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January 2
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Replies: 34

His name is WHAT?

Forums > Art Related > Literature
:iconalansteenhouwer:
*AlanSteenhouwer Jan 2, 2013
What does one do, in terms of abbreviation, with characters that have large first names. Are there certain names that should be abbreviated? Is it okay to do it during narration? Must it be kept up if used in the narrative?
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:iconvglory:
=vglory Jan 3, 2013
You imagine what their friends and family would actually call them, and use that.
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:iconalansteenhouwer:
*AlanSteenhouwer Jan 4, 2013
That makes it sound simple.
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:iconkinola14:
~Kinola14 Jan 2, 2013
If a character has a long name, give him/her a nickname.
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:iconlaemperatrizmariana:
=LaEmperatrizMariana Jan 2, 2013  Hobbyist General Artist
I have a character named Krshoth'Ailon and dumb people in the story call him Kevin.
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:iconlytrigian:
~Lytrigian Jan 2, 2013  Hobbyist Writer
"Kevin" sounds perfectly legit to me. How many English speakers are comfortable with glottal stops?
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:iconlaemperatrizmariana:
=LaEmperatrizMariana Jan 3, 2013  Hobbyist General Artist
They could've called him "Wandering Soul" which is what it supposedly translates to, or "Soul". The character who called him "Kevin" didn't bother to figure out the name's meaning and went with with something that started and ended the same. :shrug:
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:iconvglory:
=vglory Jan 3, 2013
Names are arbitrary signifiers, so as long as they all use the same one it's a perfectly valid solution. I think the guy expecting to be referred to by the silly name is the dumb one.
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:iconlaemperatrizmariana:
=LaEmperatrizMariana Jan 3, 2013  Hobbyist General Artist
How is he dumb? I never said he hated the nickname the other characters gave him. Besides the "silly name" is his actual name, his own kind call him by that name.

Since they speak to each other, it's obvious they would've hear him pronounce his name and give him a mispronounced name instead of a completely renaming him.
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:iconlytrigian:
~Lytrigian Jan 3, 2013  Hobbyist Writer
What =vglory said. Happens all the time in the real world.
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:iconvglory:
=vglory Jan 3, 2013
Most people who have a name not suitable for use by the people around them offer an alternative. If they don't, then they get one assigned to them. I see nothing dumb about that.
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