So close...

[farla]

I randomly clicked on a new OT story, The Original. I skim down and note the professor is called Yew.

Yew? I think. That's unusual. Wonderful.

Then I realize Professor Yew is basically a fancy version of Professor Pine. It's a coniferous tree name that can refer to a specific tree, a number of related tree species, or a number of families.

Why do you mock me, fanfiction gods?

Comments

[actonthat.livejournal.com]

Somehow I have to feel like any relationship is sort of coincidental... this is a child's game, whether we like it or not. And Gamefreak... well, azurill is a normal type, for starters...

*shrug* I'm not too hot on the 'Professor Tree gives Susan pokemon' thing anyway, so I've never had the chance to cross you on that point and probably never will.

[actonthat.livejournal.com]

and probably never will.

Aside from right now, I guess.

[farla.livejournal.com]

Eh. I'm not so much militant on the tree thing as I am militant on the not-screwing-up the tree thing. Professors given normal surnames are tolerable, professors given halfassed attempts at following the rules (Professor Stone, Professor Gum, Professor Pine, and, of course, the five thousand geniuses who were clever with a Professor Tree) are more my issue.

[farla.livejournal.com]

As I recall, back in the early days it was explicitly stated that Ash and Oak's names came from the trees, because they were both strong trees. At some other point the Professor = Tree thing was stated. I honestly can't remember the particular details of that, though. I think it had to do with the strength metaphor.

While a guy named Oak isn't a pattern, and Oak and Elm could always be a coincidence...once we get to Birch, it's pretty solid. It's a bit like the towns being named after colors and the hometown being Pallet.