#Clan is Family and that means...

[tammyhybrid21]

Ingo and the Pearl Clan

(A whole Lot of Thoughts)

You know, I might as well admit it, I’m currently in PLA and SubMas Station. More to the latter than the former, but they kind of go hand in hand truly. So, while I’m here, I might as well make some posts talking about things I’ve noticed in my own funky view and the complexities of interpretation... So here we go some headcanons...

Specifically, I’m going to start with some observations/headcanons for PLA Era, with Ingo and the Pearl Clan, because I have... many strong opinions about them really.

There’s not any particular order to these, nor do I particularly care how clear/concise they are to people not me, it’s more just my thoughts to be gotten down.

Mostly going to be general rambling, organized as dot points but that’s just how I do, prepare for wall of text I am not going to apologise for. Especially since I don’t have game screenshots on hand, nor do I feel like hunting them down for what’s basically stream of consciousness and self-indulgent thoughts. Also I already know a lot of this has a bias, its fandom... it’s supposed to be what we find fun/pleasing.

General Pearl Clan:

Alright, I’m going struggle here, but I feel it’s very important for me to just get a key thing out of the way first. I am very, very attached to the Found Family vibes that the Pearl Clan could have. I’m very attached to how there’s the storytelling in the subtle and unspoken with Ingo and the Pearl Clan. He’s their stranger from nowhere.

And it hurts my soul so much when people make fics where they keep outsidering him. Or worse, where Ingo outsiders himself. Now I know how his dialogue is in game... it’s not exactly showing him settled in Hisui by any means, but it really feels a lot more complicated than just open and shut he’s unhappy.

Purpose, wondering what his purpose here in Hisui is... and then the paraphrase of “Seek out All Pokémon”-- I have some conspiracy glasses on this, beyond just the he was Arceus Plan A theory... But this isn’t the place for that.

But yeah, I have a lot of complicated feelings about Ingo and the acceptance or lack of that he has in the Pearl Clan. But how can I even begin to explain them, I don’t truly know.

I just, I have a lot of emotions but not the words to put it into something digestible. But I really do not like seeing fics where the Pearl Clan is outright hostile... for all they are to us and the Galaxy Team in the game, they have valid reasons for wariness... but also, I have views and ideas on that... a general oddball headcanon that hey... what if Ingo arrived with injuries from other humans?

Or logically... maybe the clan is wary because poachers do be a thing still even in Pokémon Universe.

Seriously though, the fact Ingo is a Warden at all says a lot. Whether you want it to or not, Ingo wearing the Pearl Clan tunic and uniform as well... even if he’s clinging to his past, he’s changed. He’s adapted, I would also like to point at the Path of Solitude and Alpha battles with the FUN NOTE... Those pokémon aren’t in Pokéballs.

While his main team obviously is, and we do see him using pokéballs, it’s not like he’s entirely putting everything in a pokéball

Also this leads to the fun speculation I’ve seen of both SubMas twins having pokéglotism and I would like to say love that. So much.

N handshake SubMas Twins: If you just ask the wildlife if it wants to throw hands, the answer is usually “YES”

No but seriously, his Path of Solitude battles just start with the pokémon out and no pokéball animation... I don’t think those mon are caught either... THEY DON’T EVEN FAINT INTO POKÉBALLS!

I actually have a lot to say about Ingo in the Pearl Clan tunic and clothing, but it’s very hard to put these thoughts into proper words. But it really does say more than people want to acknowledge that he’s wearing it at all. He is adopted, he has adapted. Even with it blending with his uniform... Ingo has found more family and that’s just so important to me. Family can be many things and the Pearl Clan been community and family is just... the best take. They took him in, made him their own.

Okay, but seriously, Ingo’s adapted more than people seem to think. But that’s a mess to try and explain, mess to give any evidence or anything to. But generally, it hurts my SOUL to see takes where the Pearl Clan is only tolerating Ingo because he’s the funny guy that Lady Sneasler picked up. Let him be their funny guy who talks about things nobody not even he fully understands.

The community of it is very important to me.

Even if not perfect, leads me into a bit of a weird point where I feel a lot of Ingo’s not settled feeling that there is in Hisui is just... closure issues. Like the lack of fully knowing what he’s missing, just a longing for it... but it’s like if he did have his memory, it might be both easier and harder... because then he does know, but can he go back? He’s made a new home, new role... Jumping right into it. Anycase, it really feels like the issue is more closure to me. He’s made a home, and does belong but isn’t settled because he can’t reconcile it without the full context.

Also on this, fics where he just drops everything to go Home no hesitation leave a bad taste because it feels WRONG.

More fics where it’s a struggle emotionally, it’s a hard decision, the hardest... in a void anyway

Adore fics where the Pearl Clan hears he has the opportunity to go home and are just SO EXCITED for him.

Love is letting go, and this can go both ways and I just have... a lot of personal feelings about how the twins been separated doesn’t have to necessarily be a tragedy but I need to save it for when I have the spoons.

Actually complicated feelings on him going home at all... but not for here...

Side note, the Pearl Clan and personal space and Ingo. I personally think he would have come already ready to be respectful of it. I project my personal space and tactile issues onto him here, but honestly... with his body language and general attitude... he gives me massive vibes of very tactile but only when he’s the one initiating the contact otherwise we have issues. Also the Pearl Clan having such a thing about touch and contact is just nice I think...

At the same time, love takes where they sleep communally and Ingo’s very bewildered in the middle because help him. Sleep piles as a love language and keeping warm in the weather.

Also for the Pearl Clan, those takes where Ingo is just kind of incidentally the babysitter because he’s good with kids are just... so good. He listens to them, encourages them, and can play on their level when needed... it’s just something I love. Ingo taking care of the kids and also the pokémon of the clan.

Also with the potential pokéglotism take, just imagining the Clan been bewildered and yet fascinated with this is so FUN to me. Like he’s weird sure, but nothing wrong with that.

Side note, I feel like the masking we see in PLA is mostly as a result of Ingo stuck in Jubilife... with Kamado... who I have a MESS of opinions on depending on the day... but most of it is tea regarding the brush over of colonization and Ugh, not for here... Otherwise it’s like, Ingo’s already outside of PLA shown to be kind of insecure on his own... the more subdued twin compared to Emmet and also introvert things.

I don’t know if Ingo visits the settlement a lot, but I do think that’s probably more about the cold and snow than any lack of acceptance... and also just like, there’s a general disconnect with how things regarding the Wardens and their Clans are presented in the game... like do they even interact with their Clans after they become Warden? Ingo feels like he’s just as much involved with the rest of the Clan as Lian or Palina are... Which is to say just maybe sending a letter every so often or popping in randomly to remind people that he is still alive.

I’ll round out this section by saying my headcanon for how long Ingo’s been in Hisui and that’s seven years generally... and the reasoning is simple. I find the thought of Ingo getting the opportunity to find his way home just before he would be declared dead incredibly funny. Like man’s about to show up and pull off the funniest thing in the world.

He lived folks!

Oh actually, here is probably the place to put... I do think that Ingo’s possibly the guy in that Zorua/Zoroark Reveal Trailer... but it’s kind of hard to put into words the full thoughts on this. Is that where the memory loss came from, no. The attitude of whoever is filming in that trailer and their confusion about the “strange device” would imply it’s already afflicting him.

ALSO THE REACTION TO BEEN OUTSIDE, IT’S BEAUTIFUL... Breathtaking, Ingo do you go outside much before been thrown to the past?

I also have other conspiracy glasses for this and other things, but this is NOT the post for those things...

Speaking of Zorua/Zoroark there’s a particular ache in me when I see the Pearl Clan written as assuming Ingo is one... but that’s... an issue for its own post.

I actually think that there was at least a year or even two before Ingo officially became Lady Sneasler’s Warden. Mostly because there are some politics that would come into things. His general unknown status, the fact the clan doesn’t want to be involved in stealing him from his original space. Like, look, I have OPINIONS about this as well.

But what do you do with strays? You take them in and care for them. Ingo got hit with cat redistribution and the Pearl Clan’s dealing. Autism and cat behaviours... 

Also just genuinely, he could not become Warden without been a member of the Pearl Clan. Which goes beyond honorary even if it’s a messy view. He’s one of their family and the Noble Pokémon are family to the Clans as well. They’re all family your honor. And it’s not perfect but why should it be?

Ingo is their guy. Truly the stranger of all time.

Lady Sneasler:

She gets her own section. :3

Obviously, first up, I 100% adore every single take where Lady Sneasler found him first. It’s my most favourite thing. I absolutely love it every single time. Lady Sneasler found a guy in the snow, he’s her guy now. About 75% of the time this is the headcanon that is firmly in the forefront when I’m trying to work on my WIPs... the other 25% of the time, I think it’s incredibly funny to inflict Gaeric with an Ingo event.

Do I need to elaborate? No

The whole fandom seems to agree that Lady Sneasler basically took one look at Ingo and adopted him, and honestly, it’s the BEST headcanon ever.

“LADY SNEASLER DID YOU STEAL A WHOLE GUY?”

Give the Pearl Clan a month or two to realise he even exists for bonus points. It’s the funniest take ever IMO.

Ingo is basically like a kit to her. This is very, very similar to how I view the situation in Rain World with Five Pebbles and The Artificer... in which both parties think that they’re the one who’s in charge... but also not. I think Lady Sneasler can back her claim up somewhat, she’s definitely the one making sure that he actually learns some survival skills, beyond just the Pearl Clan taking pity on him and showing him how to survive.

Lady Sneasler 100% taught Ingo to rock climb like how she trains her Sneaslets... there’s just something in the way his dialogue vibes when he says “You would never expect to be able to climb such sheer cliffs as these, yes? But with Sneasler as an ally, it becomes the work of a moment.” Something about this just... gives me vibes like, she has spotted for him 100%. Also the idea that Ingo learns rock climbing and does it in those shoes SENDS me to a very happy place. Like yes, it’s a pleasing thought.

With the power of aura in pokémon... and adaptation... anything

He is the babysitter of the Sneaslets 100% and that fandom trend of giving Ingo a poison immunity is absolutely a lovely thing. When it surprises people is also very much a fun thing. I like to think he even was predisposed to it... because well, he does have a garbodor on his team pre-Hisui.

Just as a bonus, I think Ingo’s slipped up at least once or twice and called Lady Sneasler “Mama” because she nagged him or something... and her behaviour... also just side note, I feel as though she’s either “Lady” in terms of nickname, or much quieter and only ever internally he’s reffed her as “Chariot”.

Also she is a Noble, fandom taking Kamado’s word as law on the Rides not been Nobles frustrates me to no end. Both groups are described as descended from the blessed pokémon of the original hero.

I would also love to talk about my opinion on letting Ingo be feral hours here, but that probably deserves it’s whole own rant post alongside Emmet. Just know I definitely vibe with Ingo going a bit feral in the mountains with Lady Sneasler overlooking and have OPINIONS about it.

Clan Leader Irida:

Was not actually the Clan Leader yet when he first arrived. I have a few ideas regarding this, but mostly it’s the thought that it’s interesting. The passage of time and change, the fact the Pearl and Diamond Clans are small. The recent ending of whatever war, and Irida is young and new in her role, something the game repeats a few times.

Which for me makes me think she became the Leader just a few short years before the game events. So Irida met Ingo before she was Leader and it was the previous Leader who chose to take him in.

Also just, again, there’s so much of the disconnect that the game has between each area. Irida’s kind of rude moment of introduction with Ingo as well. Their own guy from nowhere, it’s either her implied younger age nineteen-twenty... or just that really did leave an impression on everyone, which valid you know. Just showing up like that doesn’t seem like something that would fade from memory too fast. The kind of event that gets talked about for years...

Also Irida, love her so much, she wants Ingo to be able to find himself again so much, concerned and wondering if we the player could help him.

At the same time, so rude of her to just bring that up like that...

I think Irida and Ingo have such an interesting set of options for relationship. Mutual respect and understanding, or trying to understand each other.

There’s the question of pokéballs as well, but again, I would argue Ingo actually isn’t as clinging to them as it appears. He’s more respectful of the point than you think and the odds he free roams his team for the majority of the time is HIGH. And also Irida at least in Masters does grow beyond her knee-jerk dislike of pokéballs.... especially since you know pokémon can get themselves out of them.

Transport and smoothness, Emmet is having a time when Ingo returns home and why is his brother barely using pokéballs now, Ingo please.

I like to interpret that Ingo already had his companions but not in Pokéballs until Irida became more comfortable... it’s just nice.

Anycase, head of the Ingo support club I do think. They influence each other more than you would think. I have more thoughts but it’s like, this is the kind of territory that’s almost entirely speculative. But also it’s very much like siblings in my head, they probably bother each other and have gremlin moments for as much as they respect each other.

The Other Pearl Wardens(+ Some Melli and Arezu):

SPEAKING OF SIBLING/FAMILY LIKE RELATIONSHIPS...

I have so many thoughts on the general Warden relationships and it’s such a shame that it’s all so disconnected in the game itself. Nothing really touching anything else outside the specific area that it’s introduced and then moved on from. We really have to come up with it ourselves. Which is kind of standard for Pokémon unfortunately, but still, we get some hints I guess. Daybreak does exist... but beyond that.

Ingo and Lian, Autism Buddies. Or just special interest and hyperfixation buddies. I love every fic where they just are like “Same” about rambling. Big Brother Ingo hours here, I know folks love Uncle/Dadding him but-- BUT-- No. Sibling energy is the best energy here, or maybe cousin energy if that’s too close.

Lian has definitely stolen Ingo’s hat at least once, got his own stolen right back.

Cowboy, cowboy

Got that Autism Swagger

Lian reminds Ingo of someone, but it’s just out of reach. Yes this is talking about Clay, and considering they work underground, I do think there’s association. Also the Masters event, Ingo so ready to jump in and help, no hesitation. Maybe not close, but coworkers at least, and Clay likely helped with some of the Subway Tunnels maintenance and upkeep due to crossover... Also incidentally odds of the closeness of some of those tunnels to the tunnels of the Gym.

Also just Lian makes Ingo feel comfortable and it’s echoed right back. They’re autism buddies and both can sit and just vibe together. It’s good.

Calaba is Grandma. Or the one nurse who just knows

She has treated so many injuries. Especially in the early days before Ingo improved his special awareness level, he still struggles with it truly...

Ingo stop ending up in her medical tent challenge level impossible.

She went through her whole outsider issues arc with him. He’s her grandson even if she would never willingly admit it. No, you will not hear it verbally from her. She expresses it through begrudging care and fussing and making sure he is fed... and providing his favourites. She cares so much more than she can ever admit, her pride won’t let her vocalise it.

Good thing Ingo knows

Words are good but there are many ways to show care

Ingo helps her quietly just as much

Calaba knows all his favourites whether she wants to or not

She’s also more than aware of some of his texture issues and has a special set up just for him

Palina is probably the Warden that has the least interaction with Ingo, because well, she lives at the Coastlands... and I think Ingo has Thalassophobia. That just obviously doesn’t mix. As it is they’re the most... strangers to each other of the Wardens. He thinks she sounds nice though-- Also understands her grief, but it gives him nightmares second-hand to hear about what happened to the prior Lord Arcanine.

He absolutely does not know about Palina and Iscan. No, not at all, who’s asking him?

Ingo is one of the few defenders of Palina’s choice to wait for Lord Growlithe to be ready, the loss feels... familiar.

Ingo hearing about Palina Pearl Diving, absolutely awed and terrified of her power.

Palina and Ingo both share a bit of outsider vibes. Gossip is something neither is unfamiliar with. In fact truly, gossip is more the speed they share with each other. It’s kind of awkward in full Warden Meetings because they don’t really talk or meet much outside of them. Each thinks that the other seems polite though.

In my head they’re both kind of scared of the other, it’s funny to me

Melli coming next because they share the Highlands. Also I just-- honestly love Melli, such a disaster of a human being. I think the relationship is something of a mess. Not fully defined, they range from gets along great to god I can’t stand this person between literal hours it feels. Both have spent a lot of time around each other-- closest point of contact.

The torches thing is enrichment, as well as Melli been petty to the PC specifically

Melli categorically struggles to ask for help, insecurity and pride crossloading... Ingo gets it.

Melli and Sneasler both very begrudgingly team up to make sure Ingo doesn’t just die tbh, Melli will bully this man into some self care so help him.

Melli 100% has a one-sided crush

Ingo has also 100% jumpscared Melli at night/in Wayward Cave multiple times. Him and his glowing eyes

Melli is probably deserving of his own post truthly. I will come back to him and Ingo later on. It really is its own post probably...

Gaeric is actually another character who is so interesting in my head. When it’s not Sneasler finding Ingo I like to assume Gaeric is the first one to find him. Gaeric with his big heart and absolute presence. Gaeric honestly deserves to experience an Ingo Event or two, or three. Sometimes of course it’s the other way around, Ingo’s experiencing a Gaeric event.

Gaeric speaks to me in an interesting way actually. Like, he’s related to Wulfric and maybe Brycen implied right? (Also, am I the only one who thinks he looks more like... Brycen, hello?!)-- ANYCASE, For some reason as well my brain goes “Sometimes Ingo mistakes him for Drayden” it’s the vibes.

Ingo has called Gaeric Uncle at least once, he will never live it down.

The dynamic is somewhere between siblings and uncle-nephew depending on the day

TORMENT EACH OTHER

Gaeric will drag Ingo into his exercise routine, whether Ingo wants to be dragged along or not-- Ingo will find ways to torment him right back

Both thinks the other is the weird one, but it’s a good kind of weird

Wrestling wild pokémon challenge

Both will bite honestly

Gaeric can CARRY Ingo... More shocking is when that favour is returnable

Gaeric just has such good energy and I think I need to linger on him more as well, but later maybe. He’s also definitely the first one to find Ingo in Lady Sneasler’s nest tbh. First member of the Pearl Clan to meet Ingo and it sure would be an impression. Who is this guy just chilling with Lady Sneasler hello?!

And then Ingo wrestles a dragon because Uncle Drayden

Finally we have Arezu. Who joins Ingo in Jubilife as one of the two wardens who stays there. Which is also the first time those two really meet, she wants so badly to do up his hair fancy or something-- meanwhile Ingo’s like “I like my hair the way it is thankyou” They’re bit awkward at times.

I also 100% believe their safety was held over the Clan Leaders heads during the Red Sky Incident-- conspiracy glasses

Ingo and Arezu basically just have a very polite working relationship in Jubilife. They basically know of each other and then kind of... vibe. Different circles, it’s nice to be able to at least say hi they suppose.

Bonus the PC/Akari/Rei:

Sibling hours actually.

No but seriously, Ingo has taken one look at the PC and gone “I can torment you with the Path of Solitude” and I will come back to this much later but I really have to admit, the vibes here is sibling torment. Those battles are just such a vibe... same with how he prepares the other paths and challenges.

The fucking, L

Conclusion:

The Pearl Clan loves their weirdo and Ingo loves them back even if there are some issues, but this is mostly me just really, really having AN Opinion.

I also likely will make more in depth dot point posts later on prolly... this is more just spitballing and getting the major points down for myself lol.

[idwdonnie]

yea. just yea.

[clumsypuppy]

oooh wait so the plot hole of “why doesnt a spirit medium just channel the victims spirit” is literally bc the DL-6 spirit channeling cant be repeated huh

[frytt-i]

Thinking of Ao Guang, who loses his two eldest sons in a single day and in response, becomes overprotective and strict. Only for this to ultimately lead to the loss of his son and daughter.

[vic-does-battlecats]

Get him out of my head

[tea-cat-arts]

"Madam Yu would be a Karen/ treat minimum wage employees like shit-" literally the only servant she's shown abusing is Wei Wuxian (and that's because he's the victim of a proxy war between her and Jiang Fengmian around the idea of him being adopted into the family, not because of his class). Madam Yu's two handmaid's love and respect her, and Madam Yu actually defends them when Wang Lingjiao tries being a Karen to them. She also tells Wang Lingjiao to fuck off when she demands the Jiang servants bring her tea.

Also, Karens are unpleasant women, but not all unpleasant women are Karens. That term is about entitlement and being unreasonable (and often times, racist). Madam Yu is mean and unpleasant to talk to, but she keeps most of her interactions brief and probably doesn't have the time or mental energy to be a Karen or hold a grudge that long. If you want an actual example of a Karen in mdzs, Wang Lingjiao is right there

[polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup]

what would megumi’s life have been if he was actually raised by the zenin from day one? like either gojo lost the custody battle or they were able to scoop him up before gojo ever reached them. i doubt they would want to keep tsumiki with them so she’s not there for little baby megs.

i think it would be really cool to see a zenin raised megumi interacting with his fellow classmates when he attends the school, not to mention the contrast between him and gojo. like on paper they both should have gotten the same treatment-being pampered and spoiled rotten but we also know that the zenin think that hurting little kids makes them stronger so it would be super interesting to see megumi realise that the stuff that happened to him wasn’t normal and for gojo to have a guilt trip bc he wasn’t able to help megumi when he needed someone to help him the most.

So I have a fanfic that I’ve half written (no idea if I’ll ever finish it—I’d love to, it’s just hard to find the time) about EXACTLY THAT that I talked about in this post for an ask game.

That being said, that entire thing happens from Tsumiki’s perspective, and I agree with you—I don’t think the Zenin would have ever actually taken her too. They don’t want her. She’s not Zenin. She’s not a sorcerer. They only bought Megumi. For the most part, Megumi is absent from that post, and you asked about Megumi. So this is what I think would happen on Megumi's side of that post I linked.

It comes down to two things:

1. He is never, ever happy with the Zenin.

2. He never lets go of his sister.

Megumi’s old enough to remember Tsumiki when the Zenin take him away. He's old enough to love her. And I think that Megumi loves very quietly, but he also loves very violently. He wouldn't let his sister hold his hand on the walk to school, but he would sacrifice himself for her future.

I think the Zenin took him from his sister, and I think he kicked and screamed and wasn't strong enough. I think they thought he would forget her eventually.

And then I think he bit most of the Zenin Clan.

At the end of the day, what Megumi wanted was the one thing the Zenin were not willing to give him. They were never like the Gojo clan, they were never going to pamper him, but there are a great many things in this world that they would give the Ten Shadows finally returned to them. But they would not give him a non-sorcerer, non-Zenin sister who would only be a weakness to him. They refused to let him have any contact with his sister, and that was the source of a lot of what soured.

Any Megumi that was taken in by the Zenin would have been taken in to Naobito's household directly. He would be announced as the one who finally inherited their most cherished technique, and he would be declared heir, and the Zenin would call him beloved for it.

They would keep him in a room that was large and empty and almost always dark, and he wouldn't be allowed to decide when he slept or woke, and the door would always be locked from the outside. They would give him a wardrobe of expensive clothes that he hated, and he would never get to pick which of them he wore.

Megumi would hate them. He would hate all of them.

He's just not the type to be comfortable with or enjoy the adoration of others--especially when it's not backed up by genuine love. Megumi is someone who very much values sincerity and depth to emotion--it's one of the reasons why he seems to respect Yuuji so much. Yuuji is a good person who follows through with what he says. He's not just going to talk about wanting to save people--he's there making the sacrifices as he does it.

The Zenin do not actually love him. And he knows it. He's experienced love before, and this isn't it.

They love the idea of him. The fantasy of him that lives in their heads. He has no interest in being their little god prince to contend with the Gojo's own. He knows who he is, and it's not this. He wants to go home. He wants to find his sister again. He doesn't want to do this anymore.

And I think that's a feeling Megumi never escape: he just didn't want to do this anymore.

Megumi would feel like a bug pinned beneath glass in the Zenin compound. He would constantly have people managing him--when he ate, what he ate, what he wore, when he slept, when he woke, when he trained, what he did. Having to become a jujutsu sorcerer signified an inherent loss of control, but it's nothing compared to the sheer objectification that he goes through when the Zenin have exclusive control over him.

He has no power of what clothes he wears. How his hair is styled. His schedule, his diet, the people he speaks too--he's suffocating and the Zenin are just increasing pressure on him.

I don't think Gojo ever thought that would be Megumi's life.

We’re gonna just have this imagining exist in the same world as the Tsumiki centric fic described in the linked post, and in that, the reason why Gojo never took him in was because he didn’t know Megumi had a sister. He showed up, saw the divine dogs, realized Megumi had the Ten Shadows, and decided he couldn’t do this. He was a mess. He was grieving Suguru and Haibara. Megumi looked just like the man who killed Riko, and apparently inherited the fucking Ten Shadows of all the goddamn things. The Zenin would lose their shit, and Gojo didn’t have the energy to fight and told himself he didn’t need to, because if Megumi was the Ten Shadows he’d be cared for like a prince with the Zenin. He turned around and left and spent the rest of his life with Megumi in the back of his mind, always nagging him with whether he made the right decision. It wasn’t until Maki got there and made a few worrisome references to Megumi's standard of living that he started to really worry that he had made the wrong one, and it wasn't until he found out about Tsumiki that he knew it was the wrong decision.

It's like this: The Zenin hurt Megumi in every world.

It would be bad no matter what, but it really gets bad because Megumi refuses to stop trying to get back to Tsumiki. She's his sister. They didn't have anyone or anything in this world, but they had each other, and he couldn't let these people just take her away. He’s feral about it. He refuses to fit the mold they keep trying to cram him in. He’s trying to scale the walls to escape. He’s increasingly desperate and angry and the Zenin are getting more and more frustrated the longer he fights them. He’s the heir to the clan, and he can’t stop trying to leave it to get back to some random girl who isn’t his real sister and isn’t someone they’ll ever allow him to have.

It gets bad.

They put him under increasingly strict levels of control. He’s constantly being trained, which means he's constantly being hurt. He’s not allowed to speak to anyone without the clan head’s approval. He is under absolutely constant guard after he manages to get over the wall and halfway to his old neighborhood before they catch him again. Tsumiki’s name is not allowed to be said aloud, or his old name. He forgets his name used to be Fushiguro, but he doesn’t forget Tsumiki. He doesn’t let himself.

I think it escalates until it hits a breaking point. Megumi becomes increasingly self-destructive and non-responsive to everything they try. They push him to extremes that start risking permanent damage.

I think Megumi would try to hurt himself, eventually.

He wouldn't be in his right mind. He's in the most shit situation possible. He's undergoing pretty severe abuse. He'd be at the end of his rope from the lack of control over his own life, and he'd be spiteful as hell towards the Zenin. And the only thing he has to hurt them with is himself.

As a character, Megumi has always considered his own sacrifice as an acceptable means to the end of getting back at someone. Mahoraga, intrinsically, requires him killing himself as a way of killing someone else. He'd hurt himself if it was the only way he had of hurting them.

Naobito would cover it up. He'd never, ever want the rest of the clan to find out that it happened. It was already bad enough that Megumi openly hated them--he couldn't have the Zenin seeing any vulnerability in what was meant to be their most powerful member. He'd put Megumi in total lockdown until he could make it all go away.

Then they'd make a deal.

A binding vow. Megumi could never purposefully hurt himself again. He could never again try to leverage his own safety against the clan.

And in exchange, Tsumiki would be taken care of.

The last time Megumi saw his sister, she was on a sinking ship. They were running out of food, money, options--he doesn't know if she even has food anymore. He doesn't know if she lost the apartment or if there's still running water.

They're not letting him see her. But they are letting him take care of her. He can sacrifice another piece of control over himself, and she'll never have to worry about money again. They'll pay for her housing, her food, her education, for her every desire for as long as she lives. The trust the Zenin set up for her will be a generous one, and it will be managed meticulously by a trustee who can make sure she'll be provided for until she's old and grey. And Naobito will vow to never hurt her or send someone else to hurt her. She'll be safe. She'll be taken care of.

Megumi makes the deal.

In the end, the deal's what sort of breaks him.

Because he doesn't promise to stop looking for her, but the Zenin manage to make it a part of the terms anyway. When they approach Tsumiki's mother with the offer to be her family's beneficiary, they include a requirement that Tsumiki be moved to another city entirely with no forwarding address given. She needs to be somewhere that Megumi can never find her again.

The Zenin keep the old apartment. They pay the rent every month. And the next time Megumi manages to make it off compound, they let him make it all the way there before dragging him home. They let him see the empty apartment with all its empty rooms.

Naobito wants him to know that Tsumiki's gone. He wants him to know that he'll never find her again.

He tries to run a few more times after that, but he never makes it very far. He doesn't have anywhere to go.

In the linked post, Megumi finds Tsumiki, just once. She's on a class trip. He's on one of his very few and far between allowed excursions off the compound grounds, and he sees her in the crowd and recognizes her, and he ducks away from his escort before anyone can stop him.

She remembers him. He didn't think she would do that.

She tries to save him. He didn't think she would do that either.

She still loves him. And he was always too afraid to hope she would do that.

It goes the same way it did the first time. There's a car, and the Zenin shove him in it. She's on the outside, and he's trapped within, and he wishes she didn't scream so loudly when it happens. The sound never seems to leave his dreams.

His sister still loves him. Naoya hits him in the back of the head. He wakes up, and it was like she was never there at all.

But they hit him harder, after. Like they're trying to beat the memory of her out of him. He has even less freedom, when he already had next to none at all.

But he still has a sister. He has a place to go that isn't here. He just has to figure out where that is.

He wouldn't really have anyone in the Zenin clan. Most people are just... weird about him. Naoya's violently abusive. Naobito's weird and violently abusive. Everyone wants him to be someone he's not.

Maki would be his favorite.

He doesn't care about whether she's got cursed energy--his sister didn't have any. And she's obviously strong. She doesn't treat him like a divine blessing or try to force him to act a certain way. I think they would have genuinely liked each other, but kept each other at a distance. They're both trapped in an abusive situation and keep themselves safe by keeping everyone else at arm's length.

He would have been happy to see her get out, though. He would have told her that she could have his spot as heir or head or whatever when she came back if she wanted it. She would have told him that if he ever got out... well, fuck it. They could be something then. Family. Whatever the fuck they weren't allowed to be here.

She would have told him she's sorry, and she would have meant it. The only one she she regretted more than Megumi was Maki. He would have told her not to be, that if she dared to be sorry for getting out that he would never forgive her, and he would have meant that too.

I think his relationship with his own techinque would be very different in a world where the Zenin raised him. In canon, his issue is that he doesn't view himself as someone who could be powerful or win in the long run, but in this world, all he ever hears is how powerful he is. Pride of the fucking Zenin. The most powerful of them in centuries. Meant to rival Gojo fucking Satoru himself.

I think his real issue would be controlling it.

His technique would be a source of negative associations for him. It's the reason why the Zenin took him away. Most of his interactions with it have involved getting beaten and hurt by either his family or a high-level curse they shoved him in front of. I think he'd have a lot more firepower under his belt than at the start of canon, but he'd have less of a fine tuned control over it.

He lost control over his own life because of his shadows. It think that would manifest in struggling to control his own shikigami at times. he's not as in-sync with them as he is in canon.

Eventually, he'd go to Jujutsu High. He would be the only one in the first year class at the beginning, just like in canon. And he'd finally meet Gojo Satoru, the man he's supposed to topple.

He looks at Megumi really goddamn weird.

He's... enthusiastic. About. Teaching. He guesses. And constantly asking prying questions about the Zenin, but not in the sort of way he'd expect from a rival. In the sort of way he'd expect from someone concerned about him. Which is stupid. And annoying. And weird. He keeps a distance from everyone. They've all heard about the Zenin clan heir, and he has no interest in having to fit or break whatever mold they've already cast him in. He's better off on his own.

Maki's there. She's cordial where other people can see it, and in private, she takes care of him in a way that's terrifyingly close to familial. He's not sure if he likes it. He's not Mai, and she's not Tsumiki, and they both want someone they can't have.

She isn't sorry she left. She is sorry she left him. He can hate her for it all he goddamn pleases.

Of course, if this is in the same world as the linked post, Megumi finds Tsumiki again. He finds her in Sendai.

He gets to keep her, this time.

Gojo Satoru, of all the goddamn people, intervenes and becomes his sister's benefactor. It's super fucking weird. He won't stop looking at Megumi strangely. He won't stop insisting that he didn't know he had a sister, like that matters.

That would sort of be the first time in a long time that life actually gets better for Megumi.

I think he would ask to go by Fushiguro again, once he asks Tsumiki what his name used to be. He'd ask her if she minded it, him taking the name again, and he'd ask the rest of the school to call him Fushiguro instead of Zenin.

Predictably enough, Naobito loses his shit when he finds out, but it's not nearly as big of a pain in the ass as he thinks it is? Because Gojo intervenes.

Gojo keeps intervening.

It drives Megumi nuts, because if anyone was supposed to hate him, it was this guy. If anyone was supposed to be against him, it was this guy. This is the guy he was supposed to rival. This is the guy who killed his shitheel bio dad.

Gojo's just... good to him. He keeps him safe. He keeps him safe from his own goddamn family, and that's--no one's ever done that. No one's ever protected him from the Zenin.

The Zenin try to remove him from the Tokyo campus and move him to Kyoto the second they find out Tsumiki's there, and Gojo just... says no. It causes an uproar, and he doesn't fucking budge. It's treading dangerously close to him kidnapping the Zenin clan heir, his refusal to let them remove him from the Tokyo campus, and he doesn't care about whatever problems it causes him.

Megumi's his student. He doesn't want to leave. So Gojo won't let them take him.

He personally goes to Kyoto and collects him, the one time the Zenin force him into a car and move him when Gojo's off on a mission. He tells the higher ups to get fucked. He changes Megumi's student I.D. to read Fushiguro, and he causes problems for Yaga and the assistants until they start calling him Fushiguro as well.

Megumi's different with the other students once his sister is there.

He's more connected with them. He becomes best friends with Kugisaki and Itadori. He gets closer with the second years. He's visibly happier, and it sort of casts in sharp contrast how unhappy he was before this.

And Gojo? Gojo's so goddamn sorry. He didn't know megumi had a sister.

The thing is that now that both Tsumiki and Megumi are on campus, it sort of haunts Gojo with what could have been. They're both fantastic kids--funny, smart, resourceful. And it's painful watching them try to rebuild what was taken from them. And it could have just. never happened. Because he could have saved them both. He could have been their family.

It's sort of painfully obvious the Zenin abused Megumi, and it fucking haunts him. He doesn't even have to read into Megumi's behavior--he sees it happen, right in front of him, with how they try to control him and push him around. He wants to kill them for it. He wants to hate himself for it. He could have saved Megumi and he just. He didn't.

He wishes he did.

[cienie-isengardu]

Why Kuai Liang was not given his cryomancer power but fire?

After rewatching character intro dialogues from previous games, I think I figure out why Liu Kang changed Kuai Liang into Scorpion/pyromancer in his timeline and the reason is so he did to not have to deal with two cryomancers at the same time AND I’M SAYING IT ONLY HALF-JOKING.

If there are two things we can say about all cryomancers presented in games and old Mortal Kombat Conquest TV series is that they have a rocky relationship with authority and all of them are abrasive, straightforward and challenging, and yes, this applies to Kuai Liang too. He may grow up into wise, patient sage but he was as relentless, aggressive and stubborn in his quest to avenge Bi-Han as the other cryomancers were when dealing with people/situations they did not like or agreed with.

Generally speaking, cryomancers are those who are hard to keep on leash because of their independent streak.

Now, one may ask, but why change Kuai Liang and not Bi-Han, if Grandmaster Kuai Liang dedicated his life to protect Earthrealm while Bi-Han is the best known as evil Noob Saibot?

The thing is, Kuai Liang was loyal to Bi-Han (and Smoke) above everything else and only the devastating experiences like brother’s death, Cyber Initiative project and enslavement under Quan Chi’s magic - and born from it guilt - set him on the path of redemption. This is by no means a critique of Kuai Liang as in majority of “intercarnations” the younger Sub-Zero has the sense of honor from the start however it is personal tragedies that truly force him to face some harsh truth about his clan and his older brother to whom both he was deeply devoted. In a way we may say that Kuai Liang’s redemption arc is a reaction to experienced trauma.

Stripping him from devastating experiences of being changed into a killing machine (or losing best friend to C.I. Project, depending on timeline) and being a slave to dark magic would also strip Kuai Liang from the obstacles he needed to overcome to grow into a wise, patient Grandmaster and dedicated protector of Earthrealm. And in this universe Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and the dark nature of original Lin Kuei were - in theory - eliminated from happening, so Liu Kang would be left with a young, rash, stubborn cryomancer deeply devoted to his older brother above anything else.

And let’s no forget that this cryomancer last time without second thought ignored his superiors’ orders and went on the revenge quest in the name of fallen brother, openly putting family over his life-long oath to Lin Kuei, did not aid Sonya and dying Jax, then disturbed the Mortal Kombat Tournament held in Outworld by demanding from Emperor to bring him Bi-Han’s murderer straight to the Emperor’s face without any hint of respect, and generally, was hell-bent to find and kill Scorpion and all consequences be damned. The nightmare of what he did as Cyber Sub-Zero (MK9) was the first real shock that put him on a different path. But then even as traumatized by tragic events, older Kuai Liang still wasn’t blindly following others’ orders. As intro dialogues presented, he has no respect for whatever gods (he do though respect some godly immortals as individuals) and openly criticized or challenged Raiden’s authority in MK11:

Sub-Zero: You failed to protect Earthrealm. Raiden: Do you question my authority? Sub-Zero: I demand you renounce it.

or

Sub-Zero: I am grateful that you saved my life. Raiden: So why fight me, Grandmaster? Sub-Zero: To find out whether you are dark or light.

or

Sub-Zero: Do you serve humanity?  Raiden: And the Elder Gods, Sub-Zero.  Sub-Zero: One cannot serve two masters.

And now, strip Kuai Liang from trauma and who knows how much more stubborn and at odds with godly’s authority he would be?

Bi-Han though? When he stole Shinnok’s amulet [Sub-Zero: Mythologies], the action did not right away ruin his life. Raiden warned him about the possible destruction of Earthrealm and with it, Lin Kuei  and demanded to repair damage done, which Sub-Zero agreed to do.

Rayden: Do you realize what you've done?? Sub-Zero: I was just earning my living. Rayden: Your clan's ignorance and greed will cost this entire realm. You must now set things straight. Sub-Zero: Quan Chi could simply be a lunatic sorcerer. I've never heard of an elder god named Shinnok or of a place called the Netherealm. Rayden: Well, you'd better start believing in both, because you're going to the Netherealm and you're going to bring the amulet back.    We must act quickly. I have no dominion in the Netherealm... You are reality's only hope. Sub-Zero: I'll do it, Thunder God... but only because I have no choice.

Bi-Han risked his life and soul to save the whole realm from Shinnok - as Raiden said:  “The Netherealm is a place for lost souls. If you fail, your soul will join theirs… and so will the souls of this entire realm”, however it was Quan Chi who revealed the whole truth: "Don't you realize why Rayden sent you? The Netherealm is a place for evil beings. You could not exist here unless you were tainted with evil."

This knowledge affected Bi-Han yet he still returned to Lin Kuei. Whether he did that because of loyalty to Grandmaster or just for Kuai Liang’s sake is up to debate but what is important, he did not abandon his assassin profession. 

Now, I know that Mortal Kombat 9 (2011) does not dwell much into details and its story mode does not always follow logic in regard to fights each character participated in, yet during the Mortal Kombat Tournament Bi-Han must have changed sides otherwise his fight with Scorpion would make zero sense. Lin Kuei warriors were hired personally by Shang Tsung to kill Earthrealm Champions and the only reason for the sorcerer to allow for such a fight was if Bi-Han worked against him. 

(And if Bi-Han supported Raiden’s cause, Shang Tsung would have an actual reason to kill Cyrax after Lin Kuei warrior talked with Thunder God over Sub-Zero’s remains. As in, he was afraid another assassin could be persuaded into helping Earthrealm).

Those are two examples* in which Bi-Han prevented or tried to prevent upcoming danger - Shinnok’s return and Outworld’s Invasion (alternatively, he was trying to eliminate the danger of Quan Chi who broke contract by keeping Hanzo Hasashi / Shirai-Ryu as his Wraith, a reason on which Cyber Sektor refused to aid Netherrealm in MKX and Bi-Han’s goal just nicely worked with Raiden’s need). Sub-Zero risked his life for the safety of Earthrealm as he could died during task or be killed by Grandmaster for allying himself with Lin Kuei’s enemy (Raiden) - and Bi-Han did so even when thinking there was nothing wrong with assassining and thieving (“I was just earning my living.”)

This is not really about which brother has a better sense of honor - or duty, for that matter - as both have this sense in various source material. The difference is about the nature of their choices to protect Earthrealm.  Bi-Han’s decisions weren’t born from personal tragedy but from pragmatism as he understood that walking away from the problem wasn’t a wise choice. In contrast, Kuai Liang’s actions were a reaction to an already happened tragedy. In that sense Bi-Han, even as an assassin tainted with evil, acted to prevent bad things before those affected Earthrealm (his life/clan) while Kuai Liang tried to stop history from repeating itself.

Of course, Liu Kang as a mortal did not have any knowledge about Bi-Han's past but as his powers merged with Thunder God, he could gain an access to Raiden’s memories and opinion that affected his own judgment. Raiden praised Bi-Han at least twice for saving Earthrealm (Sub-Zero Mythologies and Mortal Kombat 9) and went so far to ask Scorpion to spare Sub-Zero’s life - granted, more to prevent creation of Noob Saibot he had vision of, but he was still angry at Scorpion in MK11 for breaking the promise

"Your word is worthless. At the tournament I trusted you to spare Bi-Han, and you betrayed me."

Raiden specifically calling Sub-Zero by his given name makes it sound much more personal compared to an actual scene from MK9:

"Spare Sub-Zero's life and I will request that the Elder Gods return the Shirai Ryu to the realm of mortals."

(Another thing to take into account is the age difference between Sub-Zero brothers. It is understandable that Kuai Liang looked up to Bi-Han, an older brother who was at the age of (most likely) 32 recognized as the most cunning Lin Kuei, while Bi-Han was not bound by the same idealization toward his younger sibling and maybe even felt it was his duty to take care of Kuai Liang.)

Bi-Han wasn’t the easiest person to work with, sure, but his cryomancer’s lack of social skills and abrasive nature did not get into the way of serving Earthrealm in an active way to prevent danger. Putting him as he was in different Lin Kuei - now dedicated to Earthrealm and duty bound to serve it - doesn’t sound that weird. 

But why change the element (ice) of one of the brothers at all?

Looking how crymancer Kuai Liang and MK1!Bi-Han actually shares the same independent streak and the “don’t let your loyalty stunt your growth” mindset, I think Original Younger Sub-Zero would have a much better understanding of current Bi-Han and could if not support him then at least understand his desire of breaking free from Liu Kang as alternative version of Kuai Liang in one of intro dialogues (MK11) outright would refuse aid Raiden, thinking Lin Kuei bleed enough for Earthrealm: 

Raiden: Earthrealm needs you, Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero: Enough Lin Kuei blood has been shed. Raiden: I ask only for your bravery. 

With the implication that current sibling’s mother was a fighter and she died (possibly in line of duty) before game events and how Bi-Han seems to be on much better terms with her (or generally, being more affected by Kitana & Mileena’s mother death than death of his own father), this Kuai Liang’s statement too could easily support Bi-Han’s desire to break from tradition of servitude and Lin Kuei dying for Earthrealm’s sake. 

The older and wiser version of Kuai Liang wouldn’t agree with abandoning duty to Earthrealm, but the young, rash, blindly devoted to his older brother version? Without traumatic events - that weren’t meant to happen - there wouldn’t be the needed impulse for Kuai Liang to look at his life, Bi-Han’s ambitions and clan from a different perspective.

Bi-Han mentioned in one of character intros that Lin Kuei use cryomancy since his ancestors settled in Arctika 

while Kuai Liang said pyromancy is closely kept family secret.

So cryomancy is something passed down from ancestors to modern days, while either in the past people controlling fire married into family and added mastery of this element to gene pool or the Lin Kuei/Kuai Liang’s family found a different way to control it and this is why they guard their secret.  To keep it as simple as possible, let’s agree that Kuai Liang had a 50% chance to inherit ice and the same chance to get fire. On one hand, it is easy to assume, well, if fire is part of his family legacy, then he simply get different gene pool from Bi-Han, why blame Liu Kang?

In Scorpion vs Liu Kang intro, Kuai Liang learned in previous timelines he was always Sub-Zero (cryomancer)

In Sub-Zero vs Geras intro, Bi-Han learned that Kuai Liang was not destined to be his enemy

(once again, considering how loyal cryomancer Kuai Liang was to brother, this statement sounds like admitting this change was against the design of the previous timelines)

and Bi-Han accused Liu Kang of turning his brother against him

but considering how little Kuai Liang interacted with Liu Kang in story mode before Bi-Han’s betrayal, this could be read as Sub-Zero learned or deduced somehow Kuai Liang’s ice powers were changed to fire abilities on Liu Kang’s decision. And from a certain perspective the accusation is true, as in both previous game timelines their brotherly conflict happened always after Bi-Han’s death and change into Noob Saibot.

So, Liu Kang’s choice to change Kuai Liang's power may be a safeguard in case Bi-Han’s corruption at some point still happened. By breaking the cryomancer bond that connected Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, he redirected Kuai Liang's constant devotion to brother into passion for tradition (father’s teaching that support Liu Kang’s case) while giving younger brother a control over element that naturally overcomes Bi-Han’s ice, as proved by previous timelines in which Scorpion’s fire kills Bi-Han.

(Personally I think the change of ice element backfired as it affected their sibling bond. An unfortunate side effect Liu Kang may not take into account. Bi-Han and Kuai Liang still consider each other as brothers and don't seem keen to allow others to get involved in their family matters as intro dialogues suggest but the way how quickly they turned against each other with intention to hurt is surprising. Yes, in previous timelines Kuai Liang and Noob fought frequently and Kuai had a lot of reasons to be angry at undead!Bi-Han but A) this was twisted by dark magic version of Bi-Han and B) Kuai Liang has never abandoned hope to save his brother as was seen in Armageddon [original timeline] and Mortal Kombat 11: Sub-Zero ending [alternate timeline]. But then again, this is a restart of their history and future additions to Mortal Kombat 1 may change that impression.)

Mind you, this is no slander against Liu Kang, as he proved to try his best at keeping realms at peace instead of ruling all realms with an iron fist, however as he himself admitted, he did interfere with some characters’ origin. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are the best known examples as their on purpose were born to have meaningless life

I gave the sorcerers meaningless lives... They should have never gained power, let alone joined forces.

and as intro dialogues implies, it was his decision to orphan Tomas, presumably so he could join Lin Kuei (and Kuai Liang). As Liu Kang explained: “Being Keeper of Time means making many hard choices" and so I assume there was a reason why he decided to break the otherwise strong cryomantic bond between those two brothers and why it was Kuai Liang who got fire instead of ice, even if previous timelines prove he was great ally as Sub-Zero.

*The third example comes from old MK comics, "A Cold Day in Hell" [Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition II] in which Outword and Earthrealm teams were fighting to take Shao Kahn's Medallion. The rule? Who reaches the item first, wins.

The teams were busy fighting each other and as the narrative box said "there was one warrior who understood that this was not a group exercise. Just like Mortal Kombat, here there could be only a single winner" and so "Bi-Han" went ahead alone to finish the mission. Despite being burned alive by Scorpion's fire, he reached the medallion and saved Earthrealm:

and even Shao Kahn himself was impressed by "Bi-Han's" deeds:

It was a brave showing, mortal. Were it within me to do so... I would wish you a season of rest for your tortured soul...

In the same comics, two months after brother's death, "Kuai Liang" was attacked by his clan and in return denouced Lin Kuei as unworthy of the continued services of Sub-Zero

which brings me back to my point about Bi-Han's pragmatic choices to prevent danger vs Kuai Liang's decisions as a reaction to personal tragedy.

So yeah, out of my head I can name three separate examples in which Bi-Han risked his life (and in case of two events, got killed in the process) for Earthrealm's sake.

[merry-andrews]

They're that red❤ and blue💙 boyfriends!!

[syn0vial]

also, thinking now about how boba’s relationship with mirta is practically the polar opposite of the one jango had with him him. like,

jango with boba: you are my heir, you are an extension of myself, you are everything i could have been, and i will do everything in my power to make you a perfect and uncompromising carrier of this legacy.

boba with mirta, gripping her shoulders: our bloodline is fucking cursed and i will do everything in my power, including literally actually dying, to prevent it from dragging you down with us

[carewyncromwell]

"And when you get there, is it perfect?

And when you get there, is a family waiting for you?

I close my eyes and see them laughing,

Telling jokes, playing games,

All of it true...

How would they feel

If your friend James came along too?"

~"On Your Way Home" from James and the Giant Peach (musical)

x~x~x~x

inspired by this headcanon post by @barnabyjr! // fancasting Renan Pacheco as Orion and Diedre Hall as Lane Cromwell

x~x~x~x

Orion Amari was nervous. He would never have admitted it aloud if you'd approached him about it, but anyone who knew him well would be able to tell. Even Orion's daughter Eos, who was a mere toddler in age, had sensed it. She even climbed onto his feet and held onto his legs while he was looking himself over in the closest mirror, blinking her big black eyes up at him in concern and confusion without a word.

When Orion looked down at her, he offered her a smile.

"I must look strange to you, don't I, little Mooncalf?" he asked.

Eos pouted at him. With a chuckle, Orion brought a hand down to patiently pat her head.

"I understand," he said. "I look strange to my own eyes, as well."

Orion hadn't ever worn this shirt and suit jacket before. Even the leather oxfords he only remembered having worn once for a meeting as a Quidditch League representative to the Department of Magical Games and Sports. He had considered going out a second time to pick up a proper tie for the collar, but he decided against it. Wearing a collar alone was uncomfortable for Orion, even back at Hogwarts; buttoning it all the way up and putting a tie around it seemed akin to putting a dog collar and leash around his neck. But would wearing it open come across as disrespectful...?

Orion glanced at his reflection again, sighing through a tired smile.

"I'm completely off-balance, my little Mooncalf," he said amusedly.

Eos mirrored his smile with a brighter one of her own. After making sure she was holding onto his legs, Orion waddled across the room like a penguin, prompting Eos to start giggling.

"Ah, but meeting your romantic partner's mother," Orion mused. "The woman who raised her and who by all accounts loves her as dearly as her older brother...the second of whom you most unfortunately did not make a good impression on, when your paths collided...it's hard not to consider all outcomes. However optimistic you would like to be, based on what you've heard of the woman, as well as your Abraxan's own reassurance that she'll love you...when you really know nothing of mothers and only marginally more about parenting through first-hand experience...well, it's akin to a Niffler trying to track down a flower, isn't it? However strong his nose might be and however quickly he might move, he's still woefully unprepared to face the challenge before him."

Eos listened to her father only absently, instead entertaining herself by dangling off of his legs and giggling as he continued to carry her around. Orion finally came to a halt in front of the painted side table by the fireplace, where a potted bundle of purple flowers sat. He reached down to pick Eos up and scoop her into her arms.

"I know we are all our own worst critic, little Mooncalf," the Captain of the Montrose Magpies said with another sigh, "but I must confess, it's hard not to feel like I have a lot to prove. Especially since Carewyn and I have no intention whatsoever to marry or become a 'traditional' family, the way I'm quite sure Carewyn's mother must expect. Would Lane Cromwell be satisfied giving us her blessing, if she knew I never intend to garb her daughter in my name -- to declare Carewyn your new mother? Will she bare her fangs as her son did -- even her own brother did before her -- when I don't have any parents or siblings of my own to offer Carewyn?"

Eos didn't understand all of what Orion said, but the two-and-a-half-year-old girl could still tell he was unhappy. She shook her head, making her short black bob and ladybug barrettes flap around in the movement.

"Daaaad," she whined.

Her mouth twisted into a pout, Eos brought both of her tiny hands up onto her father's bearded face and tried to push the corners of his lips up into a smile. This made Orion bite back a soft chuckle. His face touched by a much more sincere smile, he leaned in and kissed the top of his daughter's head.

"All right, Mooncalf. No more storm clouds. Will you pick up our gift for me?"

He indicated the potted plant on the side table with a nod of his head. Eos beamed as she snatched up the plant, and Orion patted her head with a fond smile.

"Thank you. Now close your eyes and mouth, little one -- cinders and ash don't belong in either place."

With this, Orion carried Eos and the potted plant into the fireplace and took the Floo Network over to the flat of Skye Parkin. The Wigtown Wanderers' Star Chaser had agreed to babysit Eos during Orion's meeting.

~*~

Less than a half-hour later, Carewyn had Side-Along-Apparated with Orion to the remote little cottage belonging to Lane Cromwell. Orion was immediately struck by how quiet the house was -- there were only just enough natural sounds to keep it from being silent, such as a tea kettle whistling and the fire crackling in the fireplace, and no more. Even out the closest window Orion could just barely hear the twittering of a bird in a nearby tree.

A blackcap, by the sound of it, he thought absently.

"Mum?" Carewyn called into the house. "We're here!"

A very soft voice came from the next room. Orion couldn't make out what it had said, but Carewyn turned and smiled at him, clearly having understood it perfectly.

"Come on -- let's sit down and wait."

She steered Orion into the living room. As Orion approached the coach, he became aware of something walking beside him -- when he looked down, he found a ginger cat blinking up at him.

"Mrrow!" the cat chirruped.

"Hello, Tigger," cooed Carewyn. "Hello, pretty kitty..."

She reached down and scratched the cat's neck -- he immediately buckled against her hand, purring loudly.

"Named for the A.A. Milne character, I presume?" asked Orion with a smile.

"Yes," laughed Carewyn as she straightened up. "Mum's best friend Judy has always loved Winnie the Pooh. Mum's and Judy's first cat at Hogwarts was even named Pooh."

Tigger walked beside Carewyn and Orion in turn, rubbing his side up against their legs. Orion bent down and pet the cat too as he slowly settled himself onto the couch, the pot of purple flowers in his lap.

"He is a very sociable feline," he said, his fingers lightly pressed into some pressure points on Tigger's back that made the cat lean into Orion's touch. "He must know that his breed is an omen of good fortune."

"Really?" Carewyn said curiously.

"Indeed. Sailors often kept ginger cats aboard ship, thinking to avoid dangerous storms." Orion smiled at Carewyn wryly. "I must wonder if the good fortune your mother experienced through you made her more susceptible to selecting a cat with similar coloring."

He trailed two fingers through the hair closest to her cheek. Carewyn blushed slightly through her smile, but she played it off by lightly smacking Orion's shoulder and looking away.

"Orion, really. Mum got him because he reminded her of my old cat, from when I was at school. And the only reason I had a ginger cat back then was because Mimi was too shy to come out of hiding when people came to look at her at the Menagerie and I -- "

"Chose the one animal who likely most needed a safe and loving home out of all of them," surmised Orion, smiling fondly. "How very true to you, my Abraxan."

He leaned in to kiss her on the side of the temple. Carewyn was still blushing lightly, but she smiled as Lane finally entered the room, a tea service in hand. Immediately Carewyn leapt to her feet to offer assistance.

"Here, Mum -- let me help you with that -- "

"Don't worry, Winnie," said Lane. "I've got it..."

Her voice was truly as soft as a whispering wind, but it still came across quite warmly. The older woman eased the tray down onto the coffee table, her blue eyes running over Orion still sitting on the couch.

"So you're the famous Orion," she said with a smile. "Winnie's spoken very highly of you."

Orion found himself inclining his head the same way he would before a hippogriff. "That is a compliment unto itself, given how very high my Abraxan's standards are. Not that I mean to demean the trait," he added quickly with a quick glance between Lane and his other half. "I have always esteemed Carewyn's high aspirations. It's merely encouraging to know I could meet them in any capacity."

Carewyn brought a hand down onto Orion's shoulder to show some support. Before she could say anything, though, Lane spoke first, her eyebrows high.

"I see. Well, rest assured, Winnie wouldn't have brought you to see me if she didn't think highly of you. And if I didn't express a lot of curiosity about you myself," she added with a twinkle in her eye.

She turned to Carewyn.

"Winnie sweetheart, I don't suppose you could do me a favor and go get the Necronomicon from the cellar? W for Watkins?"

Carewyn blinked, but nodded all the same. "...All right."

With a quick glance and smile at Orion, she strode purposefully out of the room, toward the back of the house.

"Don't worry, I don't really own the Necronomicon," Lane told Orion with a soft laugh. "It's just an inside joke I first developed with Jacob, when he was young. Winnie knows I mean to look through the papers in my office."

Orion glanced down at Tigger weaving between his legs. "...I see."

Lane sat in the nearby armchair and poured out three cups of tea by hand rather than with her wand.

"Milk or sugar?" she asked.

"Neither. But thank you."

Orion shifted the potted plant over to the seat beside him. Lane handed him one of the cups of tea before adding some milk to hers and taking a sip.

"Jay told me about you too, after you two met," she said lightly.

Orion took a sip of tea himself to try to mask his discomfort. "...Ah. I suppose he...expressed a far less favorable view of me than Carewyn's."

Lane offered Orion a slight smile. "He did. But to be honest, I could tell most of his complaints were flimsy at best. I even told him as much."

Orion blinked in surprise.

"Jay latched onto Winnie almost immediately after she was born," Lane explained. Her voice remained remarkably level and soft, even with how warmly it echoed while talking about her children. "He didn't have any real friends when he was a wee bairn, and having someone around who needed him...someone who understood him in a way no one else could, even while still only a tiny baby...it meant the world to him." She smiled fondly. "And well...I think Jay's grown used to the idea that Carewyn isn't a particularly romantic person and she's perfectly content being on her own. He never met Andre Egwu while they were dating, the way I did. He's never seen Winnie express interest in dating or marrying anyone before. And considering she's been so close to the vest about you...well, I think it took Jay by surprise, seeing how serious you and Winnie were."

Orion bowed his head. His reflection bobbed back and forth in his swirling tea as he put the cup down on the coffee table.

"I never intended us to be any sort of surprise," he said quietly. "But Carewyn and I...both of us...we saw each other merely as friends and once-teammates for such a long time before this, and even when we realized how much our views had truly shifted...neither of us thought a relationship of any sort would be possible, even if the other was similarly interested. There are still many empty spots remaining on the map Carewyn and I have charted out for ourselves, moving forward...ones we've yet to fill in."

Orion's black eyes became a little smaller as he folded his hands in his lap.

"There is a reason...your son has never seen your daughter as being interested in marrying anyone...and that's because she is not. Nor am I. I hold your daughter in the absolute highest regard, and I know I shall never know another like her again in all my life -- truthfully I could imagine no life better than one I could live with her in it." He swallowed. "But Carewyn and I...neither of us are suited to the likes of marriage. I could not bear to ever clip her wings, and to my undying relief, she has baldly refused to clip mine. She has asked me for a committed partnership, and I could wish for nothing less...but I aspire to no wedding bells nor ceremonies discarding our names and independent lives. I do not aim to replace Eos's mother with Carewyn, absent she may be -- nor does Carewyn intend for me to play as any kind of father to her little Jarvey, Erik. I don't believe Erik would want me in such a role either..."

His hands squeezed together anxiously.

"Please, though, do not take this to mean my feelings for Carewyn are lesser," he said tensely. "She is my partner and soulmate, my match in every way, and I love and esteem her more than I can properly express. I just...don't wish to express it by locking us into the shackles of marriage. My Abraxan aims to fly higher and farther than anyone ever has, to places and goals very different from mine, and I can't imagine I would aid her in that if she were chained down with me as dead weight dragging behind her."

Orion hadn't been sure if Lane would blow up or if she'd need to think over what he'd said. To his surprise, however, Lane didn't take long to respond -- within seconds, she'd reached out and rested a hand on top of his folded in his lap.

"Orion, please," she said kindly. "You don't need to defend the magnitude of your feelings to me. Winnie has always tried to put on a brave face, ever since she was small. She didn't tell me anything about her infatuation with Andre until they were already dating, and she likewise didn't tell me they were having any trouble until they'd already broken up. The fact that Winnie didn't tell Jay and me about you until recently is all the more proof to me of just how highly she thinks of you. And after everything you've said, I'd say it's very clear you feel just as strongly for her."

Her blue eyes, identical in shade and shape to Carewyn's, softened.

"I admit, I'd sort of presumed you and Winnie might get married sometime down the road, even if you didn't feel ready now...but if you truly never do feel ready and just want to stay committed to each other without the paperwork saying so...then that's fine. Goodness knows marriage often doesn't last forever anyhow."

Orion felt as though a large weight was slowly coming off his shoulders. He visibly relaxed.

"...Few things do."

He brought his cup of tea back into his interlaced hands and took another sip.

"Thank you, Lane Cromwell," he murmured. "I'm truly grateful for your understanding, on this matter."

"Of course," said Lane. "I'm a bit confused about why you thought I wouldn't be all right with it."

Orion brought a hand up behind his neck uncomfortably. "Perhaps your brother's disdain toward being in a romantic relationship without the thought of marriage was a darker cloud over my thoughts than I wished to admit."

Lane pursed her lips so tightly, she resembled a rather peeved salmon.

"Don't you pay Blaise any mind," she said coldly. "He is an utter luddite in such matters. And far others too, believe me..."

Orion smiled a bit despite himself.

"I admit, Jacob Cromwell's negative reaction toward me may also have worried me somewhat," he confessed. "I didn't take it personally at the time, but...well, from what Carewyn has told me, the three of you were always very close."

"Yes -- but as I said, Jay has always been overly protective of Winnie. Quite frankly I don't think there's anyone in this world Winnie could've brought home that Jay wouldn't have been suspicious of."

"Are you sure you weren't a bit as well?" Orion asked coolly, his lips resting beside the rim of his cup. "I notice Carewyn still hasn't returned with the proper file from your office."

Lane's lips teased up in a very small smile despite herself.

"Perhaps I did accidentally put the file in the wrong folder by accident," she said amusedly, some mischief dancing through her eyes. "But I figured it'd be harder to speak to you candidly, if I didn't coax Winnie out of the room for a bit."

"You could've just asked."

Carewyn had returned, her red lips pursed with slight annoyance as she put the proper file down on the side table next to Lane's armchair. Lane laughed quietly.

"I'm sorry, Winnie -- that was a bit underhanded of me."

She picked up the file and brought it into her lap so she could skim through it. Carewyn sighed irritably through her nose as she came over to sit down on the couch next to Orion -- her partner was all smiles, though, as he leaned in and gave a peck to her cheek.

"Not to fret, little Firecrab," he murmured beside her skin. "It was but a minor prank with no injuries."

"Except perhaps to my pride," sighed Carewyn tiredly. She then looked at her mother. "Are you done interrogating Orion now? What was it that you'd wanted to say that you didn't want me to hear?"

"Nothing in particular, Winnie," Lane said soothingly. "I just wanted to hear Orion's answers on their own. I know you would've wanted to defend him to me, had I challenged him on anything, and I thought it'd be best to hear him for myself."

Orion took Carewyn's hand in one of his and brought them both into his lap. "You are a proper knight in such affairs, my Abraxan. Your mother was well within her rights to want me to speak on my own behalf, in this situation."

Carewyn's lips twitched with displeasure, but she nonetheless begrudgingly accepted this.

"Thank you very kindly for the flowers, by the way," Lane said to Orion, indicating the potted plant at his side. "They're quite lovely."

Orion smiled. "I'm glad you like them. My daughter Eos and I picked specially -- we thought that some heath would bring some lovely color, in the midst of this long winter."

"Ah yes," said Lane, her eyes alight with interest, "heather is a beloved flower in Scotland, is it not? I seem to recall the Druids in particular saw it as a sacred plant."

Orion nodded. "It is considered very lucky...but winter heath in particular is also symbolic of fortitude and independence, given its ability to prosper even in the coldest conditions. ...Much like your daughter," he added a bit more quietly, bowing his head shyly even as he leaned his shoulder beside hers. Carewyn beamed, her face flushed with emotion and pride, as she leaned against him in return. "I had also hoped purple would be a satisfactory color -- I believe Carewyn has said it's your favorite."

Lane's eyes sparkled fondly. "It is. You chose well."

Resting her Watkins file on her lap, she leaned down and fetched out a small package in green-and-white music-note-printed wrapping paper with a green bow on top from the drawer of her side table.

"I set a late Christmas gift aside for you and your daughter," said Lane with a smile as Orion and Carewyn both blinked at her. "Maybe it's a bit late for your tree this year, but maybe next year?"

With another slow blink, Orion took the package from her. He ripped one lone corner so as to trail his finger in a straight line down the side and open up the rest.

Inside was a pair of two painted wooden ornaments shaped like black-and-white-patterned birds.

Orion's heart gave a little flutter of joy. Carewyn's face lit up.

"Magpies!" Carewyn breathed happily. "Oh, Mum, they're so sweet!"

"I thought so too," Lane said with a warm smile at Orion. "I thought they could represent you and your daughter, since one's just a little bit larger than the other. You know what they say...'one for sorrow...'"

"'...Two for joy,'" Orion finished.

Lane nodded. "I'd originally wanted to find you a bird nest, like the one on my tree...but well, all of the nests I found either had multiple eggs, or no eggs at all. And the last thing I wanted was for you to feel like your daughter wasn't included."

Orion looked up at her in surprise. Lane's expression became more serious.

"Winnie told me about how hard you worked to protect Eos during the War," she said softly. "It warmed my heart, hearing of how much you love her...I know Winnie's so proud of how much you love her, too."

Indeed, Carewyn was smiling in unadulterated pride as she gave Orion's hand a squeeze.

"And even if she never becomes a grandchild of mine...I wanted you to know, your daughter is always welcome here -- as are you," said Lane. "And if you and Eos ever don't have anywhere to hang your magpies up...remember they'll always have a spot on my Christmas tree."

Orion's heart felt like it had warmed up beside the fire, same as his body. His face broke out into a very soft smile as he bowed fully to Lane, his black eyes sparkling like a pair of starry skies.

"You truly are a friend of winged horses, Lane Cromwell," he murmured. "Thank you."

[kavalyera]

what clan should i play as in my vtmb replay

[the-owl-tree]

Oh god, I didn't even consider the idea of Dovewing dying in Ivypool's SE. And while Dovewing is becoming more loved, I can absolutely see the editors/writing team deciding to kill her off because of the constant hate she got- and she HAS Birchkit who could become the next ShadowClan POV if that happened too. I think the worst possible option is Squirrelflight dying both for manpain with Bramblestar and so Ivypool, being acting deputy struggles with whether or not she wants to be leader, and Dovewing dying just so we feel sorry for her. I think I'd genuinely stop paying attention to ASC if they're killed off for drama lol, unless like Ivypool gets Dovewing killed because of her rash actions and finally has to deal with the consequences of her behavior. THAT at least could be interesting and a good reason for her to doubt her ability to lead when her hot headedness got Dovewing killed, buuuuuuut given that even after she interfered with sending a rescue party for SkyClan the Erins/narrative coddle her and have everyone forgive her and justify her actions? Even if she straight up gets Dovewing killed, I can already see the book bending backwards to defend her and people acting like it's Dovewing's fault. 💀

Tigerheart and Ivypool mean nothing to me without Dovewing, even Shadowsight and Lightleap being her kids is what elevates them for me. She's just That Good. If they kill her off I'm throwing rocks!!!! I feel like they wouldn't but, you know, they have a pretty blatant disregard for their female characters and you can't be sure -_- I especially don't want her to be thrown to the meat grinder for Ivypool's arc of all things, she already has a dead daughter we don't need more mince meat relatives!!!!

AVOS!Ivypool is so frustrating, like the books have always been awful about the code stringent characters that it peddles out. People's reactions to her in Tigerheart's Shadow drove me NUTS she is not being rational, she is being controlling and petty! THAT'S BAD WHY ARE YOU SAYING SHE'S RIGHT. Characters who are controlling and needy and petty are so good....but the narrative has to play into that, it has to acknowledge it to be fun to read. Ivypool clinging onto her sister would be fun if the text didn't want to constantly remind me how noble and loving she really is because of the code or whatever. I know the two technically reconciled but like. come on.

Seeing as how I still have to wade through "Dovewing abandoned her" takes, we must band together and fight for her tooth and nail to protect her.

[ghost-bard]

cant wait for the solevellan reunion in veilguard knowing aila (my poor sad oc) will try to kill him on sight

[hana-bobo-finch]

jørgan clan my beloved. you guys are so messed up

[msommers]

oc name meanings

tagged by: @aceofwonders 😘💜 tagging: anybody who sees this, go bonkers xoxo

Valeriya de Clairmont

Valeryia — the russian feminine form of Valerius, derived from latin valere meaning "to be strong". de - prefix used in romance languages to indicate noble or geographic origin, often meaning "of" or "from". Clairmont — french origin and means "clear or light-colored hill or mountain". derived from the old french words clair and cler, which mean "bright" or "clear", and mont, which means "hill".

Auretta Stormseeker

Auretta — of italian origin, meaning "gentle breeze"; alternatively, latin for "golden". Stormseeker — common translation of her father's elvish surname (i refuse to make that one <3)

Ghileth'elra of Clan Venalas

Ghileth'elra — elven origin, meaning "to safely guide our story" or alternatively "shepherd of our dreams". Venalas — elven origin, meaning "to find understanding".

Medora Runescribe

Medora — of french and greek origin, meaning "mother's gift". Runescribe — no translation necessary, more elvish to common fuckery lmao