#technically.. with the implications... I should use the other name..

[gemini-queen42]

Told my friend I was planning to draw this & When I asked her why she immidiately deduced that Gaston was the one giving birth, she said (1: ive made related jokes b4, but two-) "you tend to punish men for their sins."

And we'll. Can't argue with that. Anyways, this meme:

Gaston please Beau was just born he hasn't had time to grow into his features yet... *

[Ref and rambling under cut]

Ref image:

(*Which Are mostly Gastons actually, just w/ Lefous height and build. (and even then, grown Beau has noticeably broader shoulders than Lefou lol))

(Srry This is the only real drawing of the lad I have but u get the vision)

The kid that Actually has mostly Lefou's features would probably be Birdy, who mostly just takes Gast's height & eye color

I would've added a mini comic bit of the girls saying stuff but I got lazy :P

[to-be-a-dreamer]

Okay but real talk the black heart being about Billy actually makes Agathario even more compelling sorry y'all don't have an imagination.

I mean, the implications of Rio not technically being in the coven??? From what I understand, a coven is supposed to be a sisterhood, a group of witches dedicated to each other above all else. Rio is not dedicated to these people. She is not here for them. Rio is death and death has no coven but she still came. She came because Agatha summoned her, not because the coven needed a new green witch. (This also means the coven never actually needed a green witch since I'm presuming Billy isn't one. They didn't need Rio but Agatha called her anyway)

Rio has no loyalty to the other witches, she is there for Agatha and Agatha alone and I am SO hoping they get to show that on screen in some way.

Also the black heart itself isn't a huge plot point or a character moment, but Agatha's reaction to it certainly is. She sees a black heart on a list of names that are supposed to be her coven and she immediately thinks of Rio. Billy presses her about the fourth name and she would rather eat paper than do literally anything normal. Like, we know Agatha is an incredible liar, she should have been able to easily come up with something to tell him but she was so thrown off by the idea that the name might be Rio that the only thing she could think to do was to eat the list. That is insane behavior who cares if it wasn't actually about Rio because Agatha's actions were about her. That tells you infinitely more about them than a list of names.

Also just. Logistically. It makes way more sense like why wouldn't Lilia just write Rio Vidal? I know it works for the drama of it all but I was wondering if they were going to give an in-universe reason or just leave it as a weird plot hole. But who's the one person a witch can't name? Also, Billy told Eddie nothing in his life felt normal until they met, so it makes sense that the symbol she would use to represent him, the most accurate way to refer to Billy, is the affectionate inside joke between him and the only person who makes him feel normal (I could ramble for just as long about how Billy being the black heart makes his character and his relationship with Agatha so much more compelling as well but this is for the Agathario stans and I know y'all are a little traumatized so I'll hold off for now. Also also it makes Mrs. Davis's death even more tragic because there was actually no reason for her to be there, they already had their complete coven)

[thewertsearch]

You produce your most spirited LAD SCRAMBLE yet, and hop up to the next GOD TIER, achieving the illustrious REVENGE OF DOCTOR RAGNAROK. All of your vitals go completely bonkers. Your MAN GRIT is off the charts. You're embarrassed for us to even know what it is. It's that gaudy.

Remember when I described the God Tiers as 'less silly' than the Echeladder's levels?

...yeah. I should have known that wasn't going to last long.

You put forth your best LASS SCAMPER of all time, and clear another sweet GOD TIER, the nigh-unattainable SAYONARA KANSAS.

For Jade, these tiers are essentially meaningless now. She's the First Guardian of Earth, and wields powers far greater than the paltry parlor tricks of an ascended Sburb Player.

Jade's not a God Tier - She's a god.

Nobody should ever mess with you. Not even me.

And Hussie knows it.

You don't get boondollars anymore. That shit is for babies now. Instead, you are finally ready to have your first ACHIEVEMENT BADGE sewn on to your KIDDIE CAMPER HANDYSASH! You each receive the badge GIFT OF GAB, enabling you to engage in simple, direct dialogue with others, without requiring any gimmicks to facilitate communication. You don't need to type through a chat client, or talk to a sprite, or traverse through a memory in a dream bubble, or wander around in an interactive game environment, or any of that stuff. You seriously never thought you would live to see this achievement unlocked. It almost feels like cheating.

Getting a little sick of that restriction, eh, Hussie?

Sufficiently advanced Players are allowed to break the rules of the comic, a concept which is brimming with potential. Next thing you know, they'll be picking up objects without a Sylladex, naming their children before they're thirteen, or violating the sanctity of the alpha timeline wait what was that last one

A verbal conversation, with no Pesterchum handles in sight. This really does feel like a milestone, and it's incredibly funny (and on-brand) that we needed a Prestige Class to unlock it.

Also... this is decidedly not a three-millisecond journey. Just how long are they stuck here?

JADE: im not sure! JADE: some sort of limbo dimension between the two walls i guess JADE: like a realm with unusual spatial properties we have to cross through

Jade, for her part, is not aware of the metacanonical implications of this little trip. I think it was Scratch who first told her about the Fourth Wall, and it's clear he made a few tactical omissions concerning its true nature.

JOHN: we escaped the scratch? JOHN: like, we still exist and everything? JADE: yes! JADE: we still totally exist john JOHN: ok, just making sure. JOHN: i still felt pretty existy, but you never know.

A pertinent question, considering where they are.

Technically, they might be more real than they were before, since they've left the fictional medium(!) of their reality.

JOHN: i mean, we crashed through that giant window you magically made with witch powers to escape the scratch, so we can keep existing, right? JADE: yes JADE: i didnt make it with witch powers though, i captchalogued it hours ago because karkat told me to…

Wait, but wasn't it Future Jade who told Karkat to do that?

It certainly sounds like it was - and the current, post-session Jade should already be older than any 'future' Jade who talked to Karkat during the session.

By now, Jade should know why she arranged for herself to grab the Wall - but she's acting like she only did it because Karkat told her to. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting what she's saying.

JOHN: did you at least make it huge with witch powers? JADE: i did make it huge with witch powers! JOHN: so i guess that's what witch powers do, is make things huge? JADE: they also make things small JOHN: right, like you did with all those planets. JADE: yup JADE: also JADE: witch powers can teleport things, and fling things around through space at very high velocities JADE: all sorts of stuff! JADE: but to be honest, im not sure how much of that is attributable to inheriting becs abilities…

All of it, actually.

The only thing Bec didn't do was fling an object around at a high velocity...

...until you remember he did this, which absolutely counts.

So far, nothing Jade's done has been through her God Tier abilities. She's so powerful that her status as the Witch of Space is completely, utterly superfluous.

[frudoo]

Ahh finished reaidng and the end of the baker Simon update I feel like, idk if reader works in like some marketing agency maybe in an office but like she suggests taking them to the people she works with and they all love Simon after that because who doesn’t love being fed baked goods?? And they encourage her to date him (def not so they get more treats in the future 🤭)

Or even they take them to somewhere like a first station to give to fire fighters or a day care or even a shelter. Just to let people enjoy some treats.

Either way I feel like there’s some sweet act of charity going to happen eee

Right you are, anon ;)

Warnings: Simon is a lil pent up (suggestive thoughts, none in detail) and only briefly thinks about murder LMAO.

As you drive, all Simon can think about is how he should have known. Of course such a sweet, thoughtful thing like you would have a weekly volunteering schedule at the local nursing home. He shouldn’t be surprised that you know each of the staff by name, or what specific allergies and intolerances the residents have, but still his heart pounds in his chest, honeyed eyes transfixed on the angel leading him past the lobby. He feels out of place with his broad shoulders slumped, arms full with the trays of his own baked goods. 

     As you turn the corner, you slow your pace to walk level with Simon, a cheeky grin pulling at your lips. 

     “Technically, none of them are supposed to have desserts with added sugar because of health regulations or whatever, but I sweet-talked Ryan—the director—and got us a pass. He’s always had a thing for me, I think. And anyway, I believe that if you make it past 80 years old, you deserve to eat whatever the hell you want.”

     “Agreed,” Simon huffs quietly, trying to shake the urge to go back and rip Ryan’s head off. 

     His military days are over, he reminds himself, no more violent impulses should be acted on. Besides, there’s no reason to feel this way about a stupid little crush some guy has on you. You’re not his, although he’d rather not consider that you might have a thing for Ryan, as well. 

     “We’ll stop here, first,” you nudge his arm lightly, smiling up at him sweetly. “They’re… um, well, the group without dementia. They’ll be a little kinder.” 

     Bloody fucking hell. He’s blushing like a damn schoolboy, completely oblivious to everything you said after your arm brushed against his. All he knows is that he wants to keep you close, feel your hands on his stomach again, brush his fingers up and down your arms until you beg him to take that pretty little blouse of yours off- fuck. Snap out of it, Riley, you’re in a nursing home, for fuck’s sake. It isn’t until you grab a cupcake off of one of his trays that he realizes he’s followed you into a different room.

     He watches intently as you pull up a chair across from one elderly lady, gently patting her hand in greeting. She grins at you—a true, beaming smile, and it makes Simon smile. Maybe he’s not so far off; maybe you are a little slice of heaven on Earth. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that other people get to see that. 

     “I didnae kno’ ye ‘ave a husband,” the woman says with furrowed brows, frosting smeared across her mouth.

     You giggle and help her wipe it away with a napkin before gently correcting her.

     “He’s not my husband, Ms. Orla. Simon’s a good friend,” you explain, turning back to look at him with a fond glance. 

     You miss the way his smile falters at your words. He misses the glumness in your tone at the implication. Ms. Orla is not so easily fooled.

     “Mhm. Said the same abou’ me late husband when we first met. He pu’ a ring on me finger within t’ree months,” she purses her lips and tilts her head with a bit of attitude before taking another bite of her cupcake. “And if he bakes like tha’, ah can only imagine wha’ he’s like in the-”

     “Okay!” You interrupt with wide eyes and a flustered smile, scrambling to stand from your seat. 

     But you trip over the chair leg and stumble backwards, right into Simon. He catches you with no hesitation, not even dropping so much as one macaron on the floor. You stare up at him, shocked and clinging onto his biceps for dear life. You’ve always hated those God-awful romance movies, the cheesy Hallmark kind of feel-good films that make you want to claw your eyes out—but the feeling of his arm around your waist makes your heart clench in your chest, and although the thought makes disgust bubble in your gut, in this moment, it’s just you and the big, handsome brute who just stopped you from busting your ass on the carpeted floor. 

     That is, until a chuckle erupts from Ms. Orla’s throat, and Simon lifts you back onto your feet, clearing the dreamlike haze that surrounded the both of you seconds before.

     “Be sure tae bring me a slice o’yer weddin’ cake in a few months, aye?”

[onwesterlywinds]

I've been thinking a lot again about the implications of the title of "viator" translating to "traveler" (prompted by Writing Things), and while there's been a lot of discussion about its relation/parallels to Azem, I feel like I've seen a lot less, if anything, on how "viator" plays into the overarching narrative of Garlean imperialism as well. For a relatively small detail, it's honestly one of the things I really think Endwalker did really well in its portrayal of Garlemald and Zenos.

Throughout XIV's history, we've been shown countless perspectives for why the Garleans invade and occupy other nations, whether it's [insert Nael's Bahamut tempering], Gaius' claims that peace can only come from a strong leader, the racism we see entrenched in Garlemald's colonial rule in Stormblood, etc. Endwalker, however, doubles down on the role of Corvos in Garlemald's history and elevates it to a founding narrative: the idea that the Garleans are justified in invading other nations because they themselves were driven from their own ancestral land thousands of years ago.* This is by no means the full scope of Garlean history (as just one example, Return to Ivalice posited that many other Garleans are likely descended from the technically-minded people of Goug), but it's still very consistent lore-wise and thematically for Endwalker to present the Garlean people's expulsion from Corvos as a creation myth for their empire, and the way this plays out in 6.0 MSQ lets us see the extent of the damage that that myth has done to those who have made it their worldview.

And introducing the term "viator" at the end of that arc as the name for the Empire's most loathed, reviled, and shunned class - the exile - ties into this idea so well: the greatest punishment the Garleans can give for one of their own is to make them a wanderer - to ensure that person is forever denied the home that they prize so highly in their society. This is a classic example of scapegoating, which has deep connections to empire throughout history and Western literature.

It's also such a fitting conclusion to Zenos' relationship with the Garlean Empire, too! One of the reasons I've loved Zenos as an antagonist since 4.0 is that despite treating the workings of imperialism as beneath him and irrelevant to his true desires ("Ala Mhigo and Doma and Garlemald be damned!"), he has a sense of entitlement to the peoples and lands of Ala Mhigo and Doma - and to you, the Warrior of Light! - that is extremely Garlean. The fact that (to paraphrase Lyse) he did all that just so he could feel something is what makes him such a perfect antagonist for Stormblood in my book. But to the Garlean people, that lack of care for his homeland - be it because (their own) people were tempered/killed from his actions, or the very sexy patricide/regicide, or that he caused the Empire itself to fall into ruin when he "should have" succeeded Varis - was to them the greatest crime he could commit. To put it another way, he probably would not have been named Zenos viator Galvus if he had first been Zenos zos Galvus.

And despite me forever lamenting the fact that the 5.X-era plot thread of Zenos having dreams about Amaurot never actually went anywhere, even that ties into his eventual role as viator: the only place with which he has ever had any real connection is gone forever.

Which makes a grave at the end of the known universe feel almost fitting in its tragedy.

(*On a serious note: While I do think the writers were intentional - and, mostly, thoughtful - around leveraging imperialist rhetoric, the fact that this particular framing is often used to justify an ongoing genocide is one of many reasons why I would be very happy for future Garlemald stories to stay on pause for the next few years.)

[vixstarria]

Kinktober Day 11 - Praise Kink

For every day of the month of October I will be posting a little snippet following prompts listed in this post. Most of these will not be full fics, but rather short snippets, set-ups, and, in a few cases, copied bits and pieces of fics I have already published. But, if there is a lot of interest and feedback on any of the snippets, they might just evolve into full fics, so keep that in mind.

It's still the 11th somewhere, so not technically late.

This is presumed to take place in Act 1.

“Lick, don’t suck.”

She was awfully bold, given her precarious position - legs spread for him, his sharp fangs all but grazing all her most sensitive parts.

“You’re really going to tell a vampire not to suck, darling?” Astarion murmured, between lapping at her with his tongue. “Especially on something so swollen with your blood..?”

Truth be told, he hated being told what to do, though he begrudgingly admitted that it was her pussy, and there was a possibility that she knew how to handle it better than he did. Maybe.

He gave her clit another stubborn drag, sucking on it lightly, before switching to flicking his tongue over its sensitive underside. That immediately elicited a moan of approval from her.

“That’s better,” she groaned. “Now use your fingers. I want your fingers inside me.”

Did she honestly think she needed to walk him through this..?

“Magic word?” He couldn’t resist saying.

“Please…” She sighed, spreading her legs wider. “Fuck me with your fingers, please.”

Now that he liked the sound of. A good habit that he should encourage, he thought, as he granted her request, continuing to flick his tongue over her sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Good…” she purred raising herself on her elbows. “Look at you, just where I want you, with your head between my legs.”

He raised his eyes to meet hers. Her pupils were blown wide with lust, as she observed him from beneath her lashes. He felt his cock twitch at her obvious approval, but he would bite her if she called him a good boy, he thought.

His idle thoughts were disrupted by her hand finding its way to his hair, lightly scratching and stroking through it in an almost petting motion.

“Gods, you make me feel so good,” she moaned. “Like no one else.”

Once again, he was vexed, though this time more so with himself than her, from the coil that tightened in his stomach at her words. It sounded like she was comparing him to her past lovers - and she probably was - but it pleased him to hear it. He knew he was better, the merest implication that it could have been any other way should have been an affront to him, and yet, and yet, he wanted to show her just how much better he really was. He set to work.

Every hitch of her breath, every moan, twitch, involuntary bucking of her hips, every time he felt her clenching around his fingers, as well exactly what had caused it, was immediately memorised and used back on her, until he played her like a perfectly tuned instrument, her moans and whimpers sweet music to his ears.

She had thrown her head back, trying so hard but failing to keep quiet.

“Yes, just like that… Don’t stop…”

As if he would stop. His tongue was locked repeating the same movement on her clit like his life depended on it now, only very gradually increasing in intensity.

“That’s perfect… You’re perfect…”

He found himself grinding his hips against the bedroll, trying to get friction on his erect cock. He wanted to make her moan louder, make her lavish him more with her praise, needed to.

She fell back onto the bedroll, arching her back, moaning wantonly. Nearly there, he thought, as she tightened her fingers in his hair, whispering something about gods on repeat like a broken music box - he knew he was the god she was praying to at that moment. Her whispers turned to unintelligible mewls and she came, his name spilling desperately from her lips. He gently glided his tongue over her clit through her climax, as she clenched violently around his fingers. It must have been a strong one, he thought, smugly.

He kissed his way back up her stomach and chest, as her orgasm face melted into a foolish, content smile.

“You’re amazing,” she breathed, kissing him and drawing him flush against her.

Damn fucking right he was.

“And you’re delicious,” he purred, pleased with himself.

My Kinktober masterlist and prompts post

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #22

Best of Wish

I enjoy Irep's grit-teethed remark when he mentions Anti-Fairies can't have godkids. He's just like his dad, for real, for real.

If he's this annoyed at the thought of Anti-Fairies not being allowed godkids, that kinda implies he wants one, which is interesting. Godkids were always one of Anti-Cosmo's interests, but never something Foop pursued on purpose or ever expressed interest in.

Please enjoy this cut Anti-Cosmo dialogue from an early script for "Fairly Oddlympics" that I think about constantly:

btw, there are a lot of funny deleted scenes in the old scripts that I love talking about, especially from this one, so if you find anything that catches your eye and post about it, you should @ me because I would enjoy reading your reactions <3

Plot twist - Irep is doing healthy things to work through his "scary godparent for Vicky" trauma while Peri's reaction to Vicky trauma was to cover his ears, hide behind his mom, and sing "La la la, la la la" to pretend she wasn't there.

Peri said his memories of childhood are blurry. I wonder if Irep remembers his childhood better since he was fully able to talk and comprehend things back then.

"Once a fairy quits, any magical being can take their place!"

I mean... Technically yes, but you used to have to sing for it. lol.

The Pixies, who are literally last in line for godkids below all other magical beings (including pegasi, bigfeet, and lake monsters), watching Irep stroll in like: ???

- which imo was implied to be a punishment for their race after H.P. was godparent to some unconfirmed kid I've been headcanoning was Dale for 7 years-

Actually, I like the implication that Irep was so fast to snipe Dev because he's been stalking them since he found out Peri was assigned a godkid.

Irep: Once a fairy quits, any magical being can take their place! Wanda: Peri didn't quit! He was waiting for you to call! Cosmo: He thought you two were on a break! Me: ... ?????? Peri was waiting for Irep to call and take him back? Run that by me again??

... I legitimately cannot tell if they're addressing Dev or Irep. Irep was the last person to speak, but Dev speaks next. Rewinding and listening to the conversation again, I can use my context clues to see they're probably looking at Dev (who is offscreen), but ?? why would you frame it that ambiguously.

Did anyone else get confused here or was that just me?

Also this has done nothing to disprove my previous "Peri is clingy especially where break-ups are concerned" interpretation.

I like how the very first wish Dev makes in this scene isn't for his dad to love him, but for Bev to love him.

How many kids in this class have names that rhyme with Dev and why is he so determined to befriend them all?

?? Okay, so I was previously confused about Dev's friendships because I was pretty sure I remembered him saying in Episode 1 that he and Trev were friends, but we haven't seen them interact at all. I went back and checked, and here's what he says:

"That's Trev! He's my bud, so he probably won't give YOU the time of day."

I wish we got to see him hanging out with Trev. Did they split after Trev didn't come to his sleepover?

- I just checked; I don't see any evidence of Trev at Hazel's. - Hey, did Winn and Jasmine ever find out Hazel lied to them about living in a 5-star hotel? - In conclusion, we are being ROBBED of the Trev-Dev-Bev friend squad.

Looking back, it's very funny that Dev made an effort to introduce Hazel to people when she was the new kid despite that not being his job... including giving some glowing reviews of a few of their classmates, including "This guy's my bud, this person's cool, and I respect this other guy." He wants to talk...

Also, moon is full in New York.

I keep waiting for Irep's music to drop again, but it never does in this scene. It's stressing me out; why did it only drop in THAT scene?

The version I'm watching unfortunately doesn't include credits and I can't find it after a few quick searches, but if Guy Moon did the music for this episode and remembered how he used to do it for Foop and his alt personality when they would do their switch cues 14 years ago, and so when he saw that body language he did it again, I'm gonna lose it.

Surely not... But he had to do it for at least 3 seasons; maybe it just stuck??

I don't see him credited for A New Wish at all on his own IMBD or Wiki page either. idk who did this episode, but I liked it. Hi, I'm the target audience; it's me.

And Irep's still a leftie! Even after putting both hands on the mace handle to smash it down, it goes back to his left when he takes one hand off.

He even does the "sword fight" with his left hand. It's the boy!!!

?? Is Irep's hair both blue (like both his parents') AND black (the color his tuft was in the OG series)?

Are his roots black, but the color eases to dark blue the farther out it grows? That's fantastic!

I like how Peri's hair looks most like his mom's but with a faint slope implying his dad's influence is there, and Irep's hair best parallels his dad's, but he gets his curl from his mom.

Huh. Looks like we've retired the 5 magic colors and now we're just pink poofs and dark blue lightning. Which I'm okay with; I just wasn't paying attention until now. But I know lightning-shaped Anti-Fairy magic was canon in "School of Crock," maybe others.

This does deprive me of my usual 2nd-watch shtick of reading moods based on color. Alas.

I enjoy Hazel rescuing the news reporter, but letting her know that she's a big fan of her work.

Okay, Irep uses his right hand at the last second, but I consider this a win.

I went back and checked frame by frame because I'm a NERD, and funnily enough... It looks like he changes hands after Cosmo blasts him in the left arm. It's hard to tell with the poof cloud, but when you consider the direction he moved (buffeted backwards), that implies it was a left-side hit. It's probably just coincidence, but that's funny.

I like Dev's silly star shades during this scene:

Peri's back!! Old buddies, ol' counterpart pals... I love that teeny-tiny movement Peri makes with his fingers to symbolize air quotes around "quit."

"I never gave two weeks notice~!!"

Also, this definitely belongs in my collection of counterparts using the same body language for opposite moods. idk if we'll see more of that, but it excites me that my stash grows!

I like Peri patting Dev on the head.

"He's still my godkid! :)"

Ooh, snap. Local cousins (once removed) are here to lay down Da Rules, as von Strangles do.

Aw, I like how undoing Dev's cheating means Hazel ends up with the prize shirt. I guess that makes sense; it just wouldn't have been my first thought.

I'm glad adult Irep makes squeaky sounds when you squeeze him. I seem to remember OG Poof making squeaky sounds when he bounced off walls.

Aw, Peri having a happy hug with his parents again! Instead of him feeling like they're overbearing. That's great.

Peri once again proving he's a jealous, clingy ex. I don't think this kid was okay when he was pried away from Timmy and I don't think he took his parents' leaving him on his own for 10k years very well.

I really enjoy Peri's body language throughout this series. All his little twitches and arm rubs and flicking eyes... It says a million words. You could talk forever about him.

I enjoy Dev and Hazel a lot this series, but I think Peri's my favorite. With all his little anxieties and moments he avoids eye contact, you really get the sense that he's working through a lot of baggage.

I like how his instinct was to be honest with his parents and then he immediately regrets it and closes off his body language, avoiding eye contact. He retracts what he said and says something else that he thinks makes him look better. He's got a lot going on.

The fact that he makes this big, decisive head nod as he changes his story to claim he wasn't "jealously spying on Dev" after quitting as his godparent, but he was instead "very normally and confidently passing by" is fantastic. That's... not how people talk in normal conversation, Peri. But I'm glad you're telling me you struggle with confidence issues.

- I think everything I've seen of you supports that. You've been the biggest anxiety ball ever since you got here. - Peri is the guy who'd be on edge wondering if he did something to make everyone mad.

It took me forever to get the above screenshots so I had to keep rewinding, and I have to say... I'm obsessed with that itty-bitty head tilt he does to the left before he goes full right. Idk why it's there, but I like it. It's like a shrug, or like he's thinking through his lie? I enjoy.

Also that teeny-tiny head squirm when he's enjoying the hug with his parents. He's so cute.

Okay, that's pretty messed-up of Peri to laugh with his parents while Dev is in the background really upset. Like, Peri is literally talking about Dev behind his back

-> I wish they'd snuck hints of purple in the background to indicate Peri was there, like a milk carton or pencil or something.

-> I stand by everything I've previously said about Peri not being emotionally mature enough to godparent. His kid needs comfort after a tough experience! Dev just got snapped at and punished by authority and now he's sitting on the ground looking dejected, and Peri's over there giggling!

-> C'mon, man! Hazel clocked on and she's trying to do your job for you. She shouldn't have to do that! (Though it's nice of her to try comforting her friend).

Oop, Dev just yelled at Hazel (again) and Peri did not discourage or discipline him in any way, and tbh... I don't think he even noticed. Because he was laughing and talking about his godkid with his parents. Dude, get your crown in the game.

I love Hazel throwing her prize shirt in Dev's face and shouting that she "hopes it was worth it" <3

I still don't know how to spell O-pairs and at this point, I'm too afraid to ask.

omg, Dev wants to learn about Anti-Fairies. Are we going to get lore and culture? Drama...

PERI, your godkid's running away!! Oh no, he can't hear us... he's got anxiety...

[dawnstruck]

A small rant about Arcane and human rights

Something that has been bugging me for a while now: I have been seeing several posts and comments defending CaitVi’s gassing of the Undercity, so I want to talk about it a little bit.

This is not so much about their respective motivations and whether their actions can be justified under that lens. Yes, Vi has no support system, therefore clings on to Cait, and thinks it’s her responsibility to stop Jinx. Yes, Cait blames herself for her mother’s death and has just become head of her house and part of the council. Yes, they might both believe the measures they take are reasonable.

We could argue back and forth whether those decisions and developments make sense for their characters and whether the narrative overall does everything justice. Personally, I think it doesn’t but, again, this is not my main beef.

Instead, I have seen people claim that gassing the Undercity was okay because “they were only using it on gang members.” And omg, there is so much to unpack here.

First off: Were many of the Chem Barons probably ruthless, corrupted, dangerous individuals? Probably. However, I don’t really recall any details of what makes Margot and Chross (aka the only Chem Barons who are left over and accosted during the raid) particularly bad. Because they are less relevant to the story, the whole stint therefore feels more like a personal vendetta against Jinx (which is ultimately is).

Furthermore, what about their goonies who get hurt and endangered in the process? Are they bad people? How many of them were somehow forced into working for the Chem Barons, because the options in the Undercity are simply extremely limited? Sevika dedicated herself to Silco, apparently out of conviction to his vision of a free Zaun. Does she deserve to be gassed? Does some random lackey deserve it who is just trying to feed their family? Are people who commit crimes out of socioeconomic distress exempt from the protection of their human rights???

And my biggest complaint: You cannot specifically target anyone with gas. It’s either gas or no gas. Anyone who is in the vicinity and does not happen to have a gas mask just lying around will be affected. Even leaving the streets and going inside wouldn’t really protect you. After all, how do ventilation systems work in Undercity houses? And don’t we know that, canonically, Enforcers really like to smash windows? So congratulations, Caitlyn, you just gassed some old lady who couldn’t afford to get her window replaced after your colleagues busted it in a while ago. She’s dead now.

And you might say, oh, but we don’t really get to see any of that, so it's just speculation. But, technically, we do see it. Namely, in the scene where they are gassing the abandoned arcade where Jinx happens to be. And they are looking for Jinx, so that’s real convenient. And of course it makes sense, Vi and her siblings used to hang out there, so of course she would suggest that they check out their old haunt. But you know what that means? Vi suggested that, without any sort of announcement, they should gas an abandoned arcade where children have been known to hang out. And then, when Cait hears a sound, she immediately starts firing bullets into the smoke.

This is also, and I cannot stress this enough, the time when Isha was following Jinx around. Isha could very well have been inside that arcade as well or out on the street where the Grey also would have been. Just because we are not shown this, doesn’t mean that the implication isn’t there.

And that is the problem with war crimes: They are considered war crimes because you don’t just harm the ones who are trying to harm you. When you drop a bomb on a building where a dangerous person lives, and there are a hundred other people in that building, then congratulations, you have hurt and probably killed one hundred innocent bystanders.

But within the story, the whole ordeal feels like a copaganda where the Enforcers are presented as cool and capable (badass montages set to upbeat music) who we are meant to root for and feel empathy for. Apart from Cait and Vi, the rest of the team also gets somewhat significant scenes and storylines throughout the rest of the season. Compare that with the only lackey we who gets actual dialogue in the whole raid scene: Heenot is presented as pretty pathetic from the moment he is introduced. In fact, he needs to be saved and freed by the Enforcers, who then proceed to arrest him. I bet he is hella grateful for that.

And that’s why Vi’s stint as an Enforcer has left such a bitter aftertaste. It’s only made worse by how they make it out to be about her having to pick between Jinx and Cait, which culminates in her not giving Jinx the deathblow once Isha gets involved and then Cait abandoning her. Vi then has her emo phase and becomes an Underground fighter, but it seems there are no direct consequences of what she did to the Undercity. There are no people who recognize her, no one from the general populace who calls her out on what she did. There’s a monument to her father in the center of the city that she decided to gas with her girlfriend, and somehow it's no big deal.

It would have been so much more fulfilling for Vi to try and interfere with Cait’s leadership outside of their confrontation with Jinx. For Vi to see what they are doing to her hometown and its people and to wake the fuck up. To take an actual stance within the overall story apart from just personal entanglements and grudges, which would also then mirror Jinx’s development as the reluctant hero of the Undercity.

Instead, we get relationship drama and war crimes that are brushed under the rug, and neither Caitlyn nor Vi ever have to face real direct consequences for what they did to the people of the Undercity WHO DESERVE TO BREATHE.

Yes, Arcane is just a story. But it is a story that, in Season 1, was about class conflict and oppression. It is also a story that, in Season 2, unfortunately perpetuates the same narratives we see in real life every day. A narrative of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ in which it's all about our good soldiers and cops and citizens versus that other group that, for some arbitrary reason, deserves less sympathy and protection.

[dropthedemiurge]

Boys Be Brave [EP.3] // Translation notes

Alright, I got prompted by @turndon100-blog @okiedokie2216 @lurkingshan and the ending of Ep.3 gave me hype boost so I'll try to write some clarification and translation for the scenes from my phone while I still remember everything xD Sorry if this is not going to be as well formatted as my other language posts tho...

Kiseob wants to prove to Jinwoo that he perfectly fits his entire "My ideal type" checklist and he lists all the things he nails. This might've been confusing to many in subs, but the thing is - 첫눈 (chot nun) in Korean can both mean "first sight" and "first snow". So Jinwoo immediately argues that Kiseob failed to achieve being perfect in all to-do points because Jinwoo hasn't fallen in love with him at first sight (as he mentions it in the beginning of the episode). But Kiseob confidently argues that no, there was no first snow this winter yet and shows the December article that says first snow is late this year and might only fall in January.

So technically Jinwoo can still fall in love with Kiseob at first snow and achieve perfect 10/10, therefore no failure yet! Poor Jinwoo can't argue with that logic... (That frustrated little jiggly stomping lmao)

This message also said that he better pay that credit back until Friday, otherwise there will be extra fee.

He said "Choi BalgEum. Look at me" (or focus on me) 🥺

눈치 없어 (nunchi opseo) is a phrase that literally means "have no sense" (it also was formed from 눈 - eyes, as I can guess), but it's used in the context of being perceptive (눈치 있어/nunchi isseo, having sense), feeling the subtext or nonverbal clues - and, well, the lack of it on the opposite, like being clueless.

So Balgeum actually means "Can't you see? Don't you understand the implications?"(of him holding Kiseob's hand) "I asked, don't you realize?" Stop following me around like a clueless fool" (he said that "having no sense" phrase 3 times in a row, who are you trying to fool here yourself, my guy lol)

Balgeum also curses twice at his piano not-friend-situationship. Here he says after asking to stop following him: "It's fucking embarrassing". Probably, the fact that he keeps showing up and asking to talk to him, but can also mean doing this while he obviously "has a boyfriend".

When they meet in evening, he also curses again "why the fuck do you keep appearing?" Balgeum is just definitely trying to hurt him as much as possible :(

This translation works but just to clarify - Kiseob says "Why do you often hide?". So he doesn't just ask why Jinwoo were still hiding under bed while he was talking to him, he was asking why Jinwoo was running away and hiding from him all the time (while he likes him).

"I hated you back then and I hate you now, that's why I run away."

And I just love the phrase 아니잖아... (anijanha) that he gets in response. Because it means "That's not true... (and you know it too)". There's literally a grammar point in Korean that lets you insist on something you know that the other person also should be aware of. So Balgeum angrily claims he ran away in the past and he runs away now because he hates Inho (I hope that's his name, forgive me if anything), and Inho counter argues that no, he doesn't hate him. And implies they both know it. That's why Balgeum resorts to less angry "Think whatever you want".

And the fact that even after this, Balgeum kept playing up his masquarade and saying he wants to vomit even thinking about that they had something, that he regrets it every day - no wonder Inho finally snaps and calls him an asshole/scum when he didn't use cursing before, unlike Balgeum, and so the i-dont-wanna-hurt-you-but-i-am-emotional "fight" begins.

But here we have a silver lining!

"- Meet me only three times... - I got it (what you want), so... (let go of me)"

알겠다 (al'getta) literally means "I know/I understand" but (going with my intuition) it's used naturally in cases that you understood the information you were given, received instructions and will follow them.

I'm not sure what Ep.4 will bring, but I won't be surprised if Balgeum and Inho actually will go to 3 dates because Balgeum sounded like he was giving in, after letting out his anger/fear/frustration/etc through wrestling with Inho. His final verdict for Inho pleading him to go on 3 dates with him is: "Let me go. I told you, I understand (your request and I will consider it most likely in a positive way)"

Here you go! These guys grow on me more and more with every episode. I am fascinated to see Jinwoo ditching his perfectly planned schedule, Kiseob finally refusing to follow where other people drag him, Inho fighting to make his love exist despite brutal rejections and punches, and Balgeum's carefully crafted defense walls breaking as he lets a glimmer of hope and love return to his life.

This show isn't deep at all, it's foolish and yet I'm starting to see layers and development and I'm intrigued where they all will go.

If you've got any other questions about this or previous episodes, let me know! (With timecodes preferrable)

[sadclowncentral]

do you think any of the ongoing troubles faced by the crew of the iss are going to have implications on international space law in the near-mid term?

what a great question! for those unaware, two astronauts are currently stranded on the ISS until at least early july due to technical failures in Boeing's return capsule.

while the astronauts are safe and sound and in no need of rescuing at the moment, the problem of astronauts in distress has actually been exhaustively been addressed by international space law and was even one of the first things lawmakers worried about. for example, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (OST) states that:

States Parties to the Treaty shall regard astronauts as envoys of mankind in outer space and shall render to them all possible assistance in the event of accident, distress, or emergency landing on the territory of another State Party or on the high seas. [...] In carrying on activities in outer space and on celestial bodies, the astronauts of one State Party shall render all possible assistance to the astronauts of other States Parties. [...] (Article V OST)

keep in mind, this law was written in the sixties. the drafting of this provision was less about getting stuck on space stations and much more about the fear was much more that us or ussr astronauts would accidentally land on the wrong side of the iron curtain and be detained. but still the issue of astronauts in distress was taken incredibly seriously - so much so that the second space treaty, the aptly named 1969 Astronaut Rescue and Return Agreement (ARRA), focuses entirely on the issue, reiterating that:

If information is recieved or it is discovered that the personnel of a spacecraft have alighted* on the high seas or in my other place not under the jurisdiction of any State [i.e. outer space], those Contracting Parties which are in a position to do so shall, if necessary, extend assistance in search and rescue operations for such personnel to assure their speedy rescue. [...] (Art 3 ARRA)

what does that mean in practice? not much right now, as the astronauts are not in distress, they are simply delayed. you wouldn't call search and rescue on yourself when the train has a malfunction that makes it late either. but should a case of distress occur, and it is impossible to intervene on a national level by sending a falcon rocket up, it could be argued that the only other nation that has ratified the treaties and can currently easily and regularly access the international space station** - russia - could be obligated to provide assistance for their rescue. even though, while legally sound, i wouldn't want to touch that diplomatic baseball bat to a bee's nest if you held a gun to my head.

tldr; there are no implications for international space law as of yet*** as the situation is not severe, and if it became so, our beloved envoys of mankind would not be on their own. hopefully.

* we can fight about the word alighted an it's implications in this scenario but I don't have my cologne commentary on hand and I don't go into battle unarmed.

** China also has independent access to outer space and its own space station so it could in theory provide assistance but i have no idea if they can dock with the ISS or not.

*** the question if Boeing has to compensate for the damage incurred from the delay is also unanswered but as these are American astronauts and an Americans company that is national space law and therefore not my problem. #internationallawforever

[asurius]

Wukong with a Reader spouse he absolutely adores to bits back before he got sealed under the mountain and when Tripitaka comes to free him reader is with him and Wukong is so happy that he’ll have them with him on this journey and-

Why don’t they remember him?

Nothing they’re saying is making sense, they don’t remember Flower Fruit Mountain? Or Water Curtain Cave? All the monkeys?

This must be a case of amnesia or something, that’s it. He’s not focused on the implications of this, his spouse is in-front of him now and that’s what matters! He’ll helpfully fill in the blanks and tell them everything!

Reader is a bit put off by the strange monkey who insists he knows them and talks about things that couldn’t have happened, but he’s fun to talk to so they at least listen.

It’s not until the White Bone Demon Arc when Wukong gets banished and takes Reader with him and returns to FFM that he finds out what really happened.

A lot has happened in 500 years and not every monkey made it.

His partner died. They died years ago. From either Erlang’s fire or from one of the numerous hunter attacks.

He’s been traveling with their reincarnation this whole time.

He doesn’t…He doesn’t know how to feel. He should be relieved right? Atleast they’re technically back with him before he even knew of their death right? It can be like nothings changed but-

But they died. Their reincarnation isn’t them. Not fully. Gods how did he not see the differences before? Because he was lying to himself. He didn’t want to see the obvious conclusion.

He mourns. He respectfully apologizes to reader and then distances himself. What would’ve been a time for celebration at his return is instead a wake for all those lost.

But reader is confused. All those stories he was telling were true? He wasn’t technically confusing them for someone else, they were that someone else! Reader has definitely been developing their own feelings for Wukong in the meantime but never acted on them because how could they? All this time they’ve thought Wukong had them confused!

But now they’re in a weird place. Wukong doesn’t know how to feel anymore, he does care for reader, he still loves them, but even if they’re so much like his reader that it hurts it’s not them, but it is? But he loves them as he’s come to know them not just as the them he thought they were. It’s too much for him and he needs time to process.

And then Bajie comes to collect them and it’s a much harder sell this time but reader convinces him they have to go back. And he has always listened to them if nothing else.

When all is said and done and Tripitaka is saved once more Reader takes Wukong to the side away from the others and sits him down.

They have a long long talk. They both want a relationship but both agree it would be better to start from scratch. And so they have a moment of proper introductions.

“Hi, my name is (Y/N)”

“Hello (Y/N), my name is Sun Wukong, Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you might’ve heard of me.”

“Oh yes I’ve heard you’re pretty great!”

“And I’ve heard the same about you! Tell you what, a couple of greats like us would be even better together wouldn’t you say?”

“I think I’d like nothing more!”

[absolutebl]

Hi!

As I have been watching Century of Love and Sunset x Vibes I started to wonder why DaouOffroad and MosBank don't use Hia. I know it's not a must and it absolutely depends on the person but it just got me thinking.

My question is if you could name some couples and/or series (I know of ZeeNeunew and BounPrem) where Hia is used.

I enjoyed reading your blog btw and I hope you have a good day/night!

Hia is only used on those who (are male) and have (or who's character's have) Chinese ancestry.

I don't really consume content rgr the actor's off screen (as branded pairs) BTS but in my experience in Thailand, hia is by invitation only IRL. It's comparatively rare to hear in use around and about. Even for promo I've only really heard ZeeNunew use it. I can't remember if BounPrem do. It's been so long...

You asked specifically about:

MosBank

So Bank is the elder and he's Thai/French/American, no Chinese ancestry that I know of. So I don't see how hia would come into play for them. I don't even know how they manage phi/nong, since couples who mostly portray age flipped age dynamics usually come to some kind of complex negotiation around pronouns when branding in public.

In Big Dragon I am assuming Mos's character had Chinese ancestry but they were age mates so... no hia.

IRL I have no idea on Mos's heritage, but like I said, he's the younger one so hia isn't an option. And if they were to get fuzzy with their pronouns like OhmFluke do, I suspect they would only fuck around with Phi. Hia's a bit more... untouchable? I guess that's how I'd put it.

I talk all about this kind of negotiation here (including ZeeNunew):

DaouOffroad

Okay this is a lot more complicated because these two belonged to a survivor show boy group together LAZ1 (Daou won 1st) before they started doing BLs as a pair.

Daou is Thai and of Teochew Chinese descent. He's also older so technically Offroad could indeed call him hia. But hia is kinda household intimate and a little more complicated than Phi.

Do they use it on circuit? I don't know. But my feeling is Daou would have to make it explicitly welcome, including to any publicity team (model, sponsor, actor, singer). It might even need to be discussed under that context with a whole team (including Offraod's people) because of the greater implications when balanced against a music career and family dynamics.

If I were them I'd settle on phi and avoid the whole messy business.

As for in the show, Century of Love?

Daou's character is A LOT older and def has Chinese ancestry. Offroad's character is calling him phi out the gate (cheeky).

I would expect (and be grumpy if it doesn't happen) this pair to have a linguistic negotiation at some point. We shall see if hia comes into play but rao/ter or something even more old fashioned is more likely. Hia could happen, but it just doesn't feel right for these characters.

More on Thai pronoun use in BL:

In general, like gu/mueng, hia is something you mostly only hear in Thai on screens. But for entirely different reasons.

Hope that helps.

I should add, a foreigner should never use hia unless it's explicitly offered. It's an honorific, but that still would be quite rude. ALSO if you use the wrong tone, it's a VERY bad word.

[treblrebl]

Cam - The Unsung

Booth should add Cam's name to his list of saints. That woman has one HELL of a thankless job as the administrator of the Medico-Legal lab. The irony of her position is that the better she does her job, the less it looks like her position is needed. And being the calm, steady one in a team full of highly individualistic, radical personalities means that her own specialized intelligence often gets ignored. When you have 'works-on-a different-plane-of-thought' Brennan, affable-yet-utterly-mad scientist Hodgins, and queen-of-lateral-thinking Angela on your team, your astute leadership skills and pathological expertise are not given their due importance.

Which is a bloody travesty. The Medico-Legal lab's job is not only to determine the truth, but also to make certain that the analysis can be utilized and presented successfully in court. Before Cam, the team was essentially a group of genius scientists working on individual remains on an as-is basis. Booth was correct in Season 2 when he told Brennan that Cam's objective is to ensure a successful prosecution. And in order to safeguard the findings of the team from being thrown out on a legal technicality, she is bound by the rules of the Justice Dept, the FBI and the Jeffersonian board. It sucks that time and again her team chastise her for doing so.

I mean the poor woman was treated like a traitor by her team for not lying to the authorities when Brennan was framed by Pelant. I mean, sure Angela, Cam should just lie about the evidence implicating Brennan. It's not like evidence in murder cases has a long chain of custody, and any fudging would be soon discovered. It's not as though Cam wouldn't immediately nuke her career and possibly her freedom by actively sabotaging a Federal murder inquiry.

And look - I love Hodgins but I'm surprised how fans of the show either ignore or simply brush over the times he blatantly uses his financial privilege without considering the ramifications to other people. I mean seriously, do we really think he would be so free to full off half his shenanigans if he wasn't the last scion of the Cantilever group, and thus enjoyed donor privilege? He regularly swipes items from other departments and exhibits, often without approval. He brews alcohol in Jeffersonian owned instruments and sets off minor explosions. His intentions are never ever malicious, and he is genuinely an adult version of the boy who loved to take everything apart to see how things worked. But let's face it - ANY other person would have faced severe consequences for these actions. Remember the Founder's Day party? It would have been Cam's job to take the heat for the decimated Mexican succulents and unauthorized drinking in the workplace. I wonder just how much she's shielded her team from - and whether she's ever been acknowledged.

Gods even in the episode where Wendell comes back after his chemo and lets Cam know that he takes medical marijuana to deal with the pain - did she have ANY recourse but to let him go? She stuck her neck out for Finn but Caroline bulldozed her, and with justifiable reason. She was stuck between the same rock and hard place with Wendell. And wow, the way Angela and Hodgins immediately painted her as a moustache twirling villain laughing at Wendell's pain infuriated me. They should realize how hypocritical their stance is - after all when Brennan left for Maluku and Booth for Afghanistan they had a proper cause and mission. Hodgins and Angela left simply because they could, and because they didn't want to put in the effort of breaking in a new team, however temporarily. Cam was left in the dust.

So here's to Camille Saroyan - woman of infinite patience, empathy and the ability to handle rambunctious adults. May she one day get the recognition she deserves.

[renesassing]

Lovvvveeeee your Revan (all forms of them)!! I was wondering, is the 6 months you alluded to post Kotor 1? I'm curious about the Sith eye as well, did they have that right after being brainwashed? Cause that's cool as heck 🤩 The implications of it all ....... I love them your honor 😭

thank you so much hnnny!!!

the six months i alluded too is actually. me doing the math wrong because it was like 1am. 'revan' in that drawing is actually right at the start of the jedi civil war... so technically it shouldn't be +6 months it should be like. +3 years. i was going off of the timeline from revan's capture to like. the middle of kotor. LJKADSLJK but yeah lyn has the sith eye for the entirety of kotor and yes it is because of the Implications... a lot of jedi in the enclave were really uncomfortable with their eye.

anyway for more detail, behold a proper breakdown of their names through their timeline:

rye. [ 3986 - c.3996 BBY ] basically their name for their entire time in the jedi order. as an older padawan and knight they sport the big hair with the top clasp. they wear a lot of jewelry, more than one would think appropriate of a jedi, but they like metalworking, making hair clasps and bracelets with scrap metal. they're not very attached to any of it. they do, however, have a midline tongue piercing as part of firrerreo [ homebrew ] culture.

the revanchist [ c. 3966–3964 ] they originally start to braid their hair, but after the incident at flashpoint station they cut their hair short. when the jedi council puts a bounty on their head, they dye their hair black. they're oftentimes more ashen than what's typical— some suspect they suffer from fatigue or illness. in truth, firrerreo turn grey when experiencing strong emotions. like rage.

revan [ 3964–3960 ] they shorten the name after cathar and decide to keep their hair short + black too, though they start to become more infrequent about dying it because they have a mask and helmet now. so oftentimes their roots will show. they start to appear grey more and more often for extended periods of time. during the fight with te ani'la he almost takes off the lower half of their face (lol foreshadowing) and while they do heal it leaves a gnarly scar.

darth revan [ 3960—3957 ] still short hair, grey skin so constant that the few who see it without knowing them in the past think it's been their complexion this whole time. the red in the whites of their eyes is blood.

lyn [ 3956–3954 ] is told their one discolored, yellow eye and the subconjunctival hemorrhaging that comes with it is a result of trauma. lyn is told that they survived an explosion from a ship-to-ship battle with some major brain damage and they might have some long-term problems as a result, even with their healing factor. this explains the eye and the shrapnel scars across their cheeks and nose. it's used to explain away other things too, like sudden mood swings or unexpected triggers or sometimes-fuzzy memories.

revan [ 3954– ] after regaining a lot of their memories, revan starts to grow their hair out again. specifically keeping the clasped hair at the front. their eyes never do change back, but the never really return to the light, either.

[mikey-2003]

Dr eggman's name... A useless name discussion, that should have just honestly die out years ago, because... I'll be honest this is just stupid.

BOTH sides of the argument are stupid to be honest, the American purists who preferred the name robotnik due it sounding more intimidating, and the Japanese purists who preferred eggman due to it being the original Japan vision and also just hating American influence.

Just.... Okay let's just get this over with by describing the history of his name:

In the original Japanese version of the games, he was primarily called Dr eggman and still is to this day, he is called that primarily due to... Idk, being a fat evil guy. Tho its also theorized he was named after a lyric from the Beatles song "I am the walrus", which technically isn't far fetch? He did have a walrus like triangles in his classic outfit.

In the English translations of the games up until 1997, he was called Dr ivo (pronounced ee-vo) robotnik. He was named in the USA by dean sitton and the name Ivo was chosen because it sounded similar to evil. I did hear that robotnik was chosen cuz it sounded like "worker" in Russia, but I haven't found a source on that... That and it's "rabochiy", not "robotnik" in Russia that translates to worker.

Then like, idk, around 1997, he is referred to as both eggman and robotnik in both English and Japan. Sonic jam's official bio in Japan (despite its... Weird inaccuracies to his characterization) is the first time the name Ivo robotnik is used.

Now there's also another factor into WHEN he is named in canon, so... I'll make most of the post talking about this (cuz I need an excuse to make it longer. TvT)

In the English translation of sonic adventure 1, they gave him the name Dr robotnik like all the other games pre-1998.

But In The original Japanese version, he is still referred to as Dr eggman. So... That means he is never referred to as robotnik in Japan aside from sonic jam right? Well... no actually.

He has the name "robotnik" on screen in his cutscene where he destroys half of the moon and this is also present in the Japanese original as well, not an additional change in the English dub. (This isn't going into maria and Gerald btw)

So in English it is implied that he was called eggman since at the very earliest sonic CD (due to amy calling him that) but didn't change his name until after SA1, and in Japanese, it is heavily implied that he was called eggman since BEFORE the original game's story happened due to them meeting before it. I personally prefer Japan's implications for his name change as it is much easier to think about since he has been enemies already, but it doesn't really matter either way.

Now why did he change his name to eggman? Believe it or not, the information for his name change isn't exactly consistent.

Tailstube's explanation: https://youtu.be/TfYieaXmqrA?feature=shared

He referred to himself as eggman due to being fed up with Sonic's nicknaming him that, suggesting he did it out of pure spite than anything.

BUT.. and I'm going EXCLUSIVELY on frontiers' Japanese translation on the explanation since the English version of his egg memo didn't really help with the explanation at all.

The reason he changed the name in this game was NOT out of pure spite, but because he actually likes the name anyway. So he wasn't even offended by the name eggman to begin with unlike the tailstube's implications.

I prefer to go with japanese frontiers' explanation for the name change, cuz doing it due to being fed up sounds really stupid imo.

So why did they change the name so that he is called both? It's simple, it's so they can avoid confusion (especially because sonic and tails 2 (known as triple trouble in Japan) used the name robotnik prior to it even being canonized in 1997. Lol) of him having both names, so they change it to him having Ivo (still pronounced ee-vo btw) robotnik while his alias is now Dr eggman (basically now a supervillain ass name. XD). This is also so they can use the name Dr eggman in the English versions of the game to help unify all languages much better.

So... Yeah, he's called both, I don't see why anyone has a problem with accepting both.

People who grow up with USA stuff criticize this decision due to eggman sounding more "ridiculous" in itself... BUT to which I disagree because the name eggman ironically gives the character a more empowering feel, showing that Sonic's insults like that mean basically nothing to him and can turn it around. Plus saying robotnik sounds intimidating is kinda stupid imo, because I'd argue if you think about it, BOTH names are kinda equally stupid. So does it really matter? It's just a name.

People who love the Japan stuff criticize the robotnik name being canonized cuz it is American influence and also that it "makes no sense with Japan's naming system of using your first name.".. first off, that's false as Japanese people DO use their last name after a title. The only reason they used the first name in say, Gerald, is because his name is different from eggman's name, so obviously it is to avoid confusion but also, you don't use the first name anyway until you have a familiar relationship. (And since I should bring this up the reason doctor brief in dragon ball is using his first name is cuz dragon ball characters don't have last names anyway minus Goku's family. XD)

Plus it makes sense to canonize robotnik cuz... Can you imagine calling them "maria eggman" and "Gerald eggman"? It sounds weird to say. Lol plus they did this to expand on his family as he didn't have a confirmed family up until SA2, so like... Yeah why not use robotnik as a family name?

Me personally, I love both names. I do however used the name eggman much more as he was technically conceptualize with that name to begin with, plus I grew up with it, PLUS... Idk, I just feel like I'm more used to it. That's really the only reasons I used eggman more than robotnik, otherwise yes I love both.

BONUS NAME POINTS:

In the USA lore and fleetway lore, Ivo robotnik is backwards for ovi kintobor as he was originally a good scientist before becoming evil.

In AOSTH, Ivo was mispronounced as "eye-vo" which caused many misinformation surrounding his name pronounation. The sonic 3 movie, knuckles show and English tailstube unfortunately uses this name error, but Japan tailstube calls him ee-vo.

In the Archie comics, he was originally called Julian kintobor before changing his name to ivo robotnik... Idk why.

In the 1993 Saturday morning show, his full name is Julian robotnik, disregarding Ivo entirely.

In sonic boom, it's unknown if eggman is even his real name or not due to his father being called that. Either they both have the same alias or that's their real last name in the boom continuity

In the 2020 sonic movies, his name is exactly the same as the games implications, tho as of sonic 3, he still hasn't referred to himself as eggman yet, so right now, it's just SA1 English dub's implications (as in he's not referring to himself as eggman, only his enemies are) for now. This might change in sonic 4 tho.

And uh, yeah that's it, btw.

[ang3lwithapen]

annnnnd here is (part 2/2) where i talk about my MC's name. much love, best wishes!!

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i saw your name-meaning post for the Blackwood siblings, and im so impressed with how you found names that not only look similar but have similar meanings/impressions!! as a fellow name-nerd, i thought id return the favor and explain my MC's name since you were so kindly thoughtful about your characters' names!

she is named Hestia Neven

1️⃣: "Hestia" is after the Ancient Greek goddess who personifys the hearth and home (her Roman equivalent is Vesta). well, technically, of "oikos", which is this kind of hearth, home, domestic life, family, society, household, kind of umbrella-term for "family and family's house" both on an individual and governal level

anyway, i liked the idea of her name kind of suggesting a "fated to be a housekeeper" vibe, but i also wanted something that paralleled her warmth and caring nature. and i think the image of my MC tending to the fires in the manor to keep the home warm for the Blackwoods in the winter does exactly that, while also feeling a bit like a "my light" term of endearment, where there is an implication that the manor would literally be colder/emptier without her. plus, my MC sacrifices her own comfort for "peace" in the house (mainly in regards to H, as discussed in part 1) (i use quotations because i really like how one of my friends said there is two kinds of peace, based on this book she read i forgot the name of: peace that isnt really peace, which is the absence of tension (it can lead to a lot of "shut up, thats just the way things are" mentalities). and true peace, which is the presence of justice. my MC is doing the former, for better or worse. ....mostly, worse lol), and Hestia's probably most famous story is how she gave up her seat as an Olympian god to Dionysus so no one else would have to, framed as heroic of her, as she insisted on sitting by Olympus' hearth instead

as for the etymology of the name itself, it means, rather predictably, "fireplace, hearth, alter". this is formed from the name basically meaning "burn" + "to dwell, to stay, to last through the night". which i also like for the Blackwood siblings, as my-MC-Hestia is someone who will be choosing to stay with them despite everything, who will sit through "the darkest night, to the dawn of new hope" or however the cliché goes, with "hope burns eternal"

but like. also? burning a witch at the stake imagry, angry mob with torches, Castlevania-Dracula's human-wife burning inside their home, or even accidental burns (Aang accidentally burning Katara's hands in "Avatar: The Last Airbender" comes to mind) of the Blackwoods either having someone who will be targetted by association or who they may hurt accidentally/intentionally

however, it should be noted that Hestia's hearth of folklore was predominantly fed with the fat of the animal-sacrifices humanity made to the gods, so, uhhhhhh, imsorryifBerthaandothersqualifyassuch, who said that

(there is also the irony of Hestia being one of the many goddesses of virginity, along with Athena and Artemis and so on, who never wedded and whatnot. its ironic because this game has a lot of romance of which i plan to wholly and happily engage in; yet Aphrodite and Cupid hold no power over Hestia-the-goddess, meanwhile Aphrodite and Cupid so-to-say have a lot of influence over my-MC-Hestia-Neven lmao rip)

2️⃣: then "Neven" has two possible name-meanings

k the first is South Serbian, and it means "marigold" which, in South Slavic, the said flower's name means "never fading" as a kind of pun based on marigolds for them being a symbol of hope, so it has a "may hope never fade" impression. It's usually a forename (Neven being masculine, Nevena being feminine, but also gender is a societal construct so anyone can be named either), but it has been a surname

the other meaning is related to some mix of Irish-Scottish as Neven (a masculine name, idk if it has a feminine form) is then considered an anglicized form of the name Naoimhín, which means "little saint" or "holy". though, under that same Irish-Scottish umbrella, may also be related to the surname Mac Cnáimhín, which means "little bone" or "little saint". the idea of "little bone/saint" is important because churches would collect relics of saints as a form of perserving/sharing said saint's holiness and veneration. this could be anything from clothes to, more likely, body parts. often bone. and, also, churches sometimes lied or were lied to, and have relics CLAIMING to belong to saints but actually are just regular people (This is not to say all relics are fake, some do actually belong to the saints they are supposed to be from), which reminds me of the Blackwood siblings a little. (though my MC is also an athiest, so it is a bit funny to be compared to those of sainthood then)

also! marigolds are often used in Mexico's Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), as an affectionate way of celebrating/missing those who have passed on. so. ontop of "maybe the one good, innocent person in this manor?"-energy (that may or may not be true, or may or may not conrinue to be true, either or), there is also a lot of "this bitch is in dANGER" energy mixed with "If the Blackwoods ever lose her, they'll miss her" vibes in surname alone lmao

3️⃣: in terms of meta, i like to think this means either her parents/dad or paternal grandparents or paternal great-grandparents were Slavic or Irish immigrants (maybe she's mixed, idk) (as i assume this game takes place in England?); and that she was named by a farming family, yes, but by someone in the family who was either very studious for the brief period they went to classes, is a bookworm, or was always fascinated by local scholars' stories. so there is a kind of inherent "climbing above one's station" in order for her to be named something so, at the time, academic since she herself isn't Greek. but it also implies she was very well-loved by that person, who saw her as such a warm person even as an infant, to have named her Hestia

but yeah!! id love to hear more people's MCs' names and why they picked them. here's mine in the meantime lol

and here is part 2 :D truly love how thoughtful this was. I've always loved the power and meaning that names can have, this was a joy to read. I did chuckle a bit at poor Bertha catching strays.

I would also love to see more MC names, so if anyone else wants to talk about them, feel free :)