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

[magycmyste]

I love this trope, too - I really like to play with names a lot. But it can definitely get a little complicated. It's great to see it well done.

To me, it sounds like your best option, as Brigid and Lynn said, would be to give Big Jude a nickname to differentiate him from Little Jude. Maybe based on his skills or an event or something.

But I was wondering - if big Jude and little Jude are the same person, but in different worlds, are their worlds meeting or crossing over for some reason? Did one of them cause this? Or is this a story where you're following the same person in parallel timelines or something?

I suspect you're doing the first, but the reason I ask is that if the two entities are still in separate worlds from one another, you may be able to distinguish them more just by making sure your settings are distinctive enough. If your bounty hunter is chasing someone across Europe and your ghost is sitting pretty haunting a Chinese palace, I think it would be clear from your setting, and the action going on, which of the two you're talking about.

That said, I tend to have less trouble distinguishing names and characters than some, so it's probably a good idea to go the nickname route as well. That way, if their paths cross, you still have that distinction.

[perfectworry]

I think Big Jude will get a nickname. I'm considering Blue John, probably just called John most of the time.

Big Jude and Little Jude are the same person from different worlds, but they're now in the same world. They not only meet, they live together. (The main setting is something like this.) So they'll be interacting. Their actions are pretty distinct - an embodied adult and a disembodied kid - but even so, referring to them both by the same name would get confusing.

Or is this a story where you're following the same person in parallel timelines or something?
No, but I'm definitely saving that idea for later!

[magycmyste]

Oh, cool. Definitely sounds like a nickname's the way to go, then. :)

Good luck!