it will be some time... I can'tName Confusion · 7:30am Jun 23rd, 2015
It has come to my attention that there is a fair amount of confusion with the dragon names and titles used. Now I have been given some suggestions and have thought of some ways to do this.
Such as using colors which I never like as it can be annoying and then I have to rack my brain to remember which color was for which character again(personal experience talking here) plus I don't like using color except during singing sections...
The only way I can think of that wouldn't mess up the mythos of the dragons in the story is the following at the beginning of each chapter:
Hourglass Clan Members
Soul Fire / Sentinel / Formally Harmony
Metal Claws / Quartermaster
MetalEtched Claws/ She of Hourglass
Golden DragonHeart / He of Hourglass
Legacy Chaser / Medallion
Eternal Beats / He of Music
Twixt'd
If you have other suggestions or like my idea please leave a comment. (I would like to have a decent consensus before implementing this.
Here's what I can say about changing names, overall...
Changing names between characters can make it harder to identify them, and harder to identify the character as one character. Like I said, I had to remind myself Sentinel was SoulFire (who I usually have to remind myself is Harmony but not-Harmony) in the last chapter, even though there was a big deal about choosing his name only a few chapters ago.
The rule I use for changing names is: does it add more to the story than it potentially takes away in confusion.
Does referring to SoulFire as Sentinel that whole scene add or detract from the reader's experience? Is it necessary we now think of him as "Sentinel" instead of "SoulFire"? Does he himself assign a new name to himself, or is it just the way others think about him?
The thing about He of Hourglass is different, where you use two identical monikers for two characters, and unless you have something to add with it (like intended comedy as the various characters get confused, or if the difficulty in figuring out who the scene is applying to is intentional) then you should not use it for narration... pretty much full stop.
The question for respecting the "Mythos" I'd say is how important are the titles/alternate names to dragons? The main reason seems to be "you must respect me by using exactly the name I want you to use, and not my actual name because I don't think you deserve it."
Is that accurate? Why would they refer to themselves as this other name, if it's about respect and disrespect?
3181032 your assumptions are a bit off...
its more then respect.... several times some character has refer to the hoard name being a magical name sort of like a 'true name' ( a common theme is fantasy books.... tales of earthsea come to mind... )sharing a name is about TRUST(something QM said to himself just prior to the rage dragon attack back in DoH) and respect.
From intermission II:
a dragon chooses a name its that less a choosing but a realization of who they really are...as the hoard name reflect the true character of the dragon's inner fire.
This is the second time where you make reference to a time where soul fire/sentinel referred to himself as sentinel.... and for the life of me I can't figure out where you are getting that... as the only time sentinel has issues is when his thinks to back when he was HK... and that is an important to upcoming plot and conflict...if you can refer to the specific times I might be able to look at it to see if i need to fix it to make it clearer or not.
The He of Hourglass confusion is somewhat both comedic and intentional... and will probably not occur again...
I will stress paying attention when anything about how dragons operate or think come up to pay attention... its actually not your fault... its an issue reading a story bit by bit or time (one of the reasons I don't live faving a book that is ultra slow and erratic in releasing chapters as I find myself having to reread sections or the whole book to figure out what is going on...)
Which frustrates me as you're the only one that makes an attempt to analyze the book... I'm always leaving behind lines that make hint of something later... one of the reasons I leave behind those 'questions' at the end of chapters... because a couple of times people, in trying to answer the question, have actually got the right answer or have helped me straighten out something in the story...
Please dont be mad RD
3181818
This has nothing to do with whether or not others are allowed to call you that. That is down to whether or not you feel close/respect the person enough to tell them your name. Overall, the dragons of Hourglass are much less antisocial and disrespectful (arrogant, really) than most dragons, so they share them much more freely. That's how I understand it, at least.
I'm referring to the narration referring to him as Sentinel in a chapter that is from his perspective. IE: The latest chapter (What Heart Could be Colder than a Wendigo?) The narration uses Sentinel, and I went most of the chapter before remembering that Sentinel = SoulFire, wheras if Twixt'd just used Sentinel to refer to SoulFire, I would remember pretty much immediately that's SoulFire's new title/nickname.
In the past, the narration has referred to someone as He of Hourglass all chapter, and that's what I mean when I say the confusion with He of Hourglass, since that's multiple characters (technically all the male adult dragons).
Part of this is, unfortunately, your low readership. Until you get to a really significant readership, you get lots of people who don't feel like they have anything to say.
Sometimes, having just consistent feedback feels as good as having a large amount of readers for your fic, though.
3181858
so true which is why I always become depressed when you go silent for several chapters...(ie during parts of DoH)
Okay I see the problem your having...
There was only two times where He of Hourglass was used to refer to more then one dragon... He/she of Hourglass is the default title for dragons of the hourglass clan... One a dragon picks a different title then they use that one over He/She of Hourglass...
if you remember Sentinel (then He of Hourglass) made a mental note to find a new title...
GDH has no title besides He of Hourglass(ignore Firstclaw/Dragon Keeper as firstclaw is used only by clan members and none of the current Keepers are keen on advertising that they are Keepers)
To the most part I tried to avoid doing whole the which He of Hourglass is which... too much... During the meeting about the fall of Traxti I tried to make it easier by using Alicorn Keeper and Dragon Keeper. (I know there is a limit before I would have pitch forks and torches come after me and some sort of Worms inspired weaponry from you...)
All the confusion during the first couple of chapters with He of Hourglass is intentional and meant to drive reader nuts along with the characters in the book. I want the reaction to be GET A TITLE AND NOW because i can't stand this headache...
as for the recent narration I'm surprised you never noticed it but the the narration has always switched from hoard names to titles depending on whether or not the characters in that scene know all the dragons hoard names or not... if that doesn't happen it's mostly likely an error that I missed... which is a high possibility
3181858
okay I missed this but for the most part that is correct... an example of an exception is GDH where giving his hoard names add you to his hoard...
3182445
It's a small part of discomfort on my part that dragons can claim people as their horde. I know there's a deal with GDH and not treating them like possessions, but still think that there would be a time that some dragon would try to "lay claim" to those people, usually to force them to do something the dragon thinks is for their own good.
3182499 That's why He of the Flight warned HK against doing that... its somewhat taboo because of the very reasons you just stated... And GDH was going that way(treating them like possessions which is why he got the judgement because dragons by code are forbidden to treat anything sentient as a possession...) until he matured in hoarding... when he realized it was the bonds between him and another, that he hoards not the the person itself...