okay i now we are all worked up about whether red should have said what she said and thats valid 

BUT

WE NEED TO DISCUSS THE LOGISTICS OF THE FAERIES

we know when they get a name, they also get their own clothes and their own job- ive seen some people wonder if red is now in a different class from ayilu, but im pretty sure she actually ‘graduated’ and is presumably working for the court in some capacity, tho who knows as what ??? the only other fairie/woods folk we’ve seen in the court’s employee is bugsy, who is a teacher and supposedly only because she wasnt suited for anything else?

based on tom’s comments, it seems they are presented with clothes to choose from, but who decides their job (assuming they are eligible for multiple positions?)

if fairies prefer dull colors in the physical world, why did bugsy chose a pink outfit? is there something special about their ‘own’ clothes that allows them to decorate them in the ether, or do the kids in the class just not embellish their school uniforms?

does everyone who comes from the woods need a name to transition to ‘adulthood’? we’ve only seen fairies (bugsy, red, ayilu) get names, none of the animals? and for that matter, how are names earned for those in the forest? *snuffle* already has a name (apparently one she mostly kept a secret), and while she seems to a fairy of some sort, she does not resemble the suicide/regional fairies in either physical or etheric appearances? if she decided to become a human, would she have to give up her name and earn a new one? would coyote need to remove her soul as he did for bunny, assuming her situation is different from the regional fairies?

the anwen people already have names, even their young seem to- their culture seems distinct from that of the other forest creatures, and as much as i can recall, we have only ever seen them interact with annie or with jeanne. are they truly loyal to coyote, or do they hold some resentment for his presence and his creation of the divide?

shadow is an oddity in the court according to Jones, which suggests that none of his brethren have ever made the forest-to-court change. again, is this option only offered to small mammals and the ‘hollow fae’? speaking of the hollowness of said hollow fae, WHY and HOW did the court get ahold of their souls? what if one of the hollow fae did NOT want to go to the court- would they be forever cut off from their etheric form?

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

fairies can name each other ??????? this was a sticking point for me at first- if red missed her friend and was sad the naming had seperated them, couldnt she just have named her herself? (or, because that would be sappy, tricked someone else into doing it maybe?)

but on reflection, i think the answer is NO. that likely never occurred to red, because getting a name is A BIG DEAL™ to them, unlike to our court characters. i reckon that within fairie society, you have to EARN your name- perhaps with brave deeds or accomplishments, or by virtue of having navigated the horrors of ‘school’. so when annie had a dangerous quest, that fulfilled the requirement that ayilu have to work for her name

but as we can see, that turned sour- after all, red didnt have to earn her name at all, did she? annie just messed up, and BAM, red got a name and new clothes and a new job and a whole new, awesomer life!!! because annie has that power- she exists outside their culture, and so possesses the ability to hand out diplomas and medals and all sorts of things

so i think fairies CAN name each other, they just usually dont, unless the occasion allows for it- i don’t award my friend an ‘a’ in her class unless im the instructor, and i don’t bake her a cake that says ‘happy birthday’ on it just any day of the year

and i know i said i didnt want to to get into the right or wrong and appropriate or not with what red said this chapter

but i do think that annie- almost certainly unwittingly- offered something to ayilu that had ENORMOUS value to the recipient and NO value to the giver, and placed conditions on it that had not been needed for the past recipient (red)

which i think just highlights that, despite being their medium, annie (and the readers) has a lot of misunderstandings about the culture and society of the forest, and those misunderstandings are going to have consequences

ARADIA: hi! ARADIA: i dont think weve spoken JAKE: Oh! Hi there. No i dont think we have. JAKE: Youre a troll arent you? ARADIA: yes well spotted :) ARADIA: our paths never crossed before earlier today but you have met many of my comrades JAKE: So are you friends with karkar and the one who kept sniffing me? JAKE: I dont think ive quite managed to catch everyones names yet. JAKE: I know its silly considering weve been around each other and fought together but you know how things get lost in the shuffle. ARADIA: i am indeed! ARADIA: i havent been the most diligent in maintaining our friendship lately but weve known each other for sweeps ARADIA: i managed to lose track of time for a while there myself ARADIA: so much to see so much to do ARADIA: paradox space is full of adventures waiting to happen JAKE: Oh lordy. Isnt THAT the truth. Places to be! Things to do! Reality destroying horrors to fight! JAKE: This may not be true of you but im more than ready for a siesta. ARADIA: i guess a short rest might be in order ARADIA: but after that im eager to explore our new universe! ARADIA: i have seen a lot so far but there is always more to discover JAKE: !! JAKE: Of course! JAKE: What do you think is on the other side then? Will we just get dumped out into the void? ARADIA: hmmm ARADIA: im not sure ARADIA: i have been many places but i have never been through a victory door ARADIA: not yet ARADIA: i would imagine we would be able to visit some of the worlds i saw on the lab readouts though ARADIA: including your former earth that has been placed there JAKE: Former earth? You mean like home? ARADIA: in a sense ARADIA: jade captured your earth far in its future and brought it back with her ARADIA: now it has been placed in the new universe you have created as a home for some of the carapaces who have shared your journey with you ARADIA: im sure theyll go about making it very homelike for their tastes ARADIA: i dont know if thats where youll want to settle down but it is far from the only planet out there JAKE: Oh. So its the earth thats wrecked and flooded and all that. ARADIA: i believe so ARADIA: your earth, but its future JAKE: Well nuts. JAKE: I know its silly to say so but for a moment i was almost thinking i could go back to my island. JAKE: I mean its not much. But if you dealt with the beasts it wouldnt be a bad vacation home. Im just not sure i have space for everyone! JAKE: At the very least i could gather up some of the things i left. ARADIA: hmm ARADIA: well considering it is only a matter of being there at the right time... ARADIA: i might be able to help with that JAKE: Really?? JAKE: Oh of course you could. I recognize that gear. JAKE: Speaking of which... do all trolls grow pretty fairy wings when they god tier? Ive seen them on the clown and now on roxys moms gal pal. ARADIA: we usually do! ARADIA: for some reason i havent seen any on karkat or his ancestor in the dream bubbles ARADIA: a few have even sprouted them without the aid of sgrub but that is rare ARADIA: why, are you jealous? ;) JAKE: Psssh. No. Theyre not really a match for my rugged aesthetic. JAKE: I mean i know it doesnt look rugged. Especially before i ditched the shorts. But sparkly butterfly wings on a guy is uh. Somewhat questionable in human culture? ARADIA: how strange ARADIA: youd think anyone would like a pair of these! but tastes are not disputable ARADIA: usually JAKE: Maybe if they were pointier or if my uh. JAKE: Ruggedness. JAKE: Hadnt already been called into question today. ARADIA: ruggedness is easily reestablished ARADIA: i often established mine by uncovering ancient mystical ruins or destroying things with my mind ARADIA: sometimes i got a little too carried away with that last one JAKE: I already blew up parts of two planets by accident but as long as the new universe has plenty of new tombs to plunder i guess thats a sound course of action. JAKE: Just save some for me! JAKE: Or hells bells take me with you! There can only be so many ancient mystical ruins in a fresh baked universe. ARADIA: sgrub did seed them throughout our world ARADIA: it stands to reason it might attempt to do so again ARADIA: such ruins would be in need of extra desecration JAKE: Would they also have transportalizers to prospit and derse? JAKE: ...like... new prospits and derses if im on the right gravy train? ARADIA: if a session of sgrub is slated to be played ARADIA: which i suppose it is since our adversary did so and or will do so ARADIA: he and who knows how many others ARADIA: though i believe rose is hoping to make that number a small one ARADIA: she might appreciate some ruin recon ;) JAKE: Oh! Gladly! JAKE: I grew up near one of those temples so i know you have to... carve your own souvenirs. So to speak. JAKE: Sadly skaia leaves precious little in the way of strange statuettes or precious trinkets. ARADIA: i will mark you down for hivehold item retrieval and ruin expeditions ARADIA: and if we desecrate a few instead of treating their contents with respect it will only be following in the footsteps of troll indiana jones all the better JAKE: !!! JAKE: You have an indiana jones?? ARADIA: of course ARADIA: what kind of civilization wouldnt have indiana jones JAKE: I mean OBVIOUSLY. JAKE: Indys one of my heroes! Along with lara croft of course. JAKE: I wanted to be just like them as a tyke. And i guess i kind of am? Except instead of putting precious treasures in a museum i exhumed a bunch of skeletons. ARADIA: that sounds exciting too! ARADIA: the crux of the adventure is the adventure itself not the loot you gain ARADIA: that is the team charge motto JAKE: I think i can get behind that. JAKE: Maybe the real adventure is the friends we make along the way? ARADIA: haha i hope so! ARADIA: and the lessons we learn but those are often painful ARADIA: then again sometimes our friends can be painful too at times ARADIA: but they are still worth it JAKE: Yeah. JAKE: Yeah they are!! JAKE: People are more... complicated than you might initially take them for. But i think youve got to try and understand them. JAKE: Friendship has to be a two-way street. And ive not always been the best at that but... consarnit i can try harder than i have been. JAKE: Sometimes people need that. ARADIA: if there is one thing i have learned through my time with the dreamers it is that people want to be understood ARADIA: sometimes they cant find peace until someone does JAKE: I guess i didnt realize how much things weighed on my friends until it... well... boiled over. ARADIA: haha ARADIA: i could tell you some stories about that ARADIA: but perhaps another time JAKE: Were all in sort of the same boat i guess. Hurting like the dickens on the inside. JAKE: At least were not alone then? ARADIA: yes! ARADIA: that is the most important thing to remember ARADIA: we are not alone JAKE: Not anymore!