Marcia--put it on my tab.

Is anyone besides me just a tiny bit displeased that they deviate from the standard angelic names for ones that seem to prefer/default to a female host?

Michael and Gabriel aren't especially angelic, either.

But we do explicitly know popular angels Gabriel and Michael. I don't know anything about an angel Balthazar or Zachariah, so I hadn't been thinking of it as a female host issue. It seemed fucking lucky Castiel is an angel's name, and even so, it's only barely.

It seemed fucking lucky Castiel is an angel's name, and even so, it's only barely.

Right. I only meant Michael and Gabriel don't have the -zar or -iel ending. Which I guess is ... angelish.

I've seen variations of Balthazar as a demon's name, so I guess that has mythological precendent, though Zachariah too seems to be using a Biblical human name.

Michael and Gabriel don't have the -zar or -iel ending

...

OH MY GOD.

This is a sign that I should not be editing today. And possibly not operating heavy machinery.

The -el ending means "of God." There are people that contend that Dean nicknaming Castiel was an important part in redefining him and his loyalties, given what he stripped away.

However, I don't recall the first use of the name, and I'm curious about it. Not yet curious enough to dive back into early season transcripts.

Not yet curious enough

Key words "not" and "yet".

It's a long weekend.

I've met me.

Yeah.

Man, I wish it were a long weekend for me.

Still don't know the answer! I consider this a win for my mental health!

I did, however, notice a pretty annoying continuity discrepancy, so don't send away the guys in the white coats yet. In Trial and Error, when Dean is so excited about decorating his room, there are weapons all over the walls, including above the bed: [link] But by the time he's praying to Cas at the end of Remember The Titans, only the shelf with the artefacts (cross included) remains: [link]

Why, set guys, why? I mean, other than to make fanartists jobs both easier and harder?