Awesome McCoolname: Difference between revisions

Line 285:

** "Slartibartfast," which was created to sound obscene but not be. Adams started with Phartiphukborlz and changed it just enough to get past the censors.

** And, of course, Ford Prefect, although it sounds much cooler to American readers who mostly didn't realize that he's actually named after a sensible British motorcar.

* This trope is exemplified by the persona created by ''[[Discworld]]'' character Agnes Nitt, Perdita X Dream, where [[Mysterious Middle Initial|X stands for "person who has a cool and interesting middle name"]]; when Agnes tells other people she'd like to be called this, they usually end up calling her "that Agnes who wants to be called Perditax". In the novel ''[[~~Discworld/Carpe Jugulum|~~Carpe Jugulum]]'', it was further parodied when the vampire equivalent to Goths were changing their names to extremely drab or 'preppy' names. "Lady Strigoiul said her daughter has taken to calling herself Wendy."

* This trope is exemplified by the persona created by ''[[Discworld]]'' character Agnes Nitt, Perdita X Dream, where [[Mysterious Middle Initial|X stands for "person who has a cool and interesting middle name"]]; when Agnes tells other people she'd like to be called this, they usually end up calling her "that Agnes who wants to be called Perditax". In the novel ''[[Carpe Jugulum]]'', it was further parodied when the vampire equivalent to Goths were changing their names to extremely drab or 'preppy' names. "Lady Strigoiul said her daughter has taken to calling herself Wendy."

** Also Mightily Oats, a shortened form of "The Quite Reverend Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om Oats".

** The one-shot vampire from "[[~~Discworld/~~Feet of Clay|Feet of Clay]]", Dragon King-of-Arms.

** The one-shot vampire from "[[Feet of Clay (novel)|Feet of Clay]]", Dragon King-of-Arms.

*** That's actually a title rather than a name. "Dragon" is the head of the Ankh-Morpork College of Arms, which is based on the real British College of Arms, an office of the Royal Household. The College is composed of 13 officers of arms (a.k.a. heralds), including at the time of writing Garter Principal King of Arms, Lancaster Herald and Bluemantle Pursuivant.

** '''Suffer-Not-Injustice''' Vimes.

** The rats from ''[[~~Discworld/The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents|~~The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents]]'' read labels on tincans and name themselves as whatever they think sounds good. Thus you have perfectly respectable individuals named Darktan, Feedsfour, Peaches and Hamnpork. And their arguably most [[Book Smart]] member is named Dangerous Beans, which is a bit hard to take seriously.

** The rats from ''[[The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents]]'' read labels on tincans and name themselves as whatever they think sounds good. Thus you have perfectly respectable individuals named Darktan, Feedsfour, Peaches and Hamnpork. And their arguably most [[Book Smart]] member is named Dangerous Beans, which is a bit hard to take seriously.

** One Igor had former masters with names such as Screaming Dr. Berserk and Crazed Baron Ha-Ha.

** Findthee Swing (from "[[~~Discworld/~~Night Watch|Night Watch]]")

** Findthee Swing (from "[[Night Watch (Discworld)|Night Watch]]")

** Modern Omnians have very...unusual names to the effect of Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om, Constable Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets and Smite-the-Unbeliever-with-Cunning-Arguments.

** Modern Omnians have very... unusual names to the effect of Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om, Constable Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets and Smite-the-Unbeliever-with-Cunning-Arguments.

* ''[[Good Omens]]'':

** features Anathema Device. The Devices were a real family who were involved in witch trials in the 17th century (so were the Nutters), and Anathema is a word that has a variety of meanings in a religious context; put them together and you have a perfect set-up for scenes like {{spoiler|Agnes' prediction that ends in the sentence "And thou shalt be there also, Anathema" -- which the modern Anathema assumes (correctly, it is implied) to be addressed to her}}.

** Thou-Shalt-Not-Commit-Adultery Pulsifer. Newton Pulsifer said he would go on a rampage as well with a name like that

** it deserves notion at this point there are also main characters like 'Aziraphale' and 'Crowley' and minor character 'Warlock'. I dare you to find people with those names. I know I'd like to have one of them.

** it deserves notion at this point there are also main characters like 'Aziraphale' and 'Crowley' and minor character 'Warlock'. I dare you to find people with those names.<ref>Dare accepted: [[Aleister Crowley|Here's a famous Real Life Crowley]].<ref> I know I'd like to have one of them.

* Neil Gaiman's ''[[American Gods]]'' could make this list based simply on the gods' various real and assumed names, even without the protagonist's exceptionally cool name: Shadow Moon, aka {{spoiler|Baldur Moon}}.

* Citizens of [[The Culture]] in the novels of [[Iain Banks]] [[Overly Long Name|have ridiculously long and odd-sounding names]]. Some parts are chosen for them, some by them, some depending on where they were born/what they were designed for (AIs). Examples include Rasd-Corudesa Diziet Embless Sma 'Da Marenhide and Foristi-Whirl Skaffen Amtiskaw Handrahen Dran Easpyou.