got inspired by another anon, any headcanons for siblings mars Roark and Silver? (Through Ariana)
some! these might be similar to the others ^^'
Roark was Ariana’s oldest, Byron’s only child. When he grew up, he figured quickly that he was more like his dad than his mom; knowing what his dad told her about him made him okay with that.
Mars was only a year and change younger than Roark, perhaps the reason they were closer to each other for a time. She never knew her dad, and was a bit jealous of Roark for having Byron in his life.
By the time Silver was born, Mars and Roark were already in Sinnoh. He knew of them, but he never had much of a chance to be close to them when he was little. It never used to bother him.
Silver did make an effort when he was older and learned more about his family, though by then Mars wasn’t entirely on the radar. Roark was willing to tell Silver whatever he wanted to know, though.
Mars didn’t particularly care to know either of them, though her brothers were persistent in their attempts to find her and get to know her, even with everything she’d done. It was…interesting.
I posted about this headcanon on bluesky but I wanted to go more in depth over here! I know the headcanon of Silver, team rocket executive Ariana & Galactic admin Mars all being related is an iffy headcanon in this fandom, depending on who you ask. But I personally LOVE this headcanon so much and I have so many ideas for how it could work and still add onto Silver as a character!
Feel free to read me yap about my headcanon to the void below YAY!
(Disclaimer: i know pokemon legends arceus could interfere with some of this headcanon because of that Azeru character. However, I've had this headcanon before that game out AND I havent played that game beyond the tutorial so she is not relevant to me sowwy. All of this headcanon could apply without Mars though. But dont come angerly scream at me about canon cuz IDGAF😍)
So as I said, I headcanon that these 3 + Giovanni are all a family. Ariana is Silver's mom and Mars is Silver's older sister. Obviously, this headcanon comes from the 3 of them looking extremely similar and being being antagonists. Design-wise, Ariana being Silver's mom feels like it should be a thing it's just not 😭 I know there's other characters that look similar but obviously aren't related. Even Mars being related to them could be a stretch, but with these two it's like COME on
(same general hair style, same smirk, team rocket/giovanni associations, they even STAND extremely similarly. It feels like the only thing holding it back from being canon is it not being explicitly stated by the game or devs.)
ANYWAY, I'm still not entirely sure what Silver & Ariana's relationship would be. She was probably a bit distant, but I like to think she was around more than Giovanni was. Probably more affectionate than Giovanni could ever be. Silver is neutral towards her until Team Rocket disbands and Ariana is still chasing after Giovanni with the rest of the TR executives. Her defending Giovanni and trying to get him back just leaves a sour taste in Silver's mouth, and he grows to resent her like he does the rest of Team Rocket.
As for Mars, I imagine that she was the closest person to Silver growing up. If Giovanni and Ariana were busy & distant, Mars often filled their role in a way random Team Rocket grunt babysitters couldn't. She played with Silver and kept him away from the more sinister things Team Rocket did. Considering the path Mars would take as an adult, Mars is the one who encouraged Silver to do bad things, to use Pokemon as tools for power and continue the legacy of their parents. They bonded through stealing and things like that. Growing up, Silver's original dream was to be a part of Team Rocket (as he was taught they were stronger than they actually were).
Once Team Rocket disbanded, Mars left to Sinnoh (to join Galactic). She wanted to continue being evil and powerful, but came of age around the time Team Rocket was defeated.
Mars disappearing, just like Giovanni, would add onto Silver's inner conflict. If Silver's life was shaped by crime, emotional distance and abandonment, of course he'd end up as cruel and closed off as he is in the games. His pursuit of strength is to help put up a wall between him and everyone who can hurt him and a sense of control he lacks... Even post-development, Silver would have a rough time getting close to people (like Ethan & the Johto gang)...because if he gets too close he's terrified they'll leave like everyone else in his life (and he doesn't worthy of their friendship anyway 💔).
That's what makes his the Johto gang and his Pokemon sticking around, despite Silver's past actions, so special 🥲 I think Mars would represent who Silver could've been if he continued chasing strength and being evil like she did.
Despite how broken this family is, I do like thinking about them from time to time. I like Yakuzashipping (Giovanni x Ariana), and imagining Silver having happy times with Mars as a kid is bittersweet oughhhh
Here's some other headcanons I have about about these guys yaaaya!
This is very on the nose but it fits Pokemon naming conventions. I headcanon their last name is "Razzo" (Rocket in Italian). I'm an Italian mob Team Rocket truther I fear. I think Silver would reject this last name and, any connections to TR like that, though.
I don't think Giovanni & Ariana were abusive or anything like Ghetsis / Lusamine, but they weren't the most affectionate or available parents at all. In my head, they were more focused on their kids carrying their legacy rather over anything else. Like loyalty, obedience and control was more important than love...
Mars was succcch a Daddy's girl. She was closer to Giovanni than Silver was. A lot of her drive to be evil and powerful probably comes from wanting validation from Giovanni, even when he's gone.
The times all 4 of them spent together were probably things like awkward & quiet family dinners and like taking photos or something. Considering the whole criminal thing, I see Giovanni & Ariana being too busy and "in the shadows" to do big family stuff with their kids. I can't see them playing with them or anything like that either
Silver idolized Giovanni as a kid because he mostly heard about his feats rather than seeing them, so his admiration had to fill in the blanks (which is why he's so distraught when Gio turns out to be a FRAUD)
Silver doesn't know where Mars went at all. Ariana knows exactly where she is but never tells Silver. Even if he would never admit it, Silver misses herrrr :(
But still, Silver resents Mars for leaving him like Giovanni (and also continuing on an evil path, once he's had his character development). He views her just as weak as the rest of Team Rocket.
Mars misses Silver as well but is too invested in the Team Galactic crap to back and find him. She expects he can do fine on his own, unaware of the depth of the damage she helped cause.
And I think Ariana has a hard time coping without Giovanni or her kids. Especially when Team Rocket disbands for good in HGSS. That's been her life for so long, so now what?
Tbh once team rocket collapses again I think this family becomes extremely broken. Like nobody tries to reach out or seek each other out again, even if there's so many unanswered questions. I'm sure Giovanni definitely keeps tabs on everyone from the shadows though.....
ok im done...i just like thinking about Silvers backstory okay. Canon gave me crumbs to work with but I made it work.
Ordinary girls spending some time with their Purugly after winning their first contest. Eris and Mars are very pleased that Purugly won but not surprised at all : She is perfect.
Only a little snippet of happiness with their Pokémon between the attempts to reach out for Cyrus and Mercure after the Platinum events- (I still haven't decided what would happen )
I don't have much ideas for their ship name so for now they'll be named Anaglyphshipping because they do look like those cardboard glasses to watch 3D
