posted
I have this character in my novel, BeastWatcher: The Shifters. He's a large, gruff man who has the ability to stop time completely. He's not the antagonist, more neutral than anything, and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas as to a nickname for him?
Right now, his nickname is Stopwatch. To me, it sounds corny and childish. His real name is John, but the characters refer to him as John the Traitor.
Any suggestions would be helpful! Thanks!
Posts: 114 | Registered: Feb 2014
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posted
Nicknames are in rhetoric vernacular synecdoche or metonymy, respectively, a physical characteristic part of a whole or an attribute of a circumstance.
Big Red nickname for a strawberry blonde, for example, is a synecdoche. Mouth Breather nickname is a metonymy.
Consider the nickname is for a temporal talent, a troublesome character, and John means first of or first of God.
Stopwatch doesn't to me feel corny or childish, though the nickname only relates to temporal ability.
Consider Tempest, a word meaning a violent storm, with deep origins that lend it meaning depth: original from the Greek tempus meaning time, and Latin tempestas season, weather, storm. The -pest ending meets the character's troublesome nature. The first of could be a signaled by a suffix or prefix like pro- or -ante, Protempest, Tempestante.
This above is just a thought process, to aid brainstorming. Other areas for consideration, maybe he's nicknamed, say, Little Trouble, Big Trouble. Or Hazard, Toxic, Coyote, Snakehead, and so on. Nicknames traditionally come from place of origin, physical appearance idiosyncracy, surname or given name wordplay, or an action or event of consequence, actual names too, for that matter. Sitting Bull, for example, sat atop a bison bull. Man With Two Spirits tread in two contradictory religious belief systems. Smith is from an Old English name for the vocations that involved smiting matters to shape them: metals mostly. Wain in its most ancient sense means a type of construction involving stiles, rails, and panels: cabinets, chests, wall and door, wagon construction. Scrivener and its derivatives, of course, means writer on matter: clay, stone, wood, and eventually parchment, vellum, and foolscap--paper.
My surname means moon hunter, a hunter who hunts at night under moonlight.
posted
One suggestion I have is 'Beanstalk'. His name is Jack, and he is tall. Or, in other places he'd be called Tiny. If he had red hair, here in Oz we'd call him Blue. Don't ask me why, we just would. I'm called Grumpy at work, despite the fact I amuse most people and, when doing a 30-day survival course many moons ago I was nicknamed 'Vulture'. I'd eat anything, dead or alive.
posted
If it's a nickname, it should be nicked from something that exists in the milieu of the story.
Posts: 8809 | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
Brooke18...I don't know if this will help or not, but without knowing the exact powers your gruff man possess, I can only guess. If he is in a room and everything ceases to move, but everything outside of the room continues on normally, then maybe freeze-frame might help. On the other hand, if he stops all time, then why not just stop it and kill everyone.
Posts: 76 | Registered: Apr 2008
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Since the story refers more to him being a traitor, maybe this name would better fit.
It means unfaithful, disloyal, or traitorous. It can also mean cowardly or craven.
Does that word work when referring to a person? This word is new to me. Thanks for the suggestions by the way!
Posts: 114 | Registered: Feb 2014
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posted
I miss understood Brooke18, I thought you wanted a nickname with something to do with his powers. Seeing how it doesn't matter, why not change the gruff mans name from John to Joe and call him traitor Joe. If anyone wants to know where your going, you can reply, to Traitor Joe's.
Posts: 76 | Registered: Apr 2008
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