#OE-18

[squidkidnerd]

i stg the next person who makes a "haha 8 is an innocent uwu baby who doesn't know about sex!" joke is gonna be murdered. by me.

[cxlliefxn]

NONONO I DID NOT JUST SEE SOMEONE SHIP MALE AGENT 8 WITH MARINA

[eileennatural]

something i really like abt fma 03 is that al actually acts like a little kid like down to having "tantrums" i think it makes more sense than in brotherhood where he usually acts more mature than ed even

[tryst-art-archive]

Kenzaburo Oe Research Paper

An assignment from AP English, which I'm sure is very interesting to someone. (idk, this and the paper I did on Dracula I have memory of feeling faintly proud of and the '09 works are thin on the ground)

Corruption and Innocence:

Kenzaburo Oe’s Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids

             “The word innocence is composed of in or ‘not’ and nocere or ‘hurt’ – that is, ‘not hurt,’” Kenzaburo Oe said in his acceptance speech for the 1994 Nobel Prize for literature (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 69 5). Thirty-six years before he delivered that speech, while still a college student at Tokyo University, Oe wrote his first novel, Memushiri kouchi or Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, which deals with the themes of innocence and corruption (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement 2). The novel draws on Oe’s experiences as a “black sheep” who grew up under both the incredibly nationalistic and militaristic ideals of World War II Japan and the reversed mentality of post-World War II Japan (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 3; “Kenzaburo Oe,” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement 1). From Oe’s peripheral vantage, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids explores the hypocrisy and corruption of adults and authority by examining the sacrifice of innocence.

            Kenzaburo Oe was born to a shipping family living in the remote mountain village of Ose on the smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku, on January 31, 1935 (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 3; “Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 1). His family had some control over the local village farmers’ incomes, which led to Oe’s being ostracized from an early age by other members of his community (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 3). Most of Oe’s early education came “in the form of militarist propaganda,” and he was daily required to affirm his willingness to die in reverence to his Emperor’s will (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 1). His militarist education was cut short by Japan’s surrender in 1945 and the following American occupation of Japan (Sakurai 1). All hints of lingering militarism were censored from the Japanese media and, notably, textbooks (Sakurai 1). Education was summarily revised to incorporate democracy and other American values (Sakurai 2).

            Oe majored in French literature at the University of Tokyo and became heavily influenced by Western authors, most notably Existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2; “Oe Kenzaburo” 1; Staggs 1). He published his first short story, “An Odd Job,” in 1957 and won a Tokyo University May Festival Prize for it (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2). The following year he produced “Prize Stock,”  also known as “The Catch” (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2).  The novella won the Akutagawa Prize and was followed by his first novel, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2). These works are the earliest examples of Oe’s unique writing style which uses “a syntax that cannot fit into Japanese,” the image system of grotesque realism, and which avoids all ambiguity in the writing (Yoshida, Sanroku, “The Burning Tree: The Spatialized World of Kenzaburo Oe” 1; Oe Kenzaburo” 1; Oe, Kenzaburo, Interview with Sanroku Yoshida 2). He approaches writing by beginning with a subject or issue from his life and then expanding it “to link it up with society, the state, and the world” (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 69 1).

            In 1960, Oe married Yukari Itami with whom he had three children, Hikari, Sakurao, and Natsumiko (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2, 4). His son, Hikari, was born in 1963 with a large growth on his head which, though surgically removed, caused mental retardation in Hikari (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 2).  Consequentially, Oe’s subsequent works tend to deal with the struggles involved in raising a disabled son  (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 3). Hikari eventually developed a talent for musical composition which prompted Oe to announce that he would cease writing fiction after he accepted the 1994 Nobel Prize (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 3). After completing his trilogy, The Burning Green Trees, this is precisely what Oe did (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 3).

            Oe’s first novel, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, tells the tale of a group of reformatory boys who are being evacuated from their prison-like abode in Tokyo to a remote mountain village due to the threat of American air raids (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 27). The boys’ parents have abandoned the children, failing to bring their unwanted offspring home when it is requested that they do so (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 27). The major players in the boys’ party include the nameless narrator who tells the tale, his younger, unnamed brother, and a somewhat older boy nicknamed Minami (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 21-26). The boys’ journey to their new home is arduous; they meet villagers who would rather see the boys dead than have anything to do with them, and they are often mistreated along the way, generally by their supposed guardians (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 21-27). They do, eventually, arrive at their destination whereupon they are locked in a one-room building, given insufficient food, and informed that they must “always remember that in this village you’re only useless vermin” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 45-47). The following day the boys are made to bury the numerous carcasses of animals who have been killed by a mysterious plague that has already taken the life of one man (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 52-56). Not too long thereafter, one of the boys who had been having some stomach trouble previously dies in the night, prompting the villagers to flee the village in order to escape the supposed plague (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 63-70).

            Left to fend for themselves, the boys break into the villagers’ houses in order to gather food, they bury the dead that gather around them, and they begin to acquire new members for their group (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 81-83, 99-109). There is Li, a boy from a nearby Korean settlement whose entire people have been subjected to humiliating servitude at the hands of the villagers (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 83, 98-99, 148). An unnamed deserter who fled the army cadets out of a desire to neither kill nor be killed, and a nameless girl who refuses to leave the corpse of her mother and flee with the villagers and who later becomes the narrator’s first love also join the group (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 86, 103-109, 111-115, 121-122). There is also an unwanted dog, Leo, whom the younger brother takes under his wing (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 92-94, 112-113). This motley group develops a nurturing society all their own in the abandoned village which the villagers have barricaded off (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 77, 81-83, 85, 95-102, 123-129).

            However, their joy does not last. At a height of ecstasy and jubilance, Leo, who has been infected by the plague, bites the girl, passing it to her (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 123-130). Despite attempts to save her, she dies, and the narrator, who has been insisting that there is no plague, loses the trust of his comrades (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 146-154, 157, 159). Furthermore, several of the boys decide to kill Leo in order to stop the spread of the plague, an action which results in the narrator’s younger brother fleeing the village, later dying in flood waters (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 151-156, 173). The following day, the villagers return and round up the reformatory boys (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 161-164). They hunt down the deserter, giving him a severe gut wound that he stands no chance of surviving (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 168-170, 174). They also dig up the corpses the boys had buried and burn them (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 166-167). As a final act of cruelty, the villagers bribe the boys into staying silent about their abandonment (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 178-184). Only the narrator refuses to acquiesce to the villagers’ demands (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 184-186). The villagers elect to let him go free as an exile, but once they have him outside the village, they go back on their word and attempt to kill him; our last glimpse of the narrator is through the dark trees of the forest through which he is being chased by the inhuman villagers (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 186-189).

            Affecting this narrative are Oe’s experiences both during and after World War II (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 2-3). As already stated, Oe’s earliest education was highly militaristic whereas his later education was a complete reversal (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 1; “Kenzaburo Oe” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement 1). As Oe put it, “until the middle of that summer, our teachers – who earlier had taught us that the emperor was a god, had made us bow in reverence to his portrait, and had preached that Americans were not human but rather demons or beasts – now started saying things that were quite the opposite, and all too matter-of-factly at that” (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement 1). This, combined with the jarring moment in which Oe realized the humanity of Japan’s Emperor, villainized adults for the young Oe, paving the way for his first novel wherein the words “adult” and “villager” are practically synonymous with “evil” and “corruption” (“Kenzaburo Oe,” Newsmakers 1997 1; Napier 12). Conversely, children, even not-exactly-sin-free delinquents, become synonymous with goodness, integrity, and innocence, and any shortcomings they may have can be blamed on the influence of the adults around them (Wood 4; Grayer 1). Thus, we have “a major cleavage between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ characters, usually children and outcasts versus adults/fathers/authority, with very little ambiguity of interpretation possible” (Napier 12). This moral set up is essential to the world of Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids in that it allows for the development of an existential paradise in the midst of wartime devastation (Napier 8). That, in turn, allows for the sacrifice of  innocent paradise to the corruption represented by adults and authority (Napier 9).

            Simultaneously, Oe addresses the merits of outsiders versus the immorality of the majority, again represented in the villagers and authority (Napier 12). There is biological context for this as well; in his isolated hometown, Oe “had always been the ‘black sheep’ among the village children” and “was able, in Nip the Buds, to empathize more easily with the group of boys who come from the city, from somewhere totally outside of the village…than with the adults and children of the village” (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 3). The entire tale is written from an outsider’s point of view (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 2-3). Naturally, the information we receive on the events in Nip the Buds is corrupted by the feelings of our narrator; what we see of the villagers and authority is made blacker by memory while the victimized innocents are uplifted. Thus, we can be certain that our author’s intention is to paint morality in stark black and white in order to highlight the struggle between good – innocence and those on the periphery – and evil – corruption and those who are either in the majority or in positions of authority (Napier 8-9, 11-13).

            It is a simplistic vision of morality that the reader is given, but it is nonetheless sufficient for Oe’s purposes (Napier 12). Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids was born out of the following: “the cognitive dissonance of hearing that ‘ordinary’ human voice” of the supposed deity, the Emperor of Japan; Oe’s “passion for the underclass of the earth;” and his “urgent sense of moral and spiritual crisis” (“Oe Kenzaburo,” Contemporary Authors Online, 2; qtd in “Oe Kenzaburo,” Contemporary Authors Online 2; ��Kenzaburo Oe,” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement 1). The biographical background influencing Nip the Buds is important to comprehending the novel’s message. In short, the novel indicates that those who are akin to the young Kenzaburo Oe – outcast, innocent, and all too corruptible – are inherently good and need to be nourished by society rather than damaged by it (“Oe Kenzaburo,” Contemporary Authors Online 2; Grayer 1-2). Oe’s approach to exploring hypocrisy and corruption in contrast with innocence is an experienced one.  

            That oh-so-familiar hypocrisy and corruption comes in the form of the villagers and other adults in Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids (Napier 9). Adults and villagers are consistently portrayed as dumb, cruel, and animalistic, with their behavior toward the reformatory boys being consistently excessive (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 21-28, 33, 35, 37-39, 44-47, 51-56, 64-70, 77-79, 117-121, 161-189). For example, the villagers, when watched by the narrator’s younger brother, spit and throw rocks at him (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 23). This is, certainly, a lesser instance of their malice, but it shows just how little provocation the villagers require to take action. On another occasion, the warden who is meant to be watching over the boys beats two would-be escapees rather viciously (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 24). The narrator says “That was a lenient sentence,” and, indeed, the boys adopt a kinder attitude toward the warden for his “mercy” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 24). Even the reformatory boys’ parents are heartless, abandoning their children (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 27). In fact, the narrator’s father drops off the innocent younger brother at the reformatory rather than have to worry about the boy himself (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 27).

            The villagers’ abuse of the boys is the most intense mistreatment the boys receive at the hands of adults. Among the first activities the villagers force the boys to undergo is the burying of plague-infested animal carcasses (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 52-56). The narrator observes aloud, “If the village children touched a dead rat, they’d get germs. If we touch them, it doesn’t matter” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 55). This blatant disregard for the safety of the boys is an example of how the villagers’ “behaviour toward us [the reformatory boys] wasn’t quite appropriate for real people” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 51). Further, when the plague begins to affect humans, the villagers flee their village in an effort to escape the plague, intentionally leaving the boys behind (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 67-70). The narrator writes, “if the villagers had any intention of taking us along they wouldn’t have shut us up inside the dark temple…they were running away stealthily in the moonlight with no intention of taking us along” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 70). The villagers go on to ensure that the boys cannot possibly escape the village by building “a kind of malevolent barricade…out of tree stumps, boards, railway sleepers and rocks” as well as posting a sentry armed with a hunting rifle by this wall (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 77-78). The sheer malicious intent of this action is overwhelming both for the boys and the reader, and comes across as a clear symbol (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 80). But the boys are not alone in their situation; the army deserter and Li also face unnecessary abuse (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 147-148, 168-169).

            Our first encounter with the deserter comes in the form of rumor; a host of villagers have joined with army cadets to hunt down this deserter whose pacifism is entirely against the accepted moral values of the time (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 37). The villagers have nothing to gain from the capture of the deserter, yet they seem to thrill in the bloodthirsty hunt nonetheless, enjoying the pursuit for itself more than anything else. Indeed, they later catch up with their quarry, and their first action is to impale the deserter with a bamboo spear such that his guts fall out of the wound, guaranteeing his demise (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 168-174).

            Li, meanwhile, is a member of a Korean settlement on the edge of the village, and his family has been subjected to the whims of the village headman for generations (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 99, 105, 148). Li’s settlement “was made up of houses like sheds, even poorer and with even lower eaves than the village houses” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 105). Li describes his people’s treatment by the villagers on one occasion, saying, “Every month me and my brother would sit on that earth floor for hours plaiting straw sandals. It was forced labour…ever since my father was a child, the people in that house [the home of the village headman] made my family do everything for them” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 148). Though Li himself is noble and inclined to stand by the friends he’s found among the reformatory boys, he is ultimately forced to turn away from them and rejoin his suppressed kin in order to save their lives (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 180-185).             The reformatory boys, however, are portrayed as “unquestionably ‘right’” (Napier 12). None of the boys’ actions are exceptionally noble nor do they adhere to a stringent moral code that gives them angelic quality; rather, the boys are quite rough-and-tumble with lewd tendencies (Wood 4). They are “misled innocents,” “children who have been damaged by the adult world” (qtd in “Oe Kenzaburo” 2; Napier 9). They flaunt their juvenile genitalia at people from the various villages they pass simply to get a rise out of them; these aren’t exactly good boys, but they aren’t quite corrupt either (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 22; Wood 4; Napier 9). Their ignoble behaviors are childish; if the boys are nasty little delinquents it is only because they are young, foolish, and still have the child’s thrill in pulling the legs off a writhing beetle and the child’s obliviousness to the pain he causes. Thus, they manage to remain inherently innocent, sharply contrasted with the adults who not only should know better but most likely do know better and yet persist in their contemptible behavior. “These boys are characterized as anonymous victims who, because of some ‘trifling misdeed,’ are being sacrificed by society” (Napier 9). At one point, the village headman says to the narrator, “Someone like you isn’t really human. You vermin can only pass on your bad blood. You’ll be no good when you’re grown up…We squash vermin while it’s small. We’re peasants: we nip the bad buds early” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 185-186). And what has the narrator done? Only refused to join the villagers and his traitorous comrades in secreting away the cruelties of the villagers (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 180-185).This particular action is the only decidedly noble course taken by any of the boys, and it firmly identifies their “superior moral vision” (Napier 12). There is a refusal to be “duped” because “nothing could be more humiliating, more dumb and ignoble, than being ‘duped’” (Oe, Kezaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 180). Further, succumbing somehow gifts “the morally reprehensible villagers” with the right to be correct and exempts them from the punishment that is their due (Napier 12). The reformatory boys are characterized as the “only beings possessing some sense of humanity” (Grayer 11). Further, lest the reader doubt the innocence of the reformatory boys, Oe has included a symbol of innocence – the narrator’s younger brother (Napier 11; Grayer 2).

            Oe has said that he saw the narrator, one of the older reformatory boys, as somewhere between twelve and thirteen, his comrade and rival, Minami, as “perhaps slightly older,” the deserter as roughly sixteen, and the younger brother “no older than four” (Grayer 12). It does not seem unlikely that the single most innocent, pure being, would be the child who is at most four (Grayer 12). In addition, the younger brother is the only character to be described as beautiful at any point in the novel: the brother’s head is “handsome;” the nape of his neck reveals “a heartrending beauty” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 33, 91). He is also singularly capable of fitting into any situation and crossing all borders but the hostile one symbolized by the villagers’ barricade (Grayer 2; Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 34-38, 50, 80). The boy is unafraid of the villagers, slides “smooth as water” into the reformatory boys’ life, comforts the ostracized, and draws people and animals toward him like moths to a flame (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 23, 27, 29-30, 34-38, 92-93). During a hunt that the boys hold, it is the younger brother who makes the most remarkable catch, a beautiful pheasant (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 137-140). In short, the younger brother is a uniquely successful, innocent being (Napier 11).

            Even so, the younger brother does not triumph over corruption. He slips out of the narration like a wraith, presumably dying in a flash flood (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 154-157, 173). “The child’s voice is lost amid the violence of his elders, and his life is sacrificed,” writes critic Grayer Ryan (Grayer 2). “The death of the little boy, a child so filled with innocence and love, signifies for us the ultimate failure of humanity to save itself by listening to the voice of the wisest of us all” (Grayer 11). The boy – innocence -  is overwhelmed by corruption and, thus, dies (Grayer 11). As his elders behave more like the adults – arguing and fighting amongst themselves rather than continuing to get along equitably as a community – they become more corrupt, which leads to the narrator’s failure to comfort his distraught brother after Minami has killed the boy’s dog (Napier 8-9; Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 154-157). This, in turn, leads to the brother fleeing into a danger which kills him, crushing the purest innocence present in the novel (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 154-157, 173; Grayer 11). Thus, innocence is ruined by the indifference of those in authority (Napier 9).

            Ultimately, the younger brother’s death provides the model for the complete destruction of innocence in Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids in that much of Nip the Buds sets up a paradise in which the reformatory boys live in happy, carefree innocence which is promptly destroyed by the return of the villagers (Napier 8-9). It is the abandonment of the village that creates the space for the boys’ paradise, and it is the cessation of that period of abandonment that forces a return of reality and a destruction of the comfortable community born out of innocence and good intentions (Napier 8-9). “Within the imaginary world the youths prove victorious over all trials but, with the advent of the realistic denouement, they are reduced once again to sniveling children” (Napier 11). Put another way, the world that the boys create is one in which they can be happy and successful, but reality forces this world apart, returning the boys to a state of submissiveness in which they cannot possibly defeat the majority or the corruption thereof (Napier 11). In Nip the Buds, innocence is put under the guillotine; “youthful pleasures must be sacrificed to the wasteland of reality” (Napier 13).

            At the height of the boys’ happiness, the narrator enters a phase of denial, declaring that the abandoned village is theirs, and, further, that he has “never been abandoned by anyone” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 140). At the height of their happiness, the narrator’s young lover is bitten by a dog and infected by the fatal plague (128-131). Every moment of joy is cut short by another, new pain, forcing the narrator to wonder time and time again “what could I do?” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 152). In one moment, the narrator thinks, “But like my brother, I too had begun to wish to live a long life in this house surrounded by snow. And every last exit was closed to us. What more could we want than this?” and in the next moment the younger brother – innocence – has vanished, the narrator’s young lover has died, and the villagers have returned with bamboo spears in their hands (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 127,160-161). The villagers wound the deserter fatally, which is significant in that the deserter is the only being who attempts to save the dying little girl (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 159). He is also the only “good” adult to appear in the novel; his aid of the little girl and the descriptions that characterize many of his actions and gestures as childlike show it (Napier 10; Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 159, 169). The “good” adult’s death is certain; he, like the younger brother, dies symbolically as all that is good fades out of the world by the influence of the villagers (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 168-174).

            This is not the extent of the destruction, however. The villagers dig up all of the corpses that the reformatory boys had buried – the dead animals, the girl’s mother who died of the plague, Li’s parent who died of plague, the corpse of the reformatory with the stomach trouble, and the corpse of the little girl herself – and burn them (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 167). “It was a kind of ritual to compel us to acknowledge that every being in the village, including corpses, even corpses that had been buried, was back under the control of the adults” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 167).This is the “ultimate degradation of all their efforts to maintain a community,” the final sign that the boys, along with innocence and virtue, have lost to the villagers and corruption (Grayer 10).

            Completing the destruction is the abandonment of the narrator by his comrades (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 180-189). Using food and coercion, the villagers force the boys to agree to remain silent about the entire episode of plague and abandonment (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 180-185). In exchange for their willingness to go along with the villagers, to join them, as it were, the boys are given “real food, the wholesome humane meal which we were never able to get during our long spell in the reformatory, during our evacuation marches and during our time as children on our own” (Grayer 10; Oe Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 185). In this way, those who agree to the villagers’ demands cease to be member of the ostracized minority, becoming part of the cruel, corrupt majority (Grayer 10). Innocence, nobility, and the state of being morally correct are effectively sacrificed for material comfort in the cold, adult world (Napier 13). It is the narrator alone who refuses to relinquish his morality, and, for that, he is driven into the dark wilderness, though “only a child, tired, insanely angry, tearful, shivering with cold and hunger” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 187-189). The hopelessness of the situation is almost overwhelming: “I was about to be banished from the cul-de-sac I had been shut up in. But outside I would also be shut up. I would never be able to escape” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 188). The boy is not to find acceptance anywhere but must continue on nonetheless, and so: “I got up, clenching my teeth, and dashed into the deeper darkness between the trees and the darker undergrowth” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 189). Due to the corruption of those in charge, that which is good is lost, and “a boy leaves behind his innocence but not necessarily in order to enter the world of experience…these heroes are left to wander miserably, with nowhere to go except into the outer darkness of reality” (Napier 11). Good does not triumph over evil but is rather forced away to survive in the unknown (Napier 11).

            Oe Kenzaburo once defined innocence as a state of being unhurt (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 69 5). In his premier novel, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, he shows precisely how pain destroys innocence (Grayer 1). Villagers and members of authority – the popular majority of Japan – are portrayed as inherently corrupt (Napier 11). Children and those who have no place in Japanese society are portrayed as inherently virtuous (Napier 9). However, this latter is subjugated by the former, forced to conform to the will of the corrupt (Napier 11). Those who absolutely refuse to conform are killed or banished (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 187-189). To critic Susan Napier, the novel “reveals a yearning for a lost innocence” (Napier 13). The novel’s narrator writes “In that time, when maddened adults ran riot in the streets, it is enough to record that there was a strange mania for locking up those with skin that was smooth all over, or with just a little glowing chestnut down; those who had committed petty offences; including those simply judged to have criminal tendencies” (Oe, Kenzaburo, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids 26). In Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, innocence and virtue face the corruption of authority and the popular government. They fail to overcome evil, falling instead into the abyss and, in doing so, reflecting a young Kenzaburo Oe’s feelings about post-World War II Japan (Oe, Kenzaburo, World Literature Today, Vol 76 1).

Works Consulted

Grayer Ryan, Marleigh. “’And a Little Child Shall Lead Them’: The Agency of the Innocent in an Early Story by Oe Kenzaburo.” World Literature Today. Vol 76. 2002. 49-57. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-12.

Harris, Michael. “Born of Anger.” Los Angeles Times Book Review. 1995. 3, 5. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-3.

“Kenzaburo Oe.” Encyclopedia of World Biography Supplement. Vol 24. 2005. Rpt. in Biography Resource Center. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 20 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-5.

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“Oe Kenzaburo.” Contemporary Authors Online. 2006. Rpt. in Biography Resource Center. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 20 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-10.

Oe, Kenzaburo. Interview with John Nathan. Grand Street. Vol 14. 1996. 39-46. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-4.

Oe, Kenzaburo. Interview with Sanroku Yoshida. World Literature Today. Vol 62. 1988. 369-374. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 20  Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-7.

Oe, Kenzaburo. Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids. New York: Grove P, 1996.

Oe, Kenzaburo. World Literature Today. Vol 69. 1995. 5-9. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-6.

Oe, Kenzaburo. World Literature Today. Vol 76. 2002. 6-18. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-14.

Rubin, Merle. “Strange Beauty amid Horror, Grief.” Christian Science Monitor. Vol 87. 1995. 14. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-2.

Sakurai, Emiko. “Kenzaburo Oe: The Early Years.” World Literature Today. Vol 58. 1984. 370-373. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-5.

Staggs, Sam. Publishers Weekly. Vol 242. 1995. 438-439. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-3.

Wood, Michael. “Like Apollinaire.” London Review of Books. Vol 18. 1996. 24-25. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-4.

Yoshida, Sanroku. “The Burning Tree: The Spatialized World of Kenzaburo Oe.” World Literature Today. Vol 69. 1995. 10-16.  Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticisim. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 21 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-8.

Yoshida, Sanroku. “Kenzaburo Oe: A New World of Imagination.” Comparative Literature Studies. Vol 22. 1985. 80-95. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Gale Research. Gale Group. Canton Pub Lib. Canton. 20 Jan 2009. <http://www.semls.org>. 1-9.

[neteyamssyulang]

† Scandalous Consequences †

† Chapter I †

† For this story the humans use a shot to breath pandora air †

† Based on this request †

† Pairing: Aonung aged up x Fem human reader †

† Summary: You didn’t know that one night with Aonung would change your life forever

† Warnings: One night stand, Smut 18+, P in V, Dom Aonung, Sub reader, Belly bulge, Creampie, Rude Aonung.

† Total word count: 2,263 †

† Translation(s): Translation(s): Marui -> Home, Tsne sevin tawtute.. atut oe si nga zir tsìltsan -> Shh pretty human, let me make you feel good, Nafì'u a tsìltsan 'eve su oe -> Such a good girl for me, 'upe lu keyawr hì'i 'aw -> What’s wrong little one?, Hahaw lu losk. Oe mkna efuu säfpìlh -> Sleep is overrated. I have better ideas, Oe rnua si tsal ha -> I’ll make it fit, Syulang -> Flower, Kehe, nga’lur venatal lu ou sonfey pam -> No, your moans are my favorite sound, Tewng -> Loincloth, Tawtute -> Human, Sa’nok -> Mother, Ma’Itan -> My son, Vrrtep -> Demon.

† A/N: This took so long to get out I’m sorry

It wasn't supposed to happen like this, it was one thing that now led to you being stuck with the metkayina prince, Aonung.

When Jake had called in saying they needed new coms and some amo for his guns, Norm had instructed you to come with him and Max to drop off the supplies which you happily agreed too.

It had been so long since you saw the sully's ever since they left the forest to seek uturu in the metkayina village.

The flight there took exactly 4 days as you made your way over the vast ocean towards awa'atlu, your heart beat in excitement knowing you'd be able to see your friends again.

As the helicopter landed on the beach a sea of metkayina crowded around the alien machine curious on what it is and why it's there.

Immediately spotting Jake you jumped out the helicopter and ran up to him hugging him, he chuckled at this since you barely reached past his belly button but nevertheless he was happy to see you.

You helped him carry the boxes of equipment to his marui, technically he had to carry you aswell since the bouncy walkway kept making you almost fall.

Once reaching the marui your greeted by the rest of the sullys who are eager to hug you once Jake sets you down.

The sullys were like your second family, you were always with them when they still lived in the forest, even Neytiri loved you despite her hate for humans.

As the time came for you, Max and Norm to leave a bad storm came rolling in. The weather became too bad for flying in so you three had to stay until the storm passed.

You were each given your own temporary marui and Aonung offered to start the fire for each of you so you could cook your meals and also stay warm.

When it came time for Aonung to start the fire in your marui you and him began talking, that talking soon led to him leaning in to kiss you.

"A-Aonung wha-" "Tsne sevin tawtute.. atut oe si nga zir tsìltsan.." he murmured softly finally capturing your lips with his. The kiss was soft but passionate, one of his hands moved to your hip while the other went to your cheek gently stroking it.

The metkayina carefully picked you up before getting up and walking over to the bed, slowly he got down placing you onto the soft bedding never breaking the kiss.

The size difference between you both made him feel even more arousad to where he couldn't hardly control himself, he broke the kiss only to trail wet kisses to your neck sucking and nipping at the skin.

You moaned softly turning your head to give the man more access, "Nafì'u a tsìltsan 'eve su oe" he praised.

Slight realization hits you and your using most of your strength to try and push him off, confused Aonung leans up still hovering over you "'upe lu keyawr hì'i 'aw?"

Looking away still you avoided his gaze "We can't do this.. it's wrong and we should be sleeping." You spoke quietly.

Aonung sighed moving one of his hands to your chin forcing you to look at him as he spoke "Hahaw lu losk. Oe mkna efuu säfpìlh."

His eyes locked with yours and slowly you nodded your head giving him the ok, the metkayina brought one of your hands to his lips gently kissing each individual finger before doing the same to your other hand.

Placing your hands back down he helped take off the baggy shirt you wore along with your bra, panties, and shorts so you were left bare under his lustful gaze.

Leaning back down Aonung placed a soft kiss on your lips until he trailed those kisses down your body all while keeping eye contact with you.

Aonung knows you won't be able to properly take him unless he prepares you, it's taking him so much restraint to hold back instead of pouncing on you taking it for himself.

A shiver runs down your spine as you feel his hot breath against your pussy, his long tongue runs up and down your slit slowly before two of his fingers spread your lips open.

Instantly his mouth waters at the sight and he dives in, one of his fingers prodes at your entrance till it slips inside curling against your sweet spot.

Soft moans leave your lips as your hands reached down tangling themselves in his hair, “Aonung!..” you squealed feeling your orgasm approaching rapidly.

Aonung grinned against your folds slipping yet another finger inside you “Yes pretty girl?” He purred, his thick na’vi accent making you clench around his fingers.

Before you could reach your climax he removed his fingers from your now dripping pussy bringing them to his lips sucking your juices off.

Your skin warmed as you watched him but quickly looked away as his gaze set on you, a low growl rumbled through Aonungs chest as he grabbed your chin forcing you to look at him “Keep your eyes on me beautiful.”

Obeying you kept your eyes on him watching as he now let go of you to quickly untie his tewng throwing it off to the side, shit he was massive..

The metkayina smirked seeing your eyes widen, he knew he was going to have fun ruining you for everyone else. “W-will it even fit?” You asked softly wondering if this was a good idea.

Aonung didn’t respond at first, he quickly moved between your legs positioning his hard cock at your entrance “Oe rnua si tsal ha'” he murmured now slipping his cockhead past your entrance slowly stretching you out.

The stretch burned worse than his fingers, your body felt like it was on fire. Aonung noticed tears threatening to fall from your eyes and stilled his movements leaning down to pepper loving kisses along your face, neck, and chest.

“Shh syulang it’s ok” he spoke softly giving you time to adjust to his size, once the burning sensation started going away you tapped his shoulder giving him the ok to start moving again.

Slowly he began moving pushing more of his length into you, finally he bottomed out and a prominent buldge could be seen in your stomach.

The last of Aonungs resolve crumbled, he pulled out halfway before snapping his hips into yours making a choked out moan leave your lips.

His pace was brutal not caring how fragile your small body was, one of your hands gripped onto his arm while the other covered your mouth muffling your moans.

Huffing Aonung picked up his pace, his heavy balls slapping against your ass “Kehe, nga’lur venatal lu ou sonfey pam!”

One of his hands stayed next to your head holding himself up while the other yanked the hand that was covering your mouth off. “T-they wi-will he-h-he-” “Let them hear how good I’m making you feel, I do not care” he cut you off hissing.

Your orgasm was building up fast again as well as Aonungs, but him being a “gentleman” he held back wanting you to cum first.

Using his free hand he pushed down on the bulge on your stomach making the coil inside you snap, you screamed as your orgasm washed over you, your walls clenching around his now throbbing cock.

Aonung groaned rolling his eyes back feeling you get even tighter if that’s even possible, with one last hard thrust he buried himself deep inside of you spilling his seed in your womb.

You both stayed in that position for awhile until the metkayina pulled away, his now softed cock slipping out of you with a wet pop. Reaching over he got a cloth that was tied to his tewng and proceeded to clean you up as best as he could without hurting you.

He then cleaned himself up putting his tewng back on afterwards, looking over he saw how tired and worn out you were so he helped you put your own clothes back on “You did so well tawtute..but this will never happen again.”

His voice was the last thing you heard as you drifted off to sleep.

The next morning came fast with the suns rays shining through slits in the marui, your eyes fluttered open expecting to see Aonung but he wasn’t there.

Confused you sat up looking around, you thought he would’ve stayed after what happened but apparently not. The flaps of the marui burst open with an exhausted Max walking through “Let’s go y/n, Norm is waiting for us.”

Nodding you stoood up wincing at the pain between your legs as you and Max left the marui stepping onto the bouncy walkway, the walk to the helicopter was short but felt long since you had to navigate your way past the na’vi.

The sullys were waiting for you as you finally reached it, you bid everyone goodbye before stepping inside after Max. The blades started spinning as the helicopter rose taking off back to the forest.

5 months have passed by, you got back into your normal routine just helping out the scientists, except now occasionally running to the bathroom throwing up.

That wasn’t even the worse part of this, you realized 3 months after you came back that you were pregnant. Wanting to keep it to yourself you never told anyone and if anyone ever did ask you’d just say it was food poisoning.

Eventually you grew concerned, you were carrying a half na’vi half human child in your womb but your stomach only had a small bump which you could cover easily.

Sighing you made your way out the human outpost and towards the village, eywa it was only a 10 minute walk yet you were already tired.

Upon reaching the village you walked to the healers tent stepping inside, Mo’at who was alone in there just grinding some herbs lifted her head smiling at you.

“My child, what brings you here?” She asked raising a non existent eyebrow since you did not seem to be injured, hesitantly you walked over now kneeling infront of her.

Before you can speak she smiled “Does it have something to do with the child growing inside you?”

Your eyes widened in surprise “How- how did you-” , “I am tsahik darling I always know.” Well that was true but it still shocked you.

“You must go back to the metkayina clan” she spoke standing up placing the now grounded herbs on a small desk.

Huffing in disbelief you stood up carefully “I will not, I have no reason to go back there.”

The tsahik chuckled quietly to herself “My dear” she began turning towards you “You mated with a metkayina and now are carrying his child, you must go back.”

You can’t believe your going back to awa’atlu, Mo’at had you pack all your belongings which wasn’t much then get into one of the helicopters with her following behind.

Naturally she didn’t want to ride in the alien machine but she did not have a choice, her ikran was killed in the first war and she has not bonded with another since then.

It was rare for tsahiks to venture off leaving the village but she planned everything out, her prized student would take over as acting tsahik while she was away which would only be for a few days.

The ride to awa’atlu was annoying as it was last time, you stayed quiet most of the flight there only engaging in conversation if someone wanted to speak with you.

After 4 long days the village came into sight and once again it landed in the same spot with netkayina gathering around the machine.

You stepped out first then Mo’at moving through the sea of metkayina towards the healers tent where Ronal would be and surely she was.

Mo’at gestured for you to stay outside while she went in to discuss the situation with the tsahik of the metkayina. A few moments pass before both tsahiks walk out with Ronal glaring daggers at you.

“We have decided” Mo’at spoke first, you were confused till you saw Aonung walking over with his ears pinned back against his head.

He stood next to his mother Ronal as she now spoke “You will stay here with my son as you two are now mates” “But sa’nok..” “It is decided ma’itan!” She hissed.

Mo’at gave you a soft smile along with words of encouragement as she walked away back to the helicopter, you watched as she got inside and the helicopter slowly rised till flying away.

Looking back to Aonung and Ronal you gulped quietly, Aonung was narrowing his eyes at you while his mother was yelling at him in na’vi gesturing towards you.

His gaze fell to the ground as Ronal turned to look at you “You will stay in my sons marui of course and I will come by later to check how you are doing” she said with a fake smile.

Not wanting to anger her more you simply nodded turning towards Aonung since Ronal walked back into the healers tent.

“I-” “Do not speak to me vrrtep!” He hissed at you turning around walking off leaving you alone. Aonung couldn’t believe what was happening to him, he didn’t want a mate especially not a human mate.

Groaning in frustration he made his way to a certain marui hoping to relive some of his stress before having to return to you.

[opelman]

Pair of P-51s by Treflyn Lloyd-Roberts Via Flickr: Two Mustangs perform a formation pass during their display over Sywell as part of the 2024 Air Show. Aircraft: Commonwealth CA-18 Mustang G-JERK painted as 44-14152/QI-T "Jersey Jerk" and Flying Bulls' North American Aviation P-51D Mustang OE-EFB 44-74427/G4-C "Nooky Booky IV". Location: Sywell Aerodrome (ORM/EGBK), Northamptonshire, UK.

[lesbian-octoling]

Unpopular opinion but I find the headcanons of "marina and pearl adopt agent 8" to personally be really weird to me considering oth is still really youg themselves and agent 8 isn't like... a toddler. That's at LEAST a teen. Which means... theyre like. Kinda really close in age. It's implied they're like, 16 isn't it? And marina is 18 during events of OE. Like yeah definitely different but in a few years it's like. Ones 20 and ones 22 you see what I mean. Like .... they went to school together

Edit and disclaimer: obviously this varies depending on if your agent 8 is an oc or not, some people make their 8 younger, that's totally fine and I do not care. In fact, I don't even care if you do it when 8 is older. I just personally find it strange, but as long as ur not hurting anyone It is none of my business.

I originally made this post because the people who fall into the popular "adoption" headcanon have started to be mean and weird to people who have 8 and OTH interacting in a more adult manor than a parent and child manor. Brought up 8 flirting and a bunch of people suddenly went "that's weird she's like their mom" no she's not. That is not canon. That is a widely popular fanon thing. Stop being weird.

If you're not being weird this doesn't apply to you I'm not pissing on the poor

[thankeywa]

“hiiii i loved your last piece and damn your writting is SO GOOD <3 so i ask you pretty please if you could right about an aged up!lo'ak w aged up!reader where they're in a romantic relationship and finally mate after a couple of months of waiting. THANKS IN ADVANCE LUV YA”

hiiii! so, as you asked me to, this is me fowarding the request! 🫶🏻 i imagine this being with a female reader, something like childhood friends to lovers – the girl would be a na’vi and they grew up together or smt. i also see the reader being a little scared of mating with lo’ak – thinking things like i love this man but he’s so reckless i dont wanna loose him – and shit. i trust you a 100% with this because I KNOW you're gonna make me giggle scream in my pillows and punch the air even if i read your grocery store list.

lmk if you need anything more! lots of love & kisses. 💘💘💕💞💘💖💗💓💗

Chosen | Lo'ak x fem!Omaticaya!reader (Smut)

A.N: Hello there! Sorry this took me so long, but I'm in the middle of exam season and also my birthday was last week and yea lots of stuffs going on. I hope my interpretation of your request will be everything you dreamed of, tbh I went a lil extra, but this story has literally been plaguing me for days and I loved writing it so much!

Summary: fem!Omaticaya!reader x Lo'ak, both reader and Lo'ak are 18/19 in this, usually I write 20+ characters but I was trying to keep the story as close as possible to Na'vi 'marriage traditions, according to them 15 is the age of maturity and I believe parents arrange marriages around that time, but if anyone is uncomfortable with this then please feel free to imagine the characters are older.

T.W.: NSFW, this is pr0n with feelings, but it is detailed. As always, MINORS DO NOT INTERACT WITH THIS WORK OR ANY OF MY ACCOUNTS, thank you. Awkward first-time shenanigans, angst, fluff, and yeah if I missed anything please let me know.

T.W. 2: This turned into a whole ass fic so forewarning for mentions of blood, neglectful parenting, and a near-death experience for a main character.

Word count: 6.355

Mini dictionary for this fic:

Olo'eyktan = clan leader

Kaltxì! = hello

Oeru syaw... = My name is...

Ngaru tut? = And you are?

Sempul= father

Sa'nok= mother

Oe tìwayn...= I love...

Tsahik= spiritual leader

Yawne = beloved

Oeya- = My-

Oel ngati kameie = I see you

Nga yawne lu oer = I love you (You are beloved to me)

Kehe= no

If you have any Lo'ak requests, please send them my way!

Lo'ak had never been chosen for anything in his life.

For as long as he'd remembered, his parents had either been taking every spare moment they had to teach Neteyam the right path in life, so that he would one day be an Olo'eyktan fit enough to succeed his father or alternatively, dote on his sisters. It was at an embarrassingly young age when he discovered that he could have wandered off from the safety of his family and nobody would have taken much notice until the eclipse would come, and it was time to turn in.

Even on those occasions, Lo'ak would try to prove his worth by showing his father a creature he had caught or a place he had 'discovered', but his parents didn't really do much other than reprimand him for his reckless behavior.

"You know you were supposed to help me look after your baby sister today, why is it so hard for you to understand basic instructions?" His father would huff, dragging him back home while carrying Tuk on his shoulders. Lo'ak looked at her. She was a tiny infant, where could she have possibly gone by herself? And why did he have to stick around to look after her, while Neteyam and Kiri were out hunting with their mother?

Eventually, his disappearances stopped raising alarms, as his family had accepted Lo'ak would always find his way back or his brother would be the one to recuperate him. On these occasions, Lo'ak had tried to fit in with the rest of the clan but had quickly discovered his presence wasn't all that welcome among his peers. While they felt the need to respect him because he was the Olo'eyktan's son and Neteyam's brother, his quirks, specifically his hands and his speech pattern were too... different. Too human. A lot of Omaticayans his age had been orphaned as a consequence of the war against the sky people, and Lo'ak was just another reminder of what their presence had left behind. Not to mention he was also friends with Spider, an actual sky person, even though he was born on Pandora and knew nothing of Earth.

On a day like any other, Lo'ak and Spider were playing hide and seek just the two of them, a game Jake had taught them and was too 'human' sounding for the rest of their peers to want to join in, and Lo'ak had found the perfect hiding spot on a tree Spider was never going to be able to climb when a voice startled him so much, he almost fell out of the branch he'd been resting on.

"Kaltxì!" The little Na'vi girl his age greeted him enthusiastically while hanging upside down from the tree branch directly above him. Lo'ak stared at her and felt like prey in the split second it was about to be hit by an arrow. He had never seen such beautiful eyes. And he had never talked to a girl before, other than his sisters. "Oeru syaw y/n." She continued. "Ngaru tut?"

"L-Lo'ak." He managed to say, instinctively hiding his hands behind his back. She looked at him curiously, almost as if to ponder his silence. Then y/n seemed to have a sudden realization. "Now I know!" She exclaimed again loudly, along with switching her language register, but Lo'ak couldn't care less about losing his game of hide and seek with Spider anymore. "You are the Spider's friend. You speak the English. You see? I speak the English too. You can talk to me." Y/n announced rather diplomatically, not knowing that Lo'ak was perfectly capable of speaking Na'vi as well. "Friends?" She reached out her hand, her eyes brimming with hope.

Lo'ak nodded and smiled back at her, still at a loss for words, until he finally said: "Yes, friends." But he didn't dare to shake her hand. Y/n dropped down from the branch she'd been hanging from gracefully, her tail twitching as she inquired: "You are hurt?", trying to get a better look at his hands.

"No!" Lo'ak blurted out, and in doing so he inadvertently put his hands forward to keep y/n at a distance, while he was backed up against the tree trunk, with nowhere else to go except fall to his death. Y/n's comically large eyes took in the sight of his hands, examining them for signs of trauma. But there were none. Lo'ak braced himself for the inevitable rejection. "Big baby." She chided. "Nothing wrong with your hands, see?" Lo'ak let y/n hold his hands up to his face, and Spider found them like that the very next second.

"Ha-ha!" He panted, out of breath from climbing all the way up to where the two Na'vi hadn't been so quiet. "I. Win."

"Win?" Y/n asked, dropping Lo'ak's hands. "Is it a game? Can I play? Oh, and-and my friends as well. You will meet them now. Come."

Lo'ak realized then, that was what it must have felt like to be chosen by someone.

From that day onward, Lo'ak and y/n had been inseparable. He was the first person she'd pick to play on her team once he and Spider had been accepted by her friends, he was the first and sometimes only person she'd tell her 'secrets' to, and as they grew older they would only go out hunting if the other was with them. Ceremonies, dinners, you name it, Lo'ak and y/n were sitting next to each other, trying their best to keep their giggles and whispers at a low volume, something y/n really couldn't help, especially when Neteyam would turn around to reprimand his younger brother.

Y/n got gradually closer with his family as well over the years, being of big help with babysitting Tuk and escorting Kiri to Hellsgate with the rest of her siblings whenever she wanted to visit her mom. Her English had gotten progressively better, and she was as fluent of a speaker as the rest of the Sullys, regretfully owing a lot of her vocab to the two brothers. On a particular outing to the lab, Lo'ak had been in the middle of teasing Kiri about her conception, and y/n was quick to respond to him, intent on defending her friend.

"-their avatars, all alone in the forest-" Lo'ak goaded Kiri, and y/n cut him off before her best friend could insinuate anything else. "As if you would know anything about that, virgin!" His siblings laughed at this.

"Who are you calling virgin, virgin?" He'd snap back, and their argument would usually end up in a scuffle, which he was always the first one to pull away from.

Lo'ak hadn't realized how easy he had it back then, before... Well, before none of them no longer had time to be kids. The sky people came back around the time of Neteyam's 20th birthday, and yet somehow, that hadn't been the most devastating event Lo'ak was about to experience in the days to come.

"Lo'ak listen to me, and for Eywa's sake, don't run off until I'm done talking." Neteyam rested a hand on his shoulder, he had never seen such a pained expression on his brother's face before. "Sempul has been talking to me about responsibility and family, and-"

Lo'ak tsked, shaking his head. "Big surprise there, bro."

"Lo'ak..." Neteyam said sternly, and Lo'ak wondered when exactly had his brother become so much like their father. "I saw him and sa'nok talking to y/n's parents the other day. Saying stuff like she is the only one other than Kiri who truly understands Eywa's will. They've seen her healing abilities, she's been helping out with the war effort under Mo'at instructions. They want her to be the next tshaik, after mother."

Lo'ak couldn't stop the ugly frown that took over his features, and neither could he prevent himself from shoving his brother off him in disdain. "What are you saying?" He asked angrily, even though he already knew the answer to his question.

"You know what I'm saying, bro-"

"You're not my brother!" Lo'ak snarled, and for once in his life actually felt intimidating as he did so. Neteyam looked even more distraught than he had been a few seconds ago, but his agony was nowhere as close as the hell wreaking havoc inside Lo'ak. Y/n was the one thing Lo'ak had in this world that was truly his, and now he was going to have to stand aside while she married his brother. "I love her, I need her." He screamed, the pain in his chest was unlike anything he'd ever felt. "You don't-"

"Exactly, I don't." Neteyam said, trying to recover his younger brother from his anguish. "And I will say no to this union, but you know this decision is out of my hands-"

"Of course, you'll do anything as long as it doesn't interfere with you being the perfect son!" Lo'ak spat with tears in his eyes and Neteyam was quick to raise his voice, something that he almost never did. "Do not say that, Lo'ak. You know that is not true-"

But Lo'ak was done talking. And he had a feeling he didn't want to stick around for the evening ceremony either.

Y/n had remained deadly silent as her parents had given her the news. Tsahik, marriage, Neteyam. At one point it all started to become white noise in her head. All she could think about was Lo'ak. The day they'd both ridden their ikrans for the first time, and had stayed out well passed the eclipse. The hunting excursions, when it was just the two of them. Listening to human music on a device they'd stolen from the lab one time.

"Oe tìwayn Lo'ak." She'd never said it out loud to anyone, but it was true. She loved Lo'ak, and her parents simply couldn't understand. The younger Sully boy was nothing but a troublemaker, a complete mance to the clan and anyone else around him. They were never going to give their beautiful, talented daughter away to a five-fingered freak of nature, no matter how much she begged and pleaded with them.

Y/n felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, not even recollecting how she'd found herself sitting amongst the rest of the clan, as they all faced the tree of souls and the Olo'eyktan began to speak. She couldn't see Lo'ak anywhere. Y/n found it harder and harder to breathe. He was still her best friend, and she needed to tell him what was about to happen before his father announced it to everyone they knew. Lo'ak would have thought she'd have kept it secret from him, and y/n could never break his trust.

"It is with great pride and joy that today we-" The clan leader, Jake Sully, had stopped talking in the middle of his speech and was now looking directly at her. In fact, everybody was. Y/n only then realized she'd stood up while everyone else was still sitting down. Neytiri walked up to her, wiping the tears from her face. Y/n hadn't even realized she'd been crying. "Child, you do not look well." She spoke warmly as if she were speaking to one of her own daughters.

Y/n's tail was twitching violently, still looking around for Lo'ak as she took in a shaky breath. "It is Lo'ak." She managed to say. "He is not here." Y/n whined and her parents decided to step in. "Sit down, daughter. You are disrespecting the clan leader. End this foolishness at once!" But Neytiri was quick to be concerned, asking Neteyam for answers about his brother's whereabouts. "He could not be here. And I do not blame him."

Jake finally decided to have his say. The only fool around had been him, if he'd only now realized the love Lo'ak and y/n had for each other, if the look in her eyes and Lo'ak's disappearance from her side had been anything to go by. "Every single one of our people is allowed to speak their mind. Y/n has not disrespected me, or anyone else." Jake reassured her parents. Y/n saw no other way out for herself, and she knew she was either going to have to say the truth now or forever be silent. "Forgive me, Olo'eyktan. Forgive me, Neytiri. I know I am promised to your eldest son, and I know you wish for me to be tsahik one day. These are the two greatest honors I could ever ask from Eywa herself, and I am grateful. Nothing should be more important to me than looking after the clan, especially now, in a time of war... but my heart, it belongs to your youngest son. It belongs to Lo'ak. It always has. And because I know I would be doing the clan a disservice, that I would be undermining your authority and Mo'at's, I am prepared to be exiled from the clan or pay whatever other punishment in light of my failure."

A loud ruckus erupted as soon as y/n had finished her speech, her parents, in particular, trying to undermine everything she'd just said, while everybody else began to give their opinion on the matter. "Where is he? Your demon son? Can he not even vouch for the woman he has clearly seduced?"

Neteyam could still hear the clan squabbling from where he eventually found his brother. His usual hiding place. "When you are done sulking" He said, announcing his presence before grabbing Lo'ak by the scruff of his neck. "Maybe you could come back and stand by y/n side. She is talking of leaving the clan-" Neteyam's eyes widened as he saw the deep claw marks that ran from Lo'ak's chest all the way down to his left side. Lo'ak was clutching his abdomen, his hands covered in blood.

"Lo'ak, look at me... bro!" Neteyam's voice cracked. "I'm taking you home now, understand? You're going to be fine..."

"I thought... If I could be... a mighty warrior... like you..." Lo'ak murmured, a faint smile on his face. "Maybe... "

But he didn't get to finish that sentence, because a blood-curdling scream had just pierced through both of their ears. Y/n had known about every single one of Lo'ak hiding places too, and it hadn't taken her long to find him. It was almost as if she'd already known, deep within her bones, that he had gone and hurt himself, yet nothing could have prepared her for seeing him like this. "Yawne, what have you done? what have you done?" She wailed and kissed his face, trying to put pressure on his wounds. Neteyam had to separate them, his priority was to take Lo'ak back to Mo'at in time, even though he was just as devastated as y/n.

Y/n didn't leave Lo'ak's side for a single second over the following days. She carried him home with Neteyam. She helped Mo'at and Neytiri heal him. She stayed by his bed until he finally regained consciousness. "Oeya-Lo'ak, you are awake!" Y/n embraced him, mindful of his recovering wounds. Lo'ak pulled away from y/n enough to look into her eyes. "You see me. Only you see me." He said, touching her face gently as she nodded, pressing her forehead against his. "Oel ngati kameie." Y/n whispered, and Lo'ak could have cried when he heard those words leave her lips. "Nga yawne lu oer, y/n. I see you."

Lo'ak came to know of her and Neteyam's refusal to be together, of the rift it had cut between y/n and her parents. How she'd stood up in front of them and the entire clan to declare that she loved him and she would sooner be exiled than belong to anyone else other than him. Amongst the Omaticaya there were some who were certain Lo'ak had taken advantage of y/n, so that he could trap her in being with him, knowing full well Lo'ak would have never lived up to his brother's perfect image. All of this enraged him. He could no longer withstand being on bedrest while wild accusations were being made on y/n. On his mate.

She hissed at him while he tried to get up, and his siblings were having none of it either, when his parents finally turned up to see him. Lo'ak took in their expressions. He had never seen them so worn out with worry. Both Neytiri and Jake embraced their youngest son, dutifully checking on him. After making sure he had eaten, and with Mo'at's permission, his parents asked for everyone except y/n to leave.

By the time his parents had also left, Lo'ak and y/n were promised to each other.

Lo'ak was on strict orders to recuperate from his run-in with a thanator over the coming weeks and was forced to get updates about the ongoing war from Kiri and Tuk. Neteyam and y/n would visit every day, but now that y/n had stepped down as future Tsahik, she was determined to make herself useful by replacing her mate in the war effort until he got better. Neteyam had sworn to Lo'ak that he would have kept y/n safe, but it didn't stop Lo'ak from trying to escape his grandmother's watchful eye so he too could be out on the battlefield with his yawne. Where he belonged.

"Oeya-Lo'ak, you are still recovering." Y/n would complain to him almost every night when she came back to be by his side. Truthfully, she was scared. The second the excuses for making him stay behind ran out, Lo'ak could have gone back to playing a reckless game with his own life. And now, her own life was tied to his. She had gotten hurt fighting the sky people, yes, but nothing could have ever come close to the visceral pain that had ripped through her the day she thought she had lost him forever. Sometimes it made her even too scared to get closer to him, of sharing everything of herself and then suddenly being left behind without ever being able to cope with that loss.

Y/n was on the verge of losing her mind, she was certain because the instinctive need to protect her own heart was more often than not overcome by a different type of need. Y/n had felt low echoes of it when she and Lo'ak had been growing up, whenever he'd wrap his tail around her leg or he'd be standing right behind her, his arms circling hers as he taught her how to shoot an arrow. Now that need was stronger than ever, and she knew what name to give it. Tìnew. Desire.

And she didn't know what to do with it. In fact, she felt ashamed. Lo'ak was still hurt, and all she could think about while she was in the middle of checking on his progress, was wondering what it would be like to run her hands across his body in a different type of way. Her other friends had all already mated, she knew. Y/n wondered sometimes if Lo'ak did not find her beautiful, if he regretted choosing her, but could no longer back out of his decision. He did not seem to want her, in fact, over the following weeks, he seemed to struggle greatly with the feeling of her touch. Something which had never happened before.

Little did she know that Lo'ak was struggling just as much as she was. Y/n's touch burned in such a delicious manner, Lo'ak could not have described it in his own words if he tried. All he knew was it left him starved and aching for more whenever she would eventually have to leave. But he could not initiate anything real while he was still in that state. He could see the sorrow in her eyes every time she'd look at his wounds, and he knew his recklessness had scarred her. And in turn, it had changed him. Eywa as his witness, he no longer wanted to hear y/n scream so viscerally as she had done the night he'd almost died. He needed to be a better person. If not for his sake, then for her own. Y/n was his responsibility now.

Soon he was back on his feet again, and ready to face the rest of the clan. Y/n would now sit amongst his family and Lo'ak was always glued to her side, ready to hiss or growl at anyone who so much as looked at his mate the wrong way. Y/n loved sitting between his legs with his chest to her back, wanting nothing more than to show off her mate to the rest of the clan. She noted that since his recovery, Lo'ak had been less inclined to chat or make jokes like he usually did when they both had to sit through another one of Jake's boring speeches before dinner. It made her sad, since Lo'ak's jokester side was one of the things she loved most about him, but she understood he was going through a lot.

It was on one of these occasions y/n decided to soothe her mate by reaching for his braid, bringing it to rest over her shoulder so she could play with it absentmindedly. Lo'ak realised only after a few minutes that her ministrations were making him purr. Him. Purr. In public. His hands dug into her hips and he hid his face in her neck, trying to keep quiet. "Yawne, you need to stop that... please..." Lo'ak whispered so only she could hear, her hands dangerously close to his queue. Y/n frowned and turned back to look at him. "Did I hurt you?" She asked in concern, reaching out to touch his face. Lo'ak felt his cheeks flare up with heat. He wanted to give her some cocky response, but in truth, he was scared. "No, no. You could never hurt me, y/n... it's more... the opposite." How could anyone want to be with him in that way? To physically bind themselves to him for the rest of their life? Hadn't he taken enough from y/n already?

"The opposite?" She asked, ears bent downwards and still not understanding. "If it makes you feel good, then why would I stop? I like hearing you purr..." Lo'ak tried once again to hide his blush by looking away but to no avail. Y/n's tail wrapped around his own then, preventing him from furiously whacking it against the ground every few seconds, like he always did when he was nervous. "It's just... I—"

All it took was for y/n to look him dead in the eye for her to understand. Eventually she would always see through him. "You wish to mate with me."

A nervous cough overcame Lo'ak as soon as y/n had said those words, making quite a few of their clan members turn towards him and shake their heads in disappointment. Y/n immediately grabbed some water for him to drink.

"Y-yes." He finally managed to say, not sure if he was ever going to recover from such an embarrassing display.

"But... I was certain... you did not desire me. That maybe, you loved me but did not find me beautiful..." Y/n confessed and Lo'ak realized what an absolute skxawng he'd been. The entire time he'd spent feeling sorry for himself and trying to be a better 'version' of himself for y/n, to stop getting in harm's way and taking every aspect of his life more seriously, he'd ended up neglecting his mate. The two of them had probably been the only couple to have waited so long, and he couldn't imagine what kind of reasons y/n had to come up with to explain his 'disinterest'. Clearly, he'd made her feel less than worthy, and it devastated him.

Lo'ak placed one of his hands over y/n's jaw, tilting her face upwards to look at him. "I never, ever want to hear you say that, yawne." He pulled her lower back snugly towards him until she could feel how hard he was for her, making her let out a shaky breath as she turned away from Lo'ak but pressed back against him even more. "Can't you feel how badly I want you? How badly I've always wanted you?" Y/n nodded, trying to look stoically in front of her as if nothing was going on. As if Lo'ak's words weren't making her heart feel like it was going to burst at any minute. As if it would make things any better, y/n reached for one of Lo'ak's hands and held it close to her breastplate, trying to slow her heartbeat down. "Your little heart is beating so fast..." Lo'ak spoke against her braids. "So is yours!" Y/n snapped at him in a low voice, making Lo'ak chuckle. She could feel the beat of his heart against her back.

She wondered if the rest of the clan members could tell what was going on. Y/n didn't want to disrespect Lo'ak's family a second time. But nobody seemed to be taking any notice of them, except the handful of jealous fuckers who eyed y/n whenever they thought he wasn't looking. Lo'ak wondered if they could tell she was shaking in his arms just because of his words. "You don't see the way they look at you? How much they hate me because you're mine?" He asked, placing a hand dangerously close to her inner thigh.

"I don't care about the others. I never have." Y/n sighed leaning back against him.

It was a long wait for everyone else to go to sleep and leave the Tree of Souls empty that night. Sure, they could have gone some place else, considering how worked up the two of them had gotten, but Lo'ak wanted to do things the right way. This was the one thing in his life that he was not going to half-ass or screw up.

Y/n had put him first since the day she'd met him and Lo'ak was going to spend the rest of the night, no, the rest of his life, showing her just how she made him feel every single day.

"You are worrying again..." Y/n noticed, pulling him down to sit next to her. Lo'ak had been overfixating on finding the perfect spot for them to lay down. "I am worried too..." She confessed touching his face. Lo'ak frowned, wrapping his arms around her waist. "We do not need to do this... if you've changed your mind..."

"Kehe! Of course not..." Y/n climbed on top of him, laying across his chest as she kissed him. "I am afraid of losing you... always." Lo'ak really didn't know what to say to those words, because he knew in his heart she was right and he could not argue. He felt exactly the same way about her, but he'd given y/n plenty of reason not to trust he'd stay out of harm's way. "What if... what if I am to carry your child and you don't come back to me? What then?"

The notion of getting y/n pregnant made Lo'ak revert to blushing and scrambling his words, and she blushed as well, realizing she had been somewhat blunt. Lo'ak hardly ever saw her blush and it truly was a sight to behold. "I promise. Eywa as my witness, I will always come back to you, yawne. Always. " As he said those words, Lo'ak didn't even feel like he was himself anymore, but he was certain he meant them.

Y/n brought both of her hands to his face and kissed him again, deeply this time. It was languid and desperate, almost as if she'd been waiting for that promise for a very long time. Lo'ak groaned as she run her tongue over his fangs, pulling away to graze his teeth over her neck and making her gasp. He sat up to get some leverage and asked his mate permission before sinking his teeth into her skin, marking her permanently.

"Lo'ak!" Y/n cried, digging her nails into his back as he lapped up the blood running down her neck. She gave him a sharp bite too, just over his shoulder, in retaliation, making him chuckle. "I'm sorry yawne, let me make it up to you..."

"You better, skxawng!" She huffed, shoving his chest playfully, even if the act of being marked had made the pressure between her legs so unbearable it was beginning to hurt. Lo'ak laughed again and y/n hissed at him meakly, ears drawn back. Why did his laugh also have to... have an effect on her?

"So I'm a skxawng, now?" Lo'ak asked in amusement as he kissed his way down her neck, deciding to get rid of her piece of clothing with his mouth also. It didn't take Y/n long to notice, Lo'ak's hands were no longer on her body, in fact he was leaning against them, only reaching out to touch her if he needed to hold her in place for a few seconds. He was still insecure about them, after all those years, and it would have broken her heart if Lo'ak hadn't been in the middle of making her feel so good. "I thought I was your yawne—"

Y/n got rid of her top piece herself and brought Lo'ak's hands to her breasts. His confidence seemed to leave him then. "You are my yawne. But you are also a skxawng... " She sighed softly through her nose. "I want you to use your hands on me, Lo'ak." Y/n told him, searching for his eyes as one of her hands guided his own over her breast.

"Y-yes. I know... it's just..."

Lo'ak's mind completely blanked the second y/n brought his other hand to her mouth, kissing every single one of his fingers before wrapping her lips around his index and middle finger, sucking around them. She took them as deep in her mouth as she could before pulling away again, enjoying the sight of her flustered mate. "Your hands are beautiful. And they're mine." She whispered, kissing the pad of his thumb. Lo'ak ran his thumb over her bottom lip, and reached back for her queue, bringing it together with his own.

"Nga yawne lu oer, I want to be with you, like this, forever." Lo'ak murmured before making the connection between them. Y/n jolted in his arms, hanging on to his neck for dear life. She'd known the tsaheylu would have felt good, intense even. But she could not have anticipated half of what she was feeling at that moment. Lo'ak's heart was beating so hard, she could feel it in her own chest, battling against her own. And he wanted her... Eywa, he wanted her so bad he could have died from it.

Lo'ak saw inside y/n too, and wasted no time in tugging her forward in a searing kiss. She arched into him and squeezed her thighs around his middle, squirming in his lap as he finally let his inhibitions go. "Want this off--off..." Y/n protested at the sight of his loincloth, rudely tugging at it without much regard for the fact Lo'ak wouldn't have anything to wear the following morning if she destroyed his clothes.

Lo'ak grinned and helped her, finally getting some of his cheeky attitude back. "Who knew my y/n could be so needy—" Her hand on his cock however was enough to make him shut up, well, curse under his breath more like. Y/n meanwhile was completely enthralled with what she was doing, enjoying the feeling of Lo'ak's shaft hardening and leaking under her touch. The fact he was falling apart from it was just an added bonus. "Where were you hiding all this?" She teased and Lo'ak was certain the woman in his arms was going to be the death of him.

"S-shut up..." He whined, struggling to even remember his name when she twisted her wrist and added just the right amount of pressure, making Lo'ak buck up into her hand instinctively. "Shit, y/n, you're being really... d-distracting right now... you need to give me... ah... a break, okay yawne?"

Against every fiber of his being, Lo'ak gently removed her hand. She frowned "Oh? But I like playing with your—"

"Kehe! None of that either..." Lo'ak reprimanded her softly and she giggled. "Let me focus on you, please? I've been waiting for so long..." Y/n nodded, smiling shyly at his words. "Honestly..." Lo'ak mumbled, kissing down the slope of her breasts, having hooked his arms underneath her thighs to hold her higher up. "Only you could get all shy... at something like that... and not about jerking me off..." Y/n loved to listen to Lo'ak talk to her while he drove her crazy with his hands and mouth. The second Lo'ak figured her nipples were particularly sensitive, she was a goner. She mewled and whined as he abused them with his mouth, and tugged harshly on his braids, which only seemed to encourage him further.

Her remaining piece of clothing was completely soaked, and y/n had to resort to rutting herself down against his thigh to get any sort of friction. "Shit..." Lo'ak cursed, realising he'd completely neglected that aspect of things. "Yawne, you're so wet... is this where you need me?" He cooed and Y/n nodded, crying out from the relief of feeling Lo'ak push a single long digit inside of her. She was ready for him, had been for a while, but that didn’t seem to matter because Lo'ak had just discovered how much he loved taking her apart with his fingers. He wanted to eat up every single reaction he could get out of her, hooked on the feeling of her slick running down his skin and the deep purring sounds she'd make if he stroked the most inner walls of her core.

"L-Lo'ak... Lo'ak please... I don't know what's happening..." she sobbed, the coil that had been building in the pit of her stomach was about to snap and it felt so good and so foreign at the same time, y/n didn't know what was about to happen. Lo'ak stilled immediately, afraid he'd been hurting his mate, but then he understood. He didn't know if it was through their bond, or something else, but he just knew. "Just hold on to me, yawne." He asked he to trust him, not faltering his rhythm inside her for a second. "Trust me, I know it's scary, but you're about to feel so good. So, so good... I promise..."

The only thing better than watching his mate come apart was feeling her pleasure radiate through their bond. Lo'ak watched y/n in complete and utter adoration, holding her through the aftermath until her breathing went back to normal. "Lo'ak..."

"What is it, yawne...?"

"Don't make me wait anymore..." Y/n laid herself down on the grass, pulling Lo'ak down to be on top of her. It was so dark now so could perfectly make out all the luminous freckles on his body. He entered her slowly, immediately feeling like all the air had been knocked out of his lungs. Y/n was slick, warm and impossibly tight around him. It took everything he had not to fuck her senseless right then and there.

Y/n on her part wanted Lo'ak to be as close to her as it was physically possible. She wanted his body to completely cover her own, feel his entire weight bare down on her. "I'm right here, y/n..." He reassured her as he began to move, listening to her soft moans. "I see you."

It didn't take long for y/n to start meeting his thrusts, whining that he go faster. "I don't want you to stop, Lo'ak... you can't—" She had never felt so good in her life, and she begged to Eywa that the morning would never come if this was what the rest of their night was going to be like.

"No, 'm not gonna stop, yawne..." Lo'ak quelled her worries with a kiss, and lifted her hips upwards to hold them in place. The new angle made y/n cry out his name, and Lo'ak held her like that, one arm around her middle and his other hand splayed out across her stomach to keep her still as he fucked her in earnest. The nature of that raw act made her cum again, this time without warning as she clamped down on his cock.

Lo'ak wasn't that far behind her either. "Good. That's my good girl..." He praised, reaching out for her hand as she intertwined their fingers together. "Yawne... y/n I'm going to cum now... " He was about to make himself pull away, since they hadn't really discussed that sort of thing, but y/n locked her legs around his waist. "Inside me..." She whined with a shudder, a little overestimated by that point. That was more than enough to tip Lo'ak over the edge. He groaned, fucking his load inside y/n for what felt like an eternity. He'd never come so much and for so long.

Afterwards he found that he couldn't pull away from his mate. Y/n was particularly adamant that he stay inside of her even while they slept, and it didn’t fail to make Lo'ak grin like an idiot. "Can I at least turn as around so you can sleep more comfortably? I promise you, you can have my dick back in a second..."

She hissed at him, dismounting from him herself. "Only you could ruin a romantic moment like that, skxawng..."

Lo'ak hugged her from behind, kissing the bite mark he'd left on her neck. "So I'm back to being a skxawng? You know I liked the things you were calling me before a lot better..." He teased, doing a very poor impression of her moaning, which made y/n give his tail a sharp tug.

He did the same in retaliation and the ended up in one of their usual play-fights, only this time, Lo'ak didn't eventually shy away from her touch. Once they'd both finally worn each other out, Lo'ak wrapped his arms tightly around y/n as she rested on top of him.

"Y/n..." He whispered, wandering if she was still awake. Luckily she was already fast asleep. "Thank you. For choosing me."

[palossssssand]

Reconciliation

Old dome squadmates Trito and Kinoga get together at Trito’s place to catch up after years apart and a meeting by chance on the surface.

⚠️Warning for suggestive content below + implied chest trauma

After several weeks of chipping away at this, the comic is finally done! Very happy to have rendered a full 7 pages of oc stuff. Please give it a read!!

read the full 7 page comic on twitter! <-please do not click if you are a minor and view at your own discretion, this link contains explicit 18+ content. Thank you!

For the lore, includes stuff from splatoon Octo Expansion: Trito and Kinoga were a part of an octarian military squad living in the domes, Kinoga being their squad leader that many looked up to and admired. There were 6 of them who considered each other to be their closest friends. Upon hearing about the tests from Kamabo Co. and the allure of the Promised Land, Kinoga wished to seek it out in order to find a better life for their squadmates. A difficult decision, since it meant leaving them all behind, promising to come back and take them there.

Kinoga enters the metro trials and soon realizes that the Promised Land isn’t what they expected, their hope crumbling when they encounter one of their sanitized squadmates Agara, who followed suit to the metros soon after. Kinoga narrowly escapes, eventually making a break for the surface, carrying the shame of unwilling to return for their squadmates with them (it’s justified, of course, there might not be an easy way in, they might get caught again, Agara is gone)

Trito enters the Metro not too long after Kinoga does, wanting to catch up to them, and an accident that occurs in a test early on results in Trito’s near sanitization, giving him his scar. Terrified, and realizing what happens to his fellow octolings, Trito is unable to return to his squadmates, not wanting to break the news of their loved ones’ untimely fates. He hides away on the Metro until the events of OE happen and Agent 8 dismantles Kamabo, opening an opportunity to escape to the surface. Unwilling to face the possibilities of going back, Trito takes his chance to leave, starting a new life and feeling that it’s for the best if he doesn’t acknowledge it, though he missed his friends dearly.

Years later, Trito and Kinoga run into each other on the streets of Splatsville by chance, and the implications of them both being on the surface and alive hit them, having to carry the burden of leaving their loved ones behind and finding out the truth, knowing the other felt exactly the same, not knowing the fate of their squadmates and not wanting to think about the possibility of them being gone. They have a tearful reunion about it, and set up a meet later, to sit down and really talk, and get into a brief argument when the topic of returning to the domes comes up. Trito’s in disbelief that Kinoga never went back down to check on the rest of their squad, wanting them to have been a better person than him, who was too cowardly to do so. Eventually they do reconcile, and end up at Trito’s place to hook up, where the above comic takes place :]

[perfectdreamshoeshark]

ĐỜI NGƯỜI DÀI NHƯ VẬY, RỐT CUỘC ĐIỀU GÌ LÀ QUAN TRỌNG NHẤT?

Năm 3 tuổi, tôi nắm chặt cây kẹo mút trong tay, kiên định cho rằng đây là điều quan trọng nhất đời mình.

Năm 5 tuổi, tôi mất cả buổi chiều ngày hè nắng gắt mới có thể bắt được một con chuồn chuồn, vào khoảnh khắc đó hình như nó mới là điều quan trọng.

Năm 7 tuổi, tôi nhìn chằm chằm tấm giấy khen trên tay bạn cùng bàn, vừa thấy ngưỡng mộ lại còn có chút ghen tị. Hình như tờ giấy khen cũng là điều quan trọng thì phải.

Năm 9 tuổi, tôi nằm dài dưới bóng cây râm mát, những vệt nắng len lỏi qua kẽ lá chiếu rọi lên gương mặt tôi. Một kỳ nghỉ hè nhàn nhã vô lo vô nghĩ mới thật quan trọng làm sao.

Năm 13 tuổi, tôi ý thức rằng giấy báo trúng tuyển của một ngôi trường cấp 3 trọng điểm mới là điều quan trọng nhất cuộc đời tôi.

Năm 16 tuổi, tôi ngồi trong lớp học, một làn gió mát khẽ khàng thổi vào phòng, tôi ngẩn người nhìn tóc đuôi ngựa của bạn nữ ngồi phía trước. Bỗng nhiên tôi cảm thấy rằng nếu cứ mãi như này cũng rất tốt.

Năm 18 tuổi, tôi học ngày học đêm, nỗ lực không biết mệt, tất cả chỉ vì giấy báo trúng tuyển đại học.

Năm 22 tuổi, rời xa giảng đường Đại học, tôi chập chững học cách bước vào đời, có một công việc tốt đã trở thành điều làm tôi mong mỏi nhất.

Năm 24 tuổi, tôi kết hôn. Tôi ngắm nhìn đại sảnh nườm nượp khách mời, và còn có cả cô dâu của tôi nữa. Đương nhiên đó không phải là cô gái mà năm 16 tuổi tôi vẫn thường lén nhìn, tự dưng trong lòng tôi cũng có đôi chút tiếc nuối. Thế nhưng vào lúc này, vợ tôi đã trở thành người quan trọng nhất cuộc đời tôi.

Năm 25 tuổi, tôi nâng cốc với bạn bè, cả lũ cùng nhau khoe khoang, khoác lác đủ thứ chuyện. Ở độ tuổi chưa quá am hiểu sự đời, chúng tôi chỉ cảm thấy mặt mũi thể diện là quan trọng nhất.

Năm 26 tuổi, tôi sốt ruột đứng đợi ngoài cửa phòng sinh. Một lúc sau, tiếng trẻ con khóc oe oe phá vỡ đi sự yên tĩnh đáng sợ đó. Tôi biết rằng, một điều quan trọng nữa lại đến với tôi rồi.

Năm 33 tuổi, tôi gần như kiệt sức vì những khoản vay mua nhà và mua xe, lúc này tôi thấy rằng tiền mới là quan trọng nhất.

Năm 38 tuổi, người ba lúc nào cũng cứng đầu cố chấp bắt đầu hỏi ý kiến tôi về mọi việc, tôi chợt nhận ra hình như ba đã già rồi. Mẹ không còn hỏi răn dạy tôi đủ thứ nữa, tôi cũng biết rằng mẹ đã già rồi.

Con trai không còn suốt ngày bám dính lấy tôi, nó bắt đầu có bạn bè và cuộc sống riêng của nó. Tôi hiểu rằng, từ nay về sau khoảng cách giữa tôi và con trai sẽ càng ngày càng xa hơn. Năm 38 tuổi tôi chợt bừng tỉnh nhận ra, hình như thời gian mới là điều quan trọng nhất trên thế gian này.

Năm 40 tuổi, nhìn vào một mớ kết quả kiểm tra sức khỏe, tôi mới nghĩ rằng, hình như tôi chưa từng cảm thấy bản thân mình quan trọng nhất.

Năm 45 tuổi, tôi cứ mơ hồ vậy mà đã sống hết nửa đời người. Ôm cái bụng bia ngồi câu cá, tôi chợt nghĩ lại những ước mơ từ thuở niên thiếu, chưa bao giờ tôi thấy giấc mơ lại quan trọng đến thế.

Năm 50 tuổi, nhìn con trai nắm tay một cô gái xinh đẹp bước vào lễ đường, tôi nheo mắt nhìn con trai trên sân khấu, tự hỏi rằng cô dâu có phải là người con gái nó từng yêu năm 16 tuổi không? Thế nhưng tôi vẫn thấy hạnh phúc của con trai vẫn quan trọng hơn hạnh phúc của tôi.

Năm 55 tuổi, tôi thở hổn hển chạy theo sau lưng cháu nội, chỉ sợ nó vấp ngã. Vào khoảnh khắc đó, tôi cũng không muốn đặt những kỳ vọng lớn lao gì cho cháu mình, chỉ cần nó có thể sống vui vẻ bình an là được rồi.

Năm 60 tuổi, tôi chôn cất bố mẹ cùng một chỗ. Lớn tuổi rồi, cũng đã trải qua rất nhiều việc, vậy nên tôi không rơi nước mắt nữa. Thế nhưng lúc đó tôi thấy, lời trách móc của ba với sự càm ràm của mẹ hóa ra cũng quan trọng đến thế.

Năm 70 tuổi, vợ tôi thế mà lại đi trước tôi một bước, để lại một mình tôi trên cõi đời. Công việc của vợ chồng con trai cũng có thành tựu, cháu trai đã đi du học. Tôi không có gì nhiều để làm chỉ có thể lang thang trên phố xá, lúc này mới thấy sự đồng hành của vợ quan trọng biết bao.

Năm 75 tuổi, ở bệnh viện bác sĩ bảo tôi ra ngoài đợi, chỉ cho con trai ở lại. Tôi biết thời gian không còn nhiều nữa rồi. Tranh thủ lúc này tôi gọi điện cho cháu trai, muốn nói với nó rằng: Năm 16 tuổi nếu có thích ai thì nhất định phải giữ chặt lấy, giống như khi 3 tuổi nắm chặt lấy cây kẹo mút vậy. Nghĩ đi nghĩ lại thì thấy nói vậy cũng không hay lắm nên tôi chỉ nói: ông nội nhớ con rồi, có thời gian thì đến thăm ông nhé. Bác sĩ trấn an tôi rằng vấn đề không nghiêm trọng, tôi cười và nói với bác sĩ rằng không có gì lớn lao đâu. Nhưng thực ra tôi lại xem những ngày còn lại trên cuộc đời là điều quan trọng nhất.

Năm 76 tuổi, cháu trai tôi trở về với tôi, để nó phải nhìn thấy dáng vẻ thoi thóp hơi tàn của tôi làm trong lòng tôi không khỏi khó chịu. on trai và con dâu của tôi đang đứng bên giường khóc lóc thảm thiết, tôi không còn sức lực để nghĩ xem điều gì là quan trọng nhất nữa. Tôi chỉ muốn hậu sự đơn giản thôi, con trai và con dâu đều không còn quá trẻ, sức khỏe không chịu nổi. Cháu trai mới đi làm nên không dễ xin nghỉ phép, đừng để lại ấn tượng xấu với lãnh đạo.

Vậy nên, đời người rốt cục cái gì mới là điều quan trọng nhất? Thực ra cái gì cũng quan trọng, nhưng không phải đến nỗi là không có không được, bạn sẽ vẫn có thể sống tốt nếu thiếu một cái gì đó quan trọng thôi. Vì thứ bạn từng cho là quan trọng nhất, sẽ luôn có một ngày bạn đánh mất nó. Hối tiếc đã luôn là một phần của cuộc sống này rồi.

[cant-get-no-worse]

Highlights of the parade

Laporta checking the girls weren’t breaking their skulls on the bridge

Koundé wearing a Dembélé shirt

People throwing random clothes at the buses to get them signed

Lewandowski, Raphinha, Koundé, Busi, Dembélé hangover asf wearing sunglasses

Chants for Busi

Chants for Pedri

Chants for Leo

Chants for Xavi

Xavi happy and throwing kisses at the crowd

“This is kind of a side parade for the femeni cause they’re playing the UCL next week”

Pizzas

Gerard Romero beefing with policemen

Gavi being an overexcited puppy

CAMPEONES CAMPEONAS OE OE OE

Chants for Alexia

Xavi facetiming his family and shoving the phone in Araujo’s face

Koundé throwing flags at the crowd like medieval spears

Gavi’s (18 yo) « congrats little bro » to Ousmane (26 yo)

Stream shit ass quality reflecting our broke ass institution

Xavi throwing beers at the crowd

UNNNN CRIIIIT VALEEEEEENT

Busi and Alba celebrating their last parade together

Raphinha looking like Brazilian Santa Claus

Aitana and her beige scarf making me choke

Families on balconies with various shirts and flags from old seasons

Pedri being a rare pokémon you see three (3) times during the whole parade

“Oh no me I’m here for the girls”

Frenkie de Jong life-size cardboard cutout

Araujo shouting at Romero with a mic

Romero running away

Kessié, Dembélé, Gavi and Koundé posing for a rap album cover

Pedri signing bananas

“It’s not just about the title, it’s about bringing the joy back to Barcelona fans and to a whole city.”

Everyone helicoptering their scarves at Plaça Catalunya

Lewandowski activating his inner tiktoker genes

Commentators rambling about for two hours

Xavi spotting Corbella, former FCB kitman for 3 decades in the crowd and asking him to hop on the bus

[thebrikbox]

The Great Greta Garbo

Glamorous, compelling, and ever so famous was the iconic movie star, Greta Garbo. She graced Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s with films like “Wild Orchids” and “The Kiss.” Altogether, she starred in thirty-three films and captivated men and women alike.

Greta was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson on September 18, 1905 in Stockholm, Sweden and died April 15, 1990 in New York City at the age of 84 to pneumonia. Her childhood was that of poverty where her family lived in the slums. Her father was an itinerant laborer and didn’t earn much money to give his family the life he wanted for them to have. When Greta was old enough to work, she took various positions to help ease the strain of supporting the family.

One fateful day, film director Erik Petschler saw Greta and was mesmerized with her beauty after seeing her in a commercial advertising women’s clothing and he offered her a small role in his 1922 film “Peter the Tramp.” She was bitten by the acting bug and she started school at the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm. She landed a major role in a 1925 Swedish movie “Gösta Berlings Saga” (The Saga of Gösta Berling). The director, Mauritz Stiller changed her birth name to Garbo as he felt it was fitting and becoming for her unique beauty. Seeing her potential, he negotiated with MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) Studios in Hollywood and secured her a contract. Louis B. Mayer had doubts about Greta’s screen performance until the release of her first American 1926 film “The Torrent.” Her lustrous glow and the fluidity of how she moved impressed Mayer so much so that he gave her an exclusive contract.

1930’s “Anna Christie” was Greta’s first sound film. The movie was marketed with “Garbo talks!” She would earn three Oscar nominations for best actress for her performances in “Anna Christie,” “Camille,” and for “Ninotchka.” She never did win, but she did receive an Honorary Academy Award in 1955. She won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for best actress for her performance in 1935’s Anna Karenina. Her last film was “Two-Faced Woman” in 1941 and it received bad reviews that greatly humiliated her. Her acting life halted despite offers for other films after the movie flop.

Greta never married nor did she have children. Her first romance was with her often co-Star John Gilbert. In her latter years, she had a relationship with Leopold Stokowski, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra. It’s rumored that she had an affair with Russian-born millionaire George Schlee, stealing him from his wife. It’s specualted that Greta was bisexual, some would claim she was predominantly lesbian, but no one could confirm that. Though she appeared in events, she disliked the feeling uncomfortable acting like a socialite because it wasn’t who she was.

Greta would live the remainder of her life in a New York City apartment. She was an honored guest in the White House and She received treatment for breast cancer and would have dialysis treatment at a local hospital where she would later die from pneumonia. She will always be regarded as one of the most beautiful and graceful women that gifted us with her talent.

Until next time, Aloha oe.

Photos: *Getty Images, Posterlounge

[devieuls]

ˋ The Siren Song .࿐

Lo'ak Sully x Metkayina Reader ( ONE SHOT )

Synopsis : The sea, a place of mystery and endless charm, hides secrets that only a few can understand. In a coastal village of the Metkayina clan, amidst glittering waves and imposing cliffs, there was a story as fascinating as unlikely. A young Na'vi just arrived, with strong shoulders and eyes full of curiosity, found himself trapped in the enveloping song of a mysterious young Metkayina woman. Her seductive melodies echoed in the salty air, penetrating into the hearts of everyone who heard them. Lo'ak was fascinated by that divine sound and ventured into the beach, hiding for several nights, to discover the origin of that song, remaining enchanted by the woman who sang and danced in harmony under the light of the stars… Until one night he gets caught.

Warning : None. FLUFF

Lenght : 3.5k

NA'VI WORDS : YAWNTUTSYIP: Darling, Little loved one

LO'AK: 20 y.o / Y/N: 18 y.o

· · ─────── · 𖥸 · ─────── · ·

As the warm and silent night enveloped the beach of Awa'atlu, your lonely figure stood on the damp and silvery sand, as if it were pulverized with a layer of stardust, a soft lighting that danced around you. The waves crashing on the shore emitted a sweet sound of liberation, like a reassuring whisper singing a sweet melody to your ear. Their constant movement, a perpetual beat of the heart of the ocean, melted with your voice, creating a magical harmony that floated in the night air of the beach. The stars twinkled like diamonds in the night sky, while the moonbeams illuminated your makeshift stage on the beach. The ashy light danced through the waves, creating glowing reflections that seemed to applaud your talent, urging you to continue to sing for the Great Mother. Deep in the night, sea animals joined the natural beach orchestra. Seagulls croaked in the distance, like angelic choirs that responded to your notes. The waves carried with them the melodious song of the newly returned Tulkuns, a deep and powerful symphony that vibrated in the soul of Lo'ak who listened in silence from afar, hypnotized.

Lie si oe tìvawmur – I experience the darkness Atanti ngal molunge, Ma Eywa – You brought light, oh Eywa lawnol a mì te'lan – Great joy in my heart Srrìri tìreyä – For the days of life Ngaru irayo seiyi ayoe, Ma Eywa – We thank you, oh Eywa Tonìri tìreyä – For the nights of life

You sang with bare feet in the sand, dancing freely, emanating a magnetic aura. Your voice, intense and penetrating, hovered in the air accompanying, telling pieces of your Songcord, the dark days and happy days blessed by Eywa and her love. Your notes intertwined with the sound of the sea and the singing of marine animals, creating a unique melody that seemed to merge with infinity, and that left Lo'ak breathless and mesmerized. And so, once again on the beach, you became part of the enchanted landscape. Your music traveled along the brackish breeze, bringing with it the magic of the night and its sounds, enchanting the young Na'vi who still did not know your face. This was the seventh night that Lo'ak hid behind some rocks to listen to your voice, remaining in silence not to disturb that magic that only the darkness of the night and the ocean could reveal, admiring you from afar, finding peace in your music. Every note, every nuance of your song was like a fragment of a deep emotion, a song that told of passions, dreams and hopes.

"Are you going to hide for more nights?" You asked in the wind, while on your knees, tired from dancing for about an hour, you wet your hair on the shore of the sea. You already noticed a few nights before you had a silent spectator, but you had preferred to shut up because you didn’t know if he was waiting for the right moment to approach you, or if maybe he was just too shy to do it. So you decided to give him a chance to reveal himself to you without waiting any longer. A whirlwind of emotions takes over in Lo'ak, feeling exposed. His mind filled with excitement, fear and hope as his heart pounded in his chest. Every detail of the moment seems to amplify, making his presence even more incisive, albeit hidden. "I don’t bite, you can approach me" you continued, laughing slightly, turning your back as you waited for him to approach. Lo'ak’s eyes explored your body from behind: Your long wavy raven hair, the watery green skin that shone because of the tiny bioluminescent freckles that created constellations on your body, the loincloth folded to the side to let you sit comfortably and the threads of the top that covered your front breast. During the seven nights he watched and listened to yourself singing and dancing freely alone on the beach, you fed his dreams and fantasies about you, daydreaming of the day he would show up, studying it in his mind. He would never have imagined that your meeting could happen so directly on your part.

Lo'ak came out of his cunning hiding place and approached you. His legs trembled slightly, as his heart began to hammer so hard that he became deaf. His mind was filled with a mix of curiosity, hope and fear of disappointing you in some way, as you had captured his attention in such a powerful and innocent way. You turned your face to the side, noticing the Na'vi behind you, smiling gently and then turning around completely and being inexplicably fascinated by that mysterious guy so different from the Metkayina boys you were used to. His tight waist, his slender yet toned body, his tail thinner than yours and her hand presenting what looked like an extra finger. Your eyes then met his, remaining enchanted by those golden pools that reminded you of dawn, deep and magnetic, left you mesmerized for a while. His gaze lingered on yours, finding you enchanting, perhaps even better than he had imagined your face. "I finally see you…" You whispered with a thread of voice as your heart sped inexplicably into your chest, sending strange signals even to your stomach that began to writhe on itself. Your voice out of the song was pure hypnotic melody, as if you invited him to be amazed and run out of words in his throat, making him just breathe like a fish out of water. "I see you too… I’ve seen you before, but never… I mean, you know. Your eyes… and…" He began, going into confusion right away, thanking the little light that could hide the slight redness on his cheeks. < Idiot. > He thought to himself, while scratching his neck swallowing heavily. You laughed slightly, amused by his clumsiness around you; though you might notice that he was a belted warrior wrapping his abdomen, hardly believing that a warrior could be so careless and almost shy with a woman.

"No need to be embarrassed, sweetie, I noticed you a few nights ago. I don’t seem to have been rude enough to embarrass you, do I?" You asked while you started to wet the long braid that covered the neuronal tail, trying to put the boy at ease, looking away from him. You smiled shyly, as the boy’s strong natural scent struck your delicate sense of smell, finding it strangely delicious and pleasant, unlike that of other boys. "No, not at all… I thought I would pass more unnerved, that’s it" he admitted, looking at you from above, taking long, deep breaths, not knowing how to carry on the conversation. "You’re not from here, are you? Your skin and texture would not go unnoticed, not even your perfume." You admitted, as you implied that he was sitting next to you. Lo'ak sat down beside you, leaving some space between you two. "No, I just arrived with my family. I come from the Omatikaya clan" he said without taking his eyes off your face covered with some wavy strands of hair. "The Omatikaya clan? You come from far away. What is your name?" You turned your face towards him, looking at him in the honey puddle in his eyes, breathing in his scent. "Lo'ak… Your name instead is?" His voice made his interest and curiosity in knowing you, feeling already so close to you not only physically. "Y/n, you may not believe it but I am the singer of the Metkayina clan" Your voice was sarcastic, as you watched as a smile began to paint itself on his face, showing beautiful pearly teeth and long canines. You smiled back, happy to have managed to make the boy smile beside you, feeling that he was now less tense than before.

"Unbelievable, who would have expected it. Such a beautiful and melodious voice that acts as the main voice for the clan? Unimaginable" Lo'ak said, continuing the little game you had started. You bit your lip slightly as you carried a few curls behind your ear, looking down at his hands, which they laid on the ground. You immediately noticed that Lo'ak did not look like a real Na'vi, the presence of eyebrows, a fifth finger or the almost non-existence of the typical Na'vi cross on his abdomen, but these details only made you curious about him. "So flattering, you only heard me sing for a few nights. But thank you, compliments are always appreciated" you replied, creating a path with your eyes from his hands to his eyes. "You’re right, but that doesn’t mean your voice isn’t charming… May I ask why you always sing the same song? It’s very beautiful, but I don’t understand why you always go around the same" He bit his lip slightly as he looked at you. Even though you were sitting, you seemed so tiny near him, almost fragile, because of the height difference. "It’s my songcord. I usually sing to the Great Mother, waiting to add more important events… I like to remember my life every night, it’s a celebration of myself, to wish me the best for the future. You never sang your songcord?" Your eyes fell on his loincloth for a second, looking briefly at his songcord that was tied to his side, and then blushing when your eyes inevitably moved more to the center, noticing something you shouldn’t even notice. "No, I extend it but I don’t sing it. Sometimes I look at it and I think I’ve only had a few important events in my life, I don’t think the Great Mother would listen to me if I asked her something similar" Lo'ak’s voice had that strange aftertaste of bitterness, as if something had marked him perpetually throughout his life.

Your hand laid gently on his warm cheek, while the tip ofyour little finger brushed against the boy’s angular jaw. "The Great Mother always listens to us, no matter how little hope we have. She is here" you laid a hand on his chest, shyly. "Just… just try to live every day as if it were your last, thank her for your days and live with the knowledge that you have someone watching over you continuously. You will see that your Songcord will stretch and you will find more experiences to keep you dear to you" You answered and then get up. " You listened to my voice for seven nights in silence. I am sure you will have the same patience to listen to your voice too, the Great Mother will do the same… or she has already done it" You turned around as you began to walk. Lo'ak looked at you silently as you walked away from him. "H-hey, y/n where are you going?" He said as he rose, dusting away the sand from his cerulean skin. "It’s late, I have to get back to my marui. I reduced myself to the last minute to talk to you like this in case it was too embarrassing or worse, I could have left without you weighing it" Your voice was sincere. You turned and then smiled gently at him, with a slight and impetuous blush on the cheeks "Fortunately it went well". Lo'ak remained to admire you as you walked away, heading where all the Marui were, and smiled, turning back on the sand. His hand immediately found an object on the sand, a small blue pearl, with white reflections due to the moonlight. He squeezed it between his fingers and then carried it over his head, inspecting it against light, deciding that that pearl would end up on his songcord, sure that the encounter with you was not random, and that you would bring light on that eternal night that had enveloped him all these years.

More nights passed since then, and every night Lo'ak listened to you sing your songcord, watching as your hands caressed the beads and your smile softened every time you came to the end. Lo'ak admired you in silence, indeed, he worshipped you, feeling alive at every note that left your mouth, creating a hypnotic melody in his mind that could only make him accelerate his heart, while his hand touched his own songcord, in particular the bead that represented you. Every night he would listen to you and then you would sing him some songs from the Metkayina clan, always asking him if he had added new pearls to his songcord, and talking about all sorts of things. You liked to meet him and listen to his outbursts, creating almost a safe place around you, where he could feel safe and calm, and you too. You could say that you were completely in tune, understanding you with little, even if the meetings were limited only to the night because of the commitments of both. You never complained about this, enjoying those moments of tranquility and security. One of those nights you noticed his songcord, with a pearl that had to be of the Metkayina clan due to the shape and nuances.

"Ma Lo'ak, isn’t that a pearl of the sea on your songcord?" you asked intrigued, pointing to the songcord tied to his loincloth. "Hmm?" He looked down at the spot where you were pointing and blushed suddenly. "Y-yes… it’s a pearl of the sea, I found it the night we first spoke, I saw it and I caught it…" He said slightly embarrassed, as he looked away from you and hid his songcord, at least the end where the bead was. You laughed and then leaned your fingertips on his biceps, resting your face on his shoulder as you breathed in his perfume, making him blush from the sudden proximity. "And you decided to put it on your songcord? Is it for me?" you shamelessly asked, noticing how a shiver passed through his body and the slight redness on his cheeks. "What? Is it really for me? Aw, that’s so cute." Your voice was kind of funny, even sweet and sincere, as you teased him and pinched his arm to make him talk. "No! I mean, yes… Well, it’s- ah! y/n, stop," he said, turning his face to the side so you wouldn’t see him blushing, even though it was too late. "How cute! You’re embarrassed for so little? Oh, c'mon Lo'ak, that’s nice. I’m happy to be in your songcord as a reminder to keep in mind" You put your hand under his chin and turned him in your direction and then unbalanced yourself forward, touching your noses. "I also want you in my songcord, can I have one of your beads, please?" You asked him while your faces were separated by very little space. His eyes fell on your lips and then returned to your eyes, swallowing slightly before sighing.

"What would you like?" He answered as he moved a strand of hair behind your ear, noticing how he seemed enchanted and almost mesmerized by your eyes. "This here… can I have it?" Your eyes did not come off her, as you used your peripheral vision to wrap two fingers around a yellow bead that was on one of her braids. "I like this one. It reminds me of the suns of Pandora, the coral reef of the ocean and…" you laid a hand on his cheek, gently "your eyes." Lo'ak blushed more, making you smile. You noticed how he took off all the beads to give you the yellow one you had decided, and then rearranged them on the braid. You looked at him and silently thanked him for putting the bead in your hair, keeping it there until you get home and can add it to the songord. "I don’t understand why you get so shy when I’m so close to you" you huffed and then went backwards, laying your hands on the moist, compact sand, which offered a pleasant feeling of freshness. The waves of the ocean reflected on it, creating a shimmering and magical effect, while the stars above you reflected on your raven hair, forming almost moonlight-like spots, as if the cosmos were pouring down on you. Lo'ak looked at you with his big golden eyes, more and more mesmerized by your beauty and your being so outspoken, feeling his heart accelerate when the sea breeze brought your perfume directly into his lungs. "I’m not shy, I’m just not used to talking to girls like you" he admitted. You raised an eyebrow, not understanding the meaning of what he was saying. "You are direct, too direct y/n" you stop him. "is that bad?" He looked at you, sighing as he felt like an idiot. "No, I love this aspect of you" he admitted, looking down slightly, and then opened his eyes when you answered. "Do you love it?" you replied, smiling, as you approached him again, observing how the blush persisted on his cheeks. "Well, I love you. I mean, love it, I LIKE IT! I like your character, but I like you too. I like you as a friend, that is, I like like you, I lo-" Lo'ak panicked and you laughed and then pressed your lips on him, feeling like he froze on the spot.

The atmosphere permeates with electrifying energy as your hearts beat in unison. In the air there is a combination of excitement and shyness, your hands landed on Lo'ak’s cheeks, caressing them gently as you tried to calm him, noticing how his eyes tapered as the kiss became a little more intimate and tangible, colliding your warm tongues. His hands wrapped around your waist, caressing it with a little fear at first, then smiling when he realized you didn’t mind. You both get lost in the moment, forgetting everything else. The sea breeze caressed your faces, while the waves broke on the shore like a melody in the background, amplifying the magic of the moment. As you gently parted, he bit your lip slightly. Your looks met again, filled with joy, gratitude and a silent promise of something. Your thumbs on his cheeks rubbed slightly against his skin before you started talking. "I like you too, and not just as a friend." You whispered on his lips, blushing slightly. "I mean that I really like you, like I love you. if I didn’t understand it" You laughed softly and then slightly detached yourself from him, dropping the grip you had on his face, glad tat you finally told him. "From the first night when I discovered you and talked to you. I liked you. You looked like a helpless, shy baby Tulkun who preferred to stay hidden. You were very cute and you still are, to be honest." Lo'ak listened to you in silence, incredulous at how you were declaring yourself so naturally, as if you were talking about the most basic thing. "And I like that you’re so different from me, that you look like a bad guy from the outside, even when I run into you in the village. Swollen chest and high head, like I want to prove something to someone, even though I feel like the real you is the shy, sensitive one I’ve come to know. I thought I should tell you" Your eyes fell on Lo'ak’s, before being taken from his face and brought back in a sweet kiss. "I…" Lo'ak whispered as he pulled away from your lips, finding it already an addiction. "Me too… I like, love you y/n. Your voice, your hair, your laugh… Ma Eywa, you’re so amazing and so spontaneous. You make me feel less alone and at home, even though I remain silent listening to you sing or talk" He said with confidence as he looked you in the eyes. "And it’s so fucking liberating to think that I’m not the only one who feels that way. I think you somehow bewitched me with your voice" He smiled and then let you rest on his chest, lying on the sand.

"Even bewitched you? Anyway, you’re right, I’m amazing, which is why you should ask me to be your partner." You admitted while you were watching the stars. He coughed and thanked himself for putting you on his chest so you wouldn’t see the embarrassment on his face. "it’s true. Don’t you know that the best is taken immediately? is a piece of advice. You could ask me now, in case it’s a yes, just to let you know." Lo'ak laughed spontaneously and then held you close to him, wrapping his arms around your body, sniffing the sweet scent of salt in your hair. "Y/n, will you be my girlfriend?" From his voice it could be seen that he was trying to stay serious without laughing at the absurdity of the situation, and from the way you had practically fed him the words. "Yes, of course I do." You smiled, satisfied, and then played with the armband that faded, brushing the feather and relaxing on him. "It wasn’t that hard, was it?" "You are really… I have no words to describe you, ma yawntutsyìp." You interrupted him, raising your face to look at him. "Mhhh, maybe…Yours? Extraordinary? An excellent singer? Yes, they are all already confirmed things" Lo'ak laughed and gently stroked your side and then left a kiss on your head.

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　

[pcktknife]

you and me both going insane over dedf1sh

BUT HER NAME it looks like it's said "yacht" just spelled without the Y to me but i looked up the word acht and it's 8 in german WHAT DOES THAT MEAN??

it could mean something but it could also mean absolutely nothing and i wouldnt be surprised if its nothing bc everything in octo expansion had that 8 theming. its a whole thing so if theyre just naming ahato ''acht/eight'' because of that then thats what it is. however if theres something more well... (👁️_👁️)

OE's 8 theme. directly from the wiki 👇🏾

The number eight is a recurring theme throughout the expansion. For example:

Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion is eight syllables long.

Agent 8 (subject No. 10008) is the main protagonist.

The CQ-80 device is used to navigate Deepsea Metro.

Octo Expansion has exactly eighty levels. If the escape phases are counted, it has 88.

The tubes on the sides of the checkpoints resemble the number eight.

Each line of the poems on the mem cakes has exactly eight syllables.

Some levels require the player to push an 8-ball to a goal.

Track #8 regret plays during these levels.

Some levels require the player to collect eight data-points.

If the player goes through the lines in alphabetical order, the last thang is on the eighth line.

The escape has eight phases if the final boss fight is counted.

After the final boss fight, when Pearl uses the Princess Cannon against the NILS Statue, the turf covered for the "Good Guys" goes up to 888.8%.

The five music tracks from the Octo Expansion are numbered from 80 to 84 in Squid Beatz 2.

The locker that has Agent 8's memories in it, which are used to enter the secret boss fight, is locker #8.

In the Diaphragm Phase of the escape, eight locks need to be unlocked to get to the energy core.

The Squid Bumpers that appear at the entrances to the missions have eight stubs at the base, as opposed to the squid dummies in the Shooting Range which have ten.

The music files in Marina's chat room are saved as 'mp8' files as opposed to mp4.

There are eight main characters: Agent 3, Agent 8, Pearl, Marina, Cap'n Cuttlefish, C.Q. Cumber, Iso Padre and Commander Tartar.

The DLC was announced on March 8th, 2018, and released in 2018.

While Dedf1sh's songs are numbered, a few numbers appear to be skipped. These include numbers 3, 7, 10, 15, 17, and 18. When adding the numbers from the title of each song and then dividing the total by the number of songs Dedf1sh has composed (in other words, taking the average of the remaining numbers plus an extra 0 to represent Splattack! (Octo)), the result is eight.