#//like... i can go on and on about how he and ingo are each other's biggest strength and how they cover each other weaknesses for hours

[inthehouseoffinwe]

I sometimes think about Fingolfin being the sole Uncle looking after all his nephews/niece/kids. Like, there’s 16 children. Before taking the Helcaraxë he no doubt promised Finarfin that he would take care of them. And I feel like once he found out about Fëanor, and especially saw the state of Maedhros, he silently promised his half brother he’d do his best to look after them too. Not that he wasn’t going to anyway.

But the burden that must have been, especially with how volatile and independant all these kids are. Oh they might be grown. But he’ll never see them as such. Even now he remembers Nelyo’s birth and how the baby would toddle after him, crying when it was time to leave. Curvo going through all his mechanical devices, Turukano right behind him as Fingolfin explained where each came from and listened to the children tell him all about the workings. Carnistir carefully running little hands over the embroidery of his cloak, Anairë laughing quietly and explaining the techniques that went into it. Ambarussa and all the chaos they caused, enough so that Fëanor and Nerdanel would dump them at his house for days at a time, usually a couple of brothers tagging along. Tyelko and Irissë wrestling in the mud, neither group of parents knowing what to do when they trudged in, a sticky trail behind them.

Findekáno’s duets with Makalaurë, the little musician quietly asking to play before his uncle and cousin to make sure it was perfect before he showed his father. Finno, Nelyo, and Findarato encouraging him with whoops, Fingolfin and Anairë applauding with wide smiles at the end as he was swarmed by his cousins and brother. The four’s ‘secret’ sleepovers whenever they were in the same place. Aikanaro and Angamaitë raiding his kitchens, Fingolfin joining in with a finger on his lips, helping steal pastries in the middle of the night. Artanis insisting she could join in whatever game his boys were playing, Ireth backing her with a scowl until they were let in. Little Orodreth and his own Arakano, friends since birth. The screams of delight whenever they saw each other.

Despite everything, or maybe because of everything, he doesn’t know. All of them are now his children. He couldn’t stop the Fëanorions from taking the most dangerous lands because he had no argument to give. He can’t stop Turno and Ingo from making hidden kingdoms and taking Ireth and Artaresto with them. He couldn’t save little Arakano. He can’t stop Artanis hiding in Doriath, although he’s grateful at least one of his kids is safe… even if that safety comes with disowning the rest of her family.

He can’t even protect little Tyelpë and Itarillë who never asked for any of this.

So when the Dagor Bragollach comes and he hears Aegnor and Angrod are definitely dead, Curufin, Celegorm, and Celebrimbor might as well be for the trail of bodies leading to Doriath and the mass murder at the Girdle, Maglor’s land has been burned so far beyond recognition, they can’t even *find* bodies, Turgon, Idril, and Aredhel he wouldn’t even know if they were killed, and he hasn’t heard from Finrod in months-

He can’t.

So he makes a last ditch attempt because maybe, just maybe, he can make their battle the slightest bit easier. Give his kids if any of them survive a weakness to exploit. A slight advantage to turn the tables…

A stab to the foot does the trick. Morgoth will be limping on that one for millennia.

He hopes his brothers can forgive him.

[aya-luri]

Am I the only one who doesn't associate Zekrom with Ingo and Reshiram with Emmet but do it the other way around? Well, perhaps this will become an unpopular opinion, but, if you stop to think about it there are quite a few points that can support this theory. Let's check them out! To begin with, it's the legendary dragon Zekrom the one who appears on the cover of the White version of the game, while Reshiram does the same on the Black version, which would indicate that they actually represent their opposite color. Such small detail is already important in itself, not just the basic color of the dragons per se. Also we all know that Zekrom's associated element is the electric type, like Emmet's Eeleektros, while Reshiram's is the fire type, like Ingo's Chandelure, both being the most representative pokemons of the Subway Bosses.

Although the issue of ideologies of each dragon is used to link them with each brother among the fandom, "ideals" being the one typically attributed to Ingo for his passionate way of encouraging trainers, while for Emmet it is the "truth" for his direct way of communicating, this could work much better the other way around. If we have learned anything from Ingo on Pokemon Legends Arceus, it is that this man is full of existential doubts that lead him to want to get closer to the player in order to know more about himself. That's it, the truth about his origins. But he already had some tendency to this type of behavior long before, as it was evident in the first Black & White games.

"Where is my destination? I've kept thinking, and I've learned one thing. That is, you cannot know what happens after winning without winning." Through such questions, Ingo seeks to reach a real conclusion, his own truths. And perhaps in our idealized image of him we forget that he can also be frank and direct, without the need to embellish words with lies.

"However, it is difficult to win unless you and your partner are in total sync." On the other hand, and as we have said before, the frankness with which Emmet expresses his opinions makes him look like an open-minded character, sincere, making this seem (for many people) to be his only notable characteristic, despite the fact that it's kinda obvious the way in which he greatly idealizes Pokémon battles.

"This time, I am really serious. Really serious. Because if a battle is not serious, it is not fun." He firmly believes that there is a way to go about Pokémon battles, and that way is by giving it your all in them, and in an ideal world, everyone would have fun battling just as he does, but this is not always the case. Emmet clearly expresses how he believes things should be, and he's also aware that his own victory may not only be due to his skill but also to circumstantial elements or, put another way, luck. So he also idealizes the player's own defeat when it occurs, having enough consideration to make it seem like something unfourtunate. Further proof that the fandom has been associating the wrong dragon with the wrong twin can be found in the legend of the twin heroes, where it was the oldest who pursued the truth, while the youngest pursued the concept of ideals.

This birth order also corresponds to Ingo and Emmet, Ingo being the eldest of the both and Emmet the youngest.

That's why despite being white, I think Reshiram suits to Ingo much better and the same for Emmet regarding the black dragon Zekrom. All of these points put together carry much more sense than simply thinking that each dragon's ideologies relates to a brother just by the main color of his outfit. Although this, in the end, does not have much relevance either, since canonically there is no relationship between these legendary Pokémon and the Subway bosses, other than the simple fact of playing with mere chromatic issues. Still, it's always fun to speculate, right?

[librarygarten]

Hello, i loved all your LU scenarios, specially the ones where the chain reacts to their games, they were so well written.

I was wondering if you could do some scenarios where the reader talks about some Zelda trivia with the chain, like the development of some games (Majoras mask was made in just one year and the director of Zelda don't like it, there were supposed to be more dungeons in Wind Waker) or the reception of their releases (Four swords adventures sold less than a million copies, WW was poorly recieved unlike TP for it's art style, this changed as time passed, etc.), perhaps some easter eggs or cameos (Talon and Ingo looks like Mario and Luigi, Link appears in other games as a cameo).

Okay, but why is this lowkey me 😭. My autistic ass would NOT shut up about their games, even if I was telling them stuff they didn't want to hear about.

It was a peaceful day. The chain had found an inn to stay at for the night. Nobody was injured. Supplies and spirits were high. Until Wind decided to ask you a question.

“So, if our adventures are games, does that mean you know everything that happened during them? Like everyone we met, everything we did, EVERYTHING?” Wind asked. Some of the other Links brustled, clearly uncomfortable with the question and what you might say. You smile nervously. 

“Basically? But you don’t talk in the games, so I don’t know anything you said.”

“But who made the games? How do they know about our adventures?” Wind asked.

“Oooh boy.” You scratched the back of your head, “There’s a company called Nintendo, they made most of the Legend of Zelda games. I think Four’s games were made by a different company, though. That’s why some of the details are a bit screwy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Four snapped his head up to look at you, forgetting the weapon he had been working on.

“Oh, uh…” you stammered, “Well, the other company made your games, but they didn’t use the same stories as Nintendo did, so the lore gets a bit weird. Like, your Ganon is probably a completely unrelated guy from the Ganon that Time, Wind, Hyrule, Legend, and Twilight all had to deal with. The way he randomly turns into a pig in your game after getting that trident or whatever doesn’t match up at all with how Ganondorf turns into a pig after being sealed away by Time’s Zelda in an alternate timeline where Time dies during the final battle.”

“Wait, there’s a timeline where Time DIED?” Twilight is behind you now, and you’re not sure when he got there. You turn to look at him, his face full of panic.

“Yeah, Ocarina of Time kind of broke the timeline into three different paths. The game was so popular it became, like, the most important part of the timeline. It actually sold so well that the people who made the game made a sequel to it, Majora’s Mask, in under a year, which is kind of insane. For context, Ocarina of Time took over twice that long to make.” Time raised an eyebrow at your explanation, but decided he didn’t want to know more.

“Wait, if there are multiple timelines, how can you know which of our adventures are ours and which were just really similar? The many timelines means there’s infinite possibilities.” Sky asked, reminding everyone that he was the only Link to ever attend school (and remember it), and apparently he studied multiverse theory???? Moving on.

“Well, there are some differences between languages, I guess? Like, in the English version of Link’s Awakening, there’s a quest to get a mermaid’s lost necklace, but that was just a change the translators made. In the original Japanese, the quest is to get the mermaid’s bikini top.” You chatter on, missing the blush that creeps up Legend’s neck and ears. “And some of the items in Wind Waker are mixed around between the English and Japanese versions. Like maps, heart containers, and rupees are in each other's spots.”

“Can we go back to the part where there’s multiple Ganons, apparently?” Wild gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white. You hadn’t notice him sit down. Actually, the whole chain seemed to be listening now. Wuh-oh.

“Oh, well, not at one time. Unless the dragon cutscenes from Tears of the Kingdom happen after Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild is after all the other games. Then, Calamity Ganon was just kind of… chilling under Hyrule Castle while Four and Time dealt with their respective Ganons. But fans still argue about where your games fit on the timeline.” You shrug, trying to downplay how absolutely terrifying dealing with two Ganons at once would be.

“Wait, why do fans argue? Isn’t there an official timeline?” Hyrule asked. You groan.

“Yes, but it was published before Breath of the Wild was released, so we need to figure out where it is on the timeline based on the stuff in game, which is hard, because there's so many easter eggs.”

“Easter… eggs?” Warriors tilts his head.

“Items or decorations that reference other games. Like, in A Link Between Worlds, Legend’s house has Majora’s Mask hanging on the wall for no discernable reason. And in Breath of the Wild, there’s areas named after places in Link’s Awakening, like Koholit Rock and Goponga Island, which makes no sense because those places were dreamt up by a wind fish. Not to mention the fact the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch can be found, but there’s no way that structure would have been in as good of condition as it is for how old it is. And Lurelin village is an almost exact copy of Outset Island, but again, the timing is just too far apart.”

“But you never answered my other question.” Wind tapped your shoulder, stopping what would have been an hour-long rant on where Wild’s games fit on the official timeline. “How did ‘Nintendo’ or whoever else know about our adventures with that much detail?”

“UHHHHHH………. OH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THE TIME.” You quickly stand up from the table and launch yourself out the nearest window, escaping the conversation. (You were on the first floor. You’re fine).

[onestepbackwards]

Self aware Pokemon. They see the player as a God but would they also see your bff as one too? I can say 100% my friend and I would frequently look over each other's shoulder to see what's going on and gush about a character/pokemon/etc.

Ingo was much loved.

Would it be like a Diamond and Pearl clan situation? The joy and awe of being adored by not one but two deities? Or the horror of having pissed off more than one God?

I like to think perhaps they think you are the main god looking over their universe.

It makes sense, of course. Why wouldn't there be more? What do they, mere mortals know and understand? They barely have scrapped the surface of understanding pokemon, why would they understand what kind of gods are out there?

Simply put, you must have been the god that created or watch over their universe. The other one must be a god close to you!

...Though a chill runs down their spines if they hear you both are angry at someone. Not only having one god's ire, but two??

Kamado feels sick when you mention your... distaste. You at least acknowledge his efforts and trauma, but it's clear you are unhappy still. As is the other god.

He doesn't sleep that well.

The same is with affection as well. How does one handle being awed at over two gods? Ingo is blushing so hard his ears are red.

[leggerefiore]

cw: Short drabble, comedy mostly,

pairing: Emmet/Reader

A funny idea popped into your head as you watched the twins work. Both seemed completely lost in their tasks, so you opted to strike while they were least expecting it. Calling out to them, you managed to get Ingo to turn his head toward you and question what you needed. Emmet kept focused on the paperwork on his desk, likely exhausted of filling out an injury report. It seemed despite his constant reminder to check safety, some decided to ignore his heeding.

“Are you guys twins or something?” you questioned them. Ingo's expression shifted instantly to something completely unamused, while Emmet whipped his head up to look at you in bewilderment. Neither seemed to take your words well. Yet, you still got a laugh out Ingo's sigh and shake of his head.

“Of course not, we are simply two men who happen to look identical and share parents,” he replied, giving a rare bout of sarcasm, “… Quite strange, isn't it? That us identical strangers would find ourselves sharing an apartment and job. You would truly almost think us related, no?” Emmet gasped out at Ingo's words. You found your laughter strengthened. What a concept! A world where they were not twins. It seemed truly impossible with how much of themselves they had based on their bond as brothers and twins.

“Mhm, yep! Verrrry odd, indeed!” Emmet agreed to play along, “My stranger seems to think he is my older brother. It can be annoying when he orders me around.” Ingo shot a look at him. The younger twin only gave an unyielding smile in return. The older one of the two crossed his arms and narrowed his gaze. A dangerous look. Of course, only if one did not know what a softie Ingo was under it all. Of which, you and Emmet did. A head tilt was Emmet's only reply. The two were clearly having one their wordless conversations. You felt a bit left out.

“Well, I apologise but I'm only interested in twins, so I'll be going now,” you continued. Emmet looked at you before rushing over to catch you. Ingo appeared mortified by his younger brother's actions. You laughed more as he clung to you tightly. Eelektross truly did suit the man.

“That's mean, darling,” he whined, “… Me and Ingo are verrrrry close. Why ask such an odd question?” You leaned into his embrace, enjoying his hold quite a bit.

“… I don't know. Haven't you seen those theories online that you two aren't twins?” you recalled some insane conspiracy theories about the two. Emmet tilted his head. Ingo seemed shocked.

“Are you saying…” Ingo began.

“… People think we aren't twins?” Emmet finished, letting you go to pull out his phone. He began to type in the theory. Ingo took off his hat and scratched his head.

“… That is certainly a first…” The older one already sounded exhausted by the concept, “I cannot recall a time in our lives where that was not the first thing someone noticed. We don't exactly hide it…” They really did not. Matching outfits were extremely common with the two. They even attempted to mimic each other to eerie success. Emmet gasped at his phone.

“I am not a Ditto!” he was deeply offended, “Rude! Brother, look at this!” The phone was jousted toward Ingo, who took it from his hands. He then had a similar reaction to his twin.

“Why are they all theories about you not being human? That is so oddly cruel,” he put the phone down and shook his head. “… Assuredly, you must know better than this,” Ingo gazed at you seriously. You nodded. Really… You loved Emmet. That would be the furthest thought from your mind. Both relaxed at that and let themselves settle back into their work, Emmet returning to his desk.

“I do buy the clone theory, though,” you said before heading out the door.

Each looked offended once again.

Later on, you explained that one of them was technically a genetic clone of the other considering how identical twins worked.

They had to relent to that one, unfortunately. Yet, this brought a debate over who was the “clone.”

[bootheghoul]

In your Pokémon au, do the boys have to deal with instincts or anything like that? Like does the Pokémon they (represent?) have any effects on their habits or behaviors?

Yes! So, for this AU, everyone in the universe has certain habits and behaviors pertaining to the Pokémon they are. Ex: Bird Pokemon molt and preen and have the urge to migrate at a certain time of the year Ex: Scolipedes and Centiskorches have an innate rivalry with each other It’s not like their instincts completely take over their minds, but subtle things in how they act. The boys’ personalities are exactly the same just with some additional quirks. I'm basing how they act from dex entries/ in-game animations/ and other media! This is long so strap in!

Ingo

In Ingo’s case, Chandelure tends to spin A LOT. It’s a habit they all share whether to battle or emote. It’s just what they do.

Chandelure don’t get dizzy so they can do so without repercussion.

This behavior started when he evolved into a Lampent.

Ingo either spins on his toes when he’s happy or when he attacks. But his twirls are sharper and not as smooth and elegant as other Chandelure

Think of a pirouette but very stilted.

He spins on his heel pretty fast, too, and smacks Emmet every now and then.

He tends to point his toes like a ballerina while he floats.

He often sways on his feet or in the air like a pendulum if he’s idle or deep in thought.

This is kind of a bad thing because he might accidentally hypnotize a passerby by the combination of the motion and his flames.

Luckily, riding the train hides his swaying as it’s already a bumpy ride.

Although sometimes he has to snap the person out of his trance. He will profusely apologize afterward.

His flames aren't hot unless he wants them to but they feel warm

Another thing that creeps Emmet out a bit is that Ingo can see and talk to spirits. Not ghost Pokémon. Actual spirits.

Certain Pokémon have this ability and fewer are able to help these spirits. Ingo is one of them

Chandelure, in particular, act as a lure. haha

Emmet can kind of feel if a presence is there but he needs Ingo’s clarification. (it's that twin connection they share)

Unlike popular belief, Chandelure do not destroy a spirit with their flames. It may look like it but it's to help a lost soul move on.

While he is a conductor for trains, he doubles as a guide for lost spirits because he believes it's his duty. (Idea from this wonderful fic!)

Some aren't ready and he’ll respect their decision and leave them alone

What does bother him is that he can sense when someone is about to die and hates hospitals for this exact reason

It's awful because he feels it multiple times a day from passengers

He doesn't want to burden Emmet so he stays quiet

Emmet knows when Ingo's overwhelmed and will try to distract him the best he can

He's terrified to one day sense Emmet's death

Emmet

Emmet, as an Eelektross, has a bad chewing problem! I kind of showed it in this post already but he gnaws at any pen or pencil any chance he can get. If not he’ll chew on his nails.

He lets out small bursts of electricity from his teeth as he chews in thought

He has pockets full of hard candy to curb the issue though

Low on sugar? He can help!

It's also used to bribe the Joltik Quadruplets. (I'll show them later!)

He does bite Ingo if they get into an argument. It's always Ingo's tails too. But they rarely seriously fight anyway

Emmet has bit through their cutlery before...multiple times... but it's on him to replace it. (Ingo has his own set of utensils now)

He'll either thump or swish his tail when he's agitated.

He has the tendency to wrap around anything if he stays in the same place for a while. (A pole/his office chair/ furniture)

He mostly coils around people verrry tightly when he gives a hug, which is a habit he started as an Eelektrik.

You have to tell him to let go because he unconsciously constricts the air out of you.

He's stronger than he looks so please tell him because he doesn’t realize and never wants to hurt anyone.

Ingo is mostly the recipient of this but Elesa is a close second. The depot agents are third.

With any body of water, he starts to think how the water feels and has the urge to jump in. It doesn't matter if it's freshwater or seawater. He wants to dive in.

In the water, Emmet is a completely different guy. It's like a switch flips in his head. It’s freeing for him to be underwater as he can move how he wants to!

Beach trips to Undella Town or Humilau City are a frequent thing, and he will be cranky if he misses a day!

His favorite place is the Marine Tube because Ingo can be there too!

Ingo will walk through the tunnel as he watches Emmet have fun

Since Eelektross in canon are ambush hunters, Emmet subconsciously acts like one

Is the type to silently enter a room and sneak up on you

He likes to wait deep below the surface watching above him

It's like his version of cloud-watching

If there’s a shadow at the top, he has to find out what it is!

He has a habit of swimming at an alarming rate and abruptly popping out of the water to greet whoever is there. He doesn't mean to! He's just curious.

He only gives them a really bad scare and a heart attack

Ingo will join him on a floaty and act as a beacon because Emmet sometimes swims out too far.

Other marine pokemon point him in the right direction if he does get lost.

Other miscellaneous things:

It’s a common form of greeting between Electric types to shock each other. It’s their version of a handshake/hello.

Ingo’s built up a resistance to electricity thanks to Emmet, but sometimes it’s really shocking!

Emmet sometimes bumps into things because of his body.

They both can see in the dark, but Emmet can see perfectly underwater.

They both have fallen asleep levitating before.

Ingo doesn't have a house key because he can just go through the front door or wall or anything really.

Because of this, he has a habit of not opening doors

Ingo is actually wary of water because he's afraid his fire will go out but he toughs it out for Emmet because he loves him so much.

He can swim but it's still the fear of going too deep.

There is battling in this AU! Ingo and Emmet still run the Battle Subway with their team, The Top Depot Agents! (I'll show them sometime!)

Also, if you have any ideas of your own, you can make your own post and tag me! What I say isn’t set in stone cause this is an idea for everyone to enjoy. I’d love to hear any new ideas!

[au-wannabe-the-very-best]

In Modern Day Ghost, Ingo still gets Hisuied, but Akari finds a way to go after him and disguises herself as a human 10 year old. She's gotten better at her illusions at this point, and can now make herself look almost exactly as she did before she died, although her hair is still more gray than it is black. She also still has trouble emulating people past the age of 10.

Ingo still gets amnesia. Akari doesn't really know how to deal with that without possibly fucking Ingo up, like, psychologically, so she doesn't say anything to him and just waits for the opportunity to throw him at a modern doctor and therapist.

Around the end of the whole Hisui event, Akari drags Ingo to the temple and summons Arceus. She's like hey could you bring us home? And Arceus is like er. I can only do that with one of you.

And, Akari, being a literal ghost, realizes she's functionally immortal, so is like. Oh send Ingo then, lol, easy decision.

And Ingo, once again not knowing Akari's thought process as usual, is horrified by her quick decision. This is a child who just casually threw her chance at getting home away for him. What about her family?

And Akari's like oh don't worry about it, you ARE my family! Anyways, we'll see each other again in the future! Love you Dad, bye!

And then Ingo gets thrown back to Unova before he can say anything.

With her job done, Akari pats herself on the back. Arceus, watching this, comes to the sudden realization that Akari didn't actually make an informed decision just now. Because it doesn't seem to really hit her that she just doomed herself to waiting for two whole centuries before she can ever see her loved ones, her dad, again. There is a distinct possibility she won't even remember Ingo's face or voice by the time she rolls back to the modern day.

Arceus is like... Well, I can't send another person back right now, time and space is already EXTREMELY fragile and I need to get working on repairing this mess. Uhhh.

Hey Akari. How do you feel about being in stasis? It's just like time travel, sorta, you'll fall asleep and wake up back in your own time. Except you'll have to make the journey from here to Unova yourself.

Akari's like hmmm. Sounds cool! Okay let's do that!

Back in Modern Day Unova, Ingo is being reunited with his brother and SOBBING because his DAUGHTER AKARI got LEFT BEHIND, she's probably DEAD NOW—

And Emmet, remembering their Zorua Akari, who froze to death and was a weirdly big fan of Ingo the first time they met, is like UH. YOUR DAUGHTER WHO??

Wrong conclusions are being made.

[gypsypendragon]

I come presenting the first bit of my Submas Au: "Shadows"

(Tis a spooky AU. Below the cut is the first "prolog" bit in written form if you're interested. The next will be a short comic. Anything for this Au im going to be tagging with "Shadows AU")

"Have you guys heard of Shadows?" Elesa turned, walking backwards as she folded her hands loosely behind her back.

The look she received from the twin boys behind her was what she'd been expecting. "Of course we have. What kind of question is that?" Emmet asked with almost an offended quirk in his usual smile.

She waved him off quickly, “I’m not talking about those shadows…” She pointed down to the ground where the trio’s shadows followed diligently beneath them, “I’m talking about the monster shadows.”

This time it was Ingo who gave her a quizzical look, “Like a pokemon?” 

“No, they’re supposedly these spooky things that live in our shadows. Or some other dark world or something” Elesa turned back around to face forward, but slowed her pace until she was walking between the twins, “I heard a couple grown ups talking about them one time.” 

Emmet huffed as he shoved her with his shoulder, “Monsters dont exist like that, it’s probably some kind of pokemon.” 

“I asked my dad about them!” Elesa shoved him back, “He told me they’re said to be connected to our actual shadows. Everybody’s got a shadow, so there’s as many of these things as there are people. They lurk in the other world that’s supposed to be exactly like ours, but it’s dark and backwards.” 

“That sounds… unpleasant…” Ingo’s fingers curled around the strap of his backpack slightly as he blinked wide-eyed at Elesa. 

“Oh dont listen to her!” Emmet waved a hand at his brother, “She’s obviously making it up.”

“I am not.” Elesa puffed her cheeks out at Emmet before she turned to Ingo, opting to ignore the twin who wasnt interested, “But the other world is an unpleasant place! The Shadows know it is too, so they’re constantly, always trying to get here to our world! They want to take the place here, so they dont have to be trapped there… but they cant do that, cause they dont look like us all the way.” 

“Are they just, formless? Like our actual shadows?” Ingo asked despite the exasperated look from Emmet over Elesa’s shoulder.

She shook her head, “Dad told me they cant take our place here because they arent complete. They dont have faces like we do, they’re just wisps of darkness from half their head up!” She put her fingers against the bridge of her nose just a bit lower than half way and gestured to the upper part of her face, “It’s all gone, that’s why they cant be here cause they dont look like us.”

“So what’s the point of these things if they cant even come here anyway? Why would they want to come here if they cant?” Emmet this time, causing Elesa to turn away from Ingo who was starting to look a tad concerned. He was wearing a rather scrutinizing expression as if expecting her not to have the answer. 

“They can get faces! If they get a face they can take the place of the person who’s shadow they belong to…” Elesa said quietly which caused Emmet’s smug expression to falter a little. 

“...H-How do they do that?” Ingo’s question was quiet, concerned. 

“There’s a few ways, supposedly, some people said they naturally gain a face as we get closer to death here on our world, and when their person dies they finally gain a face…” Her eyes darted between the twins and found even Emmet was quietly staring at her with a slight tension in his jaw, “Then if they can find a way to our world they linger and stay; like how people claim to have seen people they know long after they’ve died…”

The boys shared a shaky gaze with each other as the trio walked. The sun set lower and lower in the sky, their own shadows stretching further and further behind them. Two pairs of steel blue eyes darted around to the lengthening shadows around them as they subconsciously drifted closer to Elesa. 

“W-What…” Emmet swallowed quickly after his voice wavered, “What’s the other way?”

“Well… sometimes, there’s little cracks between the worlds. And sometimes, the shadows find them. They slip through and make it here, with us, but they cant stay long because they arent complete…” Elesa’s voice dropped as the sun vanished behind the tall buildings, the warmth of it fading away leaving only a chilly breeze of the coming night, “So they have to, steal our face before they go back to the other world…” 

“S-Steal?” Ingo wrung his hands around his backpack strap, “How… do they do that?”

“Well, the only way they get a face is when their person here dies… so they, try to kill the person they belong to.” She looked at each of the twins as she spoke, taking a bit to slow her steps enough she was a bit behind them as she explained, “They can come through whenever there’s a crack, and they find it… and they can blend into any shadows nearby…”

The boys had automatically drifted closer to each other as Elesa talked, essentially pushing her out from between them. Ingo gripped the sleeve of Emmet’s shirt as the nightly shadows stretched around them, the dim lights of streetlamps making longer, darker shadows.

“They arent actually real right, Emmet?” Ingo asked quietly as he watched a particularly dark shadow pass by under their feet as they walked. 

“C-Course not!” Emmet managed a bravado he didnt feel as he stared down at the shadow under his own feet, “Even if there’s stories or whatever I still think it’s a pokemon or something! People had tons of spooky stories about ghost pokemon…” 

“Elesa you were just, making them up right?” The boys turned around to glance back at their friend, but found they’d wandered away without her. 

“E-Elesa?” Ingo called out quietly. 

There was no answer. 

“Oh ha-ha, not funny!” Emmet shouted with a twitch in his grin as he fought off the growing anxiousness he felt, “You’re not gonna scare us just disappearing like that!” 

While the boys were aware Elesa liked to prank them, it was proving difficult to keep the reminder at the front of their mind. An edge had settled into their thoughts, and the chilling air of the night and the shadows creeping under their feet were not helping against the words Elesa had just told them. 

“E-Emmet…” Ingo tugged his twin’s sleeve. 

“Y-You’re not gonna scare us Elesa!” Emmet tried again as he grabbed Ingo’s arm. 

Still silence stretched onward into the night as the Twins stood still. Caught in the space between the two street lamps, shadows were warped and long, and each one that moved caught the boys’ attention. 

“Let’s go already Emmet…” Ingo said, trying to pull his twin onward, “Even if it is Elesa… I-I dont wanna be out here anymore right now.”

Emmet was rooted for a moment, but he nodded slowly and awkwardly followed his brother, “Im gonna get her for this… her and all her scary stories!” 

“You really think it was just a story?” 

A stiff nod was all Emmet could get out for a moment, “Y-Yeah… she’s always telling us stupid spooky stories to scare us…” 

“True…” 

They walked in silence for a moment; Ingo still tightly holding Emmet’s sleeve and the strap of his backpack. Emmet stared forward stiffly trying not to let himself jump at the shadows that moved around them. They had just passed another streetlamp when Ingo jumped startling Emmet. 

“What?!” He asked quickly, finding Ingo’s gaze was glued to the foliage next to them; a short iron gate they’d been walking by with flowers and vines growing out through it. 

“S-Something moved the flowers I saw it!” Ingo said quickly looking back at Emmet. 

Emmet glanced into the messy foliage and vegetation, the gate was short enough they could jump it, which meant Elesa could too if she was following them to scare them. Emmet glared at the darkness beyond the plants. 

“Not funny anymore Elesa! You’ve spooked us good already!” 

Nothing answered still, and Emmet huffed. He turned and walked forward toward the plants causing Ingo to awkwardly follow behind. 

“E-Emmet?!” Ingo’s voice was dripping with surprised question, wondering why exactly his brother was going toward the sound instead of away. 

“It’s just Elesa I know it is.” Emmet huffed as he reached the gate, “I’ll just pull her out of there so we can stop this stupid ga-”

Emmet didnt finish, his words instead devolving into a horrified, startled scream which was accompanied by his brother’s own as well. From underneath the bottom of the plants arms shot out and grabbed one ankle on each of the brothers. Fingers squeezed around their ankles tightly before they panicked and stumbled backwards tripping over themselves and each other. Ingo tripped first, having jumped nearly five feet in the air, and his latch on Emmet dragged his brother down who had been trying to regain his own footing from his panicked backpedaling. Emmet landed on Ingo who landed in the grass as the two flailed and panicked for a moment. 

A wicked, full body laugh sounded over their panicked breathing as they stopped struggling against each other’s limbs and looked back toward the plants. Elesa stood up, leaves sticking up out of her hair and stuck to her shirt, as she laughed hard. She laughed so hard she wheezed a bit as she put a hand to her stomach. 

“I think… I think I’ve gotten you guys the best with this one!” She worked out words through her hysterical laughter, “What a reaction!” 

The boys stared up at her dumbly for a second before they reacted. Ingos arms, which had been supporting him, gave out and he flopped backwards into the grass, sprawling out with a shaky sigh of relief. Emmet on the other hand glared daggers at the girl across from them as he threw his brother’s legs off of him and scrambled to his feet. 

“You nearly gave us heart attacks!” Emmet huffed out angrily as he jumped up, “Y-You and your stupid stories!” 

Elesa was still chuckling, working to get herself back together as she wiped at her eyes, “Dont be a baby! It’s not my fault you two scare so easy all the time! You even knew it was me and you still got scared!” 

“You’re the worst sometimes you know!” Emmet huffed at the girl as he threw his hands up before turning to help pull his brother to his feet. 

Ingo was wobbly, but looked much more relieved now, the strap of his backpack had taken quite a beating this time though. 

“You two are too easy.” Elesa sighed out with a smirk.

“We’ll get you back one day.” Emmet glared at her, “You’ll never see it coming.” 

She folded her hands behind her head as the trio finally went to finish their walk home, “Sure, sure. Whatever you say Emmet.” 

He stuck his tongue out at her, and she returned the gesture.

They walked for a while in silence, until Ingo broke it glancing at Elesa.

“All the stuff you said…” He started catching her attention, “That was all just a scary story right?” 

Elesa shrugged as the boys both glanced at her, “I did hear about the shadows before from my dad, just some kind of supernatural thing that supposedly exists. Like normal ghosts and stuff like that. I dunno if any of it’s true though, like how people say they’ve seen ghosts and aliens and all that junk.”

“It’s just stupid stories.” Emmet said firmly patting Ingo’s shoulder, “Dont worry about it! Elesa’s just always messing with us…” 

He squeezed Ingo’s shoulder tightly, but his jaw was tense.

It was just another of Elesa’s scary stories. 

[jumpingjoltiks]

Saw your requests being opened! I was wondering if it would be possible to write a silly writing of one day, emmet and ingo wake up casually, but as they began to get changed. emmet notices that he somehow is in his brother's body while ingo realizes he's in emmet's body (only for a day though). do you think they're be acting like each other or just make the other frown/smile to be like them. After all, they're twins! (despite not knowing if emmet has a bald head underneath that hat while concept art ingo does..andkjandkjand) Feel free to add an s/o in there if you want and I wonder if any of the depot agents or their friends would notice lmfao.

What an interesting idea!

No warnings & no real shipping, just placed the majority of it under the cut to keep from clogging the tags. <3

Trading places

I think they'd know almost immediately. They've woken up in the wrong rooms and surrounded by the wrong pokemon!

If this is post being reunited after Hisui, Emmet also wakes up with a terrible achiness all over his body - it makes him worry for Ingo's health. He arranges some spa days and massage appointments for his brother once he gets back to himself.

They have a long discussion about things during breakfast. As long as they're together, they're quite levelheaded, even in emergencies, so they talk through how they'd like to handle things.

It's a headcanon of mine that the twins can do spot on impressions of each other, and usually do at least once or twice a year (even if just for April Fools Day).

For this reason, I don't think that most people would notice if they switched places. The ones who do... I think Elesa would, as well as their uncle, Drayden, and their s/o if they have one. Everyone else is pretty well fooled.

But since they're twins, they decide, there's really no need to do that! Maybe the simplest solution is the right one after all. Ingo-in-Emmet's-body throws on his black coat and vice-versa - then they're out the door.

It's a little strange, but really no one is any the wiser that this morning they woke up in the wrong bodies.

Now, there is some concern between them about what would happen if they don't switch back. It's a point of discussion between them all day.

Eventually, they decide, nothing really has to change. They're in bodies functionally identical to their own - they can continually live out their days as if nothing has happened.

This may be a different discussion if either of them have a partner - the twins would most certainly tell them what's happened, and there may be further discussion about what they are and aren't comfortable with their bodies doing.

Fortunately, the next morning, they wake up in their own bodies once more and everything is just fine.

There's a bit of a lingering fear that it might happen again, and it comes up a few times over the next year or so, but thankfully it's never something they have to go through again.

[vip-komilk]

Okay here's the sbms sex headcanon post. I may add onto it later.

cw for blankshipping, again like 95% nbkd

D/S / BDSM

We gotta start with Dom/Sub / BDSM. Blanket statement. The structure and well-defined rules make navigating sexual play feel more secure for them; they don't really have to worry about it as much with each other, because they have always been able to communicate their feelings and wants and needs to each other fairly easily, but when bringing in additional partners, the structure allows them that sense of safety and security.

I usually like to think Ingo and Emmet pretty consistently align to dom and sub roles respectively, although their physical positions switch. Ingo sometimes struggles a bit with the dom role because although he likes flustering and teasing Emmet, he doesn't like inflicting severe pain onto him (Emmet is verrry good about giving him aftercare in return after particularly intense scenes though, not to worry).

There's just something about the absolute trust Emmet has in Ingo — like, to a concerning degree, to the average person. Emmet sometimes gets too in his own head, isn't always good at getting himself out of mental spirals. He sometimes feels like he leans on Ingo too much, that he is a burden to him. It's a relief to be used by Ingo in such cases; to know that at the very least his body is useful to his brother. And Ingo knows how important it is to Emmet, tells him just how good he feels as he meticulously edges and fucks every cruel thought from his beautiful little brother's head until it's wonderfully empty, and then fills him back up with loving praises.

I've mentioned before how brainrotted I've become over Rali's Emmet bondage art so like. Yeah. You can just assume that's going on in my head for them too. I had a whole friggin post about Emmet being a huge fan of edging, so I won't get into detail about it again, but the bondage lends itself to that, particularly if his being restrained means he's unable to remove any other stimuli being applied as well (vibration, shock, temperature etc etc, I'll get to that more in a sec).

Petplay is such a good one for them by the way. To me. Do I need to get into detail about it when I've drawn it repeatedly and wrote a whole damn fic about it? It's just another facet of Emmet eagerly giving up his autonomy to Ingo, placing himself entirely into his brother's hands to do with what he wants. It's the idea of being the defender, the guard dog, willing to act at the other's command. It's the idea of a collar as a symbol of how they utterly belong to one another; the heaviness of leather against a throat as a constant reminder, the thrill of it being seen under their clothing. Which leads me into the next thing.

---

Possessiveness and Exhibitionism

I think this is slightly more Ingo's thing than Emmet, though Emmet certainly isn't opposed.

I like writing Ingo with a possessive streak. Part of it certainly stems from his desire to protect his brother from anyone potentially suspicious (read: anyone besides himself). Part of it is entirely selfish and jealous, which is something he is usually good at hiding. When it comes to his brother though, his composure and rationality shatters surprisingly fast. It's something Emmet knows, and likes to exploit and take advantage of just to see that darker side of Ingo come to the surface.

(cw: ntr) Emmet can be a tease and a flirt. He wants Ingo's attention, and all attention is good attention. He'll always try to rile Ingo up in public, try to crack his composure, try to get a reaction out of him. He knows the power he holds over his brother, and he's always testing the limits of what he's allowed to get away with. He'll flirt around to make Ingo jealous or invite casual partners into their apartment knowing Ingo will walk in on them, just to piss him off. At the end of the day though, Emmet always comes back to Ingo.

Ingo likes to mark Emmet up when they have sex; scratches and bitemarks, bruises, rope and wax burns. He purposefully does it in places that aren't necessarily out in the open, but that have the potential of slipping into view; his collarbones, his wrists, his hips. Emmet is usually exasperated with the state of his body in the aftermath, but the sting of raw scratch marks rubbing against his clothing or the ache of bruises on his arms and hips as he goes through his workday always sends a thrill down his spine at the memory of how exactly they were placed there. Ingo, on the other hand, can't help but to puff out his chest a little more at the mere glimpse of the marks; as taboo as it might be, there's a part of him that wants other people to see them and wonder just how exactly they got there, and who was the cause of them. Similarly, they're not opposed to experimenting with things like shibari under clothing or plugs/vibrators inserted for extended periods of time.

They attempt public sex a lot more often than they should, considering their relationship and their reputation. The way Ingo feels sick with adrenaline is addicting to him; everytime they get away with it successfully, he swears they'll never do it again, but then he's always the one initiating it again only a few weeks later.

---

Sensory play

Exhibitionism is Ingo's Thing and sensory play is Emmet's. It's tied to the edging, and I went into it in detail in that initial post as well, but to summarize: the appeal of sensory play to Emmet is the challenge to withstand it. Things like shock stimulation, temperature play, wax play, pain play etc. are all erotic because they're uncomfortable or even painful. I hc that Emmet has built up a tolerance to electroshocks from training his electric type Pokemon, so it's what he tends to be the best at edging himself with. He also likes sensory deprivation; blindfolds, gags, ear plugs, restraints etc etc etc. Not being able to anticipate what's coming next adds to the excitement and the challenge, and depriving his senses allows his imagination to wander.

The thing I didn't write about in that initial post is that I don't really think Ingo enjoys the sensory play much at all (the deprivation stuff he's fine with, just the addition of pain stimuli). Like I mentioned at the top, he's not actually very keen on inflicting pain on his brother, and so because of Ingo's hesitance, Emmet enjoys some of his sensory play in solitude, as a form of prep or masturbation, before dragging Ingo in to finish him off.

Ingo is particularly sensitive to sensory play the few times he has tried it himself, and either comes embarrassingly quickly or taps out within a couple of minutes because of the discomfort. Emmet thinks it's hilarious, Ingo obstinately thinks it's dumb.

---

CNC / Somnophilia

(cw for non/dubcon elements) So... the thing I like to headcanon about Emmet. Is that he has very little concept of himself outside of his relation to his brother. Ingo is a little better at asserting his independence; Emmet not so much. (Which is why post-Ingo-disappearance is so fucking interesting to me, because Emmet is very jarringly forced to confront that fact, but that's a tangent we simply don't have time for.) The point here is that Emmet really does just kind of approach their relationship as if they are an extension of each other; Emmet's body belongs to Ingo as much as it belongs to himself, and he allows — expects — Ingo to use it at his leisure.

He would be more than fine with Ingo taking him by force, any time, any place he wanted. He would be delighted to be woken up with Ingo's fingers inside him, having him persist gently but oh so firmly, showering him with praises even as he attempts to protest. He would love to feel Ingo's grip on him tighten, his body pulled flush to Ingo's as he squirms and writhes in a feeble attempt to escape.

Ingo would only ever do such a thing if it were discussed at length ahead of time, but boy does Emmet fantasize about it.

Something that's not quite the same, but is... dubcon related (lol) is this post I made about Ingo bottoming/subbing when he's in some sort of altered state (fatigue, illness, alcohol/drugs, hypnosis, heat/rut etc.). He doesn't like the idea of Emmet having to do the work, so there always has to be some sort of "excuse" to fall back on. Meanwhile, sometimes Emmet is absolutely desperate to give back in some way, to prove that he is capable of pleasing Ingo and worthy of his affection (not that he needs to prove it but again. Emmet be gettin in his own head about things sometimes).

---

Vocalization

Everyone knows Ingo is loud. That's submas 101 shit. More importantly, Ingo's sounds during sex are constant. He's always grunting and moaning and whimpering about something. He's a notorious rambler the more turned on he is and the closer he gets to orgasm; the type to always be muttering praises and affirmations and encouragements, whispering "I love you," "you're doing so well," "you feel so good," "You look so beautiful". The closer he gets to coming, the more frantic and loud and clingy he gets.

Emmet is the opposite. As opposed to words, he mostly just makes noises, and the longer a scene goes on, the less vocal he gets; slipping into subspace (during actual intercourse or not) usually involves him speaking a lot less than usual, and he will sometimes go completely nonverbal. They have both verbal and nonverbal safe words/gestures for this reason, and that makes things easier for when their sensory deprivation play involves gagging as well.

---

Other random shit

Here's just some random thoughts that aren't developed enough for a whole damn paragraph.

Ingo likes seeing Emmet dressed up or in lingerie; he gets too embarrassed to do it himself (although Emmet can convince him to every once in a while with the strict stipulation that there's no photos).

If ever they have to spend the night apart because one of them (usually Ingo) is on a business trip, they WILL be having phone sex, and Emmet usually makes Ingo be extra loud so he can hear him clearly (why's the Xtransceiver connection always so bad when Ingo is away?? Isn't that so strange??).

Ingo has sensitive ears and a sensitive chest, which Emmet loves to take advantage of by licking and biting them.

Emmet is usually the more adventurous one in the bedroom and the one to bring new ideas to the table. He'll sometimes get in his head about bringing them up, but he also acts very obviously weird when he's trying to hide something and so Ingo knows to pry it out of him. Ingo will then research everything exhaustively, even if it's not something he’s really interested in, and be ready to try it by the next evening.

Edit:

This one is less serious but I like to ignore the whole identical twin realism for a second just to make Emmet have a huge dick that he doesn't use. Only Ingo is allowed to touch it for sexual reasons, Emmet refers to it more like a toy than his own appendage. The objectification of it all. Huge dick, tiny tits, absolute bottom but I don't have a fave or anything... As a friend commented when I told her, this is the greed they spoke of in the bible.

Speaking of tits there's a whole post about it, I'll keep my degenerate shit over there.

I can't believe I forgot to mention cock cages I might have to amend the top section later lol; Anyway I think Emmet is wearing cock cages a lot. It's the edging again. I don't need to explain more I don't think.

Something to add in more detail when I have time. I think Emmet is a lot more into involving other people in their sex life than Ingo is (again, Emmet likes the attention and Ingo tends to get possessive/jealous). After Ingo disappears, Emmet tends to throw himself into relationships thoughtlessly and haphazardly because he craves the physical intimacy he shared with Ingo; these relationships end up being short-lived and self-destructive because it's clear that Emmet is just projecting onto his partners. Ingo, on the other hand, is practically celibate in the case that he has any recollection of having a previous partner that he can't remember the details of. I think Ingo is painfully loyal in that regard.

again something to get more into later is feederism stuff uhhh I mean this is nothing new I've seen this hc in fics a lot, but especially in an au where they reunite post-Hisui, I think Ingo is particularly stringent about getting Emmet's neglected health back on track. It starts out entirely well-meaning when he starts taking over the cooking in the house and making sure Emmet is working his way up to regular-sized portions. Aaand maybe he's a bit intense and pushy about it when Emmet says he's full and Ingo insists he just have a bit more. Aaaand maybe it starts to get a bit perverse for both of them. Who's to say.

[esprei]

I just recently got into the submas Fandom and people kept telling me about Emmet x Volo being bad and toxic.

But when I looked into it, all I saw was your art of them and some. And it's not toxic at all??? What are people talking about?

You show them so nice and healthy wholesome together. It actually makes me interested in that ship.

Is that wrong of me? I just think your art of them is pretty neat.

Maybe more people should see how you show their relationship and stop not letting people have nice things.

hey there! first of all, welcome to the fandom! :D hopefully you'll have a great time! and I can do my best to explain this from my perspective at least. or... at least from what I've experienced/seen. (sorry, this will probably end up being long ;;) so to preface, it's not wrong of you at all to be interested in the ship! Emmet and Volo themselves have had zero interactions with each other in canon up to this point, so their interactions/relationship/etc are a blank slate, free real estate sandbox that's up to one's imagination and fanon interpretation. there's nothing inherently wrong about putting them together because they have no dialogue between them or anything that can be referenced as "this is how they would go together, this is how they would interact because it's been established that way in this game or piece of media". all we've got is their dialogue and individual personalities that we can glean from official sources (i.e. Pokemon Masters EX, the Pokemon Special manga and BW/BW2 for Emmet and Legends Arceus for Volo). really the only thing that "connects" Emmet and Volo is Ingo ending up in Hisui. and the reason I say this "connects" them is because a popular theory is that Ingo being sent to Hisui was a direct result of Volo having Giratina open the rift to try and drive Arceus out. but none of this is actually ever stated in canon, I believe. (also when I've seen some people talk before about this theory, there's basically this implication that Volo did it out of malicious intent, as if he knew he was going to bring Ingo specifically to Hisui by doing it and...? I'm so sorry, but no, I just cannot get behind this at all. Volo's sole purpose of getting Giratina to open up the rift was to drive Dialga and Palkia mad in order to bring Arceus from out of hiding - that's literally what he says in the game's dialogue.

I highly doubt that he had any idea as to who Ingo was at all before he met him at some point in Hisui for the first time). but yeah. i only bring this up because it's kinda what I think started the idea of Emmet and Volo interacting at all? maybe not exactly, I can't remember because it's been too long and I both don't remember and wasn't too directly involved when all of this started. but essentially Emmet and Volo even being considered interacting kinda revolved around this idea that Emmet is looking for Ingo, finds out that Volo was the reason for the rift that caused Ingo's disappearance, and that now leads me into the part of why I think the ship is seen as toxic. so. the main reason I'm pretty sure that people say that the ship is toxic is because of how much a lot of early art/works portrayed it (based on what I just explained above). and it's totally fair. because admittedly it did start out with some violent aspects and really just Emmet doing things I personally don't think he would ever do. for example, beating the crap out of Volo for being the reason Ingo disappeared. Emmet being violent in order to demand answers for the sake of getting his brother back. etc, etc. and this really put a bad taste in people's mouths because it really just cast Emmet in a bad light. that, and it was a toxic, unhealthy portrayal of an enemies to lovers trope. and Volo was kinda portrayed as conniving/sneaky/manipulative/etc, and yeah. just things like that I think made popular for it ended up giving the pair a bad rep early on when Legends Arceus was still a popular topic (we're talking like... I dunno. late March into April and on of 2022? ...2022 was when PLA came out right?) honestly though? the beauty about a ship like this is that, as i said before, it's a completely blank slate. it's free real estate. you can portray it however you see fit because there's absolutely zero canon to base it off of (as far as the two characters themselves interacting with each other goes). it can be as wholesome as you want it to be. or it can be enemies to lovers. it can be rivals to lovers. it can be just two guys who happen to meet on the Battle Subway or in Gear Station and connect through a shared love of Pokemon/battling and develop a relationship that way. just because the ship itself maybe had the majority of its portrayal in the beginning as unhealthy doesn't mean it's forever bad, toxic and all around unsalvageable at this point. and while I certainly don't expect anyone who's perhaps uncomfortable or otherwise turned off from the ship because of its roots to suddenly turn around one day and warm up to it because it has potential to be portrayed in a wholesome or positive way, I also don't think it's very fair to blanket label the whole ship bad and toxic just for the fact alone that a lot of the early works for it were depicting a not-so-healthy relationship between the two. i mean that was like... two years ago at this point. things can change. anyway, this is getting long like I knew it would so I'll stop there XD I hope this at least maybe gives some context as to why the ship is seen that way by some? but at the end of the day there's no canon official way to portray it. it has potential to be healthy! and there's nothing wrong about being interested in it. that's just my two cents on it :D

and lastly, thank you so much! it really warms my heart to hear that you think my art of them is pretty neat! I really do want to draw more for them, just... you know. time and motivation 😅 but hopefully I can do something again for them soon!

[ratwithhands]

i'm curious about your submas magical boy au, what would a reunion between emmet and ingo look like after everything?

Probably very jarring. The thing with the basic story is that the separation leads both of them to become more focused on their own circumstances (Ingo connects to and identifies more with the people and environment around him, while Emmet isolates himself and tries to do everything alone).

If they were to meet again, they wouldn't recognize each other. Like, they'd know logically that they are brothers, this is their old battle partner, but they would not understand what became of each other. I think if they met in their battle forms, Ingo would start attacking while Emmet is trying to process who he's looking at. I do think after some time to calm down and talk about how their lives had been, they would eventually return to their close bond, likely having their uniforms change again to reflect their journeys.

I haven't written that far but I can guarantee you that Ingo would throw his weapon at Emmet 💀 No way he spent who knows how long defending the Pearl Clan only to find himself facing this flying armed thing and he doesn't go on the offense. Seeing Emmet go on the defensive and not directly attack him would probably confuse him a lot too.

When I get more of this stuff outlined, I'll try drawing some interactions. Thank you for your ask ^^!

[waywardstation]

if your Akari/Dawn is her own character did she witness the whole Team Galactic Drama? Or at least Cyrus?

I gotta admit after Ingo showed up in the game and took over my brain I was also wondering about Cyllene since she's Cyrus ancestor. And while she does look strict and acts strict she is very caring under the surface and tried to support and help Akari as much as possible. Also her "Don't die. Thats an order." feels badass.

Given almost everyone did play the Sinnoh games to some degree or knew the story a lot of people were wary of her at first. Just in the same way many were more trusting of Volo since he is Cynthias Ancestor. So I'm wondering how much did your Akari witness of the Team Galaxy Stuff and how well did she knew Cynthia?

At the same time going in without further connection is still interesting. (hope its ok to throw that out as well, not too Ingo focused though I believe Cyllene and Ingo got along fairly well (probably also met a few times to eat at the wallflower and all) and despite not talking too much with each other and outside of polite greeting each other they can tell how the other feels despite the constant frown/strict look.)

Constant frown but good inside buddies unite!!

OH THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION

This is a hard one for me. I haven’t thought about it, but first thoughts are perhaps she was aware, but not nearly as much as Lucas since he was the one dealing with most of that directly.

When I don’t know what to do, sometimes I consider having Akari initially see people the way I initially saw them. Especially since at the point of playing this, I played Pearl LONG ago (one of my first Pokemon games besides HGSS), I knew what Cyrus did, but at this point, it’s so fuzzy I don’t remember many of the specifics. I’m not as informed as I should be, probably like Akari.

So when I first met Cyllene, I noted she was strict but didn’t feel like I had any reason to distrust her. Half of it was because Beni’s first interaction was the one that made me go “man you’re not friendly”, and the other half was that I didn’t want to attribute anything I knew about Cyrus to a stranger. I liked her from the start (The line about her tendency to stress eat at The Wallflower in the beginning gave me the impression that she’s serious about her work and cares about doing things right/worried about things going wrong), and as things went on, I only liked her more — you’re right about the “Don’t die. That’s an order.” line going so hard lol.

For me at least, knowing a character’s descendants didn’t sway me to feel one way or the other about them — while I did trust Volo and like him a lot in the start, it was just cause he was kind and gave me presents lol. It was only after he started helping me during the exile when I started to question him.

And because I applied these feelings I had about Volo to Akari as well, I’m apt to have her feel the same way I did about Cyllene — perhaps noting it, but not deciding to feel wary of her unless she herself shows reason to.

ALL OF THAT IS TO SAY. Akari was aware of Team Galactic and Cyrus’ plans, moreso after the fact after Lucas stopped them, and she knows of Cynthia, but not as well or personally like Lucas does. It wouldn’t sway how she sees their ancestors either.

AND I have seen people talk about Cyllene and Ingo getting along, I’ve appreciated the idea! While it’s all I’ve really written in depth so far, I like to think Ingo gets more work buddies besides just Zisu once he starts working at the dojo. Cyllene would definitely be one of them; Professor Laventon too! ^^

[onestepbackwards]

Perhaps..an idea or request. There’s so little of this, but I genuinely want to see an Enemies to Lovers trope when it comes to the Subway Bosses. Like how would it go down??? Would we come onto the Battle Subway just to fight them every chance we can get, bragging rights to taunts, but it slowly turns to rather flirtatious teases in a way?? I feel like this would be more fitting for Emmet especially with that ego of his. :’] Ingo, on the other hand, mild at most. He might be annoyed at times, but he might find it slowly endearing and at one point, concerned? You can do SFW or NSFW with this. Up to you.

It would be so interesting 👀

Overall, both the Subway Bosses would still be rather respectful. Their customer service is some of the best in the region, as is their intolerance to truly hateful people.

But that doesn't mean they can't get snarky or let a thing slip here or there. Or engage in some playful taunts and ribbing here and there.

It's never too much or crossing a line, but it's usually after you say something first to egg them on.

Emmet would be one to have sharper retorts to your taunts. He may not speak as much or as loudly as his brother, but his words have an edge to them that only have you eager to win even more.

You'd even compare his tongue to that of a knife with how his own taunts can cut deep.

Make no mistake, he's as focused as ever.

Ingo is much more reserved, and holds back from falling for your egging and bait.

But its clear your words get to him. How the frown on his face twitches slightly as you taunt him.

Instead of upsetting him though, the corner of his mouth briefly twitches upward, and you get the distinct feeling you are about to get swept.

Of course, you learn from your mistakes, and go in next time, a new set of taunts ready, and your team ready to go.

Regardless of which twin you see first, if not both, they both give you a look of recognition.

Emmet even throws the first words.

"I am Emmet, and you have returned. Perhaps you learned something this time?"

His words would sting, if you didn't see the excited look on his face.

Of course, the result is the same as last time. But you vow to make him work for it the next time you challenge him!

With Ingo, he's still as polite as ever, giving you a similar greeting this time.

Though he does call out your previous attitude.

"Though perhaps, am I to expect the same taunts as last time? I hope you have some new material to work with."

Ingo almost gives you a chance at least, before utterly obliterating your team.

You leave their trains, defeated once again. Though before you go, you swear to them you'll be back, stronger than ever.

Emmet has a gleam in his eyes, hoping you keep your promise. Ingo tells you he can't wait to see it in action one day.

It continues that way for a while, you show up, one or the other throws some taunts, and you usually end up leaving in defeat.

That is, until you finally start getting close to winning. For once, you actually are making them have to work for the win.

The Battle Subway definitely was great training for you in the long run. Not just your encounters with each Subway Boss. The continuous battles to even get to them had you trying new strategies and coming up with things on the fly.

And finally, after weeks of trying, you do it.

You win.

You win.

Regardless who it's against, even if its against both, you are surprised by the look of pure glee that ends up on their faces.

Emmet's face practically lights up as he rushes over to you.

"Very impressive! Verrrry impressive indeed!" He says, and reaches over to shake your hand. His excitement catches you off guard. If anything, you were expecting... maybe a good job at best? Or a snide remark?

Ingo is very similar, even if he isn't as expressive when you beat him. He approaches you, his footsteps loud as he crosses the train car to you.

"BRAVO! SUPER BRAVO!!"

His voice has you nearly jumping, and you can practically feel the joy in his voice.

He doesn't even seem a lick upset, even after all the battles you have had, roasting one or the other.

Of course, despite the sudden praise, it hits you why they are so excited the next time they speak after handing you... a pass?

"Congratulations! You now qualify for the Super Trains!"

And in that moment, it hits you.

They had been going easy on you this whole time.

...

Though as you end up leaving the train in a daze...

A part of you felt warm that your bitter rivals were so excited to see you succeed and have a chance at doing this song and dance even more.

[leggerefiore]

It might snow where I live this week so I got nostalgic about snow days as a kid. That got me wondering if you have any head canons about the parents with their kids on snow days? Emmet probably teaches the girls how to be vicious snowball fighters…

characters: Ingo, Emmet, Cyrus, Colress, N, Volo, Grimsley, Lear, Larry, Nanu

Ingo and Erin go for a walk together. Erin is a bit bad with the cold, so he is basically clinging to Ingo the entire time while bundled up like a laundry ball. You can barely see his face underneath the layers. Ingo is more moderately dressed, having long since adjusted to the harsh winters of Unova. Chandelure is also out and keeling a gentle warmth over them both while watching Erin when Ingo gets distracted. They both head back in when they are done and enjoy some hot beverages. (Hot chocolate for Erin and coffee for Ingo.) They also build a snowman… Erin asks to put a conductor's hat on them to make them a snow-conductor. Ingo does so.

Emmet and his girls are a bit more… active. Inka wants to just run and play the entire day and is absolutely having a snow ball fight with Emma against their papa. Emmet does genuinely fight back. After all, if a battle is not serious, it is not fun. He does end up losing as a 2v1 is still unfair even if your enemies are little girls. His defeat conditions mean making them hot chocolate. He complies with their demands. Emma is entranced by the beauty of the snow and ends up snapping some photos of the weather.

Cyrus and Cyllene are certainly more… home bodies. They do not often go out adventuring, and snow is more common where they live. Yet… When Lenie wishes to go out for a walk in it, Cyrus joins her to watch over her. Despite living in the frigid conditions of Sinnoh, he is quite unacclimatised to turn colder temperatures. He bundles up for more than he should and makes sure that Lenie is much the same. He holds her hand as they walk around just outside of Veilstone to see the mountainous routes surrounding it. The snow is truly beautiful. They both then head back inside and curl up under a blanket while enjoying the beauty of central hearing.

Grimsley is not much of a snow person, but he does not mind the cold. The iciness of the seasonal shift in Unova is a bitter thing, but he seems to get why his kids want to play outside. Nero was an active sort who always seemed to busy himself, and Morrigan wanted to follow him around everywhere. So, they both end up playing on Route 14 as Grimsley watches over them. His Houndoom stands at his side as the two bicker and toss snowballs at each other. Nero decides to build a snowman and snatches Grimsley scarf and declares it a snow-gamber. A chuckle does escape him from that. Morrigan ends up tracing Nero's steps like a cat. Both end up at his sides in the end, seeking warmth. He just lets them with a sigh while wondering if he could have had this when he was younger.

Colress really does not understand Prisma's demands to go out in the weather – Even more so why she demanded that he join her. He did, of course, happy to spend time with her. She observed the snow with such a curious expression he fell into explaining the meteorological events that lead to snow. She then nods at his words before tossing a snowball at him. He is momentarily stunned before realising she was giggling at him. The scientist then found himself imitating her, leading to a fierce snowball fight. He determines that fighting may have the same benefits between people as it does with pokemon. They also build a snow man together. Prisma puts a lab coat on it. They end their snow venture by heading in and warming up on the couch. Colress found valuable data in this experience, he supposes.

Lear struggles to understand why he must pull away from his endlessly busy schedule. But… When his children look at him so pleasingly, he cannot help but relent to his wishes. He will never be the man his father was. They mostly end up wandering around the gardens due to his worries for their safety. Regan seems utterly fascinated in attempting to build a snow shelter while Cordelia insists on making snow angels. He worries about her health, knowing her condition is frail, but she seemed in and up-turn. He ends up helping Regan build the snow shelter. Cordelia and Regan both also toss some snowballs at him, frustrating him and reminding him of something their other parent did to him. Lear does not fight back, however. In the end, he calls them inside and has them eat warm stew and hot drinks. He also has to sit under a blanket for a long while.

N and Clover are quite entranced by snow. Both already tend to be out in nature, so a change in weather does not deter them. They mostly end up spending time with various pokemon out in the cold, but end up doing some traditional snow activities. A snowman is made with Clover wondering if it will come to life. N ponders it for a moment, too. Ice types often could be made of ice… They skip out on a snowball fight. She ends up clinging to N after a while, alas she is still a small girl and the temperatures are far too cold for long-time exposure. She ends up snuggled with him under a blanket after a while. N feels oddly complete… Something dances just in the back of his mind about fulfilling a dream.

Larry goes outside with his kids into the snow. His son and him play catch with a snowball until it falls apart. His daughter flops back into the snow and stares up at the sky. He worries about her until she pops up and asks if birds do not fly in this weather. She sounds extremely disappointed. His son and daughter end up making a snow-Larry being tormented by a snow-Geeta. He does not know how to react to that. They all end up enjoying a hotpot at a local restaurant in the end. The foodie gene was inherited by them both.

Snow in Hisui was not an uncommon thing. The whole region was usually bathed in it for the winter months. Volo had lived here his entire life and long since adjusted to this schedule. Yet, he found himself watching in intrigue as his own daughter explored the icy grounds. Astrea had certainly inherited his curiosity, of that he was sure. He followed her closely as she wandered, stuck between concern and fear. She turned back at him a few times and smiled at him so brightly. He pondered how such a child could exist in this awful world. They end up sitting beside each other and watch the snow build for a while. She asks him questions and he answers. Somehow… in the end, he feels as if his people's legacy is safe within her hands. Especially as she leans into his side for warmth.

It does not snow in Alola, excluding a mountaintop. If it does, Nanu is freaking out and probably having to calm and upset Tapu. Ohi'a ponders how this incident came to be.

[fractualized]

Alright, I wanna say more about Joker: The World other than flagging misprints (only one I saw, fyi), so here's a little round-up!

🃏 United States: "Epilogue is Prologue" Writer: Geoff Johns Art: Jason Fabok

Of course we kick off with a Three Jokers epilogue like oh my god why are you doing this to me stop trying to make three Jokers happen Johns what did we ever do to you

For a 6-page story, I could bitch a lot about it, but maybe in a separate post. Generally, it got an eyeroll from me because I am out of patience, but if you're into Three Jokers and/or really love Fabok's art, maybe it'll be one of your reasons to pick this book up.

Anyway, onto something new and engaging!

🃏 Spain: "Spring Break" Writer and Artist: David Rubín

Spain features Joker on a little vacation, with the narration being from a postcard he's writing to Batman. He talks about the corruption of this city, and how it makes him homesick, but not for the reason you'd first expect.

I liked this one! Put it in the plus column!

🃏 Germany: "No Jazz" Writer: Torsten Sträter Artist: Ingo Römling

This is my favorite art! Colorful lil Joker managing his big thugs and throwing them out windows. I had a hard time picking one panel. But besides that, it has a fun story that credits Joker for the conditions at Wacken Open Air, a heavy metal music festival, in 2023. The music is not to his taste. :(

Another plus!

🃏 Italy: "Strategy of Tension" Writer: Enrico Brizzi Artist: Paolo Bacilieri

This one is similar to the Spain story in that we have Joker on a vacation of sorts in Bologna, where he teaches a class on storytelling. His students protest against the government, and after one bloody day, Joker decides the authorities deserve "the fruits of their madness."

More on the philosophical end, had me pondering, another good one.

🃏 Brazil: "City of the Mad, Cemetery of the Living" Writer: Felipe Castilho Artist: Tainan Rocha

Arkham Asylum is franchising, and to prove they can handle the inmates, "Colônia Arkham" in Santana da Mantiqueira is accepting a transfer of the Joker. While there is sentiment against the facility, comparing it to the horrors of Hospital Colônia de Barbacena, there are also crowds outside the new facility to welcome Joker. Joker is basking in his fandom until his barber relates how the old Colônia manufactured madness instead of resolving it.

This is the third story with Joker contemplating horrors and corruption outside himself, and it's refreshing against all the stories where he personally is The Worst Thing Ever. Thumbs up.

🃏 Mexico: "The Wrestler" Writer: Alvaro Fong Varela Artist: Oscar Pinto

In Mexico, we're dropped in the middle of a festival, but the story revolves more around Joker's beef with a local wrestler, Ocelotl. Ocelotl was unable to complete a job for Joker, it seems, and Joker is offended that he sent his son to report the failure instead of appearing himself. And you know things end badly when you've irked Joker.

I'm kind of neutral on this one. I like the art, but the story is middling and drops in a "lesson" for Ocelotl at the end. The Batman stinger gave me a chuckle, though.

[7] Czech Republic: "Kafka, Beer, Semtex" Writer: Štěpán Kopřiva Artist: Michal Suchánek

This is a contender for my favorite story. Candidates for the Czech Joker (shown above) are interviewed by a panel overseen by the original, and each one explains their philosophy behind their crimes. Joker's choice in the end isn't particularly surprising, but the candidate's stories are fun and the art is dynamic.

Plus column!

🃏 Turkey: "Fool's Bootblack" Writer: Metin Akdülger Artist: Ethem Onur Bilgiç

In Istanbul we go back hundreds of years, when Ezekiel Arkham is among the Europeans visiting the city to take pieces of it back home. Like many westerners, he's been invited to a theater performance that night, and the Jester is encouraging his squad of shoe shiners to polish the shoes of all the patrons. The Mad Bat knows he's up to something and sweeps him away for interrogation.

Another neutral. I like the scheme, and I had to laugh when the Mad Bat's attempt to interrogate without a beating fails fast, but the story feels drawn out and the ending didn't really land for me.

🃏 South Korea: "Copycat" Writer: Inpyo Jeon Artist: Jaekwang Park

The Czech Republic tale introduced others taking on Joker's mantle, but this is the first story where other Jokers are fully center stage for a copycat spree in Busan. (And the original Joker does not make a showing.) Our protagonist is a cop who tries and tries to talk them down, but eventually the copycats become familiar with him, turning him into a target.

I'm on the fence about this one. The art is great, but it treats Jokerism like virus which… eh.

🃏 Argentina: "Funeral" Writer: Matías Timarchi Artist: Germán Peralta

In Buenos Aires, the story is also not about Joker. We follow a boy who grows up as part of his father's hooligan gang. He tries to take his father's position, but he's beaten down and not taken seriously— until he finds inspiration in stories of a homicidal clown in Gotham City.

On the fence about this one too. It's interesting how the protag's story isn't so different than the variations we've seen of Joker getting involved in crime early in life, before the vat, but it also leans into the issue of defining Joker more by outlandishness than by humor. You could see Joker himself remarking on that difference, but the story ends before that opportunity.

🃏 Cameroon: "Black Therapy" Writer: Dr. Ejob Gaius Artist: Bertrand Mbozo'o Zeh

In Cameroon, the protagonist already works as a clown, and he's frustrated by the lack of respect he receive in his community. But he's guided by a book, ominously titled Breaking the Chains of the Mind, into searching for the moment he can claim his salvation.

I had trouble connecting the dots on some details in this one. It's also another "spreading Jokerism" story that leaves me with more questions than the South Korea story. Joker is actually involved in this case, so it's part of a plan and not a virus, but… what is the plan? I don't think any of these stories are slotted for continuation, so it's just a case where it ends and you're like, well OK, I guess those answers are never coming.

🃏 Poland: "The Royal Jester" Writer: Tomasz Kołodziejczak Artist: Jacek Michalski

In Wawel Castle, Joker admires the painting of Stańczyk, from one of those memes you kids like. After the tour guide explains the painting's significance, Joker lingers behind to steal it, but he's foiled by Zawisza, a Black Knight with less patience for the clown than the Dark Knight.

It was nice to dig back into Joker himself as the book nears its close. His reasoning for why he finds the painting so attractive that he traveled to Poland is as lofty as you'd expect for him. There's more scene setting than necessary at the start, but by the end, I really liked this one.

🃏 Japan: "The Unfunny Joke" (Chapter 1 of Joker: One Operation Joker) Writer: Satoshi Miyagawa Artist: Keisuke Gotou

It's disappointing that this anthology closes with a reprint instead of a new story. And I've read all of One Operation Joker! I had a good time! But come oonnnnnn.

That said, look, you got Joker trying to care for Baby Batman. What better silliness and unexpected heartwarmth could you want?

🃏

Unevenness aside, I liked seeing these takes on Joker from writers across the world, whether they were about the character himself or the way his influence may reach far beyond Gotham City. (Except for the Three Jokers thing. Stop it. Stop it.) If you're a Joker fan, I say pick this book up.

And maybe I'll finally read the entirety of Batman: The World now! After I finish going through the Duke Thomas comics. And finally get back to Batman RIP. Ohhh and I still gotta start Knightfall! And