The title says it all. I've been combing the internet for roughly 45 minutes now and I can't make a decision. Basically, this character was conceived in a love hotel in late 99, and her middle name was attributed to the name of the building. I'm wondering if anyone out there could bounce some names off me? I'm really having trouble with this. It has to be an embarrassing label: something that would suit a romantic hotel, but not a girl. Oh, and I'm also deciding whether the building should be Japanese or French in origin. Japanese because Japan is where most love hotels originated and gained popularity, or French because I have a bit of a French theme popping up here and there in this particular town. Thanks to anyone to takes the time to read this, and more thanks to anyone who posts a reply.
Females are generally embarrassed by middle names that are masculine. I knew a girl who's middle name was her grandfather's first name. Try to see if that works, and I suggest the French in origin for the building.
Hi, there are lots of French women who have double barrelled first names that include a male name. This is fine in France, but probably not in Australia (if that is where your story is set). Examples of these are Marie-Pierre and Marie-Claude. The Marie-Claude Hotel? Also there are some town names in France that would be embarrassing names (in English) - Condom is one place that springs to mind. L'hotel Condom? Obviously, could be ironic as clearly the girl's parents didn't use one.
Thanks for the contribution! The female in question is a self-proclaimed tomboy and fervently asserts this, so perhaps the exact opposite - a girly nickname? I'm thinking that the hotel could be 'hippyish' in nature, having been established in the mid-60's. If this causes complications or is overly ridiculous, I might change it, although ridiculous might not be a bad thing if it translates into an embarrassing nickname for my character. It's all brainstorming at this point, so I'm thinking up many different themes.
As for French hotel names, Bellevue comes to mind. Using that as a middle name, I'm not sure it would be embarrassing, but certainly it would sound stupid enough, especially for a tomboy. Is that along the lines of what you're looking for?
My daughter is studying Japanese and visual communications (read--an excuse to watch anime and game all day) and I gather from her (via her teacher) that "love hotels" often have weird names with anime origins, like "Cream Lemon", or names which are oddly translated surnames like "Black eye". Turkish is great for embarrassing double-entendre surnames/names: Bolluk, Ufuk, Titiz etc etc but sadly there are no love hotels here, unless you count the handful of depressing licenced brothels...
Even more (or less) ironically, Paris is also a city in France. I don't know if this fits the tone of your story or not, but in "Revenge of the Nerds 2" there was a hotel the nerds stayed at called the "Hotel Coral Essex". There was a particularly funny part where key letters of the neon sign burned out leaving an entirely different message. I could see someone being embarrassed by the name Stacy Coralessex Robinson.
Are we talking about names here? You guys never let me know when your starting a new thread. Now I'm suppose to come in here and make a comment. But it's too late. I forgot what I was going to say
Why don't you just look up celebrity baby names? You're sure to find tonnes of inspiration there! Somehow celebs always manage to give their kids embarrassing and senseless names.
I think it was in the Dick Van Dyke show, please don't qoute me on this, the son's middle name was said to be Rosebud, definitely an embarressing middle name for a little boy. Comes to find out though that its the first initial of a name for everyone in the family that wanted to be a part of the naming process and what they thought up. So you could always try and take that approach. As for whether to go Japanese or French, I would say that since you have the french theme going through the town already try sticking with that. If you decide to go Japanese though, you could always use the names Chichi and Bulma, a lot of people never realized that the two names literally translate into breasts and underwear. Embarressing enough yes?
Sometimes the embarrassment arises not from the middle name itself, but from what it does to the initials. My favorite teacher once confided in me that her initials in her birth name, due to an unfortunate middle name, were A.S.S. She suffered many stupid jokes at her expense from knuckle-dragging classmates.
I had a friend who insisted he call his new-born daughter Amber-Rose. A nice name, in a way, but his last name starts with an S! When I suggested he NOT use that name combination because her initials would be ARS and school could be hell, he got very mad and I haven't heard from him since. As far as I know he went ahead with it.
feu rouge = "red light" in French. So they could have literally been at a red light hotel (which, yes, I realize is more of an Amsterdam thing) and named her Feurouge. I'm not sure it's embarrassing but it's certainly off beat.
I like Drusy's suggestion, minus the Feu. Rouge would certainly be embarrassing to have for a tomboy girl. I say go with Rouge. And stick with the French theme. Just my opinion.
I think you should go for something really outlandish and weird like "Copacabana" and then other characters can always be saying "like the Barry Manilow song?" I don't know, but that might add a little bit extra to her character as she vainly tries to make it cool!
I have never considered it, I have three main female characters and none have need of a middle name, just as my male character's don't. Sorry, can give first name; Mute, Evelyn and Sara.
What about "Rendezvous" which is suggestive of a "charge by the hour" type motel, as well as being a French word. Saying "I was conceived at La Rendezvous Motel" sounds skanky to me, and kind of hippy-ish.
