Very much enjoying knitting socks at the moment. Technically the top 2 in the pic are a pair but none of them are matching so far haha. If I have enough yarn I will make a second sock matching the bottom one.
I'm also unsure if I prefer top down (top 2) or toe up (bottom sock). Guess I need a bigger sample size 🤣
“I thought I told you both to keep an eye on your siblings,” Jake scolded his eldest children. “Where were you both?”
Y/n, clearly feeling like she and Neteyam shouldn’t really be getting so much blame for what happened, was about to speak up before Neteyam spoke before her, cutting her off before she could say anything.
“Sorry sir, it won’t happen again.”
“Yeah, it better not.”
The urge to roll her eyes right now was intense. However, for the sake of getting this over with, Y/n stopped herself from fanning her father’s flames even more.
She looked around to find her younger brother, or even that dumb fish. She could not find either. Someone cut her tits off before she bites Ao’nung’s off.
It was late, the daylight long gone, stars littered in the sky. It would be time to head back to the mauri pod soon for the last meal of the day. If both Lo’ak and Ao’nung cannot be seen then-
Oh, there they are. Talking?
“Socks, let’s go.” Neteyam said, turning around when he realised his sister was not walking besides him. Y/n looked back at him and nodded, skipping a little to catch up to him. She decided on calming herself down before she does something she will regret.
To what she saw, it looked like Lo’ak and Ao’nung were talking it out, though it was brief so she could not tell much. What is more she could not actually hear what they were saying.
It is fine, Lo’ak is walking back to the mauri pod too. She will ask him what happened after dinner.
—-
“Sock, go to the Kaki trees and get the basket by a tree near the east side, I forgot it there during all the chaos.” Neytiri said while chopping up fish. She has a sight scowl on her face. No one bothered her ever since the family got back to the mauri. If anyone must ask her something, they would do so with extreme caution, especially Lo’ak.
Right now, Lo’ak was told to sit in the corner with a thumb in his mouth, facing the wall. A favourite punishment of Jake’s and the most hated one of all his children. Lo’aks siblings would laugh at him had it not been for the sour mood emitting from their parents.
Y/n nods at her mother and wasted no time in walking into the forest like area behind the coast. She liked coming to her his part of the island, it reminded her of her home, though of course the trees were not as high, the trunks were not as thick, the fruits were not as sweet. However, for now, it would do.
The Kaki trees were the only trees which grew fruits that Tuk liked here by the coast, so Neytiri often came to this part of the island with Ronal to pick the fruits. Y/n got to the trees and walked towards the eastern side of the trees, looking for the basket her mother left, it was dark, the only light coming from the stars and her freckles.
In the forest she would never be allowed to stay out this late especially when it is dark, however there were less dangerous animals by the coast, most of the dangers being in deep waters. She walked around the trees, a faint smell of the fruits floating in the air, the sand being soft and tougher to walk through when compared to tough soil.
She soon spotted the basket her mother was talking about, it was on the floor, on its side, some fruits fallen out. She can picture her mother’s reaction from just looking at the the basket. She sighed and picked the basket up, putting some fruits that looked clean enough back in.
Just then she heard something rustling, faint footsteps of someone walking on the sand, crunch of dry leaves as whoever it was stepped on it. She turned her head around, her eyes darting around the place, looking for who it was, her ears twitching slightly as she strained them to hear more clearly.
She took a small step forward just as the person walking towards her came into view.
“You?”
She shook her head.
“Are you following me?” She accused him. “Why? You going to try and drown me too? Maybe if you're lucky, I might not come back alive like my brother did.”
Ao’nung looked at her, his face lacking the snarky expression he always had. Instead, his ears were turned down, a slight crease between his brows.
“No... I am here to get my mother’s basket.” He walked past her, looking around for a basket.
Y/n held her mother's basket close.
“There isn’t any basket here, only my mothers.” She told him, watching him as he looked around plants and trees.
He turned around and looked at the basket in her hands. He walked closer, looking at the design of the basket.
“Actually. that is my mother's basket.” He spoke.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think you have been annoying enough today?”
“No, I’m being serious, I believe you’re holding my mother's basket.”
She held on to the basket tighter.
“It is my mother’s basket. She was out here picking Kaki fruit.” She raised her voice a little, getting tired of his games. Is he not tired of this? Of constantly making her life harder? “Go away before I give you a matching black eye.”
“Are you threatening me now?” He raised his brow at her, stepping closer to her, towering over her as if trying to intimidate the shorter forest girl.
“Go on. Drown me then. Since that is the only way, you can solve your problems because most of your head is filled with sea water.” Not that the shorter forest girl would feel intimated by his height. She is not one to back down.
She looked up at him, glaring, returning the same threatening expression back at him. He then smirked. The same smirk she hates so much. He spread his legs apart a little, putting his hands on his bent knees so that he is at eye level contact with her.
“Listen socks, whatever happened between me and Lo’ak is done, sorted. So, there is no need for you to fan flames that have already been put out.”
She grits her teeth.
“And what about whatever is between you and me? I do not believe those ‘flames’ have been ‘put out’.”
He dropped his smirk.
“There is nothing between you and me.”
She leaned In forward. “Yeah? You still have a mark from when I hit you with that shell.” She poked at a smaller, less noticeable bruise on his face.
He grabbed her hand, pulling it down to his side, causing her to stumble forward a bit. Their foreheads bumped and they both hissed.
“Idiot.” She mumbled while rubbing her forehead. "What were you even trying to do?"
He glares at her. "Was trying to get you to listen to me. You never do."
"Don't see anything worth listening to when I look at you."
Aonung's left eye twitches. He is trying hard. So extremely hard to not pounce at her and tackle her to the ground right now, or better, leave her to drown too. He knows he fucked up. He knows it too well to do something else that would make things even worse for him.
Y/n was testing his patience.
"Did i strike a nerve-"
"Truce." He spoke out through his gritted teeth.
"Huh?" Socks tilts her head; she does not think she heard him right.
"Truce." He repeats. "Between us."
Socks looked at him a little shocked. After everything they both went through with each other, all the fights and hisses, she never thought he would be the one to ask for a truce between them first, that too in the middle of a petty argument.
He takes a deep breath before continuing, trying to talk without his anger showing.
"Us both fighting will only make everything that much harder for our families. I admit I have been... a jerk... but it is not like you have been any better!"
"Idiot, if you want a truce, you don't drag me down with you," She cuts him off but then she thought about what he said. "Fine. Truce." She put her right hand out towards him.
He looked at her hand and then back at her, wondering why she put her arm out like that. She looks at him expectantly, shaking her hand a little to tell him to do something to her hand.
She had put out her right hand, the hand that had four fingers. Aonung felt his cheeks go warm, he looked back at her to see if she was serious, and she looked like she was. He cleared his throat before taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips. He then kissed the tip of each finger.
"AYO!" She pulled her hand away, her own cheeks just as warm as his. "What are you doing?" She asked, bringing her hand away from him and to her chest.
He blinked at her. "Apologising..." He said, his voice trailing off as he slowly realised, she meant something else.
"What? Apolo- You were harassing my fingers!"
He felt his cheeks go warmer and he became defensive. "You're the own who made me do it! Why are you complaining now?"
"I never asked you to put your sloppy lips on my fingers!" Her voice raising as she accused him. "I meant a handshake!"
"Oh, Eywa give me the strength, she's blabbering made up words again." He looked up at the sky.
"A handshake!" She took his hand in hers and moved them up and down a little. "See! A handshake!"
He looked at her like she was the weirdo. "I suppose this is a demon thing"
She blinked a few times, looking offended. "It's better than you drowning my fingers in your spit!"
"I was not! It is how the people of the reef apologise!" He blushes again, looking away. He scowls at the sand beneath him.
Y/n looks at him. "I mean no offense but that is a rather... intimate way of apologising... is it not?"
His body goes tense, his cheeks hotter than the sand on a sunny day. He takes the basket they were fighting over and shoves it onto her hands. "Take it." He then walks away, kicking the sand every now and then.
Y/n watches as he walks away, confused about the whole thing but she got what she came here for anyway. With warm cheeks she walked back to her Marui.
Later that night, it felt suffocating for anyone to fall asleep. Though the soft salty breeze and the sound of the waves hitting the shore soon brought most of the Sully family to sleep, as if Ewya had been singing them a lullaby and comforting them with her hand in the wind. It worked for everyone but two.
Y/n was quick to pick up the sound of someone from the Marui leaving. From the slight stumble on their feet, she knew it was Lo'ak. Slowly raising her head, she confirmed her suspicions. She had to be out of her mind to let him go out alone after today's events. Though, with her luck, trying to follow Lo'ak out was not as easy. Not with her stumbling over Neteyam's leg. She slightly cursed at herself, quickly looking back to see if she had woken up her parents.
Jake remained silent, holding Neytiri in his arms while she held Tuk in hers. Y/n let out a soft sigh, turning her head to lock eyes with another pair of bright amber. Her whole body jumped a little at the suddenness.
"What are you doing?" Neteyam whispered.
"Nothing" She whispered back, continuing her journey out of the marui. She heard Neteyam getting up to follow her out, she did not mind him tagging along.
Lo'ak sat on a boulder that was surrounded by the sea. His ilu played around near in the water. Y/n watched him from the shore. Neteyam walked up beside her. The pair stayed in silence for a while, simply watching their younger brother from a distance.
"I felt like hitting Aonung with the shell when I first found out today." Netyam spoke up first.
Y/n looked over at him, a little shocked but she did not show it. She nods to herself and looks back at Lo'ak.
"Yeah, you did look pretty pissed." She whispers.
After a while, Y/n spoke up again.
"He did it on purpose. Didn't he?"
Neteyam's tail flicked aggressively, his jaw clenching. "Yeah."
"And we say nothing about it?" Y/n asks, her voice soft yet filled with disappointment from the answer she already knew to her question.
"Yeah..." Neteyam repeated. He sounded like he too was disappointed by his own answer. Y/n nodded slightly, thinking to herself.
"Aonung offered me a truce." She told him.
Neteyam looks away from Lo'ak and back at his sister. His ears perked up at the sudden curiosity. He knew the banter between Socks and Aonung would end someday but he never thought it would be the reef boy who offers it first.
"I'm as surprised and confused as you are." Y/n sighs.
"Keep it. Keep the truce. It's better that way." Neteyam tells her, a certain sternness in his voice meant to let her know she must follow.
"I know." She nods.
Netyam pats her shoulder before leading her back to the mauri, letting Lo'ak have some time alone with the sea.
-
"Lo'ak, where are you going?" Y/n held her younger brother back from calling an ilu.
Their training session had ended not too long ago, with Tsreiya, Roxto and Aonung. Lo'ak took the opportunity then to tell everyone what he saw the other day. About a lone whale like creature with a missing fin, who Tsreiya called Payakan. A killer.
"Don't tell me you were about to go and see Payakan?" She looks down at him, crossing her brow.
The younger boy's mouth opened and closed, trying to produce some sort of excuse but he could not.
"Lo'ak." Y/n said his name, a warning.
"Okay fine I was. You cannot tell anyone-"
"Loak." She said his name again, adding more authority into her voice.
"Aw Socks cmon..."
Y/n and neteyam were the same in most skill levels. Most. When it came to disciplining their younger siblings, Neteyam had the stronger resolve. Y/n sucked. She had always caved in far too quickly. Just like this time. Which is why she finds herself sitting on some miniature island out in the sea, watching Lo'ak and Payakan swim and play in the distance.
This was the best she could do, a compromise. She would watch over him from a distance and then call him back to the reef when she felt they had stayed out for too long. This is how it went for the next few weeks; she would take Lo'ak out, sit on the same spot on the island and watch over him. Sometimes Payakan would take Lo'ak out further away than she was comfortable with. However, she could not help but admire their bond. It was strange and surreal. Out of the whole family, she would say that Lo'ak had adapted the best out of everyone. Scratch that, second best. Kiri had first place.
Today was going well, they had yet to be caught and Lo'ak and Payakan were happy and safe. Thats what Y/n thought until she felt two large hands cover her mouth and hold her own hands back behind her.
Hi there, and welcome to my art blog. I'm River (she/they), a 30-something years old portuguese digital artist and photographer. I'm chronically disabled, non-binary, AuDHD, LGBTQ+ and love all things geek, fantasy, sci-fi, dark, 80s and 90s.
I used to draw a lot when I was younger but it was considered just a "hobby" and was mostly set aside as I grew up. Fast forward to 2023, when I was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis and a thymoma, and was very ill for most of the year. Being pretty much bedridden and housebound, I started drawing again to express myself, my frustrations and emotions, mostly through humour, and to connect with others within the community. That's how I rediscovered my love for creating art.
It's been a long and difficult process but I'm now doing better. I continue to use my art as a means of self expression for my illness and interests but I'm also hoping it might help me financially a bit, since I'm no longer able to work and things are a bit tight right now.
If you'd like to support me and my art you can have a browse through my Redbubble Shop or buy me a coffee at Ko-fi. I'm partial to a good cappuccino but I'm not fussy 😜
I also have some free downloadable myasthenia gravis content on my Ko-fi, as a way to give back to the community after all the support and ideas I got from them.
Some of my Redbubble designs can be costumized or put on more merch, so if there's something you'd like me to change or add, feel free to let me know!
The Chronic Sloth's Odd Socks Club
I'm a huge fan of wearing odd socks and I'm always frustrated that you need to buy two pairs of socks to get one pair of odd socks 😅
So, I'm designin pairs of odd socks to be sold on Redbubble.
If you also love wearing odd socks and you'd like to see certain designs, please let me know!
Where to find me
Always feel free to reach out, to talk about art, shared interests or just to say hi. I'm not always active here so, if I'm not replying to something, you can also find me on Bluesky.
I moved out of all of Meta's platforms, which is why my Facebook and Instagram are gone. I might also start an account in one of the Instagram alternatives that are popping up, at some point, but for now I'm happy here on Tumblr.
P. S. credit for the pride flag banners: @cupid-on-earth
Want to check out my art but it's buried under all of my reblogs?
Just search for the following tags (or click on the links) and you should find what you're looking for quickly:
