#etymology nonnie

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here! (Well, not a nonnie anymore, but maybe one last time before retire the greeting).

It has been a while since I wrote any ask here. I did have some things to comment about episode 5, but unfortunately I only got the chance to read it rather late. Also, I realized at that point how much divergence is now when it comes to the story, so commenting on it beyond my own personal experience felt inadequate or too partial to actually say much.

That said, I am a little bit regretful about not getting the kiss with Imre because I'm playing the amiable romance route. On the other hand, I do like what I got on episode 5 and on episode 6 (by the way, congrats on reaching the mid point of the season!)

I also had a hard time with my choices this time around (for episode 5), so I did think about too many things before committing to anything.

Much of this came from the interactions with Nia. My Crownie, Indiana, is as kind and friendly as it makes sense for him to be. However, I wasn't able to decide if he thought Nia didn't want him around anymore, or if he would pursue her friendship once more regardless. I ended up going with the latter, even if originally I chose the former. The latter is way more interesting from a character perspective, and I wanted more Nia screen time.

And what came after on episode 6 was great. I loved the side quests, I loved the chance to break a bone both because Imre said so and because my Indiana wanted to get another chance to speak with Nia.

The reveal about the origin Lorcan's hatred for Crownie was also incredible. I completely understand why Lorcan blamed Crownie, and I also saw how, at least for my Indiana, Crownie was helpless but to create the situation that ended with Clover's fate. I wasn't expecting the payout from the episode 5 adultery memory, but it was wonderful. I think it was very well done.

I'm also curious about the headaches Crownie began having. I love the scene where, after refusing to consume the sleeping pill, we get the interaction with Prudence. How Crownie's appearance melts and reforms into a Prudence looking version of himself. It was an incredible moment of psychological horror.

I have many things to comment on, but this is getting too long. So I will say one more thing before speaking about the romance a bit. I have no idea what it's going on with the mystery. I feel like I'm in Criminal Minds and suddenly the suspect changed their behavior to confuse any possible deductions. Although it does create some new ones. For instance, I do believe now wholeheartedly that the entity (or entities, which is still possible) who is doing the killing has enough intelligence not only to conform to a pattern, but also to change it at will if they see it fit. The other possibility would be that there is a second entity different from the first who replaced or is imitating/competing with the first entity, but this seems unlikely to me because then we would have both the unusual murders as well as the ones that follow the pattern. I don't know, I truly have no clue.

Well, having said that, the romance: I did not expect to like Imre wanting to explore Crownie's supposed innocence this much. Imre's corrupting desire has become more and more obvious each update, and yet he remains in control. My Crownie almost feels like if he had somehow incarcerated himself, willingly but unwittingly, inside Imre's claws. And Imre is willing to experiment with his prey... And the prey is willing to be experimented on.

I must admit I'm very excited about the Halloween party that is coming. I'm dying to know how the costumes are going to be like, how much or how little we'll be able to match with the RO's. And I'm excited to see Imre's home from the inside... As well as the attendees reaction to Crownie being there. After all, the social pariah of the school is attending the party of the most popular guy? And not only that, he was both invited and is spending time with him? The gossip must be so spicy.

Are you going to implement some of the major stats changes on the next update? Or is something you already began adding ok the current one? Because I recall you were going to include certain personality stats (as in how good/bad person Crownie had been, to give an example), so I'm curious about that. It's clear to me, at least, that is something that was on your head while writing Episode 6, given how the memory concerning the origin of Lorcan's hatred is written.

Well, that was long. I swear I wasn't trying to make up for the time I have been gone. Anyhow, I did have some things I wanted to talk about out of this ask. As they didn't fit.

Hopefully you are having a nice day... Or night. No idea at what time you will read this.

Ah nice to see you back in my inbox again with your long reactions you’re the only one who gives me them so I appreciate you for that 💜

So because episode 7 is the final episode for part 1 I’m going to wait to implement certain code between the hiatus of 7 and 8 because it gives me time to see how it will work

But yeah I find it really cool the idea that Crowny’s current actions change their past. The code will be implemented but you won’t see its effects until episode 8 so that you have 7 episodes to gain points in favour or against a moral crowny which won’t make the flashbacks restrictive, you’ll still have choices but those choices will be of the same category for example there’s a cat stuck in a tree if you’re a good crowny you’d get all the good choices on how to save them but if you’re a bad crowny you’ll get all the choices to leave them or chainsaw the tree for shits and giggles

[musette22]

can you imagine if Seb had been Sebastian orlovschi instead of Stan ? 🤣 I'm impressed at his mom not changing his last name after his dad left them 😅 it'd have sounded very Eastern European, for sure ahaha /

can I add some points to this? 👁️

1) "Stan" couldn't be more Eastern European🥰 it's one of the 5 most common surnames in Romania (and maybe you hadn't noticed nonnie but people actually have asked quite a lot to Seb about it, if it is really his name and so 😅) and if anyone's noticed, the suffix "Stan" is the ending word of many countries in central Asia, countries "close" to eastern Europe/which have had story with Eastern Europe. so yes, "Stan" belongs to our part of the world❤️

2) there are newspapers from when Seb was in high school i guess and he used to go as Sebastian Fruhäuf (his step dad's last name) so i guess at some point his mama was gonna change it but then changed her mind

3) i agree orlovschi would've been so interesting only because of the fact that it's a very unique surname. according to what I've read, it originally comes from Poland but the country where it's more popular is Moldova which used to be part of Romania and even there, it isn't even one of the top 100 most commons surnames so Seb having that one would've been amazing 😍 but i guess Stan works great because it's shorter and easier ,❤️

Of course you can! This is very interesting and you're absolutely right! I don't think other nonnie meant any offense tbh, it's just that 'stan' is also an English word these days and it's very easy to pronounce and remember for English speaking people, whereas Orlovschi would probably stump a lot of folks. But you're absolutely right that Stan is a common Eastern European name, and that Seb has been asked about it plenty of times!

I did not know Seb went by his stepdad's last name for a while there! It must mean that his mom meant to take her husband's name and then changed her mind, possibly once again for reasons mentioned in the other asks on this topic.

And I love that, about the name Orlovschi! Super interesting, I love learning about the origin of names, and etymology and such. Thanks for the info! ❤️

[tonydaddingham]

Feel like it's worth pointing out that a HUGE part of the reason why Lucifer isn't used an an angel name (aside from Paradise Lost bc John Milton apparently had no media literacy when he read the Bible) is because it's meant to be derogatory. In its original context it's used as a sarcastic insult to indicate how far he has fallen from grace and prestige. He used to be viewed as good and bright and holy and now he's as worthless and impure as dirt.

Satan's angel name was Samael. 'Lucifer' is a name/title given to him AFTER Falling. That's why in Gaiman's other works invoking Christianity, 'Lucifer' is the personal name Samael gives himself after becoming Satan. It's bitter and biting.

hi nonnie!!!✨ you might be able to clear this up for me then, because my knowledge of angelology and general biblical text is practically non-existent... my understanding so far, largely etymologically as that's a bit more my milieu, is:

- satan's angelic name was helel, given in isaiah, which translates from hebrew root halal to mean "shining one" or similar, i imagine along the same lines of the greek root helio to mean the sun

- lucifer similarly comes from the latin translation of again the greek for 'lightbringer', and is a name given in roman mythology to the planet venus, and resulting in the moniker 'morningstar'

- lucifer as a name was therefore absorbed into christianity as being the alternate name for satan, but sources and theologies conflict on whether in original text they were in fact the same being

- samael refers to a jewish interpretation of satan, being that of an archangel that may or may not have fallen from grace, and in some contexts is also synonymous with the angel of death, as well as the instigator of original sin.

i mean ultimately, it is somewhat likely that in GO that all or some of these interpretations may conflate to form the idea and narrative of crowley, but ultimately the only thing we know for certain is that lucifer and satan may be two different beings in the lore -

iirc (someone please correct me if wrong), lucifer and satan are not two names that appear in any one sentence in GO; lucifer is referenced separately to satan/the devil. i just like the idea, and think it plausible, that whatever name is used, crowley will at least have the same narrative in his pre-fall story.

either way, once again, this is not my specialist mastermind subject, and in the end we could all be wrong, but it's fun to speculate!!! further thoughts and education on my part are very much welcome!!!✨

[fishfingersandscarves]

fish help a friend out. whats the dwarvish word for soulmate. ive been looking for it for 2 hours. BLEASE IF U KNOW IT. TELL ME.

usually we refer to it as a dwarf’s “one” but the khuzdul word for soulmate isn’t really a thing to my knowledge. however i just scoured the dwarrow scholar dictionary and these are the words i found!

 soul [NOUN TYPE 10 (aCCâC) / SINGULAR - Absolute State ] [MRB] [ɑmrɑ:b] amrâb 

soul of [NOUN TYPE 10 (aCCâCu) / SINGULAR - Construct State ] [MRB] [ɑmrɑ:bʊ] amrâbu 

soulless / without soul [NOUN TYPE 10 (bin-aCCâC) / ADJECTIVE ] [MRB] [bɪnɑmrɑ:b] binamrâb 

soul-like / from (the) souls [NOUN TYPE 10 (aCCâCul) / ADJECTIVE ] [MRB] [ɑmrɑ:bʊl] amrâbul 

souls [NOUN TYPE 10 (aCaCâC) / PLURAL - Absolute State ] [MRB] [ɑmɑrɑ:b] amarâb 

souls of [NOUN TYPE 10 (aCaCuC) / PLURAL - Construct State ] [MRB] [ɑmɑrʊb] amarub 

go forth with this knowledge! and i bet if you looked for the word “mate” or “companion” you could construct something similar to the word you’re looking for!

[indiigo]

skotadifysic ‧⁺‧˚₊*̥ ✧

.+° the 'goth' version of arketafysic. related to the dark side of the moon, feeling pretty, ice, and platonic love. feminine in nature. etymology and image description under the cut!! ꒷꒦꒷‧˚₊��꒦꒷꒦ ꒷꒦‧˚.⁺꒷꒦꒷‧˚꒦

coined/requested by @xommy-nonny

etymology;

skotadi - dark

fysic - nature

[image description: two images of similar 7 stripe pride flags. the top stripe is pastel blue. the second stripe is pastel yellow. the third stripe is light grey. the fourth stripe is thicker than the others and black. the fifth stripe is light grey. the sixth stripe is pastel yellow. the last stripe is pastel blue. the first version of the flag includes a drawn symbol of a grey moon with a pink heart on top. end description.]

[systlin]

hey unrelated to the whole being owed $50 thing, what does nonnie mean? no worries if you don’t want to answer this i was just curious about the etymology

They mean that they think that only the L, G, and on sufferance the B (except not REALLY, we're only HALF gay) count.

They're being trans and acephobic.

fujoshis are fans of yaoi, and TERFS have been using it recently to mean transmasc people, particularly gay transmasc people, and dismissing them as women who fetishize men so much they think they are men. Which feels gross even to type out, but that's what I've seen going around.

So what we've got with nonnie is an angry TERF, basically. Who currently owes me $20 and is racking up more debts the more queer folk see that post tbh.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

My two immediate thoughts for hero complex is buck doing something dangerous to save people but it leads to eddie saving him or someone setting up fires/accidents so they can be hero. Kinda like brain in jinx but more this time they've set up these incidents, they've more dangerous.

Hey Nonnie

My brain also immediately went Buck what are you going to get up to now!! But then it also went - maybe its a miss-direct and actually its about Eddie - and then I spiralled!! it does all tie ein so interestingly with Brian from Jinx - I posted a bit earlier some of my thoughts about it - I love etymology and there is so much in the word meanings that ties into Eddies story that is going to be great fun speculating over the next however many weeks as we get our beloved wee woo show back and begin to see where they're taking us!!

its an adventure for sure - we need to buckle up for the ride! 💜💜💜

[verdantlyviolet]

Hi Violet! I’ve been curious about something and I really hope you don’t take this question negatively or like I’m one of those people who doesn’t know that the myths are separate from cult but I really respect your opinions and I wanted to know how you felt about this. How do you reconcile worshipping Zeus and Hera and Heracles? With how Zeus treats her and how Hera treats both Zeus and Heracles? Sometimes it’s all too much and I don’t know how you do it!

Oof. Nonny that’s a heavy one. I'll need to break that down.

Gonna straight up say that half my worship involves ignoring stuff I don't like. Ostrich-head-in-the-sand style. The other half knows that the gods are amoral and to judge them by human standards, in a time so far removed from my own, is ludicrous.

How Zeus treats Hera: Most marriages aren't perfect. It has been the prevailing truth for eons that the man is in charge and can do what he likes, and the woman has to be accommodating. In many ways this outdated thought is changing, but in many more ways it has not, and it was especially true in Ancient Greece. Zeus was a husband AND a king, and not just any king: he was king of the gods. He ruled supreme, even over his own wife. That is how divine order was established, and that is how the Ancient Greeks viewed their world. His "infidelities" lead to the establishment of important cities, sites and kingdoms; his sons and daughters changed history. I also strongly support the notion that the preeminent gods of marriage should be shown to experience all facets of a relationship, both the good and the bad. The above focusses on the perceived negatives, when Zeus is also proven to be an incredibly loving husband to all his wives, and he holds Hera high above the rest in his esteem. See this post and this post.

How Hera treats Zeus: That you even mentioned this is so important. Hera gives back as good as she gets - but again, Zeus is the supreme ruler. To maintain order he cannot be seen to fall to his wife, or a "mere" goddess. So no matter whether she plots with Poseidon and Athena to bind Zeus, or if she persuades Hypnos to put him to sleep to turn the tides of the Trojan War, she is destined to lose. That is why her anger is often deflected to Zeus' children and lovers. Her anger also helps establish his dominance and rightful place as ruler. Her failures prove his strength.

Again, this is not about human morality but divine order and storytelling to establish and explain history and law.

How Hera treats Herakles: Hera is a goddess of heroes. It is in the etymology of her name, and is evidenced in cult. Hera supposedly creates heroes from birth to live a short, bright but tragic life. This is seen in Achilles in the Iliad, and, more notably, in Herakles. From birth she elevates him, delaying Alcmene's labour so he is not born in time to be a king - but a king could not go on to achieve the grandeur and fame of Herakles. Maybe she induces in him a madness that forces him to kill his wife and children, but he goes on to accomplish his most famous feats in restitution - the twelve labours. The very first of which he hunts the Nemean lion which Hera herself nursed. She sends the Hydra to his hometown and he and his cousin dispatch it with ingenuity, earning him further accolades. All his labours earn him the title of saviour of mankind, as his deeds, dictated by Hera, made the world a safer place. He is THE panhellenic hero, and was also worshipped in Egypt and later Rome and beyond. His very name, changed after birth, means glory or pride of Hera. Maybe the myths are correct in that she hunts him for his whole life, but every action Hera took against him made him into the greatest Greek hero of all time and earned him apotheosis and her daughter Hebe's hand in marriage. Hera’s actions directly contributed to making Herakles the hero we know so well today.

And don't worry, with how carefully you framed your ask I can tell you're a good bean 😎

[queerofthedagger]

Are there any (non-fiction) books on bisexuality you'd recommend reading? I don't know where to start.

Hey nonnie, I’m so glad you asked!

It really can be overwhelming as there’s a lot (and not all of it is good...)

I’m not sure how much you already know or what exactly you’re looking for, so I tried to include a bit of everything from the things I really liked. I’m also going to include some articles alongside books - if that’s not at all what you’re after, just ignore them - and they include a lot of links to further resources.

I also tried to keep it kind of brief to not dump a metaphorical mountain on you, but if you want more, please feel free to send another ask! 💜

Last but not least: obligatory warning that in most if not all of them, there are mentions and discussions of biphobia as well as of other forms of oppression/marginalisation. 

Articles: 

Bisexuality - a really basic introduction/overview with links to further resources.

The Bisexual History They Don’t Want You To Know About - What it says on the tin. This article is long, but it’s an awesome start to dive into bisexual history while also clearing up some misconceptions.

The “Bi” in “Bisexual” Doesn’t Mean “Two Genders” - Maybe the most common misconception and why it’s wrong. Dives into the Etymology, bi history, and why bisexuality isn’t binary. 

Bisexuality and Binaries Revisited - Another article that deals with the allegation that bisexuality reinforces the gender binary, and why claiming it does is more often than not a form of erasure and/or biphobia.

The Myth of Bisexual (and “Straight-Passing”) Privilege - It’s a common myth that we have it “easier,” which this article deals with. A lot of different forms of biphobia are discussed here, and how it, at times, differs from homophobia.

Books: (just a note: I’m not going to provide links here because I don’t know where you want to get them from. You should be able to find them all with a quick google search, though!)

Bisexual Politics: Theories, Queries, and Visions by Naomi Tucker - This is pretty academic in nature, but it’s still great to be honest. I particularly liked that it also includes multicultural aspects and doesn’t focus mainly on the US/western world. It was first published in 1995 but I personally could still take a lof away from it.

Bi - Notes for a bisexual revolution by Shiri Eisner - The author is genderqueer themself, and the book covers a lot from a general introduction to bisexuality over bisexuality and gender, to biphobia and intersections with racism.

Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaahumanu - This is a collection of personal stories and experiences with stereotypes and invisibility both in the queer and the straight community. It’s from 1991, so also a fair bit older, but it also has history on the bi-movement in the US until the 90′s, which was interesting.

Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World, edited by Robin Ochs and Sarah Rowley - This is kind of in the same vein as “Bi Any Other Name,” but for one, it was published in 2012 and is thus a bit more current, and it also puts its focus beyond the US and Europe.

Bisexuality and Transgenderism: InterSEXions of the Others, edited by Nathan Alexander and Karen Yescavage - As the title suggests, this book completely focuses on the controversy around the term bisexuality and how it relates to Trans and queer identities. It’s a great mixture of academic research, personal stories, poems, film critic and more. It was published in 2004, so some of the terms are what we’d consider outdated, but it’s still an awesome book to be honest.

I hope this helps and was what you had in mind! If you have any questions or want more, you’re more than welcome to hit me up again! 💙

[moodcafe]

Hey hope you guys are having a good day 💛, I just wanted to ask, For your name moodboards I was wondering what your process was for creating them. Do you guys look at the meaning or etymology or just go off of vibes? They're very beautiful and well curated boards 💛

hey hey, firstly thank you so much for the compliments <3

for myself (Barista Lotte) i just go off vibes tbh ! i just follow the feeling that i get from a name :-)

i (Barista Shirley) usually go off vibes too ! if the request is sent off anon, i sometimes try to take inspiration from their archive / aesthetics of their blogs as well. but it's mostly just vibes. ty for the compliment nonnie ! ✨

[gendernivata]

could you coin some genders for me, if it's not a bother!

a gender based on cupcakes and soft feelings

a gender based on cakes and strong harsh feelings

a gender that's based on frosting and null/neutral feelings

a gender that's fluid between them

thanks in advance!!

I love these ‘nonny!

Muffinigender: a gender based on cupcakes and soft feelings. Etymology: Finnish, “muffini” meaning “muffin, cupcake”

Kakkugender: a gender based on cakes and strong hard feelings. Etymology: Finnish, “kakku” meaning “cake”

Kuorrutegender: a gender based on frosting and null/neutral feelings. Etymology: Finnish, “kuorrute” meaning “icing, frosting”

Kakkufluid: a gender fluid within the genders above. Etymology: Finnish, “kakku” meaning “cake”

[darkfictionjude]

Etymology nonnie here!

Now I've come to speak about O, your heavenly stars! (OYHS).

First thing first, I didn't expect for you to release the demo while I was living my cursed fic writer experience realness (although I only have published a one shot in ao3, so I don't know if I qualify). Although I should have expected it, since you did release EC quite soon after it's announcement. But, ce la vie! Nothing can be done about it.

Also, I didn't expect for my Skylark to die before I even got to name him. Yet I don't mind, since I really enjoy the idea of having our neighbor discover everything about us after we die. It does give the IF some ambiguity that is always delightful to play with in fiction. After all, we always will have some doubt about how things truly happened, or if they happened at all.

Speaking of ambiguity, while I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get to decide how Skylark was as a neighbor, I also appreciate how clever it is. After all, by establishing that Skylark was a recluse it does allow for some speculation from our part, as well as freedom for the future characterization of the character.

For example, I immediately conceived the idea of my Skylark ending up alone either because the romance with one of the RO's didn't work out (so far I'm debating if going for Greer or Jack); or because it did work out, but the RO died some years ago, and Skylark is so heartbroken he is just going by the motions until the day he dies.

Also, I do like the name ideas you provided. I was thinking about going with one of my own. Either Alonzo (nickname Lonnie), since it was surprisingly common name at the time and it reminds me of both Imre and an old crush I had years ago; or Philip (nickname Pip), because it's a princely name, the nickname is cute, and it does fit the surname Skylark very nicely (In my opinion). Yet, from the options given, I ended up choosing Richard for the moment, since it's I name I do like (even more so after reading Fallen Hero, even if there it's Ricardo instead of Richard), but also because the nickname Dick feels oddly accurate to a gay man (and it makes me think of Nightwing, even if it does have nothing to do with this IF... One day we'll get the Superhero IF, I hope). I'm still not sure if I'll stick with Richard, since I really do like the options I was considering, but that's for me to resolve. In this case I didn't have to worry much about etymology anyway, since for the most part I just went with what was popular the decade Skylark was born in the US (and I don't feel the need to fit as with the elaborate and unusual names of the Crowns, or the Italian based ones of the EC IF).

Finally, my question is about this: why did you choose the frame of the story to be a fan telling a neighbor about Skylark's life? Did you consider doing some sort of documentary/biography instead? Was it always your plan to begin with a Prologue that involves the death of Skylark, or did you consider a more chronological approach at some point?

So yeah the reason I made Sky a recluse is inspired by the real stars of the golden age. So many stories of these stars from an era gone by who leave the public eye completely and barely leave their home. I guess why that is. Maybe they are tired of being spectacles or maybe they don’t want to face a world that’s forgotten them. I wonder what sky’s reason is…

So initially I wanted the game to start with sky’s childhood but it felt so… common? And then I started thinking about how we enlarge and deify and mythologize great stars of the past but we stop seeing them as normal people who just happened to become famous. What calliope knows they know from movies, interviews and rumour. It’s distorted and perhaps at times exaggerated. It contradicts what you can see as you play

I didn’t want to do a biography because most of the things that happened, Sky wouldn’t want to be known, especially things concerning their birth. It wouldn’t be a true biography and I like the mystery surrounding them within the game. Plus the super fan telling a neighbor what’s up, seemed so intimate and just nice to me. It’s just two people, no agenda, talking about someone they both didn’t really know. Also I wanted Sky to be dead already as a way to differentiate it from the other two games, one starts with an ancestor and the other one Luce might or might not be dead

[alittlefrenchtree]

The hungarian cake lover: You are right. Krapfen is austrian german, and in Berlin it is called "Pfannkuchenn". This is where our "fánk" can come from (a little etymology 😊). And to be ontopic, we usually fill it with apricot jam.

*sits here and watches her Nonnies talk and enjoys learning stuff from them*

[grimseywrites]

Yeah, Welsh just be like that. I don't get it either. Half the time it just steals a word, the other half it makes it up.

Welsh is completely nuts indeed. People are like ‘But you’re learning French and Latin, how is Welsh so hard’ and I’m here like ‘English and French share many etymological roots based in Latin, so it’s WAY easier, Welsh developed from Celtic Britons language, so they evolved completely separately!’ 

Sorry nonnie, you sparked my amateur linguist fascination with language evolution...

[missfay49]

Not a question, just a hypothesis. (The Light Sides) Logan, Roman, and Patton's names end in -an. (The Dark Sides) Janus and Remus' names end in -s. Virgil's name doesn't fit in to either of these groups. My hypothesis is that Virgil is something like a Medium side. Also, the Orange Sides' name will probably end in an -s, making them a Dark Side.

Darling Nonnie,

I.  Love.  Etymology.

The way words evolve is just incredible!  And I love the name theories for the Sides.  The idea that their naming conventions put them in different categories brings me perpetual joy.  The one you’re talking about is originally why I proposed the name “Achilleus” for the Orange Side in my last theory.  Gotta get that “-s”!

But, in my heart of hearts?  I don’t think the duality is true :(  And that’s because of a few of the livestreams, in which Thomas has said that he wasn’t even planning on giving them names originally; he only did it after Joan suggested having names would help the characters to be seen as more than just one function.  And then, to Joan’s surprise, Thomas started implementing names in the very next episode.

Lemme just *pulls up a giant excel spreadsheet of episode references*- (we all have one of these, right?)

Okay, so.  Logic’s name was revealed first, and then another name was revealed every other episode, except for Anxiety, who had 3 episodes before his two-part arc (including a bloopers reel which really shouldn’t count).

Logan – February 28th, 2017

Roman – March 22nd, 2017

Patton – May 1st, 2017

Virgil – July 15th, 2017 (fun fact: did you know this is also the first time we hear tempest tongue?)

Names were coming in hot back in the day when episodes were only 15 minutes or less!  And maybe that was intentional; Virgil’s hesitancy wouldn’t have been as clear if everyone else hadn’t already had their names revealed for a while.  The timeline also implies that the idea of Virgil’s name reveal in July wasn’t even conceived of 6 months prior!  Pretty wild considering how cleanly the writing seemed to lead to that ending.

(has my entire response been a tangent so far? or am I imagining that?)

Anyway.  I think Patton himself clued us in at the end of Accepting Anxiety Part 2 when he said “Oh, but that doesn’t end with an “-an” or an “-on”.. Shouldn’t it be something like, uh.. Virgan?”

(and can we just appreciate the meta of Patton saying, “I’ve been theorizing on it for a very long time”?)

Patton expected there to be a pattern, but there wasn’t.  And rather than the pattern being different than we thought, I think it’s more likely there just isn’t a pattern.  Many of their names were created in a relatively short amount of time, and it doesn’t seem like as much thought went into the first few as was put into the later Sides.  Even the original three names aren’t really related to one another.  Based on what we’ve heard in live streams, some of the factors in deciding their names were:

Logan – logic / logos

Roman – romance

Patton – patriarch / paternal

These themes are all longstanding in our collective memory but not significantly linked to each other.  The endings of “-an” and “-on” are coincidental!  But if I had to find a pattern?  It would be this: All their names actually end in “-us”.

Thomas said in a livestream that one of the many reasons for deciding on Virgil’s name was a reference to the Roman poet, Vergilius.  So, consider this: The more accepted Sides represent things that our current society has deemed worthy (at least at first glance). Morality, intelligence, individuality, and art.  Those Sides adjusted with the times.  

The “hidden” Sides represent things that are considered more primal, or instinctual (at least at first glance... >D); self-preservation, fear, impulsivity, and violence.  They keep their original names.  Perhaps Virgil actually changed his name to fit in with the Core Sides better.  This would make the actual roster look more like:

Logus (obscure support for this spelling found here and here)

Romanus

Patton

Vergilius

Remus

Janus

(Achilleus?)

But we still have one outlier, don’t we?  Patton.  And we could just say this is all made up anyway, they don’t all have to fit.  Or maybe that we just need to go one step to the left, name him Patriarkhēs and call it good enough.  It’s tempting.  But if we’re going to theorize, let’s go all the way!

Patton is the Only Side wherein All His Functions are reliant upon the existence of a society.  Caring, sacrifice, morals, obligation, memories and emotions that don’t help with basic survival by oneself (Logan and Virgil got us covered there), but that do help with survival in a community and with fostering a sense of belonging.  

If, indeed, the first sign of a civilization is the caring of others at the sacrifice of ourselves, an older form of Patton would not have existed in a primal setting.  Everything that he is, is influenced by the presence of a community.  He is always new, always evolving.  Maybe that’s why he seems the most childish despite being a father figure.  Maybe that’s why he struggles so much.  He is always learning.

If ever Patton did exist on an instinctual level, that version of morality is gone now.  Long live El Nuevo Padre .  

(at least until our next major cultural shift)  

[theeldestsun]

I’m genuinely interested. But what is the reasoning behind Doran as a refugee? It doesn’t have to be the whole meta I’m just genuinely curious

Hi Nonnie! Sit down cause i got a story for you.

So the etymology behind Doran’s name is ‘Stranger’ or ‘Exile’ in Ir.ish. And this is why I have a few verses where Doran is an exile -- or especially in modern verses, a refugee. So my main ‘exile’ or ‘refu.gee’ verses are 

1) Canon AU - where Doran leads Dor.ne to secede after Robert’s Rebellion, and then loses, and is promptly exiled to either the Wall or Essos (depends on the verse).2) My Modern2 verse - where Doran is a Pales.tinian refu.gee and has since settled in the UK 3) My Dr.agon Age verse - where Doran is exiled from his tribe after it is discovered that he is an abomination4) My Wiza.rding World verse - where again, Doran and his family are chased out of Egy.pt and is now settled in the UK

A second reason is the Rhoynish theme of being refu.gees and settling and finding a new home -- also just fits.

But another and probably more important reason is because I have worked with and befriended a lot of ref.ugees in recent years, and I want to explore the identity, the tensions, the anxiety and the hope that comes with being one who is displaced. (not to mention that a couple times i have thought of just leaving my own country and applying for asylum buT).

Also its just interesting to explore the ‘exile’ side of him -- someone who is not a prince, or someone who has to find his own way and contend with Reality.