The Mashin's terms for the Magic Knights

[suzanami]

I learn so much whenever Down rambles.

these are just my rough draft versions of their titles when they're being presented at ~events~

• the ever-lovely, elegant Knight of Water, worthy of Selece, Lady Ryuuzaki Umi
• the wise and gentle Knight of Wind, worthy of Windam, Lady Hououji Fuu

I wrote these out over a year ago and I want to keep them about this length/format, but ehh I want to change the adjectives if nothing else; they're not sitting right with me. (also Hikaru's didn't make an appearance because she was introduced first and Fuu was daydreaming so I haven't worked one out for her)

also ever waffling on name order for the girls.  I almost always go with surname-givenname because, well, that's how they say their names.  it's how they introduced themselves and it's the name order the Cephirans would know.  but then I feel like a weeaboo because I'm writing in English and a lot of people use western name order to refer to them but idk that's not.. their names?  CULTURE THINGS ARE HARD AND WEIRD.

[Somariel]

also ever waffling on name order for the girls.  I almost always go with surname-givenname because, well, that's how they say their names.  it's how they introduced themselves and it's the name order the Cephirans would know.  but then I feel like a weeaboo because I'm writing in English and a lot of people use western name order to refer to them but idk that's not.. their names?  CULTURE THINGS ARE HARD AND WEIRD.

I also go with surname-givenname.

[Down]

I use family name - given name because the Knights aren't actually speaking English, we're just - translating their Japanese because we have to write it in English? But then I'm reading the manga in Japanese and had a year of introducing myself in that order (because - okay, we were told we could pick if we preserved our name-order when talking in Japan, but it was the normal Japanese order on all documents and written assignments and on my post box and doing it the english way around would have meant explaining EVERY TIME 'oh and that's my family name not my given name'. Most of us switched. It just... made sense in the context of the language? But writing in english when the characters are SPEAKING Japanese is a different kind of context, because they'll still be thinking and saying them that way about so why not write them that way?)

(Sometimes I try messing about with word-order in their actual speech to make it closer to a direct translation of the Japanese but it's a lot of effort so I don't bother very often? XD)

(.............................And I'm going to give myself a headache soon by writing a thing in which Clef and Umi are both able to speak both Cephiran AND Japanese for plot reasons, and Umi's Japanese is no longer automatically translated because the translation spell has been removed now she knows the language, which means that people can HEAR if she actually says things in Japanese (or if Clef does) ASIDE FROM Hikaru and Fuu who hear it through the translation spell as Japanese whether she's speaking in it or not so wouldn't notice?)

(AND IT'S A SECRET THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED)

(So I'm writing two languages and switching between them - in a third. Haven't quiiiiiiiiite decided how I'm going to play that one yet. XD)

I think the thing with Umi and 'elegant' is that she looks it for all of five minutes then ends up flailing and yelling about something. XD She's - not the most refined creature?

Wisdom and sapient are things I like for Fuu. *pets all the words* Gracious! And I do like worthy~ 'swift' gives assonance with Selece and could be used about Umi both literally and figuratively (as long as you're talking about battle or seeing the truth/people's weaknesses, not, er, 'swift at working out emotions'. XD) Also steadfast because ffffffffffffffff is she stubborn okay if you're her friend then SHE AIN'T LETTING YOU GO

Hearty is - I want Hikaru to be hearty because SHE HAS TOO MUCH HEART but it's also about being brave and true and loyal? XD Also courageous (...though it's more 'forgets that she might actually hurt herself doing the thing because she focuses too much on the reasons she has to DO THE THING for other people!')

(I need to stop sitting cacking at adjectives how is this even a thing which is entertaining me)

Courtesy is a big thing for Fuu, too? and honour for Umi, and all of them have great prowess and I'm now giving the knightly virtues I SHOULD GO SLEEP IT'S MIDNIGHT or at least write something XDD 

[suzanami]

I would normally not use elegant for Umi - Ferio gets to announce them and I think he might have to practice so he doesn't choke on the words.. my Umi and Ferio bicker often.

but they sort of have, like, sort of personas for the citizens?  it's still them, they're not untrue to themselves, but kind of a simplified/idealized version of how most people perceive them to be.  since it's important that the civilians generally like them. :p  gah I'm not wording this very well but it's kind of like a glancing understanding of their characters, sort of idealized because politics.  and a lot of people who only have a glancing understanding of Umi's character would call her elegant.  cause she can play that up if she wants to~