Names and Surnames

A Player has asked about naming conventions in Brilight, and whether illegitimate children are surnamed differently from legitimate ones. Good question!

"Marriage" in Brilight is a complicated system of legal ties, not necessarily between only two people and not limited by the genders or races of people involved. (I.e., same gender marriage is fine and normal. Polyamorous arrangements are fine and normal. Some of those polyam arrangements are legally bound up as a "marriage"; others are not.) There are also cultural and religious entanglements which do not qualify as legal "marriage" but which are recognized by (some) of the populace as valid, but may face stigma from others.

A child is named, ultimately, by the person who bore it. But the person who bore the child can't just pick from the entire world of surnames; they have to have permission to use a surname. That permission can be implicit in the case of their OWN surname, or can be granted by signature from another on a legal document certifying parentage or guardianship of the child. So here are some examples:

Case A: Poor Mother, Rich Father

Hilda Poorson bears a child with Ergan Richars. The child could be surnamed "Poorson" because Hilda has the right to bequeath her surname to any child she bears. However, Hilda knows that her child will have more social capital if named "Richars". Ergan Richars signs a legal document agreeing to give the child his name, stating that he is the father and/or will assume a guardianship role for the child.

Case B: Rich Mother, Poor Father

Angelix Richars bears a child with Saule Poorson. The child can be surnamed "Richars" because Angelix has the right to bequeath her surname to any child she bears. Saule may or may not appreciate NOT having his name passed to his child, but that's for him to work out with Angelix; the law will only recognize Angelix's final word on what the child's name is, since she was the bearer. However, the child will NOT face social stigma having a mother's name rather than a father's; the taking of a mother's surname is an unremarkable and normal occurrence.

Case C: Polyamory Triad

Jasen Poorson bears a child with Bethar Middleclassers. Jasen and Bethar are in a polyamorous marriage with Twina Richars. Twina Richars can sign a legal document stating she assumes a guardianship role for the child and, in doing so, contributes her surname for Jasen to bequeath to the child he bore. The child is not genetically related to Twina Richars, but she is legally one of several guardians for the child.

Case D: Illegitimate Child

Fannye Poorson bears a child with an unknown father. No one is willing to step forward to assume a guardianship role for the child, so Fannye has no surname to give the child except her own. The taking of a mother's name is not stigmatized, but the surname itself may carry stigma with it--as, possibly, will the fact that the mother and child didn't have anyone "better" willing to step forward and grant their name.

Case E: Orphan

Sometimes a child of indeterminate birth is left on the orphanage doorstep. If no one is willing to step forward to assume a guardianship role for the child, their surname will be "Oarwen". This is rough elvish for "sea child". The polite fiction for these children is that their mothers were mermaids* who left the fin-less child with the land-dwellers.

* There are mermaids in this 'verse, probably.

** But that's not where orphans come from.

*** There is birth control and abortion, including magic options. The cantrip Prestidigitation works as spermicide and the Level 1 spell Chill Touch can abort a pregnancy. People who do not end a pregnancy either can't afford to or choose not to for personal, religious, or cultural reasons.

---

Back to naming:

1. The child-bearer chooses their surname at birth.

2. Their right to use a surname comes either from (a) inheritance of their own or (b) permission granted from another person willing to bind themselves legally to the child.

Regarding name changes as an adult:

Yes, there is a legal process for changing one's legal name. This would involve either seeking permission to use an existing surname (permission would be granted through a legally binding tie like marriage or guardianship) or creating a "new" surname not on the Brilight surname registry.

Many people also go by new names without bothering to change their legal name. This is fine for, say, poor people and pirates; it would be less feasible for someone with legitimate merchant or political connections, since one's legal name is what should go on legal documents. However, someone might have a legal merchant name ("Jimmes Eckars") but go by a nickname among friends or as a business gimmick ("Cap'n Jimmes").

Ah, I forgot a case:

Case F: Illegitimate Child within a Marriage

Xendye Middleclassers marries Danki Richars, but for whatever reason never legally changes her surname. This is not necessarily unusual; married partners often do not share surnames unless one surname is so much "better" that it's worth going through the legal convolutions to change. Xendye choosing to not take "Richars" for herself at marriage could be for several reasons: she may not have wanted to change her name, or Danki may have refused to grant his name to his new wife.

Either is their right; names cannot be taken or given without consent.

Some years later, Xendye bears a child and Danki refuses to sign the certification of guardianship which would grant Xendye the right to give his surname to the child. The child would in that case be named Middleclassers after his mother, since she has no other name to give in this case.

Taking a mother's name is not unusual, however it would be considered noteworthy for a married couple to not use the "better" name for their child. And if Xendye had two existing children with the surname "Richars", then Danki's refusal to grant his name to her third child would fairly clearly indicate that he believed he was not the child's father--or that he was so angry with Xendye that he was willing to punish their own child by withholding his name just to spite her.

Song bird I love your world building this is all so interesting <3

Aww, thank you!!

I'm glad you like it; sometimes I worry I'm overdoing it and I'll scare everyone away with too much reading. But my brain loves to work out how fictional cultures go. :)

Sent from Topic'it App

No no like seriously it's helping me build Ellowyn.

Like being able to see the world better in my head helps me think how they'd react to things and stuff

You create lush realistic worlds that invite you to wonder and feel actually lived in.

Aww! Roo, that's the nicest compliment ever. Thank you!!!! *drifts off to sleep with a smile*

Sent from Topic'it App

Pronouns

The most commonly used pronouns in Brilight are "he", "she", and "they". Gender and pronouns in Brlight are pretty much accepted to be what the person says they are. Pronouns are commonly granted upon introduction, along with full name and place of residence (both of which are important class markers).

So someone introducing themselves for the first time would say something like:

"Greetings. I am Veshti Selmer, she of the Sun District."

"Hello there. I'm Jassan Pashar, he of the Northside District."

"Who the fuck am I? I'm Iados Theran, they of the Westside District! Who the fuck are you?"

"I am Thea Starguide, she of the sea." [Sailors and pirates will often use "of the sea" to differentiate themselves from the landlubbers.]

...and so on.

Not everyone gives surname, home district, and pronouns on sight obviously, but it's customary to. Surname and district tell you the class of the person you're talking to, and pronouns tell you, well, what pronouns to use when interacting with them. Your characters should be prepared to introduce themselves in similar ways; it will be considered quite rude if they do not.

(I'm not going to make you write a formal introduction each time you meet a new character, but I am going to assume that you give your customary greeting unless you inform me otherwise.)

You will notice that this system doesn't perform super well for genderfluid characters; that's a known flaw that genderfluid residents have to work out in their own way. But genderstatic characters, at least, shouldn't be misgendered longer than necessary as long as introductions are made.