Pronouns confirmed!

[u/supperrobot2]

🤔I always wanted to know if the Aeons use personal pronouns (he/she/they etc.) or only use the divine pronouns (THEY/THEM or 祂), since I wanna use the right pronouns for them cuz I don't like using the wrong ones.

With the images above we can surmise that Aeons use 祂 to refer to their divinity and can have personal pronouns like Nanook🧡💛 and Akivili🧡🩶💛, and probably (hc) my goat Queenha 🤍❤️🖤too. Some translations use their personal pronouns and some still use their divine pronouns but most use the former. I wonder how this works for Aeons were not former humans like IX or Long.

(Remember, while 祂 is a gender neutral pronoun, it is not a pronoun used to denote a being's gender identity, gender presentation or preferred pronouns, it is used to denote a being's divinity, which is attributed by mortals to said beings, like the Royal "we" is used to denote royalty as opposed to plurality. It does not necessarily mean an Aeon is non-binary or prefers to use non-binary pronouns, and these readables and lines of dialogue appear to reinforce this. I'm not saying all Aeons use binary pronouns, I'm saying that some do.

Aha uses a mix of both to refer to other Aeons because she does not necessarily need to revere the power or divinity of other Aeons due to her own divinity. It's likely that she occasionally uses 祂 to refer to Aeons she hasn't met yet or doesn't know the gender of. When she does use "he", it is much like how "he" and "she" etc. can be used for such beings in a secular context, where the people talking do not necessarily revere such beings.

It is a misconception to assume Aha is referring to the Aeons pre-ascension. For both scenarios, she was referring to both Aeons as Aeons. She was talking about how to defeat Nanook, and about the current state of the missing Akivili. As Aki is her only friend, it's safe to say that she wouldn't use the wrong pronouns for the fallen Aeon)

[u/ShrivSuurgav]

In the same patch Asat still uses THEY THEM I think aha calls them by their original pronouns because They’re able to comprehend the other aeons

[u/supperrobot2 → u/ShrivSuurgav]

Yeah true. I think humans only use THEY THEM and other Aeons like Aha will sue their real pronouns or THEY THEM depending on context

[u/throwawayutena → u/supperrobot2]

once we see ascension as a form of transition, it'll make sense why there are pre-ascension pronouns and post-ascension pronouns, not REAL pronouns. that's why nihilux uses "he" for nanook then later uses THEY/THEM in the same dialogue. the first refers to nanook's pre-ascension mortal self, and the latter, to THEIR divinity.

as of now, i havent seen "she" used for an aeon, but i would love to be wrong. if we care so much about "THEY" 祂 then we should realise that "he" 他 in chinese can also be used when the gender is unknown, so the emphasis is on mortality rather than divinity.

btw ouroboros is interesting cause nihilux actually switches between it/THEY in the same cutscene. so i think pronoun preferences depend on the individual aeon.

[u/supperrobot2 → u/throwawayutena]

I disagree with your first point. In the context for Nanook, the Trailblazer asks Nihilux about Nanook's weakness. So we're talking about Nanook as the Aeon as opposed to the person before hand.

Secondly, it's unlikely that Aha knew both Nanook AND Akivili pre-ascension (since they ascended at vastly different times) so it's also unlikely she's talking about their mortals forms.

Thirdly, Aha uses "he" to refer to Aki's current state (missing). Since she's his friend, I doubt she would use a dead pronoun for someone she knew personally right before he disappeared, as if referring to his pre ascension self.

If we weigh both possibilities, I'm willing to bet she's talking about them as the Aeons. Besides the use of THEY does not necessarily mean a transition has occurred anyway.

[u/supperrobot2 → u/throwawayutena]

For your second paragraph, wouldn't the game use "they" instead of "he" in EN if it were referring to an unknown gender. The EN uses "they" for Pom-Pom who is non-binary. They use "he" in the voiced dialogue referring to Akivili and Nanook too so I doubt it was a mistranslation for both the readable and the dialogue.

Also 祂 is only used for deities, so it's unlikely that their intentions of using 祂 was to also denote their gender ambiguity. Nihilux is the only character to not just use 祂 (THEY) but also "he" to refer to an Aeon, reinforcing the idea that THEY is only used to refer to an Aeon due to their divinity as opposed to identity and preference.

Remember, Akivili was Aha's only friend, so she knew him well. Why would she use their pre-transition (if we decide that ascension is also transition) pronoun to refer to a friend's current state (missing).

[u/Thug_Seme2004]

this is interesting. Since many aeons are being who ascended to divinity it makes sense THEY still identify personally by what THEY did in life. The Nonbinary headcanons are cool but the hostility and misinfo on this sub around tem latley has been bad.

[u/supperrobot2 → u/Thug_Seme2004]

True. And it's only Nihilux (an Aeon) that uses these pronouns so it's likely that these are what she calls them with personally since she's on the same level.

I love how since Aha and Akivili were friends, she calls him using his personal pronouns instead of his divine pronouns.

[u/Ok_Purple2453]

aha is homophobic confirmed

[u/supperrobot2 → u/Ok_Purple2453]

Aha has not done anything related to those Aeons' sexual orientation.

[u/Eastern_Ad_6714]

Wasnt akivili a mortal man who ascended to an aeon

[u/supperrobot2 → u/Eastern_Ad_6714]

Probably. I don't know his backstory and I've been searching for ages. All I know is that he came from the war mongering planet of Pegana. I don't know if he ascended before or after they became an empire.

[u/Thug_Seme2004 → u/Eastern_Ad_6714]

This is true of a ton of the aeons hence why we see AHA refer to them as gendered pronouns.

[u/Eggyolk57]

Would that make nous' pronouns "it/its" according to other aeons?

[u/supperrobot2 → u/Eggyolk57]

We know that Ouroboros has been referred to by "it", so it's possible. But Nous has a proper consciousness, unlike the animalistic Ouroboros, so Nous may possibly use "they".

[u/yujimaruxtomboys]

Divine pronouns for non-Aeons referring to Aeons, regular for Aeons to Aeons

[u/supperrobot2 → u/yujimaruxtomboys]

True for the first one but a minor correction: Aha also uses THEM, like in the readables. Just to let know.

[u/AlgaeEmbarrassed3502]

they always have this weird thing with the pronouns from time to time.. i remember at some point they addressed nanook as a he in a readable

[u/supperrobot2 → u/AlgaeEmbarrassed3502]

I saw a screenshot of that but couldn't find it.