Smur

She/her, also known as ADinosaurMirage, enthusiast of many fandoms, artist

[just-someone-reading]

Some okay-ish drawings I did last night to scratch an itch, just trying to regain my flow after art block. The very last drawing I’ve included was actually my warm-up page, so they’re a little janky 😅

(lowkey hate some of these, but love others)

[just-someone-reading]

So I drew my Tamtey not too long ago, and have been afraid to try drawing any of the AFOP characters again cuz I’m just so particular about getting their faces accurate. Hoping that if I just post, I can work up the courage! Also yes I know the arrow isn’t nocked, my lizard brain only noticed after I was done 🫠

also, still getting the hang of simplifying Na’vi characters or cartoonifying them lol

[just-someone-reading]

peak black cat and golden retriever energy ✨

[just-someone-reading]

There is Always a Tomorrow

This is a So'lek x Sarentu player using she/her pronouns and name dropping Tamtey.

Also on Ao3 :D

warnings: mild angst and comfort.

Summary:

After Nor kills Alma's avatar and disappears, Tamtey and the other Sarentu are feeling down. They can't help but feel like everything just keeps going wrong for them, but they will always be there for eachother.

And So'lek, he will always be there for them, especially Tamtey. In times when tomorrow is uncertain and the fate of Pandora is hanging by a thread, he and her friends will always be a constant.

✧ ━━━━ ༺❀༻ ━━━━ ✧

The air was fresh with the scent of rain, deep and earthy when Tamtey landed outside the resistance base. Given recent events, she had spent the whole day on autopilot hunting the RDA. The same mindless actions, nock the arrow, draw the bow, down a soldier. Again. But who wouldn’t be thrown off by what happened? Alma’s avatar had died, by Nors blade no less. The only way any of the Sarentu had ever really interacted with her beyond a couple exchanges as a human. In Tamtey's eyes, Alma was her avatar, as twisted as that seemed. 

So’lek had always made sure to remind her and the others that avatars were just shells. Glorified AMP suits for human scientists wishing to more freely roam Pandora. She’d heard enough versions of the word for what Alma was, dreamwalker, and yet despite her true form living on it was like she had lost someone that day. 

“Tamtey, are you there? Tamtey?”

Blinking out of her stupor, she brought her fingertips to the buttons around her neck, switching her comms on to reply.

“Sorry, Teylan, are you alright?”

The radio fizzled when he spoke, relieved, “I thought something happened when you didn’t reply the first few times. Are you on your way back?”

She was feeding Telisi some treats, a habit after a long day. Since when did she zone out so much? So’lek would have a field day chastising her for being so unfocused. Good thing he didn’t have to know. Her ears folded back, heart doing a little squeeze at the thought of him. She had been feeling that a lot lately.

“Yes, I’m actually here already,” She patted Telisi, who trilled happily in response, before turning to make her way up the damp path to the mouth of the cave, “Just got distracted with a few Ikran treats, someone’s hungry today.” She almost laughed, a fond smile pulling at her lips.

“Oh, okay, just making sure. Ri’nela was hoping to have some sort of clan meal tonight, since you’re out so much.” He sounded jolly as usual, if not a little awkward at the mention of a social meal without Nor.

“I’ll be there.” She responded, silently greeting Na’vi she passed on her way in. The resistance hideout was still pretty empty, and honestly a bit sad. They had lost so many. But, more Na’vi were coming in every day, adding decorations, places to rest, and more as their numbers grew.

✧ ━━━━ ༺❀༻ ━━━━ ✧

The group were settled near the fire, nibbling at the food Ri’nela had put together and talking casually about the things going on in their lives. Teylan spoke about his efforts to track RDA movement, Ri’nela about her diplomacy with the clans, and Tamtey about her time in the forest. Moments spent admiring a view, or helping out a clan member. She left out the more intense stuff, just to keep the mood somewhat light.

Ri’nela laughed softly, shaking her head and adding something to a story Teylan was telling, “And Priya was so excited, Anqa had to shush her so we could get a word in.”

“Sounds like Priya,” she grinned fondly, her tail flicking against the mat beneath them. This was always nice, regrouping and catching up on the chaos of it all. 

Teylan nodded, wiping grease off his chin with the back of his hand, “Sa’ney looked very uncomfortable, though I’m not sure if that is because of Priya or because she prefers her solitude.”

“Probably both,” Tamtey chuckled and took a piece of meat off her skewer with her teeth.

Hand raised lazily, Ri’nela shut her eyes in amused resignation, “We should not gossip, Priya was only excited to meet a Kame’tire.”

“Ever the reasonable one,” Replied Tamtey, any teasing laced with sentimentality, “And it’s not gossip, it’s catchup.” her brows rose with emphasis, and when she got a pointed look in return, dropped her head lazily towards So’lek, who was sitting a couple steps away. “So’lek, back me up.”

“I am not part of this,” he grumbled, but they all knew he was listening. Where the Sarentu, and more specifically Tamtey was, he followed closely behind. A guardian angel in some respects. A friend in others. Maybe more. But that was silly.

Tamtey rolled her eyes dramatically, a playful scoff puffing past her grin. "Say what you like, but I know you agree with me."

They were silent for a beat, chewing their food in contentment.

“This tastes great, Ri’nela,” Teylan murmured, sensing a lull in the conversation. He had a habit of trying to keep spirits high, having started from young in TAP where he only wanted to keep the peace.

“Thank you,” she dipped her chin, her soft voice carrying easily in the cavernous space.

It was quiet then as they ate. Not particularly awkward, but not comfortable either. The air was heavy, like their hearts. Nor's absence made their dynamic off-balance. Like they were always waiting for him to say something, or scold them for being too dependent on skypeople metal. Tamtey's throat felt tight all of a sudden, like she was going to cry but couldn’t. She wasn’t on the brink of breakdown, but her thoughts just kept going back to Nor and Alma. Or her avatar, more accurately. They had spoken just the day prior, exchanging pleasantries and discussing the day ahead, ignoring the heavy circles around Alma's eyes, the warm hue of her skin absent in those hollow places. 

The loss of one’s identity, at least that’s how she assumed Alma was experiencing the death of her avatar, was not something easily suppressed. There were moments when Tamtey resented Alma just as much as Nor. Wanted to yell at her, bare her fangs and hiss like an angry Palulukan. How dare she take her life from her. How dare she let Aha’ri die. But she would be lying if she didn’t admit to herself that she’d experienced a similar kind of identity confusion after the escape from TAP. But she had So’lek, someone who cared about her path in life and wanted her to succeed, and the other Sarentu. Tamtey found herself wondering over and over again why her thoughts kept drawing back to the Dog tag warrior, always coming up with simple reasons to avoid the much more complicated truth.

“Does anybody else feel like she’s gone?” Teylan asked, his ears flattened, exposing his pity.

With a heavy breath, Tamtey stared at the flames which seemed to mock her with their intensity. “Yes. And I spoke to her only yesterday.”

“I know she’s the same, even as a human, but it just feels wrong. And I think she’s…lost.”

Ri’nela reached over to Teylan, her hand clasping around his shoulder warmly. It was clear even in the awkward aftermath of such drama, that Ri’nela was destined to be Tsahik. “Because she is. But it will be okay,” her hand dropped when Teylan smiled at her, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “We must focus on here and now, not on what we cannot change.”

“But don’t you feel bad for her? She can’t even walk freely outside anymore,” Teylan continued, looking to Tamtey.

“I do, and what Nor did wasn’t right, but...it’s all just so...messy.” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. What else was there to do but try and massage the stress from her brain?

It was then that So’lek decided to weigh in, setting his cloth and gun down with a quiet clack, “If she felt so true in that shell, she would have tried to learn the Na’vi way. Toruk Makto did it, so I see no reason why she did not try harder.” His tone was even, measured. He wasn’t bitter or angry, just pointing out what the Sarentu didn’t want to see. Tamtey nodded grimly, her tail curling inwards.

“It will be alright, Alma is strong, and Nor will return when he is ready.” Ri’nela affirmed, sealing the topic away for the night. 

So’lek returned to his weapons, cleaning them diligently, and the Sarentu moved on to better topics. Something else funny that happened, or something Teylan had learned about Pandora while scouring the data Tamtey had stolen from the RDA some time ago. Laughter soon filled the space again, quieter and more sparing, but it was clear nobody wished to linger on sadness.

Tamtey, though, still felt off. The fogginess of the day made unease settle like a pit in her stomach, her fingers fiddling with a bead in her hair as she tried to replay anything that happened beyond her general memory of having taken down a couple RDA stations. 

“I’m going to fix my knife,” She said, excusing herself from the gathering to join So’lek off to the side. He was easy to be around, never expected conversation. They could just exist next to each other in a way she struggled to with others.

They exchanged nods when she sat down beside him, crossing her legs and pulling out her battered knife with some thin rope she’d made already. The blade was coming away from the hilt, which almost ruined a hunt not long ago. Immediately the tension constricting her chest released, and she could breathe again. An absent smile took place on her lips with the soothing motions of refitting her blade to the hilt, her hand guiding the rope around the joined parts in great swooping arcs. With every action came more peace, a task so repetitive she could afford to get lost in her thoughts. She felt So’lek slow in his own movements beside her, his eyes finding her face with a look she couldn’t quite place. When she looked up at him, finally unable to ignore his insistent stare any longer, he raised an expectant brow at her.

“What?” She urged, ears perked with intrigue.

“You are doing it again,” He murmured, the low timbre of his voice carrying only to her ears.

“Doing what?”

“Disappearing into your mind. Zoning-out, as Teylan puts it. You must not dwell on our shortcomings.” He always knew when something was wrong. It didn’t matter if she smiled or spoke like everything was normal. Her usual snarkiness and enthusiasm made it even more obvious when she was lacking in those areas.

She shrugged, holding his gaze, “I try not to, but it just feels like when things are getting good again something bad happens.”

He was silent, thinking through his response, “Bad things always happen, it is out of our control. But what you choose to focus on is what really counts.”

The firelight danced across his face in a way that made him so utterly mesmerising, she knew she was staring. But how could she not, when this man was so openly supporting her even when she was sure he had his own demons to battle. When he sensed no response coming, and grew uncomfortable with the eye-contact, So’lek looked away and kept cleaning. Blushing from embarrassment, Tamtey continued fixing her knife, clearing her throat as heat crawled up her neck. 

“You always know what to say.” she whispered, latching onto his words and storing them away in her heart. He was right, as usual, if she dwelled on these things there would be no joy in her life. And she didn’t want more days where she could hardly remember a thing that happened.

Without looking at her, So’lek hummed in acknowledgement, catching her attention once more. This time, she didn’t restrict her regard to fleeting eye-contact, but allowed her eyes to follow the curve of his pointed ear, the prominence of his browbone which flowed seamlessly into his broad nose. The strong set of his jaw, lined with stripes, bled into his full lips. They looked soft, accented with smile lines so often unused by their wearer. They’d formed a strong connection since meeting, and over time she noticed his expressions beginning to range further into joy. But she also knew he was a stoic man, his emotions felt intensely yet not so easily displayed. He would rather joke and tease, speak in riddles and sarcasm, than shed a tear or smile too widely.

“Tamtey,” she saw his lips moving before she registered the voice coming from them, her stomach dropping when she realised the angle of his lips had shifted. He was looking straight at her. As if burnt, she tore her stare from his lips to settle guiltily on his eyes, “You were staring.”

“Sorry, lost in thought again,” She stammered, looking away as casually as she could manage, though her movements when she continued her work with the blade became more frantic. Internally, of course, she worried over the small details. There was no way he didn’t see her looking directly at his lips. She was doomed.

But now it was his turn to stare, something he never allowed himself to do so openly. She could feel his eyes on her face, trailing from feature to feature. Much like how she had stared, she supposed. Tamtey looked at him again.

“Things will get better. I’m still so new to Pandora, and it’s so different from where they kept us. Vast and open. Free… alive,” She whispered, just as much for herself as her words were for him, “You could join me more often you know.”

He considered her for a moment, before inclining his head, “It would be nice to venture out with company.” Now this earned him a smile, one he returned in full.

Without much forethought, fitting for her ambling state that day, she reached out and placed her hand atop his. Her fingers curled around from the back of his hand, tucked against his palm. She felt as if she could hurl, her heart hammering in her throat and eyes wide as Lionberries. Having expected him to shake her off and recluse, it only sent her mentally reeling when his hand lifted enough for his fingers to close around hers. So’lek looked like an Arrow deer in the path of a cloaked panther, wide-eyed and absolutely still. 

Cute.

She dared not move or even breathe. She could guess that any wrong reaction could scare him off, make him tell himself this was wrong or something uptight like that. Considering that he was always there for her as a protector and guide, it was obvious to assume he took his duties very seriously. No, she wouldn’t risk it. So they sat there for what felt like an eternity, when it was really only about a minute, shallowly breathing the same air and slowly leaning closer. So slow, in fact, that one could miss it if glanced at too quickly. Tamtey's heart raced, thundering against her ribcage and roaring in her ears. Her mind screamed at her to close the gap, just kiss him. 

“We’re headed to the hammocks,” Ri’nela announced over her shoulder, shattering the bewildering moment. Teylan followed after her with one or two other Na’vi, also saying their goodnights. It was getting late. At least nobody had pointed out the strange stalemate between the two warriors. She hadn't even noticed that the conversation between the others had stopped.

And just like that, they pulled apart, clearing their throats and perhaps breathing a little faster. Tamtey only hoped he was blushing as much as she was. How was it that she could go from reckless death machine to flustered mess with only one look from this man? One almost-kiss. This frustratingly moral man. No doubt he was already chewing himself out for leaning in, publicly too. He was definitely leaning, she had no question about it.

“Goodnight,” She announced, rising with her half mended knife in hand and heading off after the other Sarentu, sure he wouldn’t reply.

“Rest well.” To her delight, he called after her, obviously choosing to put some space between them before he went to his own hammock in the corner of the sleeping quarters. Regardless of how minor it was, Tamtey felt her heart leaping in her chest, her hand tingling from the contact. She kept replaying over and over how warm his hand was, how calloused parts of his palms were, the feel of his breath disturbing the air between them. And even more, his unwavering gaze. There was no denying her feelings now.

And so she slept well that night, better than she had in over a week. She did not know what was to come the next day, but she would hold on to this hope for a better future. Hope for her growing group of friends, so diverse in background and origin. Hope for Pandora, that the people and Na’vi, so passionately fighting for it would prevail. And hope for what spark of more was flickering between her and So’lek. That there is always a tomorrow.

✧ ━━━━ ༺❀༻ ━━━━ ✧

[just-someone-reading]

Wanted a banner of specific fandoms, so I opened Hipaint, edited and put together some pics :D