had him speechless. But not as speechless as the sharp object against his throat.

”You came into my room…” Spider said in a strained whisper. His hands were shaking on the sharpened butter knife as he struggled to suppress the panic. “Why did you come in my room while I was sleeping? What were you doing?”

”Just one last bed check before turnin’ in, Spider.” Quaritch answered coolly, ignoring how his Adam’s apple bobbed against the razor sharp, “Where’d you get a knife?”

Spider’s right eye twitched, almost completely closing before blinking a few times.

”Can you put it down so we can finally talk about what’s got you like this?” His father continued, staying calm despite the threat.

”No.” Spider answered quickly, his voice cracking under the hushed tone.

”Ok then…leave the knife there but still tell me what’s wrong.”

“…what if you lie?”

”Kid, the last thing I’m gonna do is lie to you. And it's got nothin’ to do with my life being in your hands.”

Spider’s breath shook as he inhaled. He pressed the knife closer into Quaritch’s flesh to the point of a small cut forming under the pressure. Could he trust his father?

”I…” Spider started, his chest starting to hitch as his panic started becoming too much to handle. His father stared up at him calmly and patiently as Spider tried to put the words together. Tears started to stream down his cheeks and drip off his chin before he could say anything else.

”Son.” Quaritch said quietly, knowing he was one shaking hand motion away from dying for the second time.

”I…I don’t know who to trust…” Spider answered almost silently, “…because of the mirrors…”

”What mirrors?” Quaritch asked, trying to get more clues to this riddle and remembering when he came back from his mission early that the bathroom mirror was covered in a towel.

”Sometimes there’s…things written on them.” Spider said, knowing how incredibly insane he was sounding. “They say not to trust anyone. A-And I hear things…like you…you don’t…you’re just-…”

Quaritch knew where this was going. He’d also heard the rumors going on that all his fathering to the boy was just for show. But it was complete bullshit. He loved that boy more than any damn thing in two lives. It was easy to see why his son might think it’s all fake. Kid was still a prisoner, just with a long leash.

”I love you, son.” Quaritch said. The words felt foreign, but right, coming from his mouth. Spider started trembling under the weight of his fear and the power he had over Quaritch at that moment. The recom continued, “I hear all the lies too. Every time I track the source of one, another pops up. But you know what? I’ll hunt down every single one of them who makes you think you’re not the best damn thing that ever happened to me.”

Spider’s hands were shaking even more. To Quaritch’s reprieve, the teen pulled the knife back when it started and he held the knife to his chest.

”Please give me the knife, Spider.” Quaritch coaxed. He wasn’t angry at the boy. Instead, he was concerned where he got it and how long he’d been secretly armed.

”…no.” Spider said, clutching the knife tighter and closing his eyes. Quaritch was telling the truth. How could he have been so stupid to think this man who had stepped up to be his father in his fucked up situation not genuinely care for him? But then who shouldn’t he trust? Who was TELLING him not to trust anyone? What was going to happen after whoever they warned him and he didn’t do anything about it?

”Spider, the knife. Please just give it to me. You’re safe with me, you don’t need it.” Quaritch said. His heart was pounding harder in his chest seeing Spider have it so close to his person than when it was literally grazing into his skin.

”No, I-…” Spider choked out with a sob, “I can’t do this anymore!”

Quaritch cursed and grunted in pain as his hand moved in a flash to catch the blade Spider drew away from his chest with the intent to thrust it into his own neck. He clenched a tight fist around the blade as it pierced between his index and middle metacarpals. Slamming the captured blade to the side, he sat up so quickly Spider would have fallen off if not for Quaritch’s other arm wrapping tightly around him.

He held his boy to his chest as Spider crumpled and sobbed into Quaritch’s broad chest. His hand hurt like a bitch, but it was nothing compared to the cries of his son.