Names
Tell us about two times someone has spelled or pronounced your name wrong
And, because we're none of us perfect, tell us about:
Two times you have made a horrible botch of a name.
Martin
I couldn't have been born into a nice normal family could I? No, I had to be born into a friggin clan that originated in Japan and has members from all around the world meaning that as a child I had to learn all of these weird names along with a number of pretty normal ones too.
I mean my name, Martin, is normal, right? Yeah, and so is my mum's, but there are other people in the family, in all of the different circles, with these odd names like... Muikowa and... and... Crescentia.
Oh, and Tsholofelo and Worknesh.
Seriously, I still have no idea how to say or spell most of these names!
And then of course there's my name. "But Martin," I hear you cry "Your name is so normal and not at all difficult to say! What are you going on about you crazy little cracker!"
But, my dear friends, you are forgetting one tiny little thing.
Martin v Marten
BOTH of these are correct, but only one is my name. I was named after the BIRD, whereas most who share my name have the other version.
And don't even get me started on people's attempts with "Kalmari"
Katalin
I never thought my name was difficult until I left the Kalmari estates.
You forget sometimes that on the estates we really are a mixed bunch with all sorts of different names and no one bats an eyelid, but the moment I left suddenly Kathelina Kalmari was a very odd name.
I still get people having a problem with saying and spelling "Katalin" because of it's closeness to Catherine and Katelin (or however that is spelled *grin*)
I, of course, am a superior being and have never ever got someone else's name wrong and if anyone tells you different they are a bloody liar. :)
Donnelly
(A part of his past he no longer remembers)
"Hey kid!"
The boy looked up quickly in fear, his whole body still shaking from the fear of what he had seen and been through since. There was a man standing over him and the boy cowered, trying to squeeze himself even more into the tiny space between the huge metal drums.
The man raised an eyebrow, then knelt down, which only stopped him from towering quite so much and the boy only followed him with his eyes, still shaking hard. "I's alright, kid; 'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on, wha's y' name?"
It took the boy a while to be able to have enough control over his own muscles to open his mouth and mutter out his name. "Dom. Dom Lea."
"Donlee? Yeah, alrigh'," the man held out a hand towards the boy "Want some grub?"
His stomach growled a response and the man helped him out of the tiny space and gave him something to eat and basically looked after him, introducing him to everyone as 'Donlee'.
By the time he had enough confidence to correct anyone, he had forgotten why it even mattered, and when it then later became "Donnelly" he just accepted that too.
Maku
I never thought that my name was particularly strange, though I never met another Maku in my life, and it never really gave me any trouble, though I would sometimes have to repeat my name a couple of times as people aren't used to an odd name like mine.
My main problem though was with our surname, Beenie.
You wouldn't think that would be that difficult, and yet it was.
Beanie
Beany
Beeny
Biny (I never understood how you could mishear quite so badly to end up hearing that!)
Deany (Yes, seriously!)
And there was one teacher in my highschool who insisted that our surname was just 'Bean', as in Mr Bean. God I hated him.
Richard
"Surname?"
"Reichwald"
There was a long pause and the clerk tapped his pen on his desk "Um... how do you spell that?"
Richard sighed and began to spell his father's surname, then shook his head "Uh, actually, can I register under a different surname?"
"Only if you have ID which uses it."
The young man nodded and looked through his bag to find the piece of paper which had his other surname on; a direct translation from his mother's surname Suurlemoen.
"Richard Lemon?"
Richard nodded. It might be mildly embarrassing to be taking the name of a fruit, but in a way it suited him, and it was better than having to have to spell his father's surname every time he had to register for anything outside of the Kalmari estates, and seeing as he was planning on staying here for as long as Maku Beenie was, it was the right thing to do.
And, because we're none of us perfect, tell us about:
Two times you have made a horrible botch of a name.
Martin
I couldn't have been born into a nice normal family could I? No, I had to be born into a friggin clan that originated in Japan and has members from all around the world meaning that as a child I had to learn all of these weird names along with a number of pretty normal ones too.
I mean my name, Martin, is normal, right? Yeah, and so is my mum's, but there are other people in the family, in all of the different circles, with these odd names like... Muikowa and... and... Crescentia.
Oh, and Tsholofelo and Worknesh.
Seriously, I still have no idea how to say or spell most of these names!
And then of course there's my name. "But Martin," I hear you cry "Your name is so normal and not at all difficult to say! What are you going on about you crazy little cracker!"
But, my dear friends, you are forgetting one tiny little thing.
Martin v Marten
BOTH of these are correct, but only one is my name. I was named after the BIRD, whereas most who share my name have the other version.
And don't even get me started on people's attempts with "Kalmari"
Katalin
I never thought my name was difficult until I left the Kalmari estates.
You forget sometimes that on the estates we really are a mixed bunch with all sorts of different names and no one bats an eyelid, but the moment I left suddenly Kathelina Kalmari was a very odd name.
I still get people having a problem with saying and spelling "Katalin" because of it's closeness to Catherine and Katelin (or however that is spelled *grin*)
I, of course, am a superior being and have never ever got someone else's name wrong and if anyone tells you different they are a bloody liar. :)
Donnelly
(A part of his past he no longer remembers)
"Hey kid!"
The boy looked up quickly in fear, his whole body still shaking from the fear of what he had seen and been through since. There was a man standing over him and the boy cowered, trying to squeeze himself even more into the tiny space between the huge metal drums.
The man raised an eyebrow, then knelt down, which only stopped him from towering quite so much and the boy only followed him with his eyes, still shaking hard. "I's alright, kid; 'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on, wha's y' name?"
It took the boy a while to be able to have enough control over his own muscles to open his mouth and mutter out his name. "Dom. Dom Lea."
"Donlee? Yeah, alrigh'," the man held out a hand towards the boy "Want some grub?"
His stomach growled a response and the man helped him out of the tiny space and gave him something to eat and basically looked after him, introducing him to everyone as 'Donlee'.
By the time he had enough confidence to correct anyone, he had forgotten why it even mattered, and when it then later became "Donnelly" he just accepted that too.
Maku
I never thought that my name was particularly strange, though I never met another Maku in my life, and it never really gave me any trouble, though I would sometimes have to repeat my name a couple of times as people aren't used to an odd name like mine.
My main problem though was with our surname, Beenie.
You wouldn't think that would be that difficult, and yet it was.
Beanie
Beany
Beeny
Biny (I never understood how you could mishear quite so badly to end up hearing that!)
Deany (Yes, seriously!)
And there was one teacher in my highschool who insisted that our surname was just 'Bean', as in Mr Bean. God I hated him.
Richard
"Surname?"
"Reichwald"
There was a long pause and the clerk tapped his pen on his desk "Um... how do you spell that?"
Richard sighed and began to spell his father's surname, then shook his head "Uh, actually, can I register under a different surname?"
"Only if you have ID which uses it."
The young man nodded and looked through his bag to find the piece of paper which had his other surname on; a direct translation from his mother's surname Suurlemoen.
"Richard Lemon?"
Richard nodded. It might be mildly embarrassing to be taking the name of a fruit, but in a way it suited him, and it was better than having to have to spell his father's surname every time he had to register for anything outside of the Kalmari estates, and seeing as he was planning on staying here for as long as Maku Beenie was, it was the right thing to do.