Lo'ak/Relationships

Lo'ak's relationships
== Love Interest ==
=== Tsireya ===
Tsireya is Lo'ak's teacher and love interest.
Tsireya, the daughter of the clan leaders, takes an immediate liking to Lo'ak when he comes to the Metkayina clan. Tsireya is one of the few people who feels like a true friend of Lo'ak, and or could become more. The two developed a friendship during their freediving sessions together. Because she was training to be the next Tsahìk, Tsireya often imparted wisdom to Lo'ak, such as telling him not to be afraid of the ocean and to see it as another home. This helped ground Lo'ak during his feelings of inadequacy and disconnection from the environment around him.
Tsireya was also very proud of Lo'ak's progress, especially when he was able to bond with a tulkun. Tsireya sympathized with Lo'ak when he felt all alone, trying to convince him that he truly deserved a place among her clan. For Lo'ak, however, the meaning was deeper because of his feelings of isolation, because she made him feel that he truly deserved a place in the world. At the end, Lo'ak can be seen comforting her as they gaze at Neteyam.
== Family ==
=== Jake Sully ===
Lo'ak is never shown to be proud of having Jake Sully as a father whom he has a strained relationship. Lo'ak always felt that Neteyam was viewed as the "golden child" who can do no wrong, making Lo'ak desperate to win Jake's approval. Unfortunately, Lo'ak's frequent attempts to help out only backfire, despite his good intentions, making Jake view Lo'ak as incompetent failure. Jake tries to force a strict and disciplinary parenting style on Lo'ak, such as grounding him from ikran flying for a month when Neteyam almost dies, and also has Lo'ak address him as "sir" in a military fashion, despite that Lo'ak does not really care about being a warrior or fighting for a community he does not even feel connected to in the first place.Jake shows very little compassion towards Lo'ak due to his rebellious ways and seems more concerned about Lo'ak's failures instead of his earnest attempts to help. At one point, Jake bluntly tells Lo'ak that he has brought shame onto their family. Ironically, Jake contributes to Lo'ak's misgivings because when Lo'ak tries to communicate with Jake, Jake tries to silence Lo'ak and does not listen to his side of the story. For example, Lo'ak went outside the reef in an attempt to befriend the other boys, and told Jake he was only trying to do this after Jake told him to make friends. Although Lo'ak had a valid point about how Jake ordered him to befriend bullies, and how they would look down on him if he did not go outside the reef, Jake retorted, "I don't want to hear it." When Lo'ak tried to defend Payakan to Tonowari, Jake also silenced Lo'ak, telling him, "That's enough." Jake's constant attitude makes Lo'ak believe his father will never understand him, serving only to push the two away.After Neteyam dies, Jake refuses to take Lo'ak on the mission to save Kiri and Tuk, telling him he's "done enough." Lo'ak defies Jake's order to stay put and eventually saves his father's life in the sinking SeaDragon. The two survive and Jake tells Lo'ak "I see you", suggesting the development of a healthier and more positive relationship in the future. Lo'ak's saving of his father's life, despite the order defiance, helps Jake to see the value of taking risks instead of running away or staying put, and how it can save people's lives. It also helps Jake see his own mistakes on how he has been mistreating Lo'ak, and how there is not always an easy answer on what someone should do for all of life's complicated dilemmas.
=== Neytiri ===
Although their interaction is not shown in great detail, Neytiri loves Lo'ak very much and feels sad and discouraged by Jake's indifference to their youngest son, although she also makes it clear she is disappointed by Lo'ak's mischievous behavior. Neytiri is seen hugging Lo'ak when he almost died during his ikran training when he hit himself on the head and fell to the ground from a deadly height. When Lo'ak returns to the clan after being abandoned by Aonung, Neytiri rushes to check that he is well. Neytiri shows her concern for him when Jake tells Lo'ak that he had embarrassed his family, as she looks at Lo'ak with sadness. Lo'ak called "Mom!" when they reunited outside the sinking SeaDragon and she can be seen touching his cheek while keeping one of her hands on his back.
=== Neteyam ===
While the brothers get along well, Neteyam and Lo'ak share a typical sibling rivalry, with Lo'ak often feeling overshadowed by Neteyam. Due to Lo'ak's reckless and rebellious behavior, Neteyam often takes the blame for the mess his younger brother's causes. Lo'ak harbored a bit of jealousy towards his older brother because he always seemed to win Jake's approval. As the older brother, Neteyam was highly protective of Lo'ak and sympathized with his failed Iknimaya attempts, as well as the fact that Lo'ak had five fingers and eyebrows, making him look more like a human. He also often saved him when Lo'ak encountered SecOps soldiers in the woods or got lost on the way back to the village. When Neteyam is buried, Lo'ak can be seen reaching out towards his deceased brother.
=== Kiri ===
He and his adoptive older sister were shown to have a typical sibling rivalry as they were seen fighting over a toy banshee as children, and only stopped after their dad put a stop to it. The two grew closer with age and are seen teasing each other such as when Kiri told Lo'ak that their dad was going to “ground him for life” for unintentionally endangering her, Spider and Tuk. She also bluntly pushed him out of her way during the treatment of Neteyam's wounds. The Visual Dictionary goes so far as to claim Kiri is Lo'ak's closest sibling and confidant, likely using the logic that this is before Spider being adopted into the family at the end of The Way of Water. However, "closest" does not necessarily mean "close", tying into Lo'ak claiming he feels all alone.
Nonetheless, the two are similar in their feeling of being different while their cases are much different. Lo’ak felt different due to his human-like biology and Jake's disapproval of his rebellious attitude, while Kiri wanted to know why she is in tune with nature and who her biological father is and if she has one.
=== Tuktirey ===
The two of them have a good relationship and love and care for each other as siblings; in The High Ground, Lo'ak can be seen holding Tuk's hand even though it's not necessary. While he seems to be protective of her, he also seems to get her into trouble. He likes to tease her, as seen where he mimicked her for threatening to tell their mom that she would not let her come along.
== Friends and Allies ==
=== Spider Socorro ===
Spider is Lo'ak's best human friend.
The two seemed to have a good relationship as they played together a lot when they were younger. They are seen together many times along the film; they seem to have a pretty good relationship as teenagers, with both usually making jokes or commenting about their surroundings, for example, when Kiri, Tuk, Spider and Lo'ak were spying on the SecOps in the 'old shack', with Spider telling Lo'ak that the place was in fact, where Quaritch and Jake fought years ago. He is the one that insisted in saving Spider during the conflict with the SeaDragon. He and Neteyam risked their lives during the rescue. Though they succeeded, Neteyam got shot in the process by RDA soldiers, succumbing to his wounds moments later. After the battle, the surviving boys are embraced by Jake.
=== Aonung ===
Aonung and his friends laughed about Lo'ak and his family at first. Soon, a fight ensued after Aonung harassed Kiri who was staring at the sand while lying submerged in shallow water. When Lo'ak later returned for a half-hearted apology, Aonung and his friends provoked Lo'ak to hunt with them outside the reef near the Three Brothers, only to leave him behind as a prank while Lo'ak was hunting for fish, resulting in him being in mortal danger when an akula appeared and attacked him. Aonung's respect for him grew when Lo'ak took the blame for Aonung's actions. After that, the teasing stopped. Aonung eventually helped Lo'ak free Payakan from the RDA.
=== Payakan ===
Payakan is Lo'ak's spirit brother.
Lo'ak forms a close bond with the tulkun after he saves his life from an akula. Lo'ak and Payakan realize that they are both viewed as outcasts in their respective societies. Lo'ak communicates with Payakan using a unique form of sign language between them. Although their friendship was seen as forbidden, Lo'ak defended Payakan at every opportunity, trying to dispel the false notion that Payakan was some violent bloodthirsty killer.
Payakan at first was initially hesitant to show what caused him to become an outcast, but decided to eventually show Lo'ak. When Lo'ak discovered that Payakan had good intentions but did an act that resulted in bad consequences, Lo'ak feels even more sympathetic because he can relate to how his good intentions fail to win Jake's approval. Even when Tsireya felt Payakan was still a killer because he disobeyed the Tulkun Way, Lo'ak continued to defend Payakan, viewing his permanent exile as an unusually cruel and extreme punishment. Their friendship prompted Payakan to protect Lo'ak and throw himself onto the SeaDragon, thus helping the Metkayina clan kill the tulkun hunters. Payakan also helps save Lo'ak and his father's lives when they need to reach the surface to breathe.
Category:Relationships