#itzal

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The Blazing World’s Royal Family

Rose and Samuel Stratford were kicked out of academia after an argument with famous astronomer John Herschel. They worked selling newspapers and journals, and writing sci-fi, still reading any scientific literature that crossed their desk. Until they were both recruited by Chester Thomas to study astrophage

Samuel ends up taking Grace's role as the primary one studying/teaching about astrophage. Rose becomes the secondary science officer, working alongside John Herschel, of all people.

They definetly have a lot of disagreements with Herschel at the start, but they end up getting along over their shared passion. Rose and Herschel end up having their little enemies to lovers arc.

Benjamin takes the place of Carl. Anna Hanover is the primary engineer, and AJ Griffin is the pilot and captain

It's even more painful when Thomas forces Samuel onto the ship. Because it's not just "You don't have any connections" it's "You had a connection. She was willing to die for this mission. She did die for this mission. Why can't you?"

Once Samuel is in space, he can't figure out why it hurts so much to be called "Dr. Stratford". But it hurts even more once he remembers there ised to be two Dr. Stratfords. And now there's only one.

Of course, once he is in space, he meets an alien that he decides to call Margaret. No idea why he ends up picking this, or why he chooses to call her mate Sia. I'm sure there's some pop culture reference you can make there

If anyone has questions about this au, or my reasoning for putting these characters in these roles, please send me an ask! I'm calling this au Project Hail Musicals

Something that has been on my mind for a while has been the character names used in the Pulp Musicals series. Obviously, there are some characters that are based on real historical figures, and some that have been created specifically for the series. The naming of these characters is important for any story, but I've found that some of the choices in Pulp were clearly made with very symbolic intent. For the sake of brevity, I won't be discussing characters based on historical figures. Let's dive in!

Sia, the first Traveler that we meet in the series. This name actually has a number of origins and meanings. The most well-known being from the Greek word Athanásios, meaning "immortal". While we don't have any reason to believe that the Travelers are immortal in any way, they certainly seem to be long-lived. That being said, there is a line in the Ghosts of Antikythera song The Beginning of the End that I was reminded of with this meaning:

What is this "ascension" that Sia refers to here? We get no further context to this, but I can't help but be reminded of a Timelord's regeneration. This is something we may simply need to wait until Pulp 5 for for more information.

There is, however, a significantly more meaningful origin for Sia's name from ancient Egyptian mythology. Sia was actually the name of the ancient Egyptian god of Perception and Wisdom. Needless to say, this must be the inspiration behind Pulp Sia's name, given that one of her defining characteristics is her expertise in the magic way of Perception.

Speaking of mythology...

Our beloved vilian Kal, or Kalfu, is also very clearly inspired by a mythological entity of the same name. In Haitian Vodou, Kalfu (or Kalfou) is a Lwa (or Loa) whose name literally translates to "crossroads". Per his name, he has control over the crossroads and access between mortals and other Lwa. Perhaps this will be further emphasised in Pulp 5 in acting as the one who controls access between commoners and royals such as Itzal. He is also associated with shadows and misfortune.

Furthermore, the Lwa Kalfu also prefers gunpowder-infused rum!

Next up is Ahlaam, who sadly bears no association with gods or spirits. The origin behind her name is rather simple. It's an arabic name originating from the Quran meaning "dreams". This is further emphasised in A Spell is Just a Rule Made With Magic:

It also fits her characterisation very well, as Ahlaam is a very hopeful, optimistic, and cheery person.

Dakkar is another straightforward origin, as he is written to be an analog of Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, also known as Prince Dakkar. The name Nemo is also latin for "no one" or "nobody", which is why we were blessed with this tongue-in-cheek joke in Dropped from the Clouds:

While Addison Arvad's first name may not bear any significant meaning that I am aware of, her last name certainly does. Arvad is a name of Hebrew origin, meaning "exile" or "voyager". Both of these meanings fit Addison's character very well, especially the latter. In the song Antikythera, she writes in her journal extensively about her joy of traveling and exploring the world.

Another name of similar origin to discuss is Taavi. It is a Finnish and Estonian name, originating from the Hebrew name David. While we know very little about him as a character in the world of Pulp, the meaning behind his name fits perfectly while offering no further clues on who he was. It means "beloved", which reflects his relation to Ahlaam as her beloved that died at some point in the past.

Finally, the name that we can finally put a face to; Itzal. The meaning behind this name is rather simple. It is of Basque origin and means "shadow". Beyond the obvious parallels with his army that arrives on Lincoln Island...

This also has very clear associations with his daughter Margaret, who often speaks of being "in the shadows".

Sia even refers to the shadows during Ipomoea, Part 1:

With this in mind, it's seems obvious that her father Itzal was the shadow that she felt suffocated by all this time.

Bonus Round!

Samuel Stratford. The origin of the name Samuel comes from Hebrew, meaning "Name of God". One could read into the idea that Samuel is the "God" of the story that we hear, due to his writing, but I personally think that's a bit of a stretch.

What is interesting, however, is a lesser-known historical figure that shares some similarities with him. William Samuel Stratford was an English astronomer born in England in 1789. He won a silver medal from the Royal Astronomical Society, and was also the secretary of the society for a time. He would go on to be the Superintendant of the HM Nautical Almanac Office.

It's plain to see some of the parallels here that may have inspired some aspects of the character and Pulp as a whole. His penchant for writing combined with his associations with both the Royal Astronomical Society, and the HM Nautical Almanac Office. This could all be a coincidence of course, but is interesting to note nonetheless.

Anyway...

Kind of eldritch and morally gray Margaret? CHECK

Dakkar and Margaret having a complicated sibling dynamic and there being loathing and love? CHECK

Kal and Ahlaam being from wealthy families and being best friends before they met the others? CHECK

Sia being raised in a cult like environment? CHECK

Sia in love with her scary (and beautiful) wife? CHECK

Cyrus and MK meeting Dakkar and not getting along due to how Dakkar was raised and Dakkar becoming a better person away from his toxic hole environment? CHECK

Itzal and Chazira being complicated characters and Chazira not being defined as being a mother or a wife? CHECK

CHAZIRA AND SIA PARALLELS??? CHECK

Thanks to the Bastards Box server for making me actually plan out (plus add some things myself and make it unique) some ideas!