What does Family mean to us?
Mom and dad. Bro and sis. Aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, in-laws, pets… we all know what makes a family, right? You're born into your family. They got whole websites and agencies dedicated to tracing your bloodline. So, family is a pretty clear concept. Right?
A group of persons related by blood; a group descended from a common ancestor.
It's like they say, “blood is thicker than water.” Except, that's not the whole quote. The full version is, “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” If you've followed the Fast films or seen/read… really anything X-Men, you know that “covenant” has a more common term. “Found family.” Every misfit, every online gamer, every crazy cat lady, every sportsman, showman, and soldier… family is not limited to those bound by biology, but people can in fact become family through commonality and unity. Perhaps more importantly, they understand a more novel concept.
Family is a choice.
I have a saying I've used often in conversations like this: “Blood makes you related. Bonds make you family.” Because, while your parents, siblings, or offspring are obviously family in the scientific sense, relation and relating are not mutually exclusive. You may be familiar with another saying that's made the rounds online: “I got family that ain't blood, and I got blood that ain't family.” Many have been forced to play nice with a cousin they know nothing about, been neglected in favour of a sibling - or a vice - been abused or assaulted by a relative, or just grew apart from the past. I'm sure I'm not breaking any ground when I say that the concept of Family is nebulous, yet consistent. There are many ways to categorise a family, but only one way to define it: family is the people you trust the most, and who you would do anything to protect.
No one values family more than Aaron Thorn.
Aaron is a man of simple desires and strong discipline. Becoming the head of the house far too young due to the disappearance of his father and heroic death of his mother, Aaron knows all too well how important it is to cherish those you have. So, it made sense when Aaron dedicated his life to curing the mysterious disease plaguing his baby sister. That journey now sees him cross paths with a lost and angry young woman with a powerful secret, as well as an old rival who's somehow on the same side. Aaron lost most of the family he was born into. Now he's fighting to protect the relatives he has left, and learning to embrace the family he's found.
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