What's new
  • If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 April 2024 is YE 46.3 in the RP.

Why do Nekos have surnames?

Status
Not open for further replies.
mizunoyoroko

mizunoyoroko

Inactive Member
Okay, let's get past the obvious answer "because the players gave them one"

Why do they have so many different surnames? If they were built at the same 10-20 (or however many) mass production facilities why don't they have a generic last name to indicate their origin?

Or is it randomly decided by MEGAMI at the time of their creation, or decided by their creators (techies)?

Random question...I know
 
I always figured they were from a pool of approved names each factory had. The purpose of the names were to give small groups of nekos a social structure (family), particularly ones going to the same assignment.

In the old days, nekos were always created and deployed in groups of 3, and so the three shared a surname.
 
Another attempt to get them to be more human, possibly not really thought into at first when people just thought a new character race and thought like a human instead of a created war machine entity...

So... human error I imagine, but ICily to humanify them I imagine.
 
That's interesting to know, Wes.

I admit I gave Yukari a last name of "Suzuka" because "Suzuki" was a bit too obvious. She's named after my old motorcycle.
 
I know that if I'd ever have got round to talking about Aoiko's old co-workers from SAINT, I'd be giving them all colour names as well. Akane, Kuroko, et cetera.
 
Hm...Kitsurugi...what to name a character with the surname "Kitsurugi"...

Got it! I'll make a character named "Kitsurugi Yui"!
 
I forget the reasoning, but when Wes was still running TheBloodyCatgirl web site, Yui's name was "Kitsurugi," not Ketsurui as we know her today. Only the old-timers (such as Missing) or people who got overly curious (Fred, me, a few others) ever saw Yui as "Kitsurugi." Wes changed the name when Star Army really started ramping up, I think.
 
Use of the Ketsurui and Kitsurugi surnames has been legally restricted in Yamatai for a long time.
 
I know, I know. Just blows my idea out of the water : p

Oh, and on the side note of why the name change, Kim's famous character Chiharu had the surname "Ketsurui", and Yui adopted it as her own after (or maybe before...I can't rightly recall) Chi's death, possibly in memory of her.
 
soooo for the less informed players info, why are those names banned? Did the Characters do something bad ICly?
 
Because they're for royalty (sort of).
 
In this particular setting and culture, having a name associates a person with a clan or family (the same thing?). The Kitsurugi and Ketsurui clans are highly influential, and having their name is likely to open doors and create opportunities.

Unlike western culture where sharing a surname doesn't necessarily mean you know or are even related to the person (Think of all the Smiths out there), extended families on Yamatai are more likely to do favors for each other if they share a name. It's nepotism, name-based favoritism.

The second paragraph of this explanation is supposition on my part, using what I have observed. But it makes sense. The first paragraph is a definite, though, just look at how many of Yui's daughters are Taishos...

Which, now that I think about it, that makes less sense for why nekos would have random last names (even if they are grouped). The real families might be perturbed at finding they're unknowingly sharing their surname, wouldn't they?
 
One thing I was also thinking was that nekos might be drawing their last names from scientists whom worked on either creating the nekovalkyrja species in the first place or the slew of personnel whom were in charge of creating the 'units' themselves.

Alternatively, they might have surnames based on the ship they were born from if they were sprites (and lets face it, a large part of the neko population starts out as sprites). For example, Wes compared all the sprites he had to flower blossoms in some ways and they could very well have official names like Cherry Sakura and Blueberry Sakura if there was need to add it.

I know the above is unofficially what I was betting on for Miharu's sprites; Mara Miharu, Hinoto Hoshi, Ichigo Miharu, Nimura Miharu, etc... it might seem repetitive on the same ship (which could be why it's left unmentioned, but once the sprite 'outgrows' her birthship then she gets a handy surname to use.
 
Why can't the Neko be allowed to choose?

Nekos are given the power of language from birth. They can form names based on whatever they so please, and could probably change it anyway when they wanted to.

I've not come up with an IC reason for Yukari's last name, and I'm not sure many others have, either. Should that be a requirement, or at least encouraged?

As for sprites — while they're on the ship, they have no surname. Why not let them choose once they leave the ship's service?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top