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Help[Opinions] Fictional twins
So I have a pair of fraternal (non-identical) twins in my big big original character dump: Hiyamizu Hyōga and Hiyamizu Kai. Though these two are twins, Hyōga is still considered the older bro (because he was born a few minutes earlier than Kai, lol). But enough about their bio.
I'm a big fan of theme naming, especially family theme naming. I've decided to name the two like that to, first, stick with a theme, and second, make a reference to their personalities. Hyōga (氷河) means 'glacier', and Kai (海) means 'ocean' in Japanese! The older twin is a down-to-earth, cynical and indifferent, impassive guy, who, if stressed or if his ego is falling apart, can become whimsical and "start to melt", while the younger one is adaptable, intuitive and dramatic, but can turn out to be really dangerous if you want to know him better, "dive into his depths".
P. S. their surname (冷水) means 'cold water', if there was not enough water motifs for you!
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What do you think of the choice of names?
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
The rules of war are woven in the womb: the victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash.
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
Please rate here: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/241689/150915
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/241689/150916
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
I'm a big fan of theme naming, especially family theme naming. I've decided to name the two like that to, first, stick with a theme, and second, make a reference to their personalities. Hyōga (氷河) means 'glacier', and Kai (海) means 'ocean' in Japanese! The older twin is a down-to-earth, cynical and indifferent, impassive guy, who, if stressed or if his ego is falling apart, can become whimsical and "start to melt", while the younger one is adaptable, intuitive and dramatic, but can turn out to be really dangerous if you want to know him better, "dive into his depths".
P. S. their surname (冷水) means 'cold water', if there was not enough water motifs for you!
---
What do you think of the choice of names?
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
The rules of war are woven in the womb: the victors shall burn bright, while the losers must turn to ash.
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
Please rate here: https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/241689/150915
https://www.behindthename.com/pnl/241689/150916
♪★♪★♪★♪★♪★
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Replies
I like it. I also like Kaito, as Higuma suggested.
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The water theme is a little too on the nose in my opinion. It would only really work if they were part of some 'water clan' or something. As regular, modern-day humans it would probably raise eyebrows. It depends on the setting basically.
Also Kai I almost always see as a nickname for Kaito, or some other Kai- name, so just keep that in mind.
Also Kai I almost always see as a nickname for Kaito, or some other Kai- name, so just keep that in mind.
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Fictional twins
Well, the whole setting is a fantasy (maybe a blend of comedic and urban fantasy is a decent description of this) world, so these names probably should be fine there.
Aand the relation to the two's personalities is only my own little sighting, because I first chose the names and then started to work on the other aspects of the characters without being inspired by their names' meanings at all.
Maybe I should've said that A) the brothers have magical powers: ice and water, respectively, and B) there is a water theme not only in their own names, but in the name of their father and other relatives from his side (maybe this family is actually a 'water clan' like Higuma said), so it's a tradition, too.
About the surname: yes, it is perfectly real. I always do some research before naming something or someone.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Hiyamizu
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2522991/
Yeah, Japanese people usually do not have middle names, thank you for the small reminder.
And writing the surname first is just a usual thing for me (and the Japanese, too), heh.
Well, the whole setting is a fantasy (maybe a blend of comedic and urban fantasy is a decent description of this) world, so these names probably should be fine there.
Aand the relation to the two's personalities is only my own little sighting, because I first chose the names and then started to work on the other aspects of the characters without being inspired by their names' meanings at all.
Maybe I should've said that A) the brothers have magical powers: ice and water, respectively, and B) there is a water theme not only in their own names, but in the name of their father and other relatives from his side (maybe this family is actually a 'water clan' like Higuma said), so it's a tradition, too.
About the surname: yes, it is perfectly real. I always do some research before naming something or someone.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satoshi_Hiyamizu
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm2522991/
Yeah, Japanese people usually do not have middle names, thank you for the small reminder.
And writing the surname first is just a usual thing for me (and the Japanese, too), heh.
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Ah, so it is like a family trait. Are they named after their individual powers or was that a coincidence?
I do like the flow of both names, especially Hiyamizu Hyōga btw
I do like the flow of both names, especially Hiyamizu Hyōga btw
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I think they sound no more or less like brothers than any other pair of names, but I don't really know anything about Japanese names.
But I would say that theme-naming is risky, in real life and in fiction. And in real life, anyway, naming a child after personality traits he ends up having is not believable. He wouldn't show himself as frosty or ever-changing till a long time after he was born.
Also, if I were you I'd research and find out if your surname here is an actual surname in Japan and if Japanese people would give names with those meanings along with the surname.
I am assuming you are giving the surname first, which is correct in Japan but is likely to confuse others.
If not, know that Japanese people do not typically use middle names.
But I would say that theme-naming is risky, in real life and in fiction. And in real life, anyway, naming a child after personality traits he ends up having is not believable. He wouldn't show himself as frosty or ever-changing till a long time after he was born.
Also, if I were you I'd research and find out if your surname here is an actual surname in Japan and if Japanese people would give names with those meanings along with the surname.
I am assuming you are giving the surname first, which is correct in Japan but is likely to confuse others.
If not, know that Japanese people do not typically use middle names.
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I wasn't descriptive enough in the post above, sorry (again). The twins' family has an odd tradition of giving water-related names to children, so the personality thing is merely a coincidence. I gave them names before giving them other characteristics.
Theme naming and 'meaningful' names aren't too common in my works, I'd say. This situation is one of the few exceptions.
Theme naming and 'meaningful' names aren't too common in my works, I'd say. This situation is one of the few exceptions.
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Roxstar, I totally agree. I knew a Canadian woman, living in the UK with very little income, who wrote to the publishers of those cheap romantic novels that get sold in general dealers' rather than bookshops, offering to write for them. They replied that unless she liked their books, she shouldn't even bother because their readers would sense her lack of belief and feel slighted. They also sent her a checklist for character names: the heroine should never have a name like Brenda or Barbara, because those were mother-in-law names. There were also rules for the heroine and the bad girl, which I forget. All very ritualised. And, I suppose one can excuse it in a magical society, but what bugged me in the Harry Potter books was a man called Remus Lupin who was bitten by a werewolf and became one himself as a result. That is far too much of a coincidence, surely. Naming a child after traits that he won't have until he's of school-going age, and then only by accident? A werewolf seeking out a snack who just happens to have a lupine surname? Nope.
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And the werewolf who bit him was named Fenrir Greyback. Remus Lupin seems mild in comparison...he could have been Wolfgang Wilde or something, yikes... and the divination teacher could have been Crystal Ball instead of Sybil...
I think Harry Potter gets a pass for transparent (to adults) mythological/linguistic references because it's supposed to be a snarky and whimsical kid's book; word play and learning the references is part of the fun. Like it's not a coincidence that Harry's petty aunt is Petunia (and those symbolize resentment), that the house named after Godric Gryffindor is portrayed as self-righteous, that Dumbledore's name has dumb in it, that Cornelius Fudge is corny and fudges truth, that Malfoy means bad faith...it'd be less entertaining if they were Rose, George Smith, Professor Elliott...I can imagine that being true in a cheap romance novel, too - probably depends on the character and tone - but I do feel like Brenda and Barbara deserve romance.
I have read a book summary before and been completely put off by the names, though (in Cutting the Stone, with the title itself being a medical reference to pain and problem solving: the protagonist's surname is Stone, and he, as an abandoned child, is born in a mission hospital called Missing then named Marion after a famous surgeon and becomes a surgeon...meanwhile his twin is named Shiva, after a god who happens to be frequently symbolized with linga/stones which signify a transcendental concept of reality, because why not...and their father who they never knew and didn't name them is a surgeon with a name that means twin...yeah right).
I think Harry Potter gets a pass for transparent (to adults) mythological/linguistic references because it's supposed to be a snarky and whimsical kid's book; word play and learning the references is part of the fun. Like it's not a coincidence that Harry's petty aunt is Petunia (and those symbolize resentment), that the house named after Godric Gryffindor is portrayed as self-righteous, that Dumbledore's name has dumb in it, that Cornelius Fudge is corny and fudges truth, that Malfoy means bad faith...it'd be less entertaining if they were Rose, George Smith, Professor Elliott...I can imagine that being true in a cheap romance novel, too - probably depends on the character and tone - but I do feel like Brenda and Barbara deserve romance.
I have read a book summary before and been completely put off by the names, though (in Cutting the Stone, with the title itself being a medical reference to pain and problem solving: the protagonist's surname is Stone, and he, as an abandoned child, is born in a mission hospital called Missing then named Marion after a famous surgeon and becomes a surgeon...meanwhile his twin is named Shiva, after a god who happens to be frequently symbolized with linga/stones which signify a transcendental concept of reality, because why not...and their father who they never knew and didn't name them is a surgeon with a name that means twin...yeah right).
This message was edited 8/30/2023, 11:21 AM
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izzackly!
Or people who talk about how their baby has the most gorgeous red hair and they named him Russell because omg! it means red-haired! Not taking into account that babies' hair very often changes and little red-haired Russell is likely to end up a blond or a mousy-brown-haired guy.
Or people who talk about how their baby has the most gorgeous red hair and they named him Russell because omg! it means red-haired! Not taking into account that babies' hair very often changes and little red-haired Russell is likely to end up a blond or a mousy-brown-haired guy.
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