h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'll try to remember to bring all conversations to this thread, even if they start off as responses to others. For instance, I'd like to say thanks to Lena for offering an amplification of "WAKAN" -- as you must have seen, Lena, Wakan DID owe inspiration to a Native American name ...

MyRedDice, Martin, Martin Harper, Lucinda, Myre, Xanthia, Luke Rhinehart ... quite a selection there!

I've spent a while thinking through these names and realize that the most obvious mood here is suggested by the sound of "MyRedDice" -- very vaguely like "myriad" -- a myriad names for a multiple personality.

But not confused: this is a person who maintains different personae without losing track of who is at the centre of the network -- the names are distinct and quite conventionally capitalized aside from MyRedDice.

That's such an interesting name! I can't know the provenance of it, but I have amused myself by thinking of the classical name "Eurydice" and -- following a lateral trend of thought -- if one allowed oneself to think it sounded a little teeny bit like "YOUrydice", a humourous person might like to convert it even further into "MYrydice" -- well, yeh, this is a BIT farfetched and I'm not making any kind of major claims to anything here! Just sharing the trend of thought. Well, as we know, Eurydice is the unfortunate young person who managed to get sent to Hades and whose lover (and husband, very briefly -- she died during the wedding -- I think) was the divinely gifted musician, Orpheus ... well, this is a digression so extreme that even I can't justify it!

The three capital letters and the meaning of the three words contained in that name suggest: a strong sense of "me"-ness -- of self and selfhood plus the luscious and faintly naughty "red" plus the risk-taking and chance-happy "dice". A person who enjoys the senses and takes risks. Someone who is flamboyant and -- varied. Revels in variety.

The other names are interesting in a different way -- they appear to be more like embellishments to the central theme of variety. There are a couple of fairly standard names -- Martin, Harper, Lucinda -- as well as the exotic ones -- Xanthia, Rhinehart, Myre -- Luke-Lucinda --gender-bending names. I don't ever want to offend tender sensibilities, but such a line up of names makes it rather easy to think of cross-dressing and/or acting as the backdrop to this user's life! Forgive me, MyRedDice, for my flights of undoubtedly giddy fancy -- I feel certain that a Xanthia or a Rhinehart-person cannot possibly take such remarks amiss -- and in any case, I would consider it positively a compliment to be suspected of cross-dressing.

Harper and Rhinehart(... Rhine Maidens ... Wagner ...) suggests music lurking in the background, reinforcing old Orpheo so, who knows? I get a picture of a laughing opera-lover who trawls the farther reaches of cyberspace wearing rose-pink suspenders and a bit o' lace ... okay, you're right, I've gone far enough

Hi ... Lena mentioned in a forum that I should have my name analyzed by you .... well, I just stepped in and I really liked the way you do it. If you still enjoy doing these analyses, I'd really like to hear what you make of it. Well, I am German, but this doesn't show in the name I guess (meaning to say it does not make more/different sense in German).
I joined H2G2 only 4 days ago, but I am having a house warming party next weekend, so please feel invited

You're in luck! I'm in need of something to do while I wait for files to upload (to another site) so .. name-analysis it is for the moment!

Okay! CyyStCyr ... hmmm. Three capital letters -- please don't tell me that there's NO German influence!! German is one of those delightful languages which makes lavish use of capital letters, so if you've told me you're German then ...

But I won't make a fetish of it. Three capitals suggests a departure from the norm regardless of language base -- and it takes a little extra effort to type it, so ... someone who uses them in a short name is likely to be a person who is meticulous and doesn't mind going to a bit of trouble -- she/he may not even notice this tendency in themself! It's just part of the territory of using several capitals in one name.

Assuming that this isn't a random collection of letters, it feels like the kind of name that might be derived from a phrase or a sentence or maybe even another name, the kind of European name that has "St" for Saint(e) as part of it. Maybe the St is for "street"? -- but no, I don't think so. Maybe it's a first name which has had its letters substituted -- that's one of the possibilities when one sees an odd letter like "y" used several times -- it suggests that it is representative of another letter which might be doubled in a word, like "e" or "s". There seems such a definite pattern to the name that I would be surprised to hear that it was just a random choice, but randomness itself is often surprising ...

Anyhow ... I keep trying to focus on what the name feels like even aside from what its true derivation is. So, looking just at what it suggests, the immediate impression it gives is of someone who -- well you've told me this so it feels like a bit of cheating ... but I'll say it anyway -- doesn't have the typical approach to English, because it's difficult to pronounce that collection of letters in English. "C" is one of those letters that I associate with a soft, gentle person -- maybe because its partner in sound, "K", is so pointy and sharp-angled -- so a person who uses "C" twice, along with lowercase "Y"s -- well, aside from the "t" there's no harsh sound there at all -- I get the sense of a soft, tender-skinned person.

Someone who has a pronounced individuality -- being willing to use an odd-sounding name and odd spellings suggests someone who is at ease with standing out from a crowd -- but someone who is not pushy or exhibitionistic. Maybe it's because of all those "C"s but they make me think of a quiet person, someone unlikely to roam the world on a big noisy motorbike -- someone who would probably enjoy gliding on a cool dark night against the face of the moon, wearing white chiffon ... excuse me! I think I've done enough for the moment!

whow ... that was fast .... thanks a lot. I'll tell you something about the name, If you like to hear it. It's short for Connyy St Cyr, short because it was my AOL nick when you couldn't have mor than 10 letters. So, you were right about the St. and partially right about the ys in Cyy, I added the second y to Connyy many years ago, but Cyy has become my short name (online) and I sign nonofficial letters thus.

I thought a lot about the deduction you made from the sound of the name. While you said it's difficult to pronounce that collection of letters in English, I can tell you that it's almost impossible to pronounce them in German. Actually for a screen name (it was my very first one back in '96) I did not even think about the possibility that somebody would eventually want to pronounce it. (Maybe you can add "impossible to pronounce" to the hints for somebody not experienced with online communication). So in Germany everybody I know pronounces it more or less in the English way .... Sssai.

And I really liked the part with the soft, tender-skinned person. I think you are more or less right, but that is really interesting because I think most people would not guess at first sight and/or reading. I usually try to appear a little rough and spiky and I am quite good at that . I am quite at ease with standing out of crowds, but also I am really mostly a quiet person ... though I am not romantic ... no .... no! .... NO!

Well, thanks again .... and I really hope you are coming to my party next Saturday.

I have to add to Magnolia's wonderful analysis, that I'd probably pronounce it (I tend to speak in my head as I type, dunno why) as "See-Sint-Sear" - which gets rapidly fixed to "Seer Sincere" - the name invokes trust, and perhaps a little aloofness from the rest of cyber-space. And with repeated ys, and the "cyr", I'd have guessed it was a welsh name. I can't quite remember what Cyr means, only that it is in the phrase "Cyr Cymru". I'll look for a welsh dictionary online, some time...

Impressive - very, very impressive...

MyRedDice is my username for everything that requires a username. It was created during a fit of harrasment by AOL, who rejected "Dice" and "RedDice", "YellowDice", "BlueDice" as not unique enough... MyRedDice was the end result, and I think it reflects me rather well... So, sorry - your digression was a little off-track (though I'm *definately* gonna remember that one for the next time I'm asked!)

Myre is just an abreviation for the above, when I'm lazy, or in a hurry. I live the name-within-name thing - that's what a childhood of "countdown" does to you, I guess. Luke Rhinehart is the name of my favourite author - well - it's his penname, decided on by a combination of Lucifer, and the Harts (type of deer) on the Rhine, and *yes* that is a Wagnerian theme, well-spotted!
"Martin Harper" is my birthname, and hence for "Martin". Lucinda I was given by a friend during a game of "let's rename everyone", and I kept cos it sparked my sense of fun. Xanthia just came to me, and I'm not quite sure how - I was hoping you'd find a reference for it...

As for cross-dressing.... well, I couldn't possibly comment....
love,
Lucinda

.... "sincere" came to my mind when I invented the name, I admit, but in Germany most people wouldn't notice, and I was not so sure about how St.Cyr is pronounced in English or French and whether it would be obvious to an English speaking person. In the Picture Show it sure sounds like "Lily sincere", actually this is what you are hearing if you are German and try to understand the words. But if somebody German tries to pronounce Cyy in English it sounds like in cyber, not as in "seer". In German, a "y" in that position is pronounced with a sound that I think does not exist in English, something between fleet and fluit, actually like almost like an "ü" ... so try to pronounce two of them together with a "c" in front

*deposits a pack of Kleenex for anibody who was not smart enough to bring his towel*

Hmm - I'm trying to think of a German word that has a "y" in it, but not being a natural speaker, I can't... Ahh well....
Yeah - normally I'd pronounce "cyy" as in "cyber", but because of the rest of the name, it came out as "see". Of course, now you've mentioned it, I think of it like that and start wondering if you're name is Simon... LOL

Names that are difficult/impossible to pronounce cause me to "stumble" over them, so they both draw attention to them, but also cause a little annoyance. Generally by the tenth time I see it I've adapted, so it's a short-term thing. Other people who read by shape probably don't have the same problem, so if you get markedly different reactions from different people, you'll know why...

Simon .... LOL .... talking about crossdressing ... I am a woman, but it's probably not easy to guess, online I mean . I noticed Magnolia being very careful not to speak of "he", I think she suspected but was not sure.

Could you please analyze my username? I think this is all really interesting! Thanks.

Well, can anyone resist believing that this user is a sweet-natured, hopeful, sincere person whose belief in romance is undiminished despite being -- I would guess, based on the time-line for the book and film called The Princess Bride -- at least in her (yes -- I would guess this is a lady) thirties if not early forties? Certainly I can't. I mean, even if we allow the possibility that a seven-foot-tall male user of the kind who wears leather boots to bed and has steel rivets welded to his forehead, might use dainty names just for the fun of it, EVEN SO ... I think "Princess Bride" would be an unlikely choice. It's just the quaint, sweet, fairytale nature of that name, the connotations, the sense of old-world values and wholesomeness which go alongside those two words, "Princess" and "Bride" ... frankly I would guess that the average leather-and-studs wearer would simply not be well-enough acquainted with those concepts to use 'em! Show me I'm wrong, someone ...

I would expect that this user is a lady who is comfortable with her femininity, happy to be a woman -- possibly has sisters and/or daughters -- probably has a happy, friendly and well run home. Whenever I write a long string of such very definite attributes I must repeat a familiar point -- I try not to think about the real person behind the name, but aim to describe what the name SUGGESTS about the user. It may not be what the user actually is like. Of course this is also my easy-way-out in case I offend someone or step on fragile toes ... but I don't mean to at all, really.

My excuse in the case of this name is that, well, there are few words so evocative of the female world as "Princess" and "Bride". These are words that don't have simple masculine counterparts -- "Prince" doesn't conjure up the image that "Princess" does -- the sense of absolute privilege, security, the quality of belovedness and of being cherished that "Princess" does. Similarly with "Bride" -- "Bridegroom" really doesn't do it, especially since "groom" is so clearly a kind of add-on in this context, not a word on its own. A person who would like to be associated with these two words pretty much has to be someone who loves weddings, who is happy to experience the female sphere of influence and is willing to celebrate it.

Nevertheless ... there's also a sense of irony, I think in using such a name in cyberspace. A fearlessness -- after all, this is a realm inhabited by fearsome freaks and anomalies of the virtual UNkind -- a true Princess Bride might be quite nervous and affrighted to be here -- but here she is anyway. Which suggests (to me) that this user is perfectly confident, despite the pink-and-gold impression given off by her name, that she can hold her own here. She might like her lace and diamonds, but she knows her strengths, is commonsensical despite her fondness for romance and fairytales. She is conventional -- her capital letters are in the right places, there's even a space between the two words -- but not afraid to show it!

Probably a very nice person to spend an afternoon with, eating cookies in a warm kitchen, giggling over the men in our several lives ...

I was thinking much of a muchness. The rather definate feminity is striking - it's odd that you so rarely get a username with equivalent masculinity - except perhaps in the sorts of places that I wouldn't admit to knowing about...
I'll take a risk, and say that I reckon the name is about ten years old, give or take five. Further back than that, and wearing a female name impacted your workload with sheer volume of losers, more recently than that this 'realm' has been sufficiently male/female equal that the need for such a definate statement has perhaps lessened. Hmm... that'll never stand up in court.

Princess Bride... someone who's had a fairytale wedding? Or is planning one, or engaged to have one, maybe. The image that comes to my head with this name is of a certain episode of "Friends" - with all three of the females in an apartment trying on wedding dresses and comparing notes. A scene that was far beyond the capabilities of a mere man to understand...

... perhaps you should consult Lucinda, MyRed?

Lucinda told me that I'd never understand anyway, so she wouldn't bother. myre would have, but was kinda busy. Xanthia told me that it was the most important secret of the universe, whoever weilded it would have supreme godlike power, and she certainly wasn't going to share it with me!

Do you think it's a bad sign when even the voices in your own head don't have any respect for you?

The voices in MY head have so little respect for me that they don't even bother talking to me!!! *grin* Nice image, that, all those lady voices being superior and arch, as their male companion, Owner-Of-The-Body, looks bewildered ...

I detest weddings so much that I break out in rash just thinking about them But then I am famously maladjusted to reality, feminine or otherwise, so my lead is not one to be followed. *sigh* Magnolia contemplates the notion of becoming a dandelion and allowing herself to be wafted away on the next friendly breeze that happens by ...

I wonder what the proper name for fear-of-weddings is? And what's the cure? By the way, there's a link to the h2g2 counsellor on the front page - maybe you should get yourself checked out...

*whining* But I ENJOY my unhappiness!

Oh don't worry - she's fully untrained...

Well- you were right in a couple things... very interesting and thank you. actually you were right in a lot of things, but I'm only 20. Sorry. Thank you for being so prompt, and don't be scared of weddings- they're beautiful. But I don't know about h2g2 counselors, kind of an opposition in terms!