when i die i hope i come back as a beautiful microscopic granule of sand

these are all me in my next life btw

❄WINTER❄

i don't want a career, i want to do crafts

Kiss doodles from when I was getting used to CSP!

Late night Jacks

Two lovers at the edge of the world.

I've always liked the idea of a sequel for RotG set during summer. Cold never bothered Jack anyway but scorching sun sure does

girls when they get overstimulated in the grocery store

BLEACH - Name Games

Haven’t done one of these in a tick…  I’m short on families to bundle together but here’s a nice bundle of characters I hadn’t tackled yet…

Hitsugaya[日番谷] Toushirou[冬獅郎]:

Hi[日]=“Sun”, Tsugai[番]=“Turn”, Ya[谷]=“Valley”.  A locational surname, very common in Japanese and in naming conventions in most any language, but there’s some fun in unpacking this one.  The phrase “Sun Turn” here is evocative of a “turn” in a game, or a place in rotation order, as well as a hinge, which suggests a reference to the “Sunset,” The sun turning, or the sun rotating (as if on a hinge).  And the geographical implications of a place called “Sunset Valley” is of a place where the sunsets past the hill tops, meaning night (and thus the cold) comes sooner.  Basically his name is telling us he’s from “a cold place” which has obvious associations with his overall themes.

Tou[冬]=“Winter”, Shi[獅]=“Lion”, Rou[郎]=“Son”.  This one is pretty self explanatory.  “Winter” to associate with ice; “Lion” in reference to his hair; and “Son” as a generic male name suffix.  There is of course also the pun here that the phonetic “Shirou” is a homonym with Shiro[白]=“White.”  So WhiteLionBoy from SunsetValley.

Matsumoto[松本] Rangiku[乱菊]:

Matsu[松]=“Pine”, Moto[本]=“Origin“ is another locational name, this one seems to have been made specifically with Rangiku’s partnership with her captain in mind.  Pine trees are of course associated with winter, the cold, sturdiness, and  longevity —all broadly derived from it being an evergreen tree, and able to survive the winter and cold climates.  Matsumotoichi is also a city near the Japanese alps, home to the historical Matsumoto castle, known for its stark black walls.

Ran[乱]=“Disorder,” Giku[菊]=“Chrysanthemum.”  Curiously this is the name of a very particular kind of pattern, generally used in family crests(Kamon[家紋]).  It depicts a chrysanthemum flow with its many petals in some form of disarray, usually laced or intertwined, rather than held together in the uniform round shape the flowers are known for.  The chrysanthemum itself is the Japanese national flower, and like the pine tree, a symbol of longevity, and is the crest of the emperor of Japan. (among many, MANY other family crests.  make no mistake, it is not exclusive to the emperor.)  It is also emblematic of Autumn, the season it blooms in, and is in some ways an opposite of the sakura(cherry blossom) another deeply seasonally associated flower considered an icon of Japan. 

So, I don’t actually know entirely what to make of this…  The most readily available reading, to me, is that the name Rangiku is used to reflect Rangiku’s personality as a sloppy, lazy, frivolous and drunken beauty.  Again, noting Japan’s affinity for naming girls after flowers and the implied beauty, grace, and/or daintiness of them, the idea of a disheveled or out of order chrysanthemum suggests a thing of innate grace and dignity, and even power, rendered disorderly and unpresentable.  All pretty basic…

But then there’s this kind of secondary set of associations with longevity, and even immortality in both plants, as well as Matsumotoichi’s well known castle and the chrysanthemum’s association with imperial royalty that leaves this lingering motif of nobility.  I wonder if it had something to do with her surviving Aizen feeding a part of her soul to the hougyoku that Kubo just never got around to…

Also, Hitsugaya’s little golden buckle on his sword sheath is a crysanthemum, but it doesn’t really seem to mean anything??

Hinamori[雛森] Momo[桃]:

Hina[雛] in this context is a diminutive, so it doesn’t quite translate into its own word.  (The same kanji in other uses refers to a specific kind of small traditionally crafted Japanese doll, just called a “Hina doll;” or to baby birds like ducklings or chicks.)  The implications of it as a diminutive are of physical smallness, but also of youthfulness, and implicitly cuteness.  Mori[森]=“Forest.”  So depending on how you want to really read it, it can mean “Small/Little Forest,” “Young Forest,“ or “Cute Forest.”  And technically a young forest would probably be small anyway, so the imagery is the same.

Momo[桃]=“Peach.”  Momoiro[桃色] (and thus also the shortened Momo) is also the Japanese word for “Pink” (lit.“Peach Color”) so her name could also be read as “Pink.”  I specify that because her sword’s name is Tobiume[飛梅], which has generally been translated as “Fly[ing] Plum*,” so rather than identify her by two different fruits, it might be referencing Momo for the color and identifying her with Plums exclusively.

*although the “fly” here means broadly to “move through the air,” so it can, in different contexts, also refer to “jumping,” “falling,” being “launched,” or even just “disappearing” as in to move quickly out of sight.  (A falling or disappearing plum could refer to immature fruits that naturally drop from their branches when an otherwise healthy tree is at its fruit producing/sustaining limits —keeping its ripe fruit, and dropping those it doesn’t have the nutrients to continue growing.)

In any case, you catch the meaning: pink, small, young, sweet, cute, etc…  as an extra detail, her sword is styled after the Shichishitou[七支刀] = “seven branch sword.“  The Seven-Branch Sword is an ancient ceremonial relic tied to the history of Japan and Korea, circa 200AD.  The specific use of the word “Branch” to describe the arms or auxiliary blades is the basis of relating its shape to a tree, hence Tobiume’s shape.  Also Hinamori meaning “Young Forest” is reflected in Tobiume having only 2 (later 3) branches, instead of Seven; it is a young and underdeveloped tree.

So, since these have gone and gotten more numerous than I ever intended, here’s a little table of contents:

thanks for making me this hot tea bro. Why did the steam make the shape of a skull and crossbones when you stirred it lol

currents