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Should I change padme's name in my fanfic?

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Lord Tyrannus, Oct 26, 2012.

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  1. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Padme was the name of darth vader's wife and princess leia and luke skywalker's mom. But it doesn't sound like a pretty name. The syllables are too, weird, not smooth sounding. Pad-may.

    Amidala, one of her titles, is a very nice sounding name. Why didn't lucas use that name in the prequels? It would work too, father and mother both have names that start with an A, anakin and amidala, and son and daughter both have names that start with L, luke and leia.

    For my prequel fanfic, which I didn't write yet, I'm just planning out my ideas, should I change Padme's name to Amidala? Amidala isn't just her title in this idea, it's her name! First name. Should I do that? Is it a good idea? Or who liked the name Padme?

    I don't want to make up a generic name for luke and leia's mom. I want to use the names Lucas already gave us. But should I change her first name from Padme to Amidala?
     
  2. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
    I'm not all that thrilled with the name Anakin and the nickname Ani either, so why don't you change that as well? :rolleyes:
     
  3. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    I agree with you about Ani, but what's wrong with the name anakin? If you wrote star wars, what would vader's real name be? Blake Skywalker? Cody Skywalker? Todd or tucker skywalker? Kyle Skywalker?

    Vader was not his birth name. Darth is just a title given to sith lords. If the famous "luke i am your father" line is true, then vader's last name must've been skywalker too.

    Anakin skywalker has a nice ring to it. The perfect name.
     
  4. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
    My point is that I would not change a character's name because it doesn't suit my particular taste (or lack thereof :p ).
     
    anakinfansince1983 likes this.
  5. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Why? What do you mean?
     
  6. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
    To your first question: Because whether or not I like the name given, I would not change it. Just using an outlandish example here, but suppose I was writing a story based on a historical person's life... say, Millard Fillmore... I would not change his name just because I think it sounds like a stuffed duck. The name of the character is the name of the character, for better or worse.

    The answer to your second question: I believe I am typing in English, correct? I don't think I was less than concise.
     
  7. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

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    Nov 3, 2003
    Because that's their name? I mean, I may think that General Grievous is on the ridiculous end of character names, but that's just tough bananas for me as a fanfic writer, if I want to write about him.

    As a writer of fanfic, you may of course use Amidala as her proper name, and you can say that it's a proper name and not a title all you want, but it already has existing associations in the mind of pretty much everyone who is going to read your story, so you'll need to tread carefully there and not get offended if people ask questions.
     
    Alexis_Wingstar likes this.
  8. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
    Precisely my point.
     
  9. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Was it Padme's last name in the movies? I thought her last name was nabberie. When did she become amidala?
     
  10. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
    I pretty much agree with Commander DWH. It's your story, so whatever you wish, but changing names, even if the name is still associated with that person, can get confusing for readers, and if readers are confuses, they'll stop reading. I agree, Padmé is a stupid name - I much prefer Amidala - but since most readers know her as Padmé, I keep that as her name. I think Jacen is the stupidest name ever (I know a Jacen personally and he's an idiot), but I still keep Jacen Jacen.
     
  11. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
  12. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    Why do you like Amidala better than padme?
     
  13. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    What do u mean?
     
  14. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
    Honestly? Because "Padmé" sounds and looks like "pad me" as in "give me a pad". Back in high school among nerd girls, "Padmé is here" was sort of 'code' for a problem of the feminine variety.
     
  15. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    R u saying that lucas copied luke skywalker's mom's name off of some teenage slang?

    I changed my mind. Amidala sounds like a queen name. Padme sounds better. Amidala sounds like a wierd illness or something like that. But i aint sure. What's a better name?
     
  16. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006

    Um, did you click on the link? Do I not speak plainly? What do you mean, "What do u mean?"

    The link shows that her birth name is Padme Nabbarie, and that Amidala was a Regnal name... in RL, a formal name used by some monarchs and popes during their reigns, so in SW, it would be what she started using when she became queen then later as senator, which is why Anakin or any other charecter never actually called her Amidala when speaking to her.
     
  17. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    I'm still gonna change her last name. Is amidala a better last name than nabberie?
     
  18. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
    No, freaks that I call my friends copied that name and used it as slang (I went to high school AFTER the prequels were out).

    I'd keep it as Padmé.
     
  19. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    I'm very indecisive. Why would u keep it padme? What sounds better?
     
  20. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
    I'm going to be honest. If you want to be a good fanfic writer, you have to make decisive decisions on your own.
    Keep it as Padmé. That is what the readers will be used to. It's not that hard of a decision.
     
    WIERD_GREEN_MAN likes this.
  21. Alexis_Wingstar

    Alexis_Wingstar Jedi Master star 4

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    Sep 16, 2006
    When indecisive, use the KISS method. Keep It Simple. Just keep her name as Padme. Nabarrie is her last name when she isn't in office. Don't over think things. If it's the character's name keep it! Whether you like it or not. It wasn't your choice in the first place. When you write an original story, you can name your characters whatever you want, and if you are popular enough to have someone write a fanfic of your work, they'll have to use the names you chose. LOL
     
    WIERD_GREEN_MAN likes this.
  22. Lord Tyrannus

    Lord Tyrannus Jedi Padawan star 4

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    Oct 18, 2012
    It doesn't matter to me what the readers are used to. I wanna know what sounds better.

    I need help making fanfic decisions too.
     
  23. Commander-DWH

    Commander-DWH Manager Emeritus star 4

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    Nov 3, 2003
    The problem with asking 'what sounds better,' is that it's a subjective question. You will get all sorts of answers, and at the end of the day, it's your story. So you have to decide what you want it to be, and honestly, it's always a good idea to take your readers into consideration, since you don't want to unnecessarily confuse them.
     
  24. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

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    Feb 25, 2010
  25. Skywalker_T-65

    Skywalker_T-65 Jedi Grand Master star 6

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    Nov 19, 2009
    Thanks for the plug Bri.:p

    But seriously, she's right, the Creche Thread is a good place to start. We've got a couple free masters who can help you with your questions a lot better than random threads ever could.:)
     
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