Do u think neteyam was forced to dislike spider because of neytiris influence?
Ooohhhhhhh that's such a good question and my weirdo ass is so grateful you asked ðŸ¤
*cracks knuckles* Let's begin
Alright! Let's go all the way back to the very beginning of ATWOW to the few cut scenes we saw of the young Sully children and Spider playing. Now obviously we're immediately clued in on the fact that Neytiri does not like how close Spider is with her children, but she nor Jake doesn't seem to do anything about it as the kids are known by both movie canon and comic canon that they hang out with Spider all the time. They consider him their brother!
But there's something that is not explicitly talked about but subtly shown between the children play with Spider as young children (specifically shown that Neteyam was playing with him) to sometime shortly after Neteyam passed his Iknimaya, and then the beginning of the main events taking place in A2: Neteyam does not interact with Spider like he used to.
And I think that roughly two to three year gap of Neteyam becoming (the youngest) warrior amongst his clan and certified member of the Omatikaya that held a huge moment coming from Neytiri to Neteyam about Spider that changed everything. Now, Neteyam as well as his siblings were probably raised with the stories of Neytiri's youth and the final battle defeating the humans, that's completely normal, but Neteyam seems to be very close to his mother and with that comes privileges of spending more time her and hearing her stories.
Neteyam was incredibly accomplished for a Na'vi his age: a full fledge hunter/warrior (the youngest in his clan to do so), full member of his clan, youngest warrior to take down a Sturmbeest. He had an impressive resume for a fifteen year old, to the point that Ao'nung and his friends already knew who Neteyam was because of his accomplishments. So–
*Anon raises hand* Is there a point coming soon or should I take my question elsewhere?
Yes! Sorry, I'm ranting...
Long story short, I personally believe that Neteyam wasn't just trying to solely live up to his Father's name and accomplishments but actually wanted to live up to his Mother's accomplishments as well, hoping to impress her more than anything. He was her little shadow, engaged in everything she did and questioned about her youth at every chance he had, and in doing so Neteyam also began to adapt his Mother's thinking pattern and the way she carries herself around certain people.
I think Neteyam began to distance himself from all humans around the time he began to train for his Iknimaya as his Mother mentors him like she did his Father. Neteyam doesn't seem close with any humans, he kept his distance from Norm and Max when they came to Awa'atlu, and he rarely talks to or interacts with Spider. I don't think Neteyam hates humans to the degree Neytiri does, but he saw his Mother's discomfort when he hung around humans with his siblings and purposely distanced himself in order to help his Mother and dedicate himself more towards his family.
And in that time, Neytiri shared his distaste for Spider. And Neteyam being the dutiful son he is, he wanted to please his Mother, so he put space between himself and all humans. Unfortunately that includes Spider.
Now, do I think Neteyam hates humans? No, I just think he doesn't know what to do around or with humans since known of them are like Spider, they have remained aliens to Neteyam.
Do I think Neteyam hates Spider? Absolutely not! If anything, I know Neteyam still cares for Spider because he was easily convinced to go rescue him on the ship by Lo'ak; Spider was Neteyam's friend for many years, he doesn't hate him. I believe Neteyam was confused on how he truly felt about humans, especially Spider. No internal monologues from Neytiri or outwardly spoken remarks from his siblings – no Neteyam was still discovering his own voice and opinions... He was just afraid what would happen if they didn't align with his Mother's.
Ok but I wanna talk about Portia in that trailer and the absolute pride in her voice when she's taking to Penelope.
I personally love Portia's character and how she's been a foil to Violet in that she's a loving mother, but she's also a realist about the society they live in. She's a tough love, no nonsense type of mother. She's making sure everyone survives as a top priority, if she has to be mean to get them there than so be it.
She's been at odds with Penelope the last two seasons mainly because of their different views. Portia is a realist, while Penelope still has dreams like most 17-18 year olds. Portia, in her own way, has been trying to bring Penelope back to reality.
An example of this to me is the scene where Portia finds out Penelope has been writing to Colin. The first thing she says "I declare Penelope," in a softer tone and when Penelope declares Colin her friend that tone becomes more strict. She tells Penelope, "Colin Bridgerton is no more your friend than I am the next Catherine the Great." Is it mean? Yup. But looking at it through Portia's eyes there's some truth to it. Their society doesn't allow friendships between single men and women. Colin and Penelope writing to one another without being engaged or even a proper courtship was actually very inappropriate. Portia probably does understand that there really isn't anything inappropriate in those letters and they are actually friends but she also knows no one else would see it that way. If she wanted she would have been well within her rights to go to Anthony about it and raise a fuss. She needs Penelope to see this too.
Now come season 3 in Portia's pov Penelope is finally taking the marriage mart seriously. She's got herself a suitor who is a titled lord, and Portia is proud of her. No more silly little fantasies of love. Meanwhile Penelope is probably weirded out with some other mixed feelings by this because this isn't what she is used to from her mother.
Makes me excited to see where their relationship goes. Because honestly, Penelope probably inherited the most from her mother, but she's in denial about it. It mostly comes out in Lady Whistledown, but that sharp wit and scheming mind is Portia. Penelope will actually fall into Portia's line of thinking when she's backed into a corner. When she saved both Colin and Eloise, she knew they would be hurt, and she's sorry about that, but she also knows they'll be safe. That is Portia's school of thought 101.
I've also been wanting to see how they approach the big heart to heart between the two of them. I want them to get into a screaming match that breaks down into them sincerely talking to one another. Penelope's confidence is supposed to get a boost this season, and we know she's not afraid to subtley barb at her mother. I hope they have Penelope confront Portia at some point, forcing everything out in the open.
OP hiding a whole poem in the tags
Eywa's fleecy little lamb — the blood sacrifice of Her chosen one
ATLA! Avatar au ramblings, cause I need them out of my skull:
[Disclaimer: this is basically just Avatar, but if there were benders. there are no rules. god is dead. I wear his crown. we go by my rules now, even if they break atla canon. canon is a suggestion now]
each clean tends to be made up of benders from two of the elements, people from the clan can carry both traits, even if one is dormant.
for example, the Omatikaya are made up of earth and airbenders. both Mo'at and Eytukan were airbenders, yet their daughter Neytiri was an earth bender, and Sylwanin was also an air bender.
Humans are rarely benders, at least compared to the Na'vi, as the destruction of Earth led to the loss of benders, but when they are benders, they have only been fire benders. this includes avatars. the RDA specifically targets and recruits fire benders.
Fire benders are rare on Pandora. very few clans produce fire benders. and with the destruction the humans and the RDA have caused, fire benders are almost taboo, especially in the forest clans that faced the brunt of their efforts.
Jake is a fire bender, he is heavily disconnected from the idea of spirit, fluidity, or nature within his bending. it gets better as he lives with the Omatikaya, but old habits die hard, so he'll ways be a messy fire user, and his fighting style is messy, MMA like, the reckless assault of a soldier and not an art. he doesn't truly incorporate his bending into his day to day life either, it's like a gun to him, not a part of his spirit and being.
Neytiri is an earth bender (and in my world, they can bend plants, because fuck you). while she is known for her combat on Ikran back, she is just as deadly in face to face combat, as she is a heavily offensive fighter, and she will punch you in the throat with a dagger she pulled from the earth. but in a more casual day to day, she uses it to get around the forest, to weave and craft, to cook even. she makes something solid like stone and wood look as fluid as air, and something as delicate as plant life look deadly and jagged. and as a healer she uses it not only to cultivate and refine healing plants, and even bone bend.
a fire bender and an earth bender, have 3 kids:
Neteyam is an earth bender, he presented quite young, maybe 5 or 7, and he takes after his mommy, with the added aggression of Jake's fire bending attitude. he inherited less of his mother's likeness to plant bending, but can magma bend extremely well for his age, keeping that same fluidity. but as much of his life is taken up by combat and training, he's also a crafter and has plenty of little siblings bringing him rocks and asking him to make them beads, so he's also doing a lot of that. (he has attempted to bend a tree fort into existence and fell through it and on his ass, trust, I was there)
Tuk is an air bender. she's only presented around 7, and only in little gusts, so she hasn't cultivated an exact style, she can only really play with little gusts of air, or go gliding about on her glider, but only when a sibling is with her, in case she falls. she's also just an agile little thing.
Lo'ak (for angst value) doesn't present for a long while, he makes it to nearly 13 before presenting, and he ends up being a fire bender.... which did not help his self image, in any manner. not only is he the demon blooded son, the one that never lives up to Jake and Neteyam, who looks like a freak, but now he's a fire bender too? just shoot him now.
Kiri, the child of Grace, who was not a bender, and Eywa, is an air bender (she's already Pandora Jesus, I'm not putting her through being the Avatar as well). she presented at 5, it never seemed like a big thing to her. Neytiri found her floating and that was that. she is heavily connected to her spirit, so she can astral project, and her world, which makes her very hyper sensitive to her surroundings. she uses her air bending to carry stuff, be more spry (in the comics she tends to fall behind her siblings, even Spider, who is much smaller than her. her air bending gives her the leg up to help her keep up). even after she gains an ikran, she tends to go gliding or just. floating. for funsies.
that leaves my son, my baby boy, Spider:
I'm making him the fucking avatar because I can.
[more bullshit below, this is just very long and I'd feel bad posting this behemoth and clogging people's feeds]
he is Eywa's first Sky child, her golden boy, and he is the bridge between humans and Na'vi— he is Na'vi in all but body, and human in all but soul —so she knows if anyone can soothe the tensions ripping her world apart, it will be him.
he starts out as a fire bender.
no one is shocked, even though he gave off his first sparks as a toddler. his parents had both been fire benders— Quaritch had mastered combustion, and Paz was known to give off smoke when pissed —this gets him even more ostracized than he was in canon from the get go. no one wants much to do with the fire bending son of Quaritch. no one can truly trust him, even as a child.
who's to say when he will become the wildfire everyone assumes he will become? who's to say he's not dangerous, even as a child? especially without the help of a fire bending master to aid him (could Jake do it? yes. do I think Jake would commit to that long term? absolutely not).
despite this, the Sully kids are his siblings, from the moment they meet. he's their big brother, watching out for them, promising his flames as their shield, forever and ever. no one will ever hurt them. that they don't need to be scared of him, because he'd burn himself to a crisp before burning them. and his will is so strong, he's never accidentally burned them like he has others. his spirit knows better. it's strong enough to render the heat to nothing.
so the second Spider can leave the confines of Hellsgate and go out into Eywa's jungle, he is more than pleased to do so. he isn't judged there. the animals don't flinch away from him or stare at him like they're seeing secrets from the future.
he bends in secret, first with fire, just dancing a flame over his hands, slowly gaining trust in himself and his control, and developing his own style of bending, one similar to the airbenders of the clan, as that's the closest thing he has to go off of.
and if he has dreams of Toruk like creatures, showing him the art of fire, when he falls asleep in the grassy clearings of Eywa's world, he won't question it.
and when he hears whispers of 'try it' when he thinks of attempting to bend a different element, even just pretending, child's play, he listens, because he trusts the soft voice in his ear.
he bends air first. while not rare, those who bend air are considered special, connect to the spirit of Eywa. it's a sign. well, it would be had anyone paid enough mind to the boy to see it.
air bending comes naturally. he'd been watching those around him air bend for years. he'd mimicked their movements while playing with his siblings. it feels right. like it was what he was destined for (Eywa just needed time to manipulate his soul). it keeps him alive in the jungle, not only cause it allows him to take riskier paths and such, but also because it allows him without an exopack.
earth comes next. again. he'd watched earth benders for years. longed to manipulate the forest like them. to create instead of destroy. wanted to heal instead of heal. wanted to use brute forced over his flames, because his flames were looked at with fear, while the other boys trained their bending and were cheered on. he can work plants as if it was as easy as breathing. weaving them together into forts and hide outs and supplies.
water is last, and seeing as it's the opposite of his birth element, he has no mentor, and not even a faint clue on how it works, it is his weakest. but he has an affinity for healing, even if it only works on little cuts and scrapes, maybe a bruise if he's lucky.
by twelve he is mostly living on his own in the woods. it's near impossible to keep him in the compound anymore. he's not interested.
no one has any idea what he is. Spider can't even fully believe it himself and all's down spirals of thinking he's giving into his human greed, somehow (don't blame him, he's just a little guy, a dumb little guy who doesn't know maths, and grew up around people who all but hated him. let him have a dumb dumb complex).
the only people who have a slight idea are his siblings; he bends too much on instinct. he reached out to catch his siblings, shifting the ground beneath them just a tad, or shooting a vine around their ankle or using a swift puff of wind to stop their descent. he heals small cuts while thumbing over them, rolling a little bead of water on the broken or bruised skin. he brings them up into elaborate tree forts.
his siblings only keep from saying something because of the look of pure terror he gets on his face when he catches himself.
as time goes on, he becomes more open with them. by 15 it's common knowledge amongst them who and what Spider is, but he still won't let them tell the clan. but he has Kiri and Neteyam to help him with his air and earth bending, as they can regurgitate their own lessons back to him, which makes him stronger over all, even if he continues to use his own methods.
Jake and Neytiri only find out the night he was taken; when he gave his all to protect his baby siblings from the recoms, all fire benders, and exposed the level of power he held... and was subsequently taken for.
and then he gets adventures with his papa and the squad. that he is so so so so so happy about (kill him).
bonus info that doesn't fit into the vaguely timeline coherent ramblings above:
Spider is a healer by nature, it's in his heart and soul. so while he trains himself for combat, it's simply natural for him to want to fix things, to help people, to give himself and his power over if it means he can soothe one ache in his people. so Spider learns all of the healing arts he can. he develops his own even. refines bone and blood bending to heal people. uses the scientific understanding of things that he picked up as a human to make better medicines, etc.
speaking of blood/bonebending. my boy is going to snap at some point during his captivity and fuck some people up with that, because he knows the dogs of the RDA deserve it. perhaps it's after Neteyam's death that triggers it. or maybe the Tulkun hunt/attack on the Ta'unui. it's something, something that has him going in a carnage spree.
he will train with Mo'at and Ronal when they find out about him. Mo'at will knowingly pass him over — she knew early in he was special, but knew, in terms of his learning, the forest was not his place, for there was too much pain. but she would watch out for him as she had his whole life, in her own ways — while Ronal will become one of his footholds in life. a place where he will always feel like he can drift back to.
~~~
that's all I have for now. it's a shit ton. I have maladaptive daydreamed part this point, but I'll probably be back on my bullshit eventually. I'll have more on Q and the water tribe and what not.
I was looking at the character poster for Spider (seen below), and I noticed something about it.
Not only was it clear from this photo that this was taken with an older Jack Champion (Spider's actor) than appeared in The Way of Water, but there are a range of other differences from the way that Spider looked in the film (seen below)
These are:
He has an extra strip on his forehead in the image on the left.
He has more beads in his hair in the image on the left
He has a blue body stripe across his cheek in the image on the right, and it is no longer there in the image on the left.
He is wearing either a bone
and finally, he is wearing the body garment in the image on the left that we see Metkayina males wear (as seen in the images below).
It is this, along with the tattoo seen on his arm in this photo (seen below) from an article in EMPIRE Magazine of a scene that did not appear in the second movie, that I realised something...
....I think that Spider either before the start of the movie or during the movie will go through the Metkayina version of Iknimaya.
Iknimaya for the Metkayina is described on the Avatar Wiki to be "...[several] coming-of-age rituals..." which include "...taming a Skimwing and various tests with the members' tulkun spirit brother/sister". It is then stated that after the individual completes the trials "...the member is considered an adult and receives a special article of clothing, their first tattoo, and three beads for their songcord (reference for the Wiki can be found at the bottom of the post).
Given that not only is Spider 16 and might be 17 by movie three, poses a tattoo, the body garment given to males that pass Iknimaya and a selection of beads through his hair, it is clear to see that, in some shape or form, Spider was able to complete the Metkayina version of Iknimaya to some capacity.
Though it would be important to mention that he wouldn't be able to complete trials a few of the trials like taming a Skimwing or gaining a Tulkun spirit brother, as he is human and thus lacks a queue to do so with.
My idea is this, either during the first act of the film or just be its event it is revealed that Spider has been trying to pass the trials of Iknimaya to not only be seen as not only one of the people but also a na'vi and possibly prove himself to others like Neytiri. Yet, due to him being human, he is unable to complete all the trials he is given and so fails in his goal, maybe this also causes further hurt to his relationship with Neytiri (idk). So, knowing that the RDA can give him an Avatar body that would allow him to not only complete the trials but also be seen as one of the family, he goes to them hoping that in exchange for information or something else, they will give him an Avatar body. Not only would this make sense for the next step in his character arc, but it also might have already been teased in the image seen below, which can be found in the same EMPIRE article as the image above. This would be his story for the third and possibly fourth movies.
But anyway, what do you think? Do you think this might be accurate or not?
References:
Avatar Wiki - Iknimaya, Link:Â https://james-camerons-avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Iknimaya
Oops forgot to post that. I didn't have any idea how to finish this to be honest. So here it is a aonung x reader one-shot, sfw, jealous Aonung...
Aonung didn't know how all of this had happen. He hated human he did. He barely tolerated Spider and the other humans that were supposedly on their side. So how did this happen? Why was he getting all angry seeing (Y/N) laughing with Spider?
The two human had gotten closer recently and... why did it pissed him off to see them so close he... he didn't understand...
They used to be close. As close as two people who went through hell together could be. In fact they met in a peculiar situation.
He had been uncarefull and got captured by the RDA. They brought him back to their labs and kept him in some kind of weird clear cage. After a few weeks another person was brought in. It was a human, (Y/N).
They escaped together after forming an alliance. He learned that (Y/N) was part of some kind of resistance that had been fighting the RDA since before they even arrive on Pandora. He didn't really understand when she explained it but he didn't really question it since he couldn't really escape on her own.
They escape but (Y/N) got hurt... like badly...
Aonung brought her back to his village and ask his mother to help her. Ever since then She had lived amond them. Aonung took the responsablity of teaching her the metkayna way.
They got close and he didn't expect it. He didn,'t want to get close to her. Yes, she saved him but she was still a human... a nice human. A human who was funny and smart and... pretty, especialy when she laughed. He loved seeing her laugh but now that she was laughing at somebody else's joke it felt wrong.
She had put her hand on Spider's shoulder and he felt like pinch in his heart. He scoffed and walked away. Maybe she was just like evry humans after all, vile and mean and self serving. she didn't care about him, she just used him, she...
"Hey, there..." he heard, (Y/N) had followed him and he didn't notice. He turned away from her. He wasn't in the mood right now. "Are you ignoring me?" she asked in her stupidly cute voice, she still had that silly childish accent when she spoke na'vi.
"What do you want?" he ask dryly. he didn't mean for it to sound so mean but he couldn't help it. She saw that she was taken aback. She try to laughed it off. "What's wrong, big guy? why you so grumpy?" She said as she sat next to him, she scoot closer to him as she spoke. He flinched when she touched his arm. "W-What's wrong?" now she sounded really concerned.
"why do you care?" He pulled away from her. "Ao..." she reached for him. "Just leave me alone! Go make puppy eyes to your human friends." he finaly snaped. She frowned and pulled back her hand "what is that suppose to mean?" she asked. "It means leave me the fuck alone! You got what you wanted! A nice safe place to live, you don't need to pretend anymore!"
"Pretend to what?! To care? Maybe you won't believe it because I'm human but I care about you!" She screamed. "That's not the fucking problem!"
"What is it then?!" She snaped back. He stared at her and clench his fist. He wanted to scream at her, to shake her. With her big dark eyes and her plump lips, she looked so hot when she was mad. "You know what? Fuck this! I don't have to deal with you!" She turnes on her heals and walked away from him. She leaving... he made her leave... no, not like this.
He grabed her arm and pulled her a bit harshly. "Ouch! Hey!" She protested but he didn't care. He slamed her against his and stared down into her eyes. "A-Ao..." her voice was shaking "Aonung, I...". He lean down and she gasped, if she didn't wear this mask he could feel breath. Instead he rested his forehead against the top of her mask and he could hear her breathing. "Stay..." he begged and she listened. She layed the side of her face on his chest, and he got scared his heart would beat too fast.
She did stay, for a while. They talked a little but mainly they just sat next to each other in silence. Aonung felt like if he were honest right now everything would change... it scared him so he stayed silent until neither of them could stay awake anymore.
Ayoo just to preempt the inevitable dumb takes we’re about to start seeing;
I am PRO-WOOL
I am PRO-LEATHER
I am PRO-BEES
Fuck the idea of replacing durable, sustainable animal products with cheap, flimsy plastic that doesn’t bio-degrade. Agave nectar and other artificial sweeteners are expensive, labor-intensive, and destroy the environment to be farmed.
Do not buy into pernicious marketing campaigns pushed by dickhead organizations trying to stay relevant, like PETA.
Just got done watching Spider-verse and now I can't help but think about Spider as the Pandoran version of Spider-Man.
-) While practicing his archery a mile away from Hell's Gate, Spider is bitten by a strange arachnid creature unlike anything catalogued on Pandora: Eight eyes, a small bioluminescent body, and too many limbs that skitter up his arm too fast for him to bat away with his bow.
-) The pain on his upper arm is searing, cold venom is flooding his system, and his body is shaking. Spider knows he should tell Jake and get himself checked out, but Jake is spending time with his family, and Spider doesn't want to bother him. Instead, Spider stumbles back to Hell's Gate alone, locks his bedroom door, and sleeps for days, plagued by fevered dreams of glowing silk threads covering his entire body in a cocoon and the feeling of being watched by all eight eyes.
-) Eywa does not speak, but he feels her. The bite was no freak accident. It was an acknowledgement. A transformation.
-) The mutation amplifies his strength, speed, and reflexes to rival young Na’vi. He can leap through the trees with uncanny grace, run silently across branches, and wrestle his siblings with ease.
-) Spider hits a sudden, aggressive growth spurt. His bones stretch, he shoots up like a weed, and his posture shifts. He grows into a broad-shouldered, coiled force of nature in just a few days. Norm jokingly asks, "Did Jake feed you a special protein powder?" But Spider just shrugs, quietly avoiding the question with lowered eyes.
-) Against RDA soldiers, Spider is terrifying. He moves faster than their sensors can track, weaving traps of glowing silk webbing that strangle, immobilize, or slice. He’s even developed kill zones in different parts of the vast forest, leading enemies there like a spider luring prey into its web.
-) Spider's methods of killing are precise. He drops from a tree in total silence, snaps necks with his super strength, and webs the body into the trees as a warning. In moments of desperation, he uses a special venom-infused bite passed down from the spider that changed him. It paralyzes instantly and causes intense hallucinations. Some unfortunate survivors go mad from the encounter.
-) Spider takes no pleasure in killing, nor does he look forward to it, but when he kills, it is swift, silent, and deliberate. Spider kills because he knows that every RDA life he spares will cost dozens of innocent Na’vi or creatures. To show mercy is to be complicit because these people will never stop.
-) Even Lo’ak gives Spider a curious once-over and mutters, "You been lifting boulders or something, bro?"
-) Spider wants so badly to tell everyone about his abilities, but he fears that Neytiri will misunderstand and see him as a threat. No one trusts him as far as they can throw him, and as far as Spider is concerned, he's on his own.
-) When Spider connects his webbing to a living thing: beast, plant, even another person, he feels a tug in his chest, a strange warmth in his mind. It’s not language, but sensation. A feeling. Spider’s webbing can read an enemy's next move, like a spider sensing a fly tremble in its web. He wraps it around their weapons, and in that fleeting connection, he feels intention. He dodges before they shoot. He moves before they do.
-) Spider can breathe the air, but keeps his mask on to avoid suspicion.
-) His "spidey suit" is made from his webbing, and he even wears a handmade mask to hide his identity. At first, the mask was entirely blank until Spider decided to draw eight eyes on it, giving him a more intimidating look.
-) The cat is out of the bag when Spider uses his webbing to "heal" Netyam's injury, but that's a story for another day,
My Pathetic Family
Not a funny joke.
TW: Death, Introverted behaviors (Bruh-) Panic attack (Not from you!) Detailed descriptions of gore!
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Alfred was getting increasingly worried for you as each day passed by.
Ever since the incident with Master Dick, you stopped playing with your favorite stuffed plushies all together, did not do any more tea parties he would personally partake in, and avoided sitting on the floor.
Now all you did the majority of the time was watch TV in rooms that were often forgotten about.
It was not like you hadn't done anything else, but Alfred found it difficult to get you to the park due to your... fears about encountering Master Dick.
He did not blame you, and while he did have a duty to treat all those in Wayne Manor with respect he found himself almost getting frustrated with the young boy at times more than he would like to admit.
He knew that it wasn't good for you to be in the manor all the time doing nothing as a toddler your age.
He also knew that forcing you to go outside would not be good for you.
He tried, once. You clung to his legs so tightly and stared up at him with such sadness and fear that he swore he could feel his own heart stop at such an expression.
These last three months since the incident you have not set a foot outside the manor, and it seemed like with each day that passed your fear was slowly increasing.
He was seeing a three year old turning into a recluse at such a young age because of one accident. Was it, though?
It was heartbreaking.
Alfred didn't see a way you would improve without some sort of guidance.
So, he would turn to Bruce.
Of course, he was not of much help.
He found himself saddened at that he was no longer surprised at the lack of effort.
He just wondered, why?
... It didn't matter. Not right now when he could see that (____)'s mental state was worsening. He couldn't have any more arguments with someone he considered his son when his daughter was hurting.
It reminded him of Bruce when he was a child who had just lost her parents, in a way. He didn't fail Bruce. He wouldn't fail (____), either.
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.
.
"Master (____), I would like you to come with me to the living room." Alfred requested, his voice soft as he watched you stiffen up.
You were still scared of going outside.
He was going to change that.
He outstretched his hand towards you, kneeling down to your height and giving you a warm smile. "Please."
You hesitantly reached your hand out before putting it in Alfred's.
Alfred stood up, leaning down slightly as his hand was in yours, and he led you out of your room and down the long hallways.
You clutched Alfred's hand instinctively as he led you towards the living room, your eyes looking around warily and occasionally behind you as you were guided farther and farther away from your bedroom.
Alfred gently ushered you into the living room, shutting the door behind him.
"No more hiding in your room, (____). Let's try something new, okay?" He said softly as you glanced around; noticing some key differences in the room.
The table was pushed off to the side as well as the couch, creative a wide space in the middle of the room.
On the floor were sketch papers, markers, crayons, oil pastels, and colored pencils with a large variety of colors.
You glanced up at Alfred with a confused expression, as if asking what was the purpose of this.
"It's to draw, Master (____). You haven't... haven't been as happy active in anything for quite a while now." Alfred approached you, sitting down in front of the paper and art utensils and patting the spot next to him.
"Come. Let's draw together, (____)."
You sat down next to Alfred, sitting criss-cross and peering up at Alfred. "Why drawing?" You asked, watching as Alfred picked up a yellow crayon and slid a paper in front of you and himself.
"Because you have a bright mind, (____). You just haven't shown it yet." He responded, sliding a blue crayon towards you.
"Draw whatever you like. I think you'll enjoy it more than you think you will."
You picked up the blue crayon, looking down at the paper and thinking about what to draw.
What did you like? You used to like your stuffies, not as much anymore, though. You liked tea party's, but you stopped having those since...
You didn't want to keep thinking of him. You didn't want to see his face full of anger in your head again-
He's already haunted you enough in your dreams.
"I... I like dogs." You muttered, dragging the crayon you held in your dominant hand and dragging it slowly across the paper.
You made a line, then another, and another.
Alfred watched as you started drawing, a smile crossing his face as he began to draw alongside you. He preferred to draw a cat.
He would glance occasionally at your drawing, watching you draw with a concentrated expression and tongue sticking out.
After 10 minutes of comfortable silence, you let out an annoyed groan.
"This doesn't lok-look like a dog." You frowned, bringing up the paper for Alfred to see.
It was a dog with a square chest, four small lines that were supposed to be legs, a wavy line that was supposed to be its tail and a round circle with two dots for eyes and and a smile for its mouth. The dog did not have any ears.
Alfred raised an eyebrow, his lips pursing as he tried not to smile at the drawing of a dog that did not, in fact, look like a dog.
"Nonsense, (____). It looks like a dog to me." Alfred responded, biting his lip slightly as he tried not to laugh.
"You-You're lying, you're smiling!" You whined, pointing a finger at Alfred accusingly.
"I-I am not, Master (____)-" a smile crept on Alfred's face, covering his mouth with a hand as he looked away.
"Yes you are!"
Yes he was.
The living room was filled with fits of laughter and childish giggles as you and Alfred spent the afternoon drawing weird looking animals, stick figures of you and Alfred at the park, and big flowers that actually looked like flowers.
It was a start, but it filled with Alfred with hope that maybe you would get better.
.
.
.
Alfred was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up as he took note that he had all his equipment for today's baked goods.
Measuring cups? Check. 2 large bowls? Check. Spatula? Check. Measuring spoons? Check. Muffin baking pan, baking cups, cooking spray...
While Alfred was making sure he had everything he needed, he couldn't help but notice small movements in the corner of his eye.
He turned around only to see your tiny hands grabbing at the edge of the table, up in your tippy toes in an attempt to climb onto it since the chairs were too big for you to sit on.
He would have to order smaller chairs later...
"Master (____), why are you trying to get on the table?" Alfred asked with a raised brow, his hands reaching down and picking you up by under your arms.
"I wanted to see!" You said, squirming in his grasp and trying to look over his shoulder to see what was so important that he was standing there in silence.
"I am making sure I have everything I need for blueberry muffins." Alfred explained, gesturing to the equipment as well as the ingredients he had on the kitchen counter.
"You're making muffins?" You asked, your big eyes staring up at him.
Alfred knew that look on your face, you wanted to eat the muffins once he was done making them.
He could see the way you kept looking at the equipment and ingredients on the table, a look of interest on your face.
Did you want to bake? Sensing a rare opportunity to teach you something new you seemed interested in, he quickly took it. "How about this, Master (____). If you help me make the blueberry muffins, I'll let you have some. How does that sound?" Alfred offered, setting you down gently on the tall chairs; bringing the ingredients and equipment to the table in favor of the table counter.
You nodded reluctantly, letting out a small huff. He couldn't keep those muffins from you!
"Here, can you spray oil in this baking tray? It's important that the muffins don't stick to top of the pan as they rise." Alfred explains, handing you a can of oil spray.
It seemed like an easier task than trying to get you to measure the flour, he was confident that your little arms wouldn't be able to hold up the bag of flour and you'd make a mess of the table.
Alfred carefully poured One and a half cups of flour into a measuring cup, he could hear you shaking the can vigorously and glanced over to see you spraying the oil into the muffin tray and around the top of it with both hands.
Relieved he made the correct choice, he focused on measuring the sugar next before he heard you shaking the can again and looked over to see you staring up at him with a mischiveous gleam.
Alfred didn't have time to question you before you sprayed him with oil.
Fortunately, he was wearing an apron that mostly took the brunt of the cooking oil. His right hand did have oil on it now, though.
He looked down at you as you let out a childish laugh, clutching the can of oil spray to your chest as you let out fits of laughter.
He wasn't very impressed, but it was hard for him to get mad. He hadn't seen you laugh like that in quite a while.
"That is enough of spraying from you, little one." He said firmly albeit without any real bite, gently taking the can away from your grasp.
He knew you didn't mean any real harm, it was just dumb kid's stuff.
he was glad you started becoming more playful and more willing to leave your bedroom.
He was happy you were improving.
You helped alfred whisk vegetable oil, eggs and milk together as well as lemon zest albeit with his steady hands keeping the bowl from slipping out of your grasp.
He would then add the mixutre to the flour, sugar as well as baking powder and salt, folding it in and then adding in the frozen blueberries.
He folded them in, making sure to not overmix the mixture and putting the mixture into the baking cups you had added into the muffin pan prior while you watched with curious eyes.
He would then put it into the oven and you cheered, clapping your hands together.
Alfred could feel his chest swell with affection, you deserved the world and so much more.
You ended up eating muffins with Alfred that day, they were tasty and you wanted to try baking again sometime.
.
.
.
You colored in the lines of a coloring book as best as you could with a yellow marker, occasionally glancing up at the TV in the living room as you laid belly first on the fluffy carpet.
You had the remote right next to you.
You had turned on the TV and flipped through the channels before finding one that interested you, ballet.
You had seen ballet dancers on TV before, but you had recently gained an interest in them. The ballet dancers on TV were so beautiful, the women would twirl flawlessly and moved with such grace that shouldn't be possible but it was. It was an you wanted to do what they could do. They were special, and you wanted to be special, too.
You just... Were a bit scared to go to ballet classes right now, with other kids.
You wanted to ask Alfred if you could maybe have a private teacher or something. You didn't know how to interact with other kids and didn't want to get hurt again if you made them angry.
Shaking your head, your thoughts drifted to today.
Today was a special day, too.
It was your birthday. You were turning four years old today! You hadn't seen Alfred all day since you woke up, you hoped he was planning some sort of surprise.
Your attention from your drawing of the ballet dancers that looked more like stick figures than anything as the screen changed to some news channel.
You looked up at the screen, confusion in your eyes.
This hasn't happened before, ever.
What was the occasion? You could see a young news reporter in a white suit, he looked into the camera with terrified hazel eyes.
Or maybe who was behind it.
"Is this thing on? Harley, make sure it's on!" A voice yelled, you swore you could hear a "Yes, Puddin'!" in the background.
A man dressed in a purple suit with green hair and very, very pale skin sauntered up behind the table where the reporter was, clearing his throat "Hello, people of gotham! I know that not many of you yet have heard of me but trust me when I say, you will." The man spoke with confidence in his tone, puffing out his chest slightly.
He held a mallet in his hand, tossing it around in both hands occasionally like child's play and whistling.
He looked like a clown.
There was something wrong with him.
"I am the Joker. You may know for poisoning the water supply here and there, fighting Batman in public every once in a while..." He trailed off, looking off towards the terrified news reporter with a deranged smile.
You just noticed that he was cuffed to his seat, trying to pull his wirsts out of the metal cuffs to no avail.
"While I do enjoy the publicity on the back of news papers for these last few years, it's frankly quite insulting." he sneered, his smile twitching as he turned to meet the reporters gaze.
"Tell me, dear citizen. What do you think of me?" You could see the clown's hands twitch while holding the mallet.
"I-I-" The man couldn't speak, he was sweating heavily and was gasping for air as he tried desperately to pull his wrists through the cuffs to the point his wrists began to bruise and bleed.
"I th-think-" He didn't even get to finish his sentence before the Joker raised the mallet up into the air and smashed his face in with a deafening crack you would never forget.
Blood splattered across the table, the back of the seat that the reporter was in and on the mallet.
A choked gurgle escaped the man, somehow still alive with his head dented in by the mallet before Joker swung again; this time causing his brain to splatter against the back of the wall, his skull shattering under the weight of the impact and crunch as his head was caved in,leaving the bottom of his chin the only thing somewhat intact.
Your wide eyes watched, taking in the blood, the brain matter and how much red and pink there was.
You could only watch as the Joker struggled to pull out the mallet from the man's dented in skull, finally pulling it out with a heave and ripping part of the top of his spinal cord out in the process with a wet squelch and causing tiny skull fragments to fly on the table, the floor and on the cadaver's lap.
You weren't focusing on what the Joker was saying at this point if he said anything at all or laughed hysterically that he killed a man on live television: You were focused on how the crimson liquid dripped down the table, how the pink mush slid down the wall and how dark the colors were.
Your hands tapped on the carpet around you before grabbing the remote and turning off the TV, staring down at your drawing blankly.
You picked up a red and pink marker and started to color in a new drawing.
It was the only color you could think of right now.
You couldn't get it out of your head.
Alfred would burst into the room minutes later, worry and fear on his face as he had rushed into the living room. "(____), you didn't have the TV on, did you?" He asked with thinly veiled concern, quickly scooping you up into his arms. "No Alfy. I wasn't watch-watching TV." You said calmly, burying your face into his neck.
You didn't want to make Alfred unhappy by saying you did, you just...
Couldn't risk getting hurt again.
You could hear Alfred let out a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Good, I think It is time I showed you something Master (____). I want you to close your eyes, alright?"
"Okay."
Alfred walked out of the living room with you in his arms, not noticing how the drawing hidden under another that was of a stickfigure in a purple suit hitting another stickfigure with what looked like a big hammer and the pink and red scirbbled over the mallet, a poorly drawn table and the man's face.
NEW CHARACTERS!
The Joker
-There's no good in him, What does Bruce see in YOU?
Harley Quinn
-Psychotic bitch, just another accomplice. Just as bad as him.
Relationship status!
Bruce Wayne (your father): -5/100
-You haven't seen him in months.
-You wished he stopped that evil man in time.
-Failure.
Alfred Pennyworth (Your only friend): 95/100
-You only need him. No one else.
-You feel bad about lying to him
Richard Grayson (The one you fear): -30/100
-You've avoided him for months and haven't seen him, but he still haunts your dreams.
Taglist!
@the-dumber-scaramouche @sirenetheblogger @bellethesleepypotato @mev-fizzah-writes @tsxukikami @shycreatorreview @redsakura101 @feral-childs-word @lexi-username-1 @vanessa-boo @schnuggelig-schnecken-schnurrt @sleeping-l0s3rs @simpingpandas @vanilliona @shycreationdreamland @uu-uuu @crazycookies73307 @chericia @jellystar-star @sillysealsies @hopingtocleaemedschool @sukaretto-n @cantfindmelol @sunshinepower17 @ryuushou @kore-of-the-underworld @bongwaterflavoredgatorade @mxvoid26
A/N: Soooooo, that's the bad unavoidable experience. You don't catch any breaks do you? I never did say the experience would be caused by the family. The unavoidable is infact a direct consequence of choosing hobbies that are mostly done indoors. If one more hobby was an outdoor one this would have been avoided since you wouldn't be watching TV at the time. How you feeling about this? The taglist took a bit to write in which is why this is semi later than what I posted. If I didn't tag you I'm sorry, it took like 20-25 minutes to tag everyone. ALSO! ballet is going to be learned in chapter 5. You kinda aren't going to in chapter 4 cause of uhhhhhh well what happened above.