what's in a name

[threebetrayals]

Sender: Anonymous
To: Everyone
Subject: Names

[Sorry, he's not going to put his "name" to something like this. It's awkward, and given that his "name" right now is just "Nameless Wanderer", he's pretty sure attaching it to this post would get people asking questions that aren't any of their business.]

Do you like your name? What does it mean? Who gave it to you? Would you change it if you could, and if you would what would it be?

I'm doing some research on names and why humans get so attached to them or don't.

Comments

[sagesurvivor]

indeed, just the same as one might feel relief upon regaining anything possessing significant sentimental value. the loss puts one's appreciation in stark contrast.

[There's a pause, then, several tiny dots appearing on the page as he taps his pen against it in thought.]

but there is also the matter of perception to consider, i think. names are a thing that is given more so for others' use than our own, are they not? barring a severe bout of amnesia, i will always know who "i" am, regardless of how i present myself. the same cannot be said for those i might interact with.

how does one wish to be perceived? how might being perceived in such a way affect how they interact with the world? and how does it, in turn, affect how they feel about themselves? i think... a name is inherently tangled in all of these questions in one form or another.

[threebetrayals]

[Wanderer has no idea who this person is or what their story is, but this explanation...yeah. Yeah, this will help him find a name, he thinks. How does one wish to be perceived? How does it affect how they feel about themselves?]

No one's mentioned any of that, yet, and I'll admit I didn't really consider how a name might affect perception. Do you think it would also affect your perception of the world?

[sagesurvivor]

[And, Goddesses willing, Sheik would have it stay that way, to simply remain an unidentified stranger with a somewhat esoteric viewpoint to this researcher and anyone else who might be reading along. But... perhaps it would be nice, to know that he helped in some way.

Oh well.]

to a certain extent, yes. such things hardly exist in a vacuum, and to separate one piece out from the whole entirely would be something of a fool's errand, but... perhaps imagine how the world might seem to be a more casual place to someone who goes by a shortened nickname, as opposed to one who refers to themselves only with their full, "proper" name.

[Or the difference between a name so deeply entrenched with the land that it may as well be its synonym, and one so ephemeral it hardly means anything at all. But he keeps that comparison to himself, of course.]

you have an array of names here already, and i assume you know of more. what do you think?

[threebetrayals]

[It's a bit before he responds, as he has to think about this. He doesn't really have a name, only really going by titles or nicknames. And...to him, the world does not really mean much. It won't last.

Would giving himself a name change that?]

You might have a point. Just looking over the conversations here, I think I could draw conclusions about what they're like from the way some people talk about their names.

[sagesurvivor]

[This is fine, as Sheik can be patient, though perhaps an idly doodled spiral or two might appear along the margins of the journal's page in the meantime. He's prone to overthinking things as well, clearly.]

and those conclusions may prove to be more or less accurate as time goes on and you learn more about someone, but it is not as though we delve deeply into the personalities and experiences of every other person we encounter in life. for the majority, that initial impression is the one that remains in their minds.

you could then consider how they may want you to remember them. when you close your journal and move on from this subject, what might they wish for you to associate with them, if anything?

[...]

or, in my case, what do i not wish for you to associate with me?

[He is aware of the irony in being anonymous for all this, yes.]

[threebetrayals]

[Yeah, Wanderer chuckles a little.]

It's certainly something to keep in mind, I think.

Thank you.

[sagesurvivor]

you are welcome, and my apologies for not being able to answer your questions more conventionally.