The thing is, Norm had to seriously gaslight himself into believing that Spider is his nephew, not Quaritch's son.
The same Quaritch who got Trudy killed. The same Quaritch who murdered Grace. The same Quaritch who destroyed countless lives without a second thought and smiled while doing it because war was all he knew.
Norm has to look down at little Javier, still nothing more than a squirming scrap of life wrapped in swaddling blankets, and force himself not to see the shadow of that sneering bastard staring back at him. Every time the baby cries, laughs, or reaches for him with tiny hands, Norm has to remind himself that this child is not his father.
It's an immense relief when Javier grows up and starts to resemble Quaritch less and less, both in appearance and in personality. Instead of hard lines and cold eyes, the boy grows into someone warm, curious, endlessly compassionate, and just a little too clever for his own good.
Norm loves his "nephew" with all his heart.
His wife loves him.
His children adore him.
Everyone who meets Javier can't help but love him.
Like his father, Javier is a charmer, except his charm is genuine and not some clever ploy. Javier charms them all with his smiles and sweetness. The kid is altogether charming and sweet. The best of humanity.
Only three people know the truth behind Spider's origins: Norm, his wife, and Max.
It was Max who falsified Javier's birth records. Max who quietly erased the name Miles and replaced it with Javier. Max who invented an entire half-brother for Norm, a humble technician who supposedly died in an industrial accident before anyone ever had the chance to meet him. And it was Max who kept talking Norm down every time the guilt threatened to consume him.
"I don't know, Max…" Norm murmured one night. "I can't keep lying like this. We have to tell Jake."
Max didn't even look up from the old datapad in his hands.
"Okay. We tell Jake. Jake tells Neytiri. Neytiri tells anyone and everyone who'll listen. Then we're thrown out on our asses and shipped back to Earth, where the RDA tortures us for every scrap of information we've got until there's nothing left of us. Sounds like a fantastic plan."
"But… everyone forgave Jake for what he did."
"They forgave him because he became Toruk Makto and won the damn war." Max finally looked up, exhaustion written across his face. "They're only tolerating us living here because we helped and because Jake vouched for us. Javier's an infant. He can't speak up for himself, and even if he can, do you think the Na'vi will listen to what he has to say? Do you honestly believe Neytiri would ever let this go?"
Norm said nothing.
"No," Max answered for him. "She'll keep pushing until Jake has no choice but to swear an oath that Javier gets shipped to Earth the day he turns eighteen, and we go with him for lying."
"Max… I…"
"I know." Max rubbed a hand over his tired face. "I hate it too. But we've sacrificed too much. We've lost too much. I'm not throwing away our life's work just so we can die forgotten in some gutter back on Earth."
His voice hardened.
"As far as I'm concerned, Javier is not the son of Quaritch and Paz."
"Max…"
"It. Didn't. Happen."
Silence settled between them.
Then Max repeated it, slower this time.
"It will shock you how much it didn't happen."
Those three little words never truly left Norm.
It didn't happen.
Those three little words became the delusional comfort he repeated often enough until that part of him fucking believed it. They pushed him to fully embrace his role as Javier's only surviving blood relative.
Mutxuk was far more understanding, perhaps because she understood. She had suffered heavy losses of her own and understood that some truths only brought more pain and suffering. Although wary at first, she ultimately trusted Norm's judgment and came to love his "nephew" as fiercely as the rest of their growing little family did. She made it her personal mission to ensure Javier respected Eywa, honored the People, and understood the Na'vi way of life. If Javier was going to be in her care, he would learn her ways.
Some nights, Norm would lie awake staring up at the ceiling, crushed beneath the weight of the deception. Those nights were the hardest.
Other nights… he simply didn't care.
Because Javier hadn't asked to be born.
He hadn't asked to be the son of two terrible people.
He hadn't asked to inherit the consequences of crimes committed long before he could even live his life as the first human born on Pandora.
What good would the truth do?
It was kinder for Javier to grow up believing that his eccentric Uncle Norm was his uncle and that his "father" had simply been a gifted technician who died in a tragic accident before Javier could ever know him.
Deep down, though, Norm suspects Jake knows.
Jake has never said a word.
Never asked a question.
But every now and then, he'll crouch in front of Javier, gently cradle the little boy's face in one enormous blue hand, and study him in complete silence. His expression contemplative for a long moment before he smiles, pulls Javier into a hug, and ruffles his hair as though silently promising that whatever secrets exist between the adults will never become the child's burden.
Maybe Jake knows.
Maybe he doesn't.
Norm has long since stopped trying to figure it out.
Denial is an ugly thing.
But which is better?
To shatter an innocent child's life in the name of honesty?
Or to let that child grow up surrounded by unconditional love, blissfully unaware of the blood running through his veins?
Trudy must have known that Paz (her pilot colleague) was pregnant and it's canonically "an open secret who the father is."
I absolutely believe that while they were living at Site 26, she not only brought back peanut butter and cocoa from the base, but also the gossip.
"Paz had her baby. Yeah, with you-know-who. And she named it Miles. The poor kid, who would want parents like that?"
Now Trudy and Grace are dead, and Norm already knows.
Only Jake can connect the dots: Norm never mentioned a nephew or brother ever before, and at the same time, there must be a child of Quaritch's, exactly the same age, somewhere on this planet...
But he was so dissociated from the human world and his body during that time in Site 26, and his thoughts were always only with the Omatikaya and his avatar; perhaps he's remembering incorrectly... 🤷♂️
Norm or Max takes deliberate steps to hide Spider's genetic connection to Quaritch because emotions are still running high after the war, and letting the truth slip would be a terrible idea, especially after Jake allowed most of the humans at Hell's Gate to remain on Pandora as a gesture of good faith. So, without Quaritch's shadow hanging over him, Spider grows up happy and healthy. Everyone knows him simply as Norm's "nephew." Nobody ever bothers to question how Norm suddenly has a nephew, and Jake is far too busy juggling fatherhood and his duties as Olo'eyktan to pry into it.
Spider becomes so universally adored by both humans and the Na'vi for being respectful, compassionate, and unbearably precious that, when news of his true father eventually comes to light, nobody believes it.
Nobody.
Even after legitimate DNA test results are presented, Jake takes one look at the paper, crumples it into a ball, and Neytiri promptly tosses it into the fire because one stupid little piece of paper doesn't prove a damn thing. Spider is not Quaritch's son. There is simply no universe where a man like that could sire sweet little Spider, who is more Na'vi than human in both heart and spirit and is one of the kindest souls anyone has ever met.
It drives Quaritch absolutely bonkers because everyone treats the revelation like it's the funniest joke they've ever heard.
"Little Miles is my son."
"Jesus Christ, Quaritch. I knew you were crazy, but I didn't realize you'd gone completely insane. Who the fuck would have slept with you? There's no way the little swimmers in your left nut had any life left in them at your age."
Spider and the rest of the Na'vi think that this is supposed to be some kind of tactic to sow discord amongst the resistance. Like "omg SUREEE you are his father mhmhmhmh yeah sure we will fight and worry about that now. Nice try asshole."
CW: blood, anatomical drawing, partial nudity, body horror.
I’m not really a writer, so I’ll just share a short piece of the story and my general ideas.
You’re free to take inspiration from my ideas and use my drawing with proper credit if you’d like to write it. :]
This AU explores what would happen if Spider underwent a metamorphosis during the eight years between Avatar 3 and Avatar 4.
We know the mycelium in Spider’s body keeps him alive. But what if it felt threatened after the experiments he endured under the RDA? Eywa is not pleased. She sees that her son is defenseless against future threats, so she takes his safety into her own hands and begins to change him.
Spider’s 24 y/o when he is fully na’vi.
Story Fragment
It started as a tickle beneath his skin… then it turned into the sensation of worms writhing underneath, and then into something worse: like something was pulling at his bones and flesh.
For the first two years, Spider blamed it on growing pains or lingering effects from his time in the RDA. But the pain only worsened. The movements beneath his skin grew more aggressive. The pressure in his head felt unbearable; his eyes and gums ached constantly. His whole body was tense, like he was always on the verge of cramping.
Some of the others began to notice small changes. They said his eyes looked clearer. Greener in the sunlight and in the ocean water. Bigger, somehow.
He brushed it off.
One afternoon, while he was at the beach with his friends, a splitting headache struck him and he felt a burning in his eyes unlike anything he had ever experienced. Lo’ak’s anguished shout confused him at first.
“Bro! Your eyes are coming out of your head!”
Lo’ak’s yell alerted the others, and they quickly brought Spider to Neytiri, who was the closest thing the village had to a tsahìk.
Neytiri tended to Spider carefully. She was terrified by the appearance of his eyes — swollen, and if you looked closely, it seemed like worms were moving inside them. And yet, she felt no warning from Eywa. No sense that this was wrong. The Great Mother had a plan… though sadly, it would be painful for Spider.
A week later, his teeth fell out.
.
.
.
.
.
Loose Ideas
Spider’s skin becomes even more translucent as it stretches to fit his new size, making the mycelium beneath visible.
All the bones in his body break in order to accommodate his new height.
The first things to fall out are his teeth, and finally his nails.
A mycelium tail pierces through the skin of his back and slowly grows outward.
Spider’s new stripes are stretch marks from the rapid, excessive growth.
When the changes in his eyes begin, Spider’s vision becomes blurry.
At first, the changes leave him weak, so he needs extensive rest. He receives care from his new family — something he never had as an infant.
After eight years, Spider is taller than Jake. He likes to think he would also be taller than Neteyam… after all, he’s the eldest.
Spider waits until his transformation is complete before visiting Neteyam. He bursts out laughing at the look of astonishment on his face.
The Metkayina struggle to adjust to his transformation. Without Ronal’s spiritual guidance, it takes time for them to recognize Eywa’s new miracle.
Spider begins receiving attention from both men and women in the village. He can’t quite believe they find him attractive.
His sanhì resemble roots spreading across his body — the tips of the mycelium emerging through his skin.
Any Na’vi who touches him can feel the subtle ridges of the network beneath his skin.
Spider develops chronic pain from his reconstructed bones.
His PTSD from his time with the RDA remains intact.
For six years, he experiences intermittent disability. After his bones break, they are fragile for months. Sometimes he has to crawl across the sand; other times, his family carries him through the village.
Before his spine fractures, Kiri feels Eywa’s call in the forest near the village and brings Spider there. Eywa wraps him in a cocoon of roots and mycelium, where the most painful part of the transformation is completed.
The most significant stages of the transformation happen while Spider is unconscious, preferably inside a cocoon formed by Eywa.
During his time in the cocoon, Spider feels no pain; he exists in a spiritual limbo.
In my language we've got this proverb that (when translated) goes along the lines of "The way you shout into the forest is the way it shouts back." And honestly? I could not find a better describtion for the difference in relationship between Eywa and Spider as opposed to the one of the RDA/general humanity has with her.
cw: swearing, parental issues, underage smoking, mentions of injuries (NOTE: spiri will be mentioned, i'm planning on making some human kiri hcs soon and maybe just spiri hcs in general. these are MY hcs, if you don't agree with them, that's fine. please do not harass me about it.)
EARTH!SPIDER who plays hockey & baseball but will not sit down and actually watch a professional game.
EARTH!SPIDER who developed the nickname 'spider' because of his strange fascination with the arachnids since childhood.
EARTH!SPIDER who is barely passing (kiri helps him with everything) english and history but excels in mathematics and science because help him in engineering and woodshop.
EARTH!SPIDER who takes every engineering or woodshop elective he can.
EARTH!SPIDER who always has a bruise or bandage on. some bruises come from hockey or baseball, or maybe just an altercation with some dickbag. bandages hide cuts from wires, burns from labs, and splinter wounds.
EARTH!SPIDER who makes stuff for kiri in woodshop. he'll make her a storage box of some sort and fill it with goodies before giving it to her.
EARTH!SPIDER who drags kiri to the lake often.
EARTH!SPIDER who regularly stays with kiri because he'd rather deal with neytiri's disapproving gaze rather than his father.
EARTH!SPIDER who immediately runs to kiri after winning a game as if she was the reason they had won.
EARTH!SPIDER who has a crazy collection of comic books and who loves superheroes. he firmly believes dc is better than marvel.
EARTH!SPIDER who steals his father's cigarettes occasionally. he'll smoke while he's with kiri, but he's never offered her one. one time, she jokingly asked for one. that was about the only time he had ever seriously told her no.
EARTH!SPIDER who has a filthy mouth, but censors himself around tuk.
EARTH!SPIDER who carries a picture of kiri and a picture of kiri, tuk, and lo'ak together in his wallet.
EARTH!SPIDER who has those strips of photos from photo booths everywhere in his room. it's his favorite way to take pictures.
EARTH!SPIDER who eats a cream cheese & blueberry jam bagel every day.
EARTH!SPIDER who has taken kiri to parties before, but always keeps an arm around her and rejects alcohol or drugs for her before she can even speak.
EARTH!SPIDER who has a strange obsession with blue food or anything blue raspberry or blueberry flavored.
EARTH!SPIDER who meows back at stray cats.
EARTH!SPIDER who smiles or makes silly faces in pictures.
EARTH!SPIDER who still has a blue tarantula plushie that kiri got him when they were children.
EARTH!SPIDER who already has several tattoos and only plans to get more.
EARTH!SPIDER who is a metalhead that leans more towards older metal. he just likes rock music in general as well.
these are all over the place, but i wanted to post something other than colleges. tell me urs under this or in my inbox 🤍.
How do you think the sully family (+ Mo’at if possible) would react to Spider trying to court Kiri? Would some of her siblings help via giving advice or keeping others away from it, would anyone joke around about it? Would some of her family try to stop it in it’s tracks or just let it happen? (I also just wanna say that I really love how you write the two of them together! It’s really fun to read whenever it’s on my dash
CWKJFWEKJF THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS!!!
Now, considering the character development of Neytiri and the general events of AFAA- I don't think anyone's gonna try to stop them. In the past? 100% at least Kiri's parents would have tried to intervene, but after? With Spider able to breathe and having been accepted as part of The People? It would just end up being kind of hypocritical, wouldn't it? Especially since Jake and Neytiri are the LAST with any right to argue against a human-na'vi relationship.
I feel like Mo'at will need a second to get used to it, but after? Yeahhhh no she should have seen it comming. Considering the tastes of her daughter and the way she watched those two grow up? It would have been a greater suprise if they didn't end up together! I mean Kiri pretty much staked her claim the second she was old enough to understand the concept of a "mate", so it was just a question of time at this point anyway. Same goes for Jake and Neytiri.
Tuk is lowkey kinda stoked about Spider becomming an offical part of their family, so she's on board too! Infact it couldn't go quicker!!!! She deffos helps Spider pick out gifts for Kiri or delivers them herself to her. She's Pandora's best wingwomen. Chop chop monkey boy!!! Tuk wants that Brother-In-Law AND wedding ceremony asap!!!!
As for Lo'ak? Peak tease. Though Spider has more than enough ammunition of his own with Tsireya. The two share courting strategies and ideas to make a mix of metkayina and omatikaya courting traditions happen. Sea shells, hides from forest animals, pretty stones, skilfully woven baskets...It's like there's a competition to see who can gift their intended the better things! It's so cute to watch. All the elders in the village coo and laugh over their "young love".
Kiri on her part tries to speed this up asap similary to Tuk. Infact- she didn't even wanna do the courting in the first place if it wasn't for Spider insisting they "do it right!". Every second spent courting is a second she needs to wait making him her offical mate. Chop chop monkey boy! Kiri wants that Husband AND wedding ceremony asap!!!!
a Spider hc on my mind rn is that he has mild burns all over his body, mostly his legs. this is due to the fact that, even if it was truly their best possible guess, the Na'vi/Resistances idea of when the first RDA ships would land were off. due to not knowing how their space travel tech had advance, or how they intended on touching ground. far enough so, that Spider happened to sneak out of Hellsgate the same night, wanting space from his fosters, from other humans and their metal, the reminders of what he really was. how out of place he was.
only to get caught in the spreading burn zone. just barely able to outrun the flames. the worst of them at least. he felt the destruction of his home in his own skin. and it felt like penance.
I have seen people having headcanon that Spider hammock is actually Neteyam’s but looking at it, the hammock in which Spider is sleeping seems proportional to his size ( I assume that Neteyam’s hammock would have made Spider look like a kid )
which means that they actually made or gave him his own hammock ( now i wish we could have seen Spider and the Sully kids making an hammock for him and Jake trying to help but being awkward with Spider, because he felt guilty for abandoning him with the RDA ) and probably put Neteyam’s down since there doesn’t seem to be any empty hammock in sight or maybe Lo’ak took it
Lo'ak and Tuk are sleeping towards the entrace in hammocks "bunkbed style". This is SO something that Neteyam and Lo'ak would do, also them sleeping infront of their sisters to "protect" them.
So I think he changed hammocks with Tuk. Would fit size-wise, and I could imagine that Tuk wanted to sleep in her late brothers hammock that still smells like him :(
"More body-horror Spider!" We all chant in union! 🗣🗣🗣
It was very kind of Kiri/Eywa to have him unconscious during his transformation and not have him realize that a kuru is growing out of his head. But UNFORTUNATELY, I have to see him suffer, and then be comforted.
We've all heard about his upcoming growth spurt where he'll feel every single bone in his body stretching.
And when his fangs come in, it'll be a whole new kind of tooth-ache.
His stripes are etching themselves into his skin so that he never has to repaint them, but it burns and itches SO bad.
His hearing and seeing improves to Na'vi levels, but it's giving him SUCH a terrible headache at first.
A personal favorite of mine:
Yes, he himself is still breathing oxygen. But the mycelium is a symbiotic relationship and wants to get something out of it too. So if he hasn't breathed outside-air for long enough, the mycelium starts to lock his lungs.
For one of the reasons mentioned above, he's been inside the medbay of high camp for a few days, and suddenly he can't breathe anymore. They try to give him more oxygen, but it's no use; he's suffocating. Until Kiri has the idea to put her own rebreather on him....
Don't upset the thing living INSIDE of your lungs guys!
@dirtytransmasc made such a glorious post about Spider suffering from illness after his RDA torture and Mama!Neytiri taking care of him.
I'll propse to you a similar idea that came to me a few weeks ago... But with Papa!Jake (although I think Mama!Neytiri is much better):
The RDA did a spinal tap on Spider to obtain more DNA, but didn't cover up the injection site, as they didn't expect him to be running around in the unsterile woods again so soon.
After the final battle it became infected, due to dirt, sea-water, and the stress on his spine when hanging on Quaritch's arm. The spot is red and swollen and leaky, and Spider's developing a fever.
Now add worriedPapa!Jake, who has had terrible experiences with spinal injuries🗣🙃
