Ingo Thalassophobia: Masters Lodge
Hilariously, I’m actually here to say I’m doubling down on my headcanon that Ingo has Thalassophobia despite the fact that Ingo’s lodge topics are what they are. Stay with me, I have reasons and I am kind of excited to just ramble some more with them.
SO--
Call of the Void. And also these specific Dot Point from my original post for Ingo.
Just like Emmet there is a level of Call of the Void in Ingo’s fear, he feels at times like the sea beckons and calls, as if it wishes to steal him away and greedily hide him from the world. If he falls in could he ever come back?! Part of him wonders at why he has this certain sense of longing for the ocean, a big part of him is just why does he feel like he would let the sea take him?
Of course I do have more explanation than just this.
So let’s actually go through Ingo’s likes as it relates to Thalassophobia for me. Not touching the Cities though, Like Cerulean and Castelia obviously have other things going on than just been seaside. Also the distance thing... There’s also an argument I’d like to make that Interesting and Exciting are neutral descriptors actually. This is really just a specification on the topics that most make me think about the headcanon of thalassophobia and Ingo specifically.
It is funny because it does... somewhat shift some of how I interpret his fear but not as much as you’d expect.
Kyogre - Interesting Topic
I am also honestly entranced by this in how it kind of sets the expectation that this means Emmet is team Groudon.
I would like to point out actually, this reminds me of my incessant fascination with spiders despite the fact I still freeze whenever faced with one in person.
It’s so funny to me that out of all the legendries that they could put in Ingo’s conversation list it’s Kyogre. One from a region that he’ll get really awkward about, because he does have that it sounds nice to visit but-- Response to.
Kyogre itself is also really interesting to me in terms of Ingo liking talking about, because it’s kind of the pokémon that represents the Sea. You know, aside Manaphy and Lugia. But also Kyogre’s the one that was involved in the mess that Team Aqua nearly cased and probably the face of a number of Ocean Conservation groups bet.
Interesting is a neutral descriptor of a topic.
There’s something in this as well about legends in general, and Kyogre especially here with the factor of trying to drown the world... ala Team Aqua. Legends and their power, and how this is probably something that Ingo ruminates on more than you would think.
Could also be a factor of mental preparation. The events of RSE/ORAS stuck in the back of Ingo’s mind more than he’d like to admit and it’s something that he can theory-craft.
As an aside, a moment, Can fight the Ocean through Kyogre! It’s both because Ingo likes challenges and a moment that he can loop around to having something of a fight response to his fear.
Kyogre is likely one of the stars in a few of Ingo’s nightmares that feel like longing.
Water Types - Interesting Topic
Again, first point is Interesting is a neutral descriptor of a topic. Whether it means a good or bad interesting is interpretable.
Water Types is actually such a broad category, sure you have many, many ocean dwelling water types but you could just as easily claim that the discussion focuses on inland water types or even just like-- discussing them in terms of the Starter Trio and strategy.
I actually think that Ingo is somewhere in the middle for why he finds them interesting. Torn between fear and interest because those things can absolutely co-exist.
You know people can like been unsettled right?
This actually feels more like something where Ingo will go on tangents regarding the strategic advantages of Water Types than anything else. Or interestingly, can come up in conversation about Water Rescue and what pokémon tend to get trained for it.
Water Types themselves aren’t actually necessarily part of Ingo’s fear, but they can be something that could set it off depending on the situation.
Thalassophobia is environmental more than anything else.
The Ocean - Exciting!
You can be excited by things that scare you.
For all Ingo fears the ocean he does actually think that it’s tranquil and have something of a wish that it weren’t something that scared him. The ocean is something that has a power to call.
Again the headcanon that part of Ingo has a longing, a sense that the ocean is calling for him and that intrusive thought of maybe he’d let it take him.
You know what actually, talking about your fears is actually a good way to handle them in some cases. And I do headcanon Ingo as one who overshares to undershare. Ingo absolutely does enjoy talking about the Ocean.
There is something about the aspect where you can deeply enjoy the concept of something and yet when you come face to face, you can just shy away here to. Ingo likes the idea of the ocean, understands why it’s important and yet--
Ingo knows it’s a bit of a paradox, but he likes and yet dreads the Ocean in equality.
His ideal is to someday find a way to work past his fear, but also knowing that it’s a realistic and valid one to have.
One of Ingo’s core traits is how he wishes to constantly improve to, reach a new higher state. The idea he finds the Ocean as exciting as it makes him nervous kind of fits. He wants to improve, get past this fear.
Generally this makes me think Ingo’s not as bad with pictures as I initially thought. He is still discomforted by them, and can’t handle it well in games but it’s still the atmosphere that affects him the most.
When Ingo talks about the Ocean the talks can sometimes deviate into like, horror stories about the ocean, with a tone that’s somehow opposed to the topic been at hand.
People can like been unsettled.
Ingo knows so many Ocean Ghost stories.
Side note, the fact that the choice of topic is The Ocean and not The Beach, makes me think Ingo also might prefer talking about the Ocean as like, a biome/wildlife topic than anything else.
Something, something, importance of respecting nature here.
Ingo watching documentaries on the Ocean and been both anxious and enraptured by them.
Feels like this loops back for a moment, but Ingo is so in awe about people who’re not scared of the ocean. Wants to hear their perspective.
Anyway, I don’t think I have much more to say. This is just, no actually, this doesn’t debunk things. I mean-- gee, it’s almost like people can like been scared right? Challenged, and coming to face your fears is a challenge worth attempting safely.
