The Name Game - The Sequel

 The Name Game – The Sequel

In honour of the release of The Merry Band, my sequel to The Disposable, I have been seized by the urge to write a sequel to my previous blog, where I discussed my naming strategies. And my premise is simply this – if you had to name yourself in the manner of my Realm, what name would you give yourself?

Because on thinking about it for myself, it’s really not as simple as it sounds. Would you want to chose your own name or have it chosen for you? Would you want a name that genuinely reveals an aspect of your personality or would you prefer to keep your true self and any accompanying expectations privately behind a less accurate or less specific one? And what part of yourself would you chose to advertise if you did choose an accurate name – positive or negative, self-promotion or warning?

A Realm name is like a badge. It tells a bit of your story to whoever hears it. But much like The Narrative, it depends on what side of the story you want to tell. Would you really want to walk around with a name that told people who you truly were? A name that creates expectations of you in everyone who hears it? Much in the way in our society, we are programmed by our culture and upbringing to leap to instinctive conclusions on people we meet based on the way they look and dress and speak, a Realm name would create expectations in the person meeting them as to what they would get. What expectation would you want?

And so that would be the choice. Do you give people the self they expect or the self you feel you are? I mentioned in my previous blog at the irony of making Prince Dullard a genius but from his perspective, he would probably feel the name quite suited his modest efforts in the various fields he dabbled in because he doesn’t see himself that way. Princess Pleasance would certainly feel that her name fitted her, even if her beleaguered captors would fervently disagree. Shoulders would probably accept the accuracy of his name while heartily resenting it and Fodder would certainly agree with his designation as the kicking post of the universe while striving with all his heart to set that assumption aside.

So the nature of Realm names really isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. While they seem to tell a great deal, at the end of the day how informative they are really depends on the person carrying it, whether they want to present a face to the world or show an inner soul and whether they way they see themselves is the same as the way the rest of the world sees them. Does the name shape the person or the person shape the name? What you choose to call yourself may say a great deal, but not necessarily in the way you intend. And if you let someone else choose for you, you will, for good or bad, get an insight into how the rest of the world looks at you that can’t be taken back.

All things considered, it might be easier just to name yourself after some part of your job. Or maybe stick a pin in a dictionary…;)