#The Meaning of Battler (Valor’s) Name

[queenoffishingandcookies]

Battler / Valor’s Name

Considering Battler’s name is meant to be understood as a person who fights, a fighter, I wanted his name as a girl - whether he is transgender or had been outright genderbent - to reflect the same or similar meaning.

Because yes, I’m one of the people who occasionally choose to change a character’s name.

(Feel free to punch me, it’s habit.)

Taken straight from my phone notes, and pieced together from a lot of googling, I ended up with this:

(I’d copy and paste it, but tumblr wont let me, so you get a screenshot, sorry!)

Wish I could tell you I put a lot of thought into this, but I looked at the meaning of Battler (which is, in fact, an actual word) and began thinking of synonyms to a person who fights, or things that mean something similar.

Considering Ushiromiya Family Typical Behavior, in a world where Battler is physically born with female parts, it’s a half-and-half to me on whether she would be named Battler, like in close-to-canon AU’s where she is assumed male because that’s what her physical body says (at least at that time).

I don’t think it would be considered outright to be masculine, since it’s a weird name in the first place, I don’t think people would care? But also. It’s not a lady’s name???

And woman in the Ushiromiya Family have…very specific roles, to say the least, and those born into the family probably have very certain expectations weighing on their shoulders (because Kinzo is an asshole, but I digress-)

I have conflicting feels on it, don’t really know how to explain them, and I’ll…leave it at that.

It was a toss up between Valor or Aster or Asteria. Valor, because pronounced in Japanese it would start with the same ‘Ba’ sound. Valor generally means courage/bravery, especially in battle. Aster/Asteria because that flower, in hanakotoba, means remembrance/memory (and please, correct me if I’m wrong).

Also, I really like the flower.

Once I decided on the name itself, it was…actually just a googling spree on which kanji made the necessary sound. I took the first syllable from the canonical spelling of Battler’s name.

Literally scrolling through lists of kanji for a kanji that had the ‘ro’ sound and appropriate meaning - the jitenon website and wikitionary are where exactly I got them from, so it might not be accurate.

The kanji for yuu means, translated to english, courage. Which is often used to spell the name Yuki, which generally means something similar to Valor. It’s also similar enough to the ru sound, so I decided why not? Almost like an inside joke, though that probably wouldn’t actually work in real life?

Put into Google translate (always the best, well-reputable, never makes an error source), it means:

(Those are alternate readings of the kanji, and let me tell you, that was hell to figure out).

I had so many tabs opened in this process, so much scrolling down. I honestly wish I’d taken note, because it was as interesting as it was frustrating to look at the kanji and how many different meanings they had…

Also, if you’re born into the Ushiromiya family, you kind of have to have some level of bravery or courage, if not cutting cunning or an unfaltering poker face, to survive.

So yeah.

Battler = Valor.

Also, I really like the idea of a transgender Battler coming out, at some point, and choosing her new name after discarding the old, and keeping to the original meaning because - well, her mom gave it to her. The heart of its meaning was…kind of good, she wasn’t a wimp, she knew how to fight and how to fight well. Even if the wacky kanji is from her Ushiromiya side.

(Also considering social expectations of women at the time to be feminine, maybe that would constitute some sort of pressure on trying to select the right name for a young lady? To not be known as aggressive, but strong? To be called a fighter could have different connotations between a girl and boy, and that might be a discussion for another time and way over my head).

Please don’t flame me, if anyone takes offense, please have mercy and tell me if and how I am offensive.

Also, Valor is the only name I’ve looked at in-depth in how it might change for a genderbent or transgender umineko character. Except for maybe George’s.

and let me tell you. Eva, in entirely Genderbent worlds, as a boy. Having a daughter. His only child is a daughter. Wanting to be family heir - and not being heir for a variety of reasons, one of which being to spite the family elders who were still alive when he was born…George’s name would either be Georgia, Georgiana, or…George.

Because Evan wanted a boy, but got a girl, and even if she’s a girl, he’ll make sure she’ll be brought up with as fine an education as a boy and find a wealthy spouse- (it’s…kind of similar to how Jessica in canon has so much pressure on her shoulders from Natsuhi, to be a reputable heiress of the family in her own right even as a girl-).

There’s So Much There to look at, to say the least, and this post will get a lot longer if I wrote it out here.

(I did have an entire sheet of the others names and the kanji that they had but I LOST IT, and now I only have the western names for them set in stone. I’m still upset about that.)

[kiroonsmoon]

1, 5, 16, 20, 23, 25 and 30 for Fate?

1. Does your oc have any motifs?

Stars lmao. They’re in her design and her true name is Stella which means ‘star’ lol. I really like stars and moons and that bleeds into my characters heavily. I have so many characters who have stars in their design someway somehow. Hell I even had a concept of a bunch of ocs made of stardust at one point.

5. What was your character's dream job as a kid? Is it different than what their career ended up being?

Uhhh I don’t know honestly. I think she was more of “whatever happens happens” maybe something in entertainment? She sure as hell wasn’t expecting to become the Interceptor and possible savior of the world though.

16. How does your OC feel about their parents?

She never met them though Calamity has told her stories about them. She thinks they sound like wonderful people, she sad she never got to know them but she doesn’t really grieve about it though.

20. A nostalgic memory from your OC’s childhood?

Whenever he had a break from work or something else Calamity would often take Fate on a walk in the nearby woods to take photos or have a picnic. She always enjoyed and cherished those moments :).

23. What are your OC’s biggest flaws and biggest strengths?

Strengths - Fate’s a very welcoming, open and social person. This makes her very approachable to others. She often makes people feel more comfortable or even just a little better. She’s also a very hard worker, give her a task and she’ll give it her best! She’s also very in tune with others emotions, being able to easily tell how one’s feeling too. This can help her navigate interactions! She’s also a very skilled battler and trainer, she doesn’t know how but she’s not complaining.

Flaws - Though very friendly and forgiving it can hinder her too. She’ll often give second chances to those who do not deserve it at all. Hell, she doesn’t really hate Geara despite the fact he killed her once and felt bad for what he went through after the whole Valor Mountain thing. She’s also not the smartest academically, she always struggled in school and often needed help with tutors. Puzzles are her nightmare, please help her, everyone is dumb with them and she’s technically the ‘smartest’ with puzzles send help. She also hides her negative emotions, not really telling others how she is feeling. Unless the emotion is to strong that she can’t hide it (ex. the amount of fear she felt during her nightmare realm/before her first death or her grief after Nancy’s death or Melia’s ‘death’) she’ll just let it boil silently. This can lead to moments where she lashes out or gives a cold shoulder too others who don’t deserve it.

25. Favorite food and color for your OC?

Fate really enjoys lilac colors! As for food I’m not sure exactly but she definitely likes sweet foods.

30. Does your OC wish to be married someday?

She can either get married or not it doesn’t matter to her! She’d be happy with a partner either way or even without a life partner!