name twins

[perfectworry]

There's a trope that I really like in manga where two characters share a name, or one character has taken another character's name. (Since it's old enough that this shouldn't be a spoiler any more: in Weiß Kreuz, Aya's real name is Ren and Aya is actually his sister's name. There are other examples.) This is pretty easy to show in a visual medium, but is it even possible to do in writing? How?
More specifically, to my story… I really enjoy this particular trope, and ones like it, and it's wormed it's way into one of my current projects. One character (we'll call him Little Jude) is a six-year-old poltergeist. The other (let's say, Big Jude) is a twentysomething interdimensional bounty hunter. (It's that kind of story.)
I don't want to change either character's name, because they are the same person, but from different worlds. In one Little Jude's world, he was either stillborn or died shortly after birth, while his twin survived. In Big Jude's world, it was the other way around, and he survived while his twin died. (This is a plot point. It is arguably the plot point of this character arc.)
Unfortunately, the name Jude doesn't lend itself to alternate spellings or variations (Juda(h), or Judas (which would be a little heavy handed, considering things that happen later)), so…
I guess I could change their name(s), if someone suggested one that would lend itself easily to two versions, but what I'm really looking for is advice on how to distinguish them in the narrative. (Their actions are pretty distinct, one of them being an incorporeal child and the other one being an embodied adult.) The characters talk about "Big Jude" and "Little Jude" to differentiate, but I think that would sound strange in the narrative?

xposted to wv_bookclub

Comments

[perfectworry]

That's why I wasn't too keen on alternate spellings. Some names have obvious alternative versions - Katherine and, say, Caitlyn or even Katie - that are clearly the same name origin, but not the same name, but Jude doesn't work so well for that.

I'll likely go with a nickname for one of them, but I'm not sure which one, or what he'll be called.

[lynnoconnacht]

I've had people balk at me for giving principal characters names that started with the same letter. >> Personally, I love it when characters have similar names because it's an added little dash of realism and vitality to a world. It's just hard to pull off well.

Mmm... Looking at what you've said about the story, I'd guess Big Jude's your most likely nickname candidate. He's out hunting bounties across the dimensions. I'd guess that means he needs cover personas and has a reputation. Either of those lends itself well to creating a nickname. Is he known for any particular feat or skill?

[theoretical_cat]

The only good reason I've heard is that if too many characters have similar names, it gets confusing. I've even been guilty (as a reader) of mixing up characters for this reason.

That said, if there's a good reason for names to be similar, I don't see anything wrong with it; it just adds a challenge to the writer to make it clear who we're talking about.

[brigid]

Unless Little Jude's nickname is Baby Boy or Punkin or something, he as a stillborn baby/small child hasn't had as many opportunities to acquire nicknames as Big Jude has. It's possible that people he's haunted have given him nicknames, sure. But Big Jude has interacted with more people and done more stuff, right? He's got more life, more experiences.

Alternately, you could give them both nicknames. :D