I don't have a name for the clan yet, and I'm totally open to suggestions 😊
Habitat:
They live in caves in a forest area. The landscape has lots of pine and redwood looking trees, as well as big ferns and mushrooms that you can rest/hide under. The entire area is covered in fog and when night falls the fog becomes so thick and heavy that it blankets the forest floor and smothers most of the natural bioluminescence of the surrounding area, leaving the forest in near-total darkness
Physical Appearance:
They are much shorter than other Na'vi, with adult males averaging around 8' and adult females averaging around 7'7"
Because of their short stature (amongst other things), they have been affectionatly dubbed "Fairies" by humans. The RDA also sometimes calls them "Pygmies" as a derogatory term
The human researchers actually thought it was a clan full of runaway Na'vi children at first, and it took them a while to realize they were wrong
They have some pretty distinct features from most Na'vi that aren't shown in the reference pics including bigger bat-like ears, longer/sharper/stronger claws used for climbing cave walls, brighter bioluminescence, shorter/rounder faces, and (most importantly) bigger wide-set eyes with larger irises and dilated pupils from constantly being in the dark
They are very vocal. They have a form of echolocation and can communicate through making a series of clicking noises in the back of their throat. They use this form of communication a lot when hunting
Mannerisms:
They are very solitary and rarely interact with other clans
They are thought to be nocturnal, but the truth is they're just light-sensitive and don't leave the darkness of their caves until night falls
Culture and Customs:
Their culture actually encourages being vocal with those you're close to. Constant purrs and trills are usually heard in their cave. This tradition started because it's a reliable way to hear/find a clan member who's lost in the dark (esp children who's night vision may not be the best yet), but is now also used as a way of reassuring your loves ones that your still there
Because they live in caves and are constantly surrounded by rocks, they are known for collecting pretty and shiny rocks and gems of all kinds and adding them into their jewelry and clothing. It pisses the RDA off to no end that they seem to know where to find all of the rarest and most expensive gems, but are so elusive and difficult to track (let alone talk to) that they can never get the info they want from them
On a similar note, there was one instance of the RDA trying to smoke them out of their cave to get to the resources, but since their home is a series of intricately webbed tunnels as soon as their people began dying they just retreated to a different part of the system and collapsed the tunnels behind them, destroying all of the resources in the process. Since then the RDA has had to be very careful when observing/interacting with the clan as to not risk losing more profits
They have a coming-of-age ceremony that consists the family and friends of the young Na'vi painstakingly crafting a special shawl for them. It's made up of intricately woven designs that piece together these long spear tip-shaped leaves that become semitransparent and start to glow when dried out using the clans secret techniques. If you havent guessed it yet, it looks like a pair of fairy wings draped over their backs, thus the nickname
Some members of the clan wear masks (like in the reference pics). They're only worn by the rare few members of the clan who are regularly outside of the cave when the sun is up as a form of protection since their eyes and skin are sensitive. Initially, the clan members are given wooden masks, but if any member of the clan manages to hunt something special a ceremony is thrown where the entire clan gathers to help turn the skull of their prey into a new mask as a mark or prestige and honor
Tbh the entire clan is very community-focused and close with one another
Mounts:
They typically ride these pitch-black naked mole rat type creatures that are so dark they cant be seen by the naked eye at night. They're also cold blooded and cant be picked up on any heat seeking tech (the most reliable scouting source for humans in the forest, since the fog and darkness messes with everything else they've tried)
Because of the specific way they ride these creatures, the wind usually catches their shawls and causes them to billow and flutter behind them, looking even more like wings, while the Na'vi appear as if they're flying since they're glowing so brightly while its very difficult to spot their mounts
my friend and i were talking yesterday about how funny it is that the Iron Lung/BloodyMary fandoms make Simon some kind of eldritch eel creature, like, i fear y'all lost the plot of the movie a little bit. don't get me wrong, Eel Simon looks badass or whatever, but Simon resisted becoming part of the Eel so wholly that he became a tree and everyone still said, "yeah but what if the eel became part of him anyway make him a scary feesh". y'all that man is a Plant. the Plant Simon Truthers corner of the fandom canNOT be so small as just my friend and i, where are all my homies who love Plant Simon and his green eye and his arm made of vines. all my homies love Plant Simon who lays in the sun and drinks plenty of water and grows little flowers in his hand.
Some Vita Carnis shit where because he transformed via the blood ocean he's still tree-like, but one made of gore and horror
Bark made of raw muscle and sinew, with actual bones making up the center mass. But the bones do not take on any humanlike shape, more like the hollowed out skeleton of cacti, or the jagged branches of a tree
Roots that are enormous overgrown veins that grow from him like a creeping vine and have to be constantly cut back so they don't take over everything around him
Bloody sap that oozes from any wound, but also occasionally seeps out of his pores at random times
Thorns made of sharp jagged teeth that sprout after the first time he is "pruned" as a form of protection
Blood filled tumor-like sacs that grow and drop off from his body like fucked up fruit (bonus points of they're vaguely apple shaped because of. ya know. Eden.)
Leaves made of thin fleshy membranes stretched out like a blood-covered Cassandra from Doctor Who
And just for a slight bit of a pick me up, beautiful bright red blossoms that sprout around his head specifically (again I'm thinking they would look like discolored apple blossoms). Given enough time they form a flower crown around his head
If you still want the horror for the last one tho, they must also be cut back regularly as well because if left alone the roots will begin to dig into his skull while the crown will start to grow thorns. Soon after the flowers will die and all that's left is a horrifically symbolic crown of bloody vines and sharp toothy thorns that's thoroughly rooted into his head and takes a lot of effort and pain to remove without killing him
I don't know how others, but I can already think of so many scenarios and symbolism you can make from this idea. I really wanna see what people can come up with
everybody: you’ve got to advocate for yourself in medical settings!
medical professionals when a patient advocates for themselves in a medical setting (x100 if that patient is a part of any minority): damn. you’re a hypochondriac crazy bitch who has every mental illness and is seeking every narcotic in existence. that’s the only reason you’d be disappointed in the care you’re receiving here. in retaliation, we will be even less helpful and less sympathetic. our jobs are hard. people are dying. we don’t have time to deal with anyone who is slightly inconvenient for us.
So can non-disabled people stop doing that thing where they act like it’s morally righteous to force yourself to work while you’re sick and assume taking sick days automatically equates to laziness. Any time now. That’d be great
I wish I could go to a doctor and just list every single symptom I ever experienced no matter how small and unconnected they seem and the doctor is nice and patient and knows everything and they nod and smile and explain that every symptom I ever experienced is connected to like one rare and often overlooked issue that's sooooo easy to fix with like. a pill. and then I never have to worry about anything ever again.
germansingergirl
origamiaround
amandla
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
