Can you write a snippet of Quaritch following through with his version of “an old school ass whipping”
Nothing too serious because I don’t think he’d abuse Spider but I do think he’d be the type of parent to resort to physical discipline if pushed enough.
In the exchange between him and Spider, Spider does not seemed alarmed with fear and is actually a little cheeky. I think he’s used to adults just letting him get away with things.
I think it’s be interesting to read Spider’s reaction to an adult/authority figure disciplining him (whether physical or some other punishment) for not following instructions rather than just checking to see if he has not been harmed.
It doesn’t have to relate to him running off which is where Quaritch uses the threat. It could be anything.
Wish granted!✨
TW; none
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“UGH! Did y’all ever even wash these before??”
“Not since they were put here.” Miles responded nonchalantly, reading the latest report off his holotable as he lay in the bunk opposite of the shower entrance.
“This is disgusting.” Spider grimaced, his back aching from labour.
It must have been about seven hours since the dreadful words of an incoming punishment were spoken, yet it felt more like an eternity as Spider was been tasked to clean the floor of every room in the recom barracks with only a rag and soap. If hell existed — this had to be it.
“How…” The boy breathed, letting his arms rest minutely, slumped on the foamy tiles. For once, he was thankful to be forced into an ugly shirt and camo-pants. “How much do I have left?”
“A lot less if you didn’t yap all the time.” Miles, yet again, responded without giving his son prisoner as much as a look.
“No, seriously. How many rooms?”
The recom let out a heavy sigh, as if he was the one hunched over the tiles with rubber gloves. “Five. You’ll do toilets next.”
Spider groaned in misery, before taking a deep breath to steady himself and keep working. Maybe Miles would eventually get tired of seeing him like this and let it go.
“Oh, and don’t think I’ll let you off easy. You’ll be scrubbing these floors until you’re done with them all. No breaks.”
Socorro snapped his head towards him. “Are you crazy!? These are avatar-sized! The place is big as fuck! I’ll be stuck here until morning!”
“Then you’ll have to quit talking and get back go work.”
Spider growled. “This is child abuse.”
“You wanna take me to court?”
The blonde’s growls turned to a hiss as he got back to the task, fuming. What the hell was this old bastard’s deal?
“All this…” Spider grumbled as he slid the soapy rag over the floor. “Just for me calling you an asshole…”
“Oh no.” Miles snapped, his keen ears catching Socorro’s low mumbling form across the room. “All this is for you saying that shit in front of my superiors. You crossed a line. I could let your attitude slide in the forest, but not in public. You will not put me in a spot like that again. Got that?”
“Yes sir.”
“No you didn’t. Keep scrubbing.” Miles commanded, going back to reading. “How in lord’s name did those lab rats even tolerate you?”
With no warning, these last words hit Spider like an arrow to the chest. Out of nowhere, he got a strong urge to take that damned rag and strangle the colonel with it. “I was very well-fucking-behaved, thank you.” He spat.
“You? Behaving?” Quaritch smirked, raising a brow. “Nonsense.”
“You think you know me? That you got me all figured out?”
“You’re not as mysterious as you wanna be, kid.” The recom side-eyed him. “You’re an audacious, lazy brat who was never taught manners because those traitors had no patience to raise a proper man.”
Spider laughed in disbelief. “Oh. Really?”
“I didn’t say you could stop. Quit whining, or I’ll assign the B-squad’s barracks as well.”
“Wh-NO!” The boy barked, standing and throwing the wet rag in the bucket. “We’re NOT done!”
Miles rolled his eyes. On some level, he could feel that this outburst was coming, but held out hope that they’d skip Spider’s desperate self-affirmations. He’ll let him talk it out and add onto the punishment after the rant is over, which was the only reason why he didn’t plan on tunning the kid out.
No other reason at all.
“You think I’m like this at home? I’m not! I worked day in an out at hell’s gate and then high camp, to help those I care about and keep hem safe!” He raised his voice. “I’ve always tried to be quiet, stay out of the way, keep to myself! The rest of those ankle-biters didn’t come close!” He stepped closer to the stone-faced colonel. “I’ve always did my best, alright?!”
His voice wavered, and Quaritch’s ears flicked down instinctively. Was the kid getting emotional? “If you were so damn good then why the hell had no-one scrambled to get you back yet?”
His implication hung in the air, simple and clear; that it was Spider’s fault that there was yet not a single rescue attempt made.
Another arrow to the heart.
“You know why.” Socorro spat.
“No I don’t. We’ve spent so much time squatting in the mud miles from Bridgehead yet no one has come looking fo you.”
Spider’s breath hitched.
“Maybe, get this…” Quaritch stood. “You’d be favoured more if you were less of a pain in the ass.”
Of course, the recom did not believe his words. Not fully, but he needed to deliver the punishment in a way his ward would remember. Spider was overdue for a reality check.
Except…the cheer pain in Socorro’s eyes in response to his words suggested otherwise. Quaritch was suddenly rooted in place, pinned under his gaze.
“How…how dare you.” He spoke, his voice shaking. “I was good. I did all I could and then more.” Water began pooling in his big eyes. “I did everything. I was useful, convenient, invisible!” His hands balled into fists. “I did everything they asked! I was at their beck and call! Always!”
Miles felt his heart sink with every sentence. Shit. Alright. Perhaps he overdid it with the cutting words.
“I never complained! I learned to treat my own cuts and bruises! Learned to power through the broken bones! I’ve never been a burden!!!” He screamed.
After weeks, months of staying tight-lipped about his past, all this new information threw Miles’s mind into a spin.
“Spider—”
“You wanna know why I called you an asshole in front of those corporates!? Because you’re a fucking monster!!!” But Socorro could not longer be stopped. “You threaten and hurt and kill and it never bothers you, so why the FUCK should I respect you!?!” He sniffed, throwing off his gloves. “All you’ve ever done is screw me over! It’s YOUR fault no one cared how good I was or that I’m gone, because I’ll always carry YOUR blood. FUCK YOU!” He roared, before sobbing and storming out of the barracks, leaving Miles to stew in what he had just heard.
He looked at the wet rag lying on the tiles, the silence deafening and his tail limp.
Damn it.
Why did his heart ache so?
he still hums it to this day when he remembers it and it gets stuck in his head.
This person clearly doesn’t belong here. From Ask Historians on Reddit.
(◡‿◡✿)
(ʘ‿ʘ✿) “what you say ‘bout me”
(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿ “hold my flower”
Imagine Spider having the gift to commune with the spirits of the dead, Na'vi, and humans. Spirits are everywhere in the forest (more appeared after the great battle) — watching him practice his archery, guiding him back to Hell's Gate in the dark, and whispering stories to him. Some are peaceful and content, while others are restless, especially those who died violently or don't know they're even dead.
Naturally, Spider keeps this to himself because he's afraid of being further ostracized. Instead, he decides to see this gift as a good thing because at least he has friends to talk to. He doesn't care if Lo'ak thinks he's weird for talking to himself or staring off into space. Spider sees fallen Na’vi warriors from the past, human researchers and soldiers who died on Pandora, and even little children who perished when the Tree of Souls was destroyed. They sometimes speak to him, asking for his company or to listen to their stories.
Maybe it's not healthy to spend hours alone with just the dead for company, maybe it's not normal that he prefers sleeping outside in the company of spirits then with the living back at Hell's Gate, and maybe he made a mistake venturing off alone to live in isolation because he's found more belonging with the dead then with the living.
I had this idea of Tonowari and Ronal keeping Spider as a "ward" to keep a close eye on him, only to realize that something inside him has shattered.
Tonowari and Ronal make the deliberate decision to take Spider in as a sort of ward, not out of kindness, but to keep a close eye on the human and ensure he doesn’t burn down their village or is left to his own devices to cause trouble. Jake practically falls over himself agreeing to the arrangement, which leaves Tonowari somewhat baffled by how quickly he relinquishes the boy into their care.
But the real shock comes once Spider is living in their home, constantly under their watch. With the boy in such close proximity, day and night, Tonowari and his family see firsthand how traumatized he is. There are dark circles under his eyes, his skin is a sickly shade of pale, he flinches at the slightest raised hand, barely speaks, often stares into nothing, and eats next to nothing.
Tonowari has Spider shadow either himself or Ronal to keep him close and occupied, but the boy moves like a wraith, so quiet that they often have to glance over their shoulders just to confirm he’s still there. It’s… concerning. Human or not, aren’t children supposed to be loud, energetic, and full of life? From what Jake told them, Spider was always underfoot and excitable, eager to prove himself. What happened to this child to make him a shadow of his former self?
Against Tonowari’s better judgment, his heart fills with pain for the child. He was not the boy’s father, and the boy was not even of his people. But Tonowari had seen enough in this world to know a broken spirit. This was not a child who needed discipline or containment or judgment. This was a child who needed healing.
That night, Tonowari spoke to Ronal outside, his voice low but firm. “He does not need to be watched. He needs to be cared for. He needs to be taught to live again.” Ronal was quiet for a long time before she gave a small hum of affirmation. “Then we begin tomorrow.”
Basically, it's Tonowari and his family finding out about Souder's time with the RDA and being so disgusted and horrified that Spider goes from being a "ward" to a possible future adopted son. Maybe? Spider doesn't quite trust authority or paternal figures and is so used to taking care of himself that he's suspicious of Tonowari and Ronal's sudden change of heart towards him. Even worse, he's bottling up his grief over losing Neteyam because he feels that the cursed son of Quaritch doesn't deserve to mourn.
Imagine Spider finding out humans DO have stripes. They're just invisible to the naked eye, cats can see them, but as the movie shows humans and Na'vi can't. Imagine him discovering that and thinking about how much similar he is to his brothers and sisters, to the whole tribe. But when they look at him they only see his face. Not Spider. And sure as hell not his stripes.
Two years?! I’m in!