What Sparked A Fanciers' Obsession

"I will bear three girls all with strawberry curls, little Ella and
Nelly and Faye."
That is what started this interest. I heard this line while listening to the song Far Away by Ingrid Michaelson. I was touched by that line. The whole song is about imagening the perfect life, and these were the names of her children in this "far away" existence. My imagination then started to wander, and I wondered what my three children would be. It's wonderfully romantic to imagine, I'll tell you.
I want to end this awfully short post with the song that started everything. I hope you enjoy.

I am new to posting videos, so please let me know if there are any glitches!

My Character's Name

The fact that I am single does not necessarily mean that I never get to use my interest of names productively.I might not have children in the traditional terms, but I have characters in the multitude of stories that I write.Anyone who has written stories know that having a character can create the same emotional attachment as having a child in your life. You think about them constantly, give in to their needs, and love them unconditionally.
I have came up with many story ideas.These stories cover many subjects from high fantasy to realistic romance. A fun thing about naming characters, as opposed to real people, is that there is not guess work. You do not have to worry if a character with a feminine name will like it or not unless you want them to. Otherwise, a character is guaranteed to have a name that fits. You already know the personality of a character, which can't be said for a newborn baby. Here are the names of a few of my characters with thoughts on the name and it's relation to the story. They are all characters from different stories, and I wouldn't tell what stories they are in case I actually finish one

Gizelle: She is an etymologist who enjoys large, romantic, castles and ballet. My back story for her name is that her mother was a ballerina, and gave her the name of her first role.
Michael: He is an expert classical pianist but prefers playing jazz.  He is Chinese-American and his last name is Dong. His parents, realizing the unfortunate implications of their last name, wanted to soften the blow by giving him as average a name as possible.
Argos: He is your typical Fantasy Peasant Boy.He is given the power to cast magic by a powerful sorcerer, but the spell backfires. It's a strong name, but it's simple enough even for being a peasant. It suits him more once he gains his abilities, however.
Terra: She is a young girl born with green eyes. The people of her village believe she is a type of fairy and treat her like an outsider.The story is how she goes off into the forest to find her "true" people.She was named Terra because she is the exact color of the dirt.

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Short Haitus

I am terribly sorry for the lack of posting during the weekday. Due to a party I am having, well, today, I will be unable to post content into Monday since my schedule has to be shifted to accommodate the changes. As a peace offering, I give you something quite adorable to look at.

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My Heroes

Hero Names is a diverse subject. Everyone has a hero in various forms, be their hero a fictional character or a tangible person. What is a hero to one person could be the opposite to another. That is why it helps to pay homage to those that inspire you. It makes things much more personal. Once I am able to have a pet, for instance, I intend to pay homage to my heroes. One cat I had was named after Lina Inverse from my favorite anime series of the time.
Some hero names are too good to save for animals. Some names are just so personal and so beautiful that you might want to use it for your own children. Here are a few names I love because they relate to my personal heroes:

Isobel and Traceyanne: I do not care if Isobel sounds a lot like #1 Isabella. I do not care if others would think Traceyanne is a bit dated and made-up. Isobel Campbell and Traceyanne Campbell are my favorite modern female vocalists (Joni Mitchell has the all-time spot).Also, Isobel Cambell sings for Belle and Sebastain while Traceyanne sings for Camera Obscura, another band I love on equal footing. Both bands are often compared because they have a similar feeling, but like Isobel and Traceyanne, they are not actually related despite sounding like they are.Twins with these names would be a great homage to two fantastic vocalists.

Margaret: I meet my Aunt Margaret when I was a lot younger on a big trip around the West Coast. From that small amount of time I knew her, I still cannot forget how much of an awesome woman she was. I would love to use this name in the future.

Gilbert: I love Anne of Green Gables, and I of course love Gilbert Blythe. He has a real charm, even down to his name.I even love the nickname Gill. It has an old-timey sound that also has a wonderful tie in with the book series I love.

Al: My Uncle Al, short for Alphonse, was the closest thing I had to a living grandfather. I have fond and vivid memories of visiting him in Philladelphia. Since his passing, Thanksgiving has never been the same (He usually hosted it). I think that any name that can be shortened to Al (Alistair, Allen, Alice) can work as an homage to a great man.

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The Z Factor

Z is a special letter to me. As a child, Z was for two things: Zebra, Zoo, and Zipper. I liked both of those things since I loved animals as a child and could not muster anything other than neutrality over zippers. With a bigger vocabulary, I try and come up with words that start with Z off the top of your head, but it's only a few more than the two words I learned in Elementary School. Still, I am drawn to these few words that start with Z. I subconsciously see them as fairly special words...kind of like magic. I think this attraction to the letter Z works well with my affinity towards names. There are so many names I love that start with Z. I always find something special about all Z names, even the more popular ones, and I think it is because of that one letter. Here are a few names that have that Z sound I love:
Zora
Zisanda
Zinnia
Zola
Zeta
Zephyr
Zane
Xander (starts with an X, but is said like a Z)
Zachary
Zeke
Zen
Zed

On Bernadette: Why It Has The Best Sentiment For a Little Girl

The first Bernadette I heard of came to my attention while watching the tape of Into The Woods. Bernadette Peters: Broadway Darling, is pretty much the only real Bernadette in the public conscious.
That is a good thing.
From her strong voice to her long ,curly, hair, Miss Peters to me is a perfect Bernadette. The name translates to "brave as a bear", and is a female version of Bernard(which translates to the same thing). Bernadette is, thus, a very strong name. It's softened not by being the feminine form, but simply by it's namesake. Bears may be brave and ferocious when pushed, but left to their own devices they are gentle and shy.

Bernadette has the best sentiment for a young girl. So many names give blessings of beauty or of resembling some beautiful image. Bernadette wishes for bravery, but it seems that is not pretty enough for people.Tell a woman that she resembles a bear more than a deer and they will feel offended. I, however, would be flattered. Bears are strong mammals, and what's wrong with resembling something strong? Deers are lovely, but a deer loses when pitted against a bear.

To have a name that blesses a child with the bravery of a bear, whether they are brave or not, is a wonderful sentiment.There is so much out there that can harm a child that they need that kind of bravery. This is not just the bravery to go on adventures, but the bravery to just be. I would rather have a child who is brave enough to be happy with themselves than one who is particularly pretty or social.

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Belle and Sebastian

A band that I love is Belle and Sebastian. They are a Glasgow-based indie rock band. The lyrics, more sinister than the sweet melodies, are beautifully put together. One thing that I like to look out for while listening to some of my favorite Belle and Sebastian songs are the names that come up. A lot of songs from this group include narratives of boys and girls and their troubles and feelings.Here are a few songs that include names that have a lovely feeling when part of the song...as if they are characters in some novel. It makes names like Hilary and Judy and make them sound pretty smart.Here are a few names from songs I've heard (it's hard to find all of their songs, and I've yet to hear their new album Write About Love in full)

Judy( from Judy and The Dreams of Horses)
Judy wrote the saddest song
She showed it to a boy in school today
Judy, where did you go wrong?
You used to make me smile when I was down
Judy was a teenage rebel
She did it with a boy when she was young
She gave herself to books and learning
She gave herself to being number one
Anthony( From if You're Feeling Sinister)
Anthony walked to his death
Because he thought he'd never feel this way again
If he goes back to the house then things would go from bad to worse
What could he do?
He wants to remember things exactly as he left them on that funny day
And if there is something else beyond, he isn't scared because
It's bound to be less boring than today
It's bound to be less boring than tomorrow
Hilary( From if You're Feeling Sinister)
Hilary went to the Catholic Church
Because she wanted information
The vicar, or whatever, took her to one side and gave her confirmation
Saint Theresa's calling her, the church up on the hill is looking lovely
But it doesn't interest, the only things she wants to know is
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow
How and why and when and where to go
How and why and when and where to follow
Belle and Sebastian (Nice twin names, though fans of the french show might find it too obvious. Never mind the story in the song)
Everyone thought it was a shame
For Belle and the boy Sebastian
Belle was okay but, oh, Sebastian
Went too far again
Crashed his car in the rain
Tara and Sara (too matchy for twin names, but this part of the song I'm not Living in The Real World is too good to pass by)
Thinking about happiness
Thinking about Tara
Thinking about sorrow
Thinking about Sara
Sorrow and Sara are the very same word
Jane(from the song Lazy Line Painter Jane)
Lazy Jane, all the time
Painting lines
You are sleeping at bus stops
Wondering how you got your name
And what you're going to do about it

You will have a boy tonight
You will have a boy tonight
On the last bus out of town
On the last bus out of town
You will have a boy tonight
Maybe you will have a girl tonight
And you hope that she will see
And you hope that she will see 

I'd implore you to listen to many other songs from this wonderful band. While it might not inspire names all the time, and the songs are often sad, there is a subtle beauty about them. Some people like names like Lucy and Jude for their Beatles collection alone. I feel that way about this band: they can make me like a name.

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