first note passed ✉ video;

[glom]

[ There's the whisper of not-quite silence that indicates the device is recording, followed by the sounds of someone obviously fiddling with it, like Emily's realized what a bad idea showing her face to the network could be, and might just turn the device off and call it a day. It takes a minute, but the video eventually clicks on. ]

So.

[ No going back now... ]

Everyone's got this moniker that their parents gave them, and it stays with you- its, really, the only thing that can't take it on the heel and toe, dig? And- I mean, there's gotta be some thought that goes into giving a person a name, like... your parents know you're coming and they've got all these gowed-up hopes, savvy? That you're gonna be this tomato of a doll, that you're gonna be a right gee, that maybe you'll end up a little bit like both of them- [ A glance off screen, chewing on her bottom lip. ] Or nothing like either of them...

But they've gotta choose this moniker that's going to stay with you for the rest of your life, that stands to define you, and--

[ A hopeless look, like this is the edited and condensed version of a much longer conversation she's had over and over with herself- one she's well past frustrated with. ]

How does someone do that?

Comments

video »

[stacked]

Mine went with wine coolers and the Jesus channel.

...maybe skip that one.

video »

[glom]

Are you on the square right now?

[wolfinthesnow]

What?

[glom]

[ Grumpy face!! ]

What.

video;

[petitehands]

I think sometimes names come with expectations, and sometimes people just choose them because they think they're pretty. The names we're given don't always stick, though, in my experience.

video;

[glom]

That's the rumble, what if the expectations don't match the doll? I know you can change your moniker, or go by a nickname, but you can't forget what was there first.

[ Can you? ]

video;

[learnedtosmile]

If someone really doesn't like their name, they can change it.

[Says the guy who never legally changed his name but still goes by his middle name.

But he knows what this is about, he thinks, and that makes him give it some extra thought, because if nothing else, she deserves that. She deserves to have someone listening and taking her seriously and giving what she says consideration.]

I think the name matters less than where it comes from - I mean, I guess - when a parent loves their child, I don't think there's such a thing as a bad name.

video;

[glom]

There's no such thing as a bad name, but they can not like it enough to wanna change it?

[ He knows exactly what this is about- more directly than even Emily can know, since she only knows him by John Blake, and never calls him anything but Blake.

Blake fits. ( So does John, but he's a bull and the proverbial lines are still drawn very clearly. ) ]

Doesn't that mean you've messed up?

Video

[skindeep]

My brother and I both have very biblical names. Which has always struck me as a little curious since my parents weren't religious.

I wish I'd asked them.

Video

[glom]

Asking just seems like bumping gums- until it isn't.

[ sigh. ]

Are you religious?

voice;

[andyouwill]

Naming customs are not, in fact, all cut to that pattern: different cultures adhere to different rules. In some, one is not named until a certain age, and given only a childish nickname or a designation. You may, perhaps, consider the practice of baptism, as it is often linked to naming; one may be baptized at birth, or in youth or adulthood, or even after one's death, in some faiths. Religion aside, there are also those who choose their own name, whether for a specific purpose - as with a pen name - or as a means of self-redefinition.

In short, my dear, names may be influential but they do not necessarily define one. It is a matter in which some careful meditation is appropriate on a parent's part, and yours does you credit. But you need not be paralyzed by the choice.

voice;

[glom]

[ This is such a relief to hear, its like pricking the skin over a blister that's grown too tight. Part of Emily's fear over finding a name is worrying that she should have one already, that she should somehow know without a shadow of a doubt what this little person inside of her should be called, and that if she didn't, if it was born and she didn't have a name waiting for it, that indecision would be a mark the baby would carry because of her. ]

Is that an option for me- cooling it until I know? In my berg, you're supposed to know before the big reveal...

[ But they're in space so what could it hurt, adopting someone else's custom? ]

video;

[ex_question191]

Personally, I'd go with something normal. Popular. Easy to spell and pronounce.

video;

[glom]

Normal, like plugs I already know?

[theshabbiestofmen]

My mother simply picked a myth she enjoyed. Although I do wish she'd picked a name that wasn't famously associated with having a twin, to be honest; it's rather tiring telling people over and over that I don't have a brother named Romulus.

That being said-- I'd simply make a list of names I liked and then narrow it down.

[glom]

On the square, I'm not that wise on mythology. I only know the main players, like Zeus and Hera. [ So... she has no idea what your name is :( ] Do you like your moniker, even without a brother?

voice;

[lifewithoutrest]

A name may represent you, but it doesn't define who you are. That's far too pressure to place on yourself.

voice;

[glom]

You don't think it plays a part in who you become?

[endeavors]

I don't... I didn't really think about that. I don't think either of us did. We just liked the name.

[glom]

[ first hand experience? emily is so paying attention rn ]

What did you chose?

voice

[doggedly]

Can I ask a question first? Are you a tomato of a doll?

voice

[glom]

I-

[ WHAT AN EMBARRASSING QUESTION. ]

Doesn't every girl want to believe she's a dish?

text, auggie locked;

[altercate]

Don't you have any names you like?

text, auggie locked;

[glom]

a few, but i'm just not dizzy with one

video;

[interns]

Gwendolyne is a family name, that's why my parents picked it. [ oh Gwen, don't have this conversation. thinking about her parents, her dad mostly, never ever ends with a smile recently. but. well. there's some worried and curious part of her that's wondering why there's a girl who can't be older than her is asking about how someone goes about naming their child, so. she can't resist the urge to mama bear, even as indirectly as possible. ]

It's my mother's middle name, actually. And I always thought I'd name my first child with my middle name, but I've come to realize I'm not sure how I feel about it. [ tiiiny smile ] Imagine growing up with the name "Maxine". It could be really cool, at first, being Max or Maxxi, but. It has the potential for a few sour nicknames too, so. Who knows.

video;

[glom]

Gwendolyne Maxine. [ Its a mouthful, but its not a name that anyone would tune out; it stands up for itself, in a way, and that's something that appeals to Emily. She smiles, ] That's off the tongue like silk, sister.

So you think drawing from within the family is the right bet?

video; sorry for the tl;dr

[gilding]

[Gold doesn't watch the network too closely, but tends to let new posts play in case something catches his interest. The girl's language is bizarre, but it when he looks up from what he's reading and sees her that his attention is truly caught.

It's still about an hour before he actually responds. Enough to get past the fact she has Belle's features, the fury that this ship had the capability to do something like that. He'd known already, with Sark having Whale's face, but Belle. Belle.

Something about the familiarity of her features - and her question - makes him want to speak to her, to know more about who she was (to perhaps find differences) rather than ignore her.]

You choose a strong name. [Milah had chosen Bae's name, not him, but it was a good name.] One that will carry them, rather than one they'll have to carry.

video; never be sorry *u*

[glom]

[ This man has hit it on the nose and yet, he hasn't helped at all. Emily bites her tongue, wanting to say and what if you've never been the strong one? What if that person left you here and now you're all alone? It's pathetic and she knows it, but more, she knows what Brendan would say.

Don't trust anyone here.

So she swallows her immediate response and tries to find a different way to ask the same question. ]

How? [ How do you even know where to start? ] There's so many names, how do you keep from gumming it all up?

video;

[unforgives]

You're asking how to choose a name? [at least that is roughly what she picked up on from that] I think people usually go with a name they're fond of instead of focusing on how it would define them.

video;

[glom]

Got it in one, sister.

[ if she hadn't recently found out that she dies back home, at the hands of people she thought were her friends- well, the choice might've been a little easier. emily doesn't really trust her own judgement anymore... ] What if what I like isn't what she likes?

voice|

[wolfsmother]

Is it really the name that defines you?

voice|

[glom]

Doesn't it play a part?

Never met a Gertrude who didn't wanna go by something else.

text;

[kringlefuck]

Hello missus em!
This is jake english if you recall our little get together several weeks ago.
Ive often wondered where you went too and if things are well.

As far as i go, apparently my last name isnt english. From what my buddy in the future said evidently im named after an unstoppable demon that we are apt to face during our game session which is a little more than unsettling.
Jake, though. I havent the scarcest why that is my first name.

Perhaps names can be picked if you feel a hint of destiny through the person.
At least it isnt zoosmell pooplord or anything ridonkulous like that.

text;

[glom]

of course i remember
though you should know, on my horn, you're not jake- you're mr. movie goose
i moved down to 005 the jump before last, but i could heel it up to your floor if you've gotten any other quality reels from your locker lately

i don't know what to say about your last name. that's pretty wild. do you wonder what your actual last name is?

i want to think thats how it works. that i'm gonna be dizzy with the name when i get it doped. i just gotta think of it, savvy?
also you made me laugh at zoosmell pooplord. ( thank you, i needed that )

voice »

[surrogates]

Depends on the person. Some go for family names, like ones your relatives have. Others go for the meaning of them and think it'll give the kid a good thing to live up to or make it so they're like their name. So, names that mean strength might mean that the kid will grow up strong. Wishful thinking and all.

And then there's just people who pick names because they think they're cool or they like them.

voice »

[glom]

[ The thing about family is, neither Emily nor Brendan really had much of that to go around. She could go with Brendan's mom's name, but that...

Well, it kind of hurts, if she's honest. ]

Another gee mentioned mythology, and using the meaning behind it- but you've gotta have the meaning to the name pinned and who's wise on that?

video;

[cons]

[ ohh Wichita does not want to answer this. nope. like notatallnotevenalittlebit. BUT. ]

-- You're pregnant?

video;

[glom]

[ Surprise. Confusion. Disappointment. If you're astute, you can catch all three of them before Emily tries to get some control over her face. ]

Brendan didn't tell you?

voice; gently double taps your inbox

[herosfather]

Sometimes people name their kids after their parents, or a family member they think of highly. Or you can give 'em a name with a meaning behind it. Every kid's going to go through a phase where they hate it, regardless

[he's quiet for a beat, remembering when Stiles was born; then he smiles lightly]

You might not be sure until the little guy's born.

voice; i'm sorry easter kicked me in the face

[glom]

Doll, [ Emily corrects, lightly, because she knows now and its taken some settling into but it feels like something worth sharing with Stilinski. ] Dr. Tam says she's a little doll.

Did you and your frau have to wait to figure it out?

i am late and i don't care

[thatsaflaregun]

[Desmond's barely spoken to anyone since he came back from the bowels of the ship with Jenna, feeling as out of sorts with the rest of the ship as they probably feel about him, but Emily's different- and it's with careful consideration that he reminds himself of her name. Emily, not Claire. She has nothing to do with Charlie.]

I'm not so sure about mine, sistah. [Well, he knows his middle name was a bit of a cruel joke. David Hume never suited him.] My wife lived up to hers and not in the best way, so there's always a danger in classics that seemed innocent at the time, yeah?

no later than i am ( to my own post oh god smh )

[glom]

Not to mention any manner of character showing up on this boiler at any given moment. [ Emily shakes her head, her blonde hair slipping from her shoulders; she's smiling though, small but noticeable, and it's not just for Desmond's benefit. ( She's learning how to not be such a mess, and learning how to be okay with life when it is a mess. ) ] But a few cats've pointed out that once you make peace with that possibility, it kind of makes it easier to give all the options their due up and down, dig?

Can I ask what your wife's name is?

[ Is because Desmond's had a rough time, is because Desmond still wants to go home. ]