Viltrumite!Spider
Headcanons
-) Spider lives with Tonowari's family as a ward. At first, Ronal didn't want him anywhere near her children or sleeping under her roof, and when she demanded answers from Jake Sully about the boy's temperament, habits, quirks, or anything to understand this unknown, Jake couldn't give her any answers because he was so far removed from Spider's rearing that the boy might as well be a stranger to him. Watching Jake flounder and stumble over his answers filled Ronal with so much disgust that she cut off Jake mid-sentence and declared that since Toruk Makto has severely neglected his duties, she would take it upon herself to rear the boy in his stead. She dislikes it greatly, but she refuses to have her clan's reputation dragged through the mud... The boy will have his needs met under her roof...and this way, maybe she and her mate can better understand his abilities.
-) The days begin early, with the rhythm of the reef village already in motion before the sun fully crests the horizon. Spider is expected to rise with it, to learn, to participate. It does not matter if Spider can lift a Tulkan calf with one hand; he is expected to learn and contribute like all children his age. Tonowari makes that clear from the very beginning. “You will live as we live,” he tells him, voice steady, gaze unwavering. "Do you understand?" Spider does not argue, and Tonowari is relieved that at least the human child respects adult authority. On that, Jake was clear. "He's a good kid. Respectful, responsible, and never complains. Tell him to do something, and he'll do it."
-) Spider is not allowed to fly around the village or hover with his feet off the ground. He is expected to walk and run on the sand like everybody else. So, Spider walks. Everywhere. Even when the distance is long, even when the path is uneven, even when it would be easier, so much easier, to lift off the ground and be at his destination in seconds. There are moments, at the start, where his body almost forgets. Where his toes barely touch the sand before instinct tries to take over, to lighten him, to carry him. Every time, Tonowari’s voice cuts through, calm but firm. “Feet on the ground, Spider.” And Spider obeys. Tonowari is good to him. Tonowari does not hurt him, hiss at him, or sling abuse in his direction. For that, Spider respects him and his rules.
-) Helping in the village becomes a test of discipline and patience. Spider is strong now, strong in a way that makes even the most demanding tasks feel so insignificant. Carrying woven baskets heavy with fish, hauling materials, assisting with repairs, things that would have once left him exhausted barely register as effort anymore. If a task had taken him effort before, he matches that effort now. Spider adjusts his grip, his posture, and the amount of force he uses, constantly fighting against his strength. There are moments where he miscalculates, where something cracks under his grip, where wood splinters too easily, where woven materials strain and give because he forgot, just for a second, how much strength sits in his hands now.
-) Tonowari never raises his voice when it happens. He doesn’t scold or shame. He simply steps in, patient as always, guiding Spider. “Again,” he says, and Spider does it again. Slower. Careful.
-) Spider helps where he is needed, listens when spoken to, and follows instructions without resistance or whining. There is no arrogance in him, no sense of superiority, despite the quiet understanding that he could outmatch the entire village physically.
-) Rain or shine, Ronal forces Spider to practice constantly, even outside of work. Sitting alone with objects in his hands, shells, woven threads, small tools, testing his grip, adjusting pressure, learning the exact threshold between holding and breaking. If Ronal notices even a single crack, she has him do it again and again until she is pleased.
-) The one time Spider broke Tonowari's "no flying" rule was when he caught Aonung and his friends picking on Kiri. Spider put an immediate stop to that by grabbing the little troublemaker by his shoulders and lifting him high in the air, telling him firmly to leave Kiri and her siblings alone...or else. When Aonung threatened to tell his parents, Spider said, "Go right ahead, and the entire village will know that you let a little human scare you." In the end, Aonung promised to leave the Sully kids alone, and Spider lowered him back down to earth, noting Aonung's trembling legs as he retreated with his friends.
-) Loves swimming with Tsireya and goofing off with her by picking her up, the pair laughing hysterically as he playfully carries her around. He'll even swim into dangerous underwater caverns to pick out the brightly colored stones she loves so much, zooming inside and out with his speed, holding out the stones to her with a big grin on his face.
-) At first, both Spider and Aonung were like two territorial cats constantly circling each other and hissing with the occasional verbal squabble, but when Spider saved Ronal's spirit sister and the entire Tulkan pod from a bloody massacre, Aonung grew to trust him, then respect him, and eventually befriended him. They still bicker, but it's the sort of bickering you'll see between brothers with lighthearted jabs and exaggerated hand gestures.










