I used months when I was coming up with codenames for members of an anarchist group, although clearly it's not all they would use because they had more than 12 members (I think I extended it to days of the week and other similar things).
That was actually a joke. There was a very popular adult film at the time called "Deep Throat". There wasn't such a thing as a VHS at the time, so people went to the adult theaters to watch it. "Deep Throat" was grossing enough to rival some of the non-adult and famous celebrities were caught walking out of the theaters. When Bernstein and Woodward came to their editor in chief, Howard Simons, and explained that they were working with someone under cover, they used the phrase "deep background," a code for a source that couldn't be revealed. Simons said, (paraphrasing) "Deep background? No, he's Deep Throat!"
This was useful advice. Thank you. @Lea`Brooks Okay. I am not defending the name Alptraumkatze and will in all likelihood scrap it once I have a replacement. Are you happy? lol. Though while thinking about it. I realized the largest error I had was not explaining how she got it. Which is fair I didn't think of a reason. Though I realize I could if I wanted too. Like she wore a cat mask. I could assume she didn't give herself a codename or had one already and then while in Germany someone who didn't know her name(which seems sound) that survived her attack started calling her the nightmare cat. Word reached papers and the name stuck. Now everyone back at her base calls her it. If that was how she got it. Would you hate it less? Just curious.
I would hate it less if there was a plausible reason for the name, yes. But it's still very hard to pronounce, so don't forget that. This is an Adult book, correct? Not a Young Adult? What kind of work does this character do exactly? I know she's a terrorist, but that's such a broad term. What kind of jobs is she given?
Yeah, hence why I opened with I was not defending the name. Well, like a special forces agent working for a private group. The type of missions she could do are pretty open. Kidnapping, assassinations or destruction of property. She is skilled and strong so she usually goes after hard targets. The kind of fighter that can take three man with her and overtake, destroy and kill everyone in a military strong hold that is fifty common soldiers strong. As for what kind of book? I dunno. I write. I figure other people will label it later.
This is the type of nickname that seems very cool to me, in the sense that whoever made it up has a great sense of humor and irony. By understanding that some writers are just looking for a name that "sounds cool", you use that to your advantage, make a silly ironic name, put it into a story, work your ass off, and in the process, the seemingly silly, ironic and humorous nickname actually becomes great. You probably just picked those words more or less at random, but it can also be done with words that you just like, or words that are pertinent in some form to the overall story or idea. For example, you take something childish, a unicorn for instance. Now some character who is very cool, or very weird, or maybe he just thinks he is very cool or very weird, comes along in your story and says something like this, "I'm a mother fucking Unicorn, bitch. Don't look at my face mother fucker, I'm a goddamn horse with a dick coming out of his head!" At this point, who knows what is going on in the story, but the point is, it's crazy, and clearly something chaotic has just happened, or is about to happen. I know that is a really weird thing I just wrote but I just made it up randomly. The point is, I think it's good to be different and weird. Silliness can be great if it is done well. Anyway, I think that if you think it's a good idea then you should write it. Personally I think your two listed codenames are a bit weird and more uncool than they are cool (also they don't really capture my attention), but nevertheless, I think if you're a good writer and your story is good and interesting you can make it work.
I just realized in my example I didn't technically use the Unicorn as a nickname or codename, but I think the point still stands.
Oh I know, but it's still one of the most well known real world code names of all time joke or no joke.
It would be odd. I mean, even those most lackadaisical person knows something about their culture, aye?
She never attended school and spent nearly the first 10 years of her life without any contact beyond her father and people they she or he killed. She held a belief that people are just people and when she did go into the world and saw people more frequently, seeing them make references to heritage it irritated her. lol. So she sort of flat out refuses to acknowledge heritage. Still weird?
I guess not, but that explanation would have cleared the issue from the start. Anywho... and not to hijack your thread again with the names of my own MC's... I decided to rename Brena as Brenn. Brena was just causing too much confusion and I don't want to write his name into the story as a thing.
I don't mind you talking about your stuff. That is part of discussion! The funny thing is in most of my work the codenames aren't really an issue. Rarely even plan on using them. Well one project is gonna use it a bit more but still rarely. I am just a .... not sure what to call it. Like I want to know the answers to the questions in my book even if no one ever asks them. I started given these characters codenames because I figured they would have them. lol Is that wierd?
A refusal to acknowledge your heritage would be more likely if there was some reason why you hated it. Like, if you were an immigrant who only knew your new country, but your parents remembered the old, and their clinging to the old ways embarrassed you in front of your friends, reminding you (if not your friends) that you were a mere immigrant. To me, the jingoism exhibited by the new recruits in An Officer and a Gentleman - shouting "I love my country, sir!" at the top of their voices - seems excessive. That doesn't mean that I'm not aware and proud of my heritage, just that I don't feel the need to shout about it.
In my girls case she sort of lived in a culture vacuum. Once she exited it she considered all culture stupid. lol. Sort of like. There are good people and bad people, nice people and mean people. Sorting them by that is useful. Sorting them by details that don't matter is stupid and a waste of time. As she might put it. Does that stretch the suspension of disbelief to you?
It makes sense to me. Even a person who grew up in a particular culture might just have a different way of thinking, and would not conform to certain cultural narratives. A person who grew up almost entirely without those cultural narratives would almost certainly find them to be silly, and with good reason.
Children ask "Why?" It's one of those questions that can drive a parent distracted, but it usually gets answered one way or another - even if it's only "Because I say so, and you're going to feel the back of my hand if you ask again." THAT will be the cultural narrative that this girl grew up with. But an upbringing that is as restricted as the above is unlikely. Don't her parents love her? THAT's a weird upbringing - not that it doesn't happen, but it's not likely to happen where she's expected to join the family business; that's a scenario where children are the future, you invest in them, even if you also train them to be cold-blooded killers. So the parents WILL give her a culture. It may not be "normal" but it won't be a vacuum.
Her mother is dead. Her father does love her and as such made her a killer. He sort of went a little crazy when he lost his wife. So from age 4 to 16 she was alone with him learning how to fight. While this next line is not a hard fact I would say it is likely she been killing people since age 7. His logic was simple. A killer is harder to kill. So you would call that her culture? Then again the culture vacuum was referring to the world. She was not familiar with the cultures of the world including her own blood.
I dunno about it being weird that she doesn't know her culture. My husband doesn't know his, and doesn't care to either. Me, I love culture. I'm actually mad that I'm not MORE cultured. I wish I was brought up in a family with a rich history and elaborate traditions. I'd love to know more about my own family. We have a family tree somewhere, but it keeps getting passed to everyone but me. I know I'm related to Priscilla Mullins and John Alden (on the Mayflower -- Priscilla Mullins is the subject of The Courtship of Miles Standish). My own sister doesn't give a crap about our heritage either. I think everyone is different. And I don't look at people who don't know their family history and think they're weird, even loving culture as much as I do. I wouldn't worry about it, Wynn. It probably won't even come up much in the book, right?
Thinking about it in more detail. I think as the character gets older she would learn about culture but not to learn or like it but just to help her read people and situations. Opinion wise I think she would still treat it with disdain. Me I am not to cultured myself and my opinion are actually probably close to my girl here. lol. Crap. Don't hate me Funny enough and to prevent the counter. No she is not common in this regard. Most characters know and like some aspect of there culture. She is the odd flower like me! lol. Actually while I might not directly say this. It should come up in the book. Without me having to say it. Every line she says should glow with this because it is such a deep part of who she is. Know what I mean?
