#are always fascinating to think about

[corvidaes-crow]

A Dissection of Names

TL;DR: CQL shows affection through name-calling and attention hogging, ORV does that too but also focuses on names and how they define you, LCF looks at names with attributes as gifts vs titles, and Turning touches on names as burdens instead.

I watched The Untamed/CQL (and read MDZS) as one of my earliest introductions into East Asian fiction. I found myself turning over in my head how its story was affected by the censorship of queer relationships in its medium, as well as the ways Wei Ying and Lan Zhan conveyed affection for each other in the place of explicit expression. And one of those main forms of expression is through calling each other's names and holding each other's attention. Instead of the physical aspects of a romantic and/or sexual relationship, here is a subtextual way to express affection that is private, tender, and laden with meaning. In terms of the significance of names that I learnt from repeated "Wei Ying" and "Wei Wuxian!" calling, with a multitude of inflections and unspoken meanings, when one of the main characters' dialogue is almost exclusively a name, then names must carry a huge amount of significance.

And then I read ORV, by extent ORV fics (in general major character traits/canon speech habits become very prominent in fics), and Yoo Joonghyuk says, "Kim Dokja," like it's one of the only phrases he knows. So solidified my understanding that names are Important. Specifically, to say someone's name and have them pay attention. Who needs pet names when you can taste each syllable of who someone is on your tongue? But with ORV it's not that simple. ORV adds another layer to the name game. 'Dokja' being both 'reader' and 'only child' is briefly touched on in the early part of the novel. Later, it focuses on the first nature to build on the YooHanKim triumvirate of Reader, Writer, Protagonist. And titles get added to the mix - . Who is Yoo Joonghyuk if not the Protagonist? What is Kim Dokja if not a Reader? What else can Han Sooyoung be, when the only thing she can do is write? Titles are tokens of identity, simplified for efficient distribution. It's economic - an easy way to judge someone, or a convenient place to start to know them.

And sometimes titles are names too. In LCF, the two souls involved in a world/body swap give up their names freely - eagerly, almost. The motif of 'names' as attached to the theme 'identity' is narrowed to names as given by others. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but if any flower by the name 'rose' smells as sweet, then what? The scent must be indelible in the letters of the name. If a name and its corresponding attributes are shared between different entities, it is more fittingly called a 'title'. At the beginning of TCF, in KRS!Cale's early interactions with the Henituse family, Cale Henituse is not a son, nor a master, not a villainous heir - he is the inhabitant of a body with a title. 'Cale Henituse' is a mere title, with the attributes of selfishness and asocial behaviour and unreasonable temper. A mere title - because the person behind the name is gone. The person using that name exists unknown by the people that call him it, and acts accordingly to its attributes. 'Cale Henituse,' as other people know him, is a mix of concept and preconceived conclusion. When Cale reveals the swap, those that knew 'Cale Henituse' before the switch must now re-identify Cale as a separate entity. They must go through their memories and make a clean cut in their mental timelines of 'Cale Henituse's Change and Improvement,' where previously they have either explained away or skipped over the incongruencies because any other reason is 'impossible'.

Meanwhile, the purer form of gifted names comes as 'Raon Miru' (and 'Dodam Miru', for another example). Raon's name is a gift that actively shapes his identity. We see its effects clearly in his demeanour and sense of self, more so because of his young age - "the great and mighty Raon Miru!" is an untouchable, revered, free Dragon. As Cale gave the name after a period of careful thought, and as he continues to respect, acknowledge and dote on Raon, the once-trapped Dragon toddler in the cave can happily associate 'Raon Miru' with 'loved'.

Turning depicts a more unpleasant experience with gifted names, though they are also given out of respect and/or love. Surnames and given names are bestowed with little to no consultation of the one who must now live with that name. Yuder accepts his last name 'Ail' ambivalently, as it is one of many surnames given out that day. It is meaningless except that its existence marks him as more than a random lower-class citizen. On the other hand, Kishiar la Orr's gift of the name 'Yudrein' in the first timeline becomes a burden that Yuder is all too happy to abandon. It haunted him in the form of the rumours that he renamed himself as a result of his ego, or the misconception that a man he resents gave it to him as "an honourable gift and source of pride," as bestowed names are normally perceived. Sometimes you are given a name that is not yours and you do not know what to do with it, but it is what someone has chosen for you and they meant well by it, so you wear it every day until you get used to hearing it and thinking of yourself. You do not grow into it. It does not grow on you. It will never fit you. By now, you are too tired to fight it. Names are gifted with affection. Sometimes they are only received out of obligation.

Or maybe any name on you can feel right, as long as someone calls it with a complete, complex understanding of you.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Out of sight, out of - wait.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[cup-o-stars]

Last part for old GF sketches

(Actually, most of these aren't old at all, but their average is brought down by the last picture, which I drew back in August and kept forgetting to post)

[horsechestnut]

I just think it's really neat how much fans have latched onto the fact that Stephanie Brown was Robin.

Like, both in and out of universe Stephanie was never meant to be taken seriously as Robin. The writers only made her Robin so that her death in War Games would be shocking and Bruce only made her Robin because he thought it would make Tim jealous enough to come back. She only had the mantle for 71 days before being fired (for doing something that literally every other Robin has also done and not been fired over), and she was only active during 50 of them. There are only six issues where Steph is Robin in the canon timeline.

Her final words before her death are asking Batman (Batman, because even on her death bed he doesn't trust her enough to take off his mask) if any of it was real. Was she really Robin? And Batman assures her that of course she was, that she was part of the legend and no one can take it away from her. Except it's a lie, because despite his reassurances, Batman never puts up a memorial or does anything to preserve her memory. He never really thinks of her as Robin, and even her friends will always think of her as Spoiler before ever remembering Robin.

Meanwhile DC spent years ignoring her time as Robin, to the point where it was completely erased from existence for awhile. It's technically back now, because timelines are weird, but unlike the others it's never been altered. She's never been given a second chance at it, no one's ever gone back and added more issues or details about those 71 days, or even seems to want to acknowledge them most of the time.

But fans have clung on to it anyway. Sure, there are lots of people who make Robin posts that are just about the boys, but there are just as many people who are ready to fight anyone who doesn't include her. Maybe it was only for a little while, but she was Robin, and we're sure as hell not going to forget it. If DC isn't going to bother to remember, than we will.

Stephanie Brown was Robin. She was part of the legend. It was real. No matter what, no one can take that away from her.

[starry-bi-sky]

do yall ever think about bruce/batman!clone danny standing in front of his bathroom mirror after finding out he was a clone and silently tracing his face. The slope of his jaw and point of his chin. The high angle of his cheekbones and the shape of his eyes, the curve of his brow bones and the shape of his nose. The volume of his hair and the way it curls and gets fluffy when it gets too long.

His hair is black the same way a crow's wing is black. His dad's hair is black the same way a black bear's fur is black. His dad's eyes are blue like the ocean is blue. Danny's eyes are blue the same way a glacier is blue.

His dad has a square jaw and straight flat hair, and he tans and gets a face full of freckles when he's out in the sun for too long. Danny burns like a lobster and his face remains untouched. Danny has a sharp jaw and tall cheekbones, and Sam says when he's not smiling there's almost something regal about him. You would never call Jack Fenton "regal" when he's not smiling.

Sam says when he's not smiling he looks scary the same way a stone statue is. Jack Fenton when he's not smiling looks scary the same way that german shepherd staring at you across the street is.

Do you ever think he grew up wondering if he was adopted. Because of course, he has black hair and blue eyes like his dad. But having the same color doesn't make you someone's child.

Or, worse, things he's heard from the other kids and the other parents and even some of his teachers growing up; that he was the product of an affair. And that his dad was just too stupid to notice. And Danny would defend his parents until the day he died, because Jack Fenton wasn't an idiot and Maddie Fenton wasn't a cheater.

But doubt comes in with fickle tongue. his parents swear up and down that he is their child when he asks about either. That Danny just had his grandparents' features, but he was their son and they loved him.

But Danny doesn't look like either of his parents. His mom's eyes are blue like an aquamarine and Jazz's too. And they burn like lobsters in the sun too, but Jazz gets freckles on her face and so does Maddie. And as Danny grows up he doesn't bulk up or get stocky like his dad did, and when he hits puberty he doesn't shoot up like a tree like Jack Fenton did.

He stays small, and they say he's a late bloomer (and he is), or that he just has his mom's height. But he's fast and has good stamina, and some days it feels like he's built entirely different from his family. That the things they went through growing up just didn't apply to him. Jack and Maddie Fenton both had acne and breakouts when they hit puberty, and Jazz inherits it and he's seen the amount of skincare products she keeps on her side of the bathroom.

And then he hits puberty and breaks out maybe once or twice, but his skin stays clear for the most part and the problems and changes his dad went through just don't happen to him.

And the truth is worse than all of the lies.

How horrifying.

[spinaart]

hey leader!!!

[answermywearyquery]

the theerapanyakul kids: how close are you with each other?

loan’s kinnporsche 2nd anniversary: favourite familial relationship: the theerapanyakul kids (insp: ½+½)

[beetlethebug]

consider,,,a lucanis who is in love with emmrich, a spite who is in love with rook, a rook in love with emmrich, and emmrich who is in love with all three but wants lucanis, spite, and rook to get together because he feels he is not the type of man any of them deserve...

bonus points for spite being the one to realize just what sort of love quadrilateral is going on and is the one to get them all together.

[cthulhum]

and dean winchester thought he was unlovable and didnt deserve happiness he hated himself and thought eveyone would eventually leave him and then a literal fucking angel fell in love with him. like loved him more than anything else in the world.

[agardenintheshire]

tolkien (a studied linguist) and me (has taken their fair share of linguistic classes) staring at each other after the narrator casually drops that the hobbits just 'forgot' their languages and simply adopted the common speech as if that is a normal thing that happens out of the blue and isn't connected to at best cultural assimilation and at worst colonialism, imperialism, and oppression

[volcanocraft]

Your Gem as an unlabelled bi/gay non-op transman who uses she/her has overridden my previous headcanons and rewired my brain. Quite possibly the most correct take I've ever seen.

I really appreciate you saying this :’) she is so dear to me. I love your turiagirl headcanons as I think gem would definitely be mspec and I haven’t heard of the label before… it’s always fun finding out the new ways people are able to label complex gender attraction!

I’ve been thinking about bi gay gem for the past couple of days too. I just think she is able to represent a facet of masculinity I can relate to heavily because of her unconventional expression of her gender. Unlabelled because she doesn’t think too hard about it but able to identify herself in the flux that is masc while also using conventionally fem constructs because she just likes them … AOUHH thank you for making my day 💖

[yoku-yukihime]

"Such a sweet, tormented soul... Please tell your princess all your woes one more time..."

[shakingparadigm]

what is the theory that ivan manipulated the event where till and mizi met the wagyein?

It's not a theory, actually! It's confirmed that Ivan orchestrated the whole event. The true reason as to why however is still unknown. The information provides more context to this scene, though:

During the earlier times of ALNST the most rational explanation for this scene was that Till ran after a flower crown (presumably Mizi's) and Ivan followed him in out of curiosity. Now we know that Ivan was conveniently just standing there because he was waiting.

Side note, I find it heartbreaking (and maybe a little funny, sorry) that Till most likely didn't notice Ivan in this scene. That's just like him, isn't it. Always too busy running after Mizi while Ivan trails behind, an ever-present shadow.

I'm not sure how Ivan manipulated the circumstances for both of them to end up there, but it is confirmed that everything was intentional. What strikes me most is how they describe this particular scene:

I can't copy down what they said word-for-word (Patreon info), but they described Ivan watching "creepily" as Till and Mizi are faced with danger. We know that Ivan was familiar with the Cerberus wagyein beforehand, enough to touch its teeth and even to rest himself inside its maw. To Ivan, the wagyein is not dangerous, but to Till and Mizi, it could be. Ivan prepared the wagyein, led them there, and watched "creepily" from afar as Till fell on his knees, seemingly injured.

The closest I can get to making sense of Ivan's "scheme" is that he wanted to see how other children would react in a dangerous situation. Ivan's always been an observer, after all, and he's learned to survive by copying the more "normal" behaviors of his peers. This situation occured when Ivan was still young and had not yet developed his more charming mask, so perhaps he staged this encounter to study a situational response, to learn and mimic the emotion of fear. And what better subjects for the experiment than two of the most expressive and reactive humans of their batch? It helps that he was already fixated on Till beforehand, too. I think Ivan became irreversibly obssessed after this incident, especially since it's framed as a turning point in Ivan's life, comparing Till to the stars.

This is just my attempt at an interpretation, though. It could very well be for another reason. He most likely chose Till and Mizi specifically for personal reasons, not just for reaction. I'm still not sure on the purpose behind the whole thing.

The team wanted to capture Ivan's "dark emotions" through the shot of his stalking, which could relate to his more sinister intentions. His gaze can be read in a few different ways, though. Curiosity, interest, fear, etc. Maybe that's why they decided to redraw the shot in ROUND 6.

I think this better sells the feeling they were trying to convey.

[dailyloopdeloop]

DAY 75: onehat

[dykedvonte]

Can you talk about trans!Curly a little bit more? I'm curios if you have any headcanons and the like

-💀

It's just such a thing in my mind because it adds a truthful sadness and differing aspect to mouthwashing.

If Curly was trans it adds the horror of the horribly selfish thought he could have easily been in Anya's situation. It could've been him but it wasn't and he so conflicted on the pit it put in his stomach that brings and the shameful relief it wasn't. In this scenario he is friends with Jimmy for a long time still. Jimmy likely knew him pretransition. Maybe he gave Curly weird looks then, maybe they never stopped after, maybe they seemed meaner. They are guys now, bros, both of them are. He doesn't really have to worry what those looks mean anymore, Jimmy just has that face with him sometimes. It's recontextualizing a lot of things for him that he was in denial about or too ashamed to admit. How naive he was being and how he let that get another person hurt.

Specifically with Anya, it's he knows the dread and fear she's feeling. He can understand it because he had to live with it for a good portion of his life, he knows it cause he still does, just in a slightly different way. It makes him think of all the times he's been alone with Jimmy, all the times he's been way more drunk off his ass and not remember the night, Jimmy was always with him the next day. Makes him think of the comments he would laugh off both because that's what guys do but because that part of being a girl says to laugh so Jimmy doesn't do something. It's the selfish realization that he was never safe and he's uncertain now too. Mad at himself for forgeting that feeling, espcially since for a long time he would've been considered the only woman on a crew (with all that implies) for a long time.

He should've taken those blinders off, step back into that position for just a moment and it's so much more painful that Anya likely came to him because he should've gotten it. Those thoughts don't leave his mind after the crash when he's in an even more vulnerable position than she was...

[goldenstorm0]

thinking about a Yuri/Yor identity reveal, and how kinda heartbreaking it would be. Like i know everyone is invested in a Yor/Twilight id reveal, and ngl i am too, but my god. just think. you learn the little baby brother that you love and cherish. Is actually working as a fucking monster for the government. And my heart breaks a little. Especially if yuri finds out his sister, who he desperately wants to protect, has been murdering hundreds of people. And he learns that it started because his sister desperately wanted to protect him. And their motivations all beautifully reflect, and I want to see what happens when they are both confronted with that, and what they will do, cause it's going to be fucking messy.