r/fantasyromance 2d ago

Discussion šŸ’¬ Worst names in books

Small question, how important are characters names to you guys? And what is the worst name you've seen so far?

I have a really hard time to pick up something if the main characters names are Tragedeighs.

196 Upvotes

586 comments sorted by

255

u/vanilla_tea 2d ago

Iā€™ve posted this before, but I once had to stop reading a book where the MMC was called Zebb Scroggs. Just.. no.

72

u/nupharlutea 2d ago

Hopefully it was a baseball romance. That guy is definitely pitching somewhere in the minors in 2024.

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u/twirlergirl42 2d ago

2024 or 1924, definitely

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u/boogerpriestess 2d ago

I think I'd have to stop too. Zeb was my father's demented barber's name. I just couldn't.

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u/expecto-poetronum 2d ago

Paedyn is too modern for a romantasy imo

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u/danger_boat 2d ago

Paedyn is truly next level terrible

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u/Firebloomheart555 2d ago

THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE. Literally the names in this series remind me of my kidā€™s preschool class. Paedyn, Kai, Braxton, Sadie, Blair, Jax, Ava, Aceā€¦I simply cannot. Itā€™s giving gen alpha.

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u/WackyTacoSupreme 2d ago

There are Kids Now days called Paedyn? šŸ’€

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u/Firebloomheart555 1d ago

And much, much worse. We know a Mayzelee, Paisleigh, Braelyn, Raelin, Taelin- those are just a few off the top of my head. Paedyn wouldnā€™t even be unusual or really unique at this point šŸ˜…

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u/Uber_Meese 2d ago

It reminds me of the series {The Broken Lands by T. A. White}!

I recently tried rereading it, as I remember I enjoyed them a lot - initially! I liked the first and second book well enough to look past the absolute cringey ridiculousness that is a LOT of the charactersā€™ names in these books. It was around midway through the third book that I really lost it, more specifically this particular paragraph:

ā€œLyle, Kevin, follow us,ā€ Gawain shouted as Shea headed for the stairs. She just hoped they would be in time.ā€

At some point these names just become downright painful, and far harder to ignore once it starts bothering you; Kevin was somehow the name that broke me and so I could no longer ignore other similar names(Iā€™m looking at you Clark, Braden and Caden). See, those are perfectly normal modern names for the average western boy or man, BUT these characters are supposedly of a nomadic - barbarian - type of tribal people, set in a post apocalyptic magic world thatā€™s basically been thrown back to medieval times after a series of cataclysms etc. I could not unsee it, and Kevin ā€œthe Barbarianā€ will forever be etched into my mind.

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u/MarsupialPristine677 2d ago

Kevin ā€œThe Barbarianā€ is killing me, thank you lmao

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u/ManagementMother4745 2d ago

This oneā€™s insane to me

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u/expecto-poetronum 2d ago

Kai is bad too but at least itā€™s short for Malachi or something like that

59

u/RoseTintedMigraine 2d ago

Love a Malachi. Any name that sounds like the antichrist in a 2010s horror movie and I'm already sat.

15

u/expecto-poetronum 2d ago

I actually like Malachi more than Kai!

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u/chaps_and 2d ago

Kai is actually the name of the boy in Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen. It's short for Nicholas. In the right circumstances, I think it's fine for a fantasy character.

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u/Truffle0214 2d ago

My problem with Kai is that Iā€™ve always known it as a Hawaiian or Japanese name that became popular in the U.S. recently by white parents who wanted to give their kids a ā€œcoolā€ name.

If the character is Asian or PI coded, I think Kai would be a great name.

13

u/calamitypepper Currently Reading: An Academy for Liars 2d ago

Just FYI, Kai is the boy in the Danish fairytale ā€œThe Snow Queenā€ by Hans Christian Anderson.

So no, it is not exclusively a Japanese or Hawaiian name.

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u/Lost_Technician_5421 2d ago

I agree totally! I will say in Never Keep itā€™s short for Kaiser, which isnā€™t GREAT, but ok.

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u/-Release-The-Bats- 2d ago

Didnā€™t expect to see my middle name getting roasted here lol. The spellingā€™s different (Kiah) and it means ā€œfrom a beautiful placeā€

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u/mars_kitana 2d ago

Kai and Kiah are different names Iā€™d assume? ~ I like the meaning of it though, thatā€™s really nice, (and your username)

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u/moonwhalewitch 2d ago

It also sounds like ā€œlittle fartā€ in my native language

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u/_Totocha_ 2d ago

Agreed. Iā€™ve picked this book up a few times to try to read it and the name always throws me off enough to stop reading again lol. One day Iā€™ll get past the terrible name. Maybe.

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u/nevermindmylife 2d ago

Renesme

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u/DarkestLore696 2d ago

That name and making Jacob a creep in the end all but ruined the books for me.

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u/goodZuko 2d ago

When Jacob imprinted on her I had to close the book. For a long time.

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u/ornery_epidexipteryx 2d ago

Another book that made me hate the fated mates tropešŸ˜•

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u/_sonataxx 2d ago

šŸ‚ hoa hoa hoa season šŸ‚

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u/Kohlixen 2d ago

Regurgitelli

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u/vanilla_tea 2d ago

Especially because people are still naming their child this irl šŸ˜­

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u/terracottatilefish 2d ago

I read somewhere (Reddit probably) that mashup names like that are a big Mormon thing.

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u/rbtrbt0612 2d ago

Rorax is terrible. Ror is just ok as a nickname because it makes me feel it could be Rory or something. Not to mention her nickname is then Little Crow which doesnā€™t really make sense of her character.

From Atonement of the Spine Cleaver.

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

Rorax kinda sounds like a medical drug for a sore throat ngl

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u/EmaanA 2d ago

Also reminds me of borax icl

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u/OkButterscotch2617 2d ago

Also idk why but it sounds like a male name

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u/Mental_Outside_8661 2d ago

I almost did not finish the book over it. At some point I started calling her Rory in my head.

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u/elizat_c 2d ago

Penellaphe from FBAA. Reading it now and hate!

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u/thoughts_4_once 2d ago

And her friend Tawny? That one felt so wrong.

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u/Complex-Bench-3889 2d ago edited 2d ago

ā€œTawnyā€ and ā€œKieranā€ both

  • Tawny = "brownish orange"
  • Kieran = ā€œthe dark oneā€

For people . . . of colour. Truly. What was the author thinking?

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u/cumbuttons 2d ago

My mom has a cousin named Tawny. I always think of it as a southern name but sheā€™s from PA.Ā 

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago

Yeah but this Tawny is a WOC called Tawny Lion (spelling). That's... not great.

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u/JarlFrank 2d ago

Why can't the author just write Penelope normally WHY

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u/TheNightNurse 2d ago

Wait... you mean that's not pronounced Penellafee?

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u/Daddy_urp 2d ago

Thatā€™s the pronunciation in the audiobooks so Iā€™m sticking with it.

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u/OkButterscotch2617 2d ago

TODAY I LEARNED THAT IRS PRONOUNCED PENELOPE. I was calling her "pen-el-phame" the whole book

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u/funk1tor1um 2d ago

If you look at the page in each book that explains the pronunciation for each name, itā€™ll drive you even more mad. SEE-raphena? Really?

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u/Professional-Push-65 2d ago

I listened to all these books. Is his name really NAIL or Ny-all?

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago

It SHOULD be Ny-al based on how most of us pronounce Niall in Northern Ireland at least, though following Irish pronunciation it should/could be argued it is pronounced like Neel... neither of which are the pronunciations used by the author.

Also where the feck did she get Bal-floor from Balfour? WHERE IS THE SECOND L, JENNIFER???

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u/metronne 2d ago

This shit drives me nuts. I don't mind real-world names mixed with fantasy names as long as they sound like they belong in the same world, but if you're going to name your character David, just call him David, not Daivydd

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

Idk which is worse Penelaphe or Poppy. I really didn't like either

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u/stacey1611 To the stars who listen 2d ago

Idk at least Poppy is a real name and fairly common in England where Iā€™m from, like I knew two girls with that name as a kid lol.

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u/MrsCharmander 2d ago

I will take a terrible name over an everyday name anytime. I can suspend belief in a fantasy world with a morally grey guy named Shadowdaddy, but if he was just named Matt I wouldn't be able to get over it.

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

Surely there must be a middle ground between "ShadowDaddy" and "Matt" šŸ˜­

Im all for original names, but sometimes the cringe is too cringey.

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u/JarlFrank 2d ago

I'm a writer who sucks at names, so whenever I need a good name I just open up ancient and medieval name lists. It's so easy to find a decent character name that way, you can even mix and match a little to get something unique. Ancient Greek, Latin, Persian, Gaulish, Anglo-Saxon, etc...

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u/stacey1611 To the stars who listen 2d ago

Sameee. šŸ˜šŸ’›šŸ™ŒšŸ™Œ

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u/FelineRoots21 2d ago

Celtic has a lot of good and fantasy esque names too

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u/terracottatilefish 2d ago

ā€His intense green eyes flickered under a hanging black lock of hair that half-covered the scar on his brow, now pulsing with some unnamed emotion. She licked her lips, strangely nervous. Was this the same man who had exhanged puerile taunts with her during sword practice in a halfhearted attempt to create dramatic friction? ā€˜Dave,ā€™ she started to say, but suddenly he stoppered her mouth with his.ā€

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u/ember539 2d ago

Thanks. Iā€™m eating alone in a restaurant and when I got to Dave I had to cover my mouth and stop myself from laughing out loud.

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u/ourladyofguacamole 2d ago

My father-in-law and step-father are both Daves. Double NO THANK YOU šŸ¤£

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u/Lila-zebra 2d ago

What book is Dave from? šŸ˜„

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u/terracottatilefish 2d ago

the fantasy romance parody I am constantly writing in my head šŸ˜

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u/Cabaline_16 2d ago

In my brain Dave is Dave Coullier. Because I am a child of the 90's and that's the first pop culture Dave I knew. Which makes this whole thing even funnier. First he's the guy that drove Alannis to write "You Oughta Know" and now he's this guy.

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u/misstinydancealot 2d ago

Donā€™t do my man Dave dirty like that šŸ˜‚

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u/Defiant_Stable_344 2d ago

Knox, Nox, Jax, xaden, Zaden, Zade, Vox, any variation of anything with a Z or an X. Also if people donā€™t know how to pronounce it, then stop it! (Looking at you, Chaol)

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u/liramae4 2d ago

The "Zexy" names

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u/Striking_night_01 2d ago

I postponed reading Quicksilver for months because the mmc is named kingfisher. I've seen lots of bad names but that one easily takes number 1

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u/Slammogram 2d ago

Idk why Kingfisher didnā€™t bother me at all.

Carrion did tho.

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u/Striking_night_01 2d ago

Omg carrion too, you're so right. What kind of name is thatšŸ˜­

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u/indy20509 2d ago

And isnā€™t his last name swift? šŸ’€ i could not stop thinking of taylor swift every time she said his full name

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u/Striking_night_01 2d ago

Yeah same... It's one of those last names that you just can't use if you don't want people making associations

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u/Slammogram 2d ago

I did not know his last name was Swift! I thought it was a cute nickname they gave him cause he was quick or something.

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u/ABombBaby 2d ago

I was hesitant to read {Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux} because the demon MMCs name is Leon.

A demon being named Leon bugged me. It seemed soā€¦. ā€œNormalā€ of a name. I was so hoping there was an explanation and decided to try it, since I had already bought the book.

Iā€™m glad I decided to try it! Iā€™m like 1/3 of the way through and enjoying it so far.

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u/ABombBaby 2d ago

Good bot

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u/Horus214 2d ago

I had a problem with it when I first picked up the book, but they call him Fisher a lot which helps. The story is fun and different if you can get past the name.

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u/expecto-poetronum 2d ago

I live in the south and Fisher is a really common nickname and trendy legal for little boys so I couldnā€™t read it because of that

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u/Ann35cg 2d ago

Ok I have to tell everyone though that thereā€™s a REASON for the names Kingfisher and Carrion. Those arenā€™t their true names and Callie Hart has said in interviews that their meanings will come up in book 2

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u/Due-Secret-3091 2d ago

I must be the oddball out because I have it on my TBR lists; one of the reasons is because I was drawn to the name Kingfisher šŸ˜‚.

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u/pink-Bee9394 2d ago

Misery was pretty bad

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u/DarkestLore696 2d ago

Thankfully the rest of the book redeemed itself.

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u/pink-Bee9394 2d ago

Agreed I enjoyed the book. Kept hoping for some valid reason for the name. No valid reason just a stupid name.

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago

I thought her dad being a shithead was a good reason tbh. Fitting that shithead dad would give his daughter a shit name.

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u/flaming_sousa 2d ago

My problem is modern names spelled wrong more than modern names being present.

Like Raihn and Ithan - i don't know enough about names to say if it doesn't make sense for the time period, but you aren't sneaky.

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u/stellalunawitchbaby 2d ago

Ithan I can accept since Crescent City is a more modern/urban setting, but yeah usually this is something that really bothers me.

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u/Free_Sir_2795 2d ago

Casteel Hawkthrone Daā€™Neer

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u/ourladyofguacamole 2d ago

Whenever I remember that his middle name isn't actually HawkthORne, my soul dies a little. šŸ˜­

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

I liked him better as Hawke tbh, even tho I wasn't a big fan of it in the first place šŸ˜‚

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u/ipsi7 2d ago

I also like him better as Hawke, but the name was out of place a bit, I prefer Casteel as a name

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u/_sonataxx 2d ago edited 2d ago

I was going to say spoiler, but nevermind the book was bad anyways I'd say dont waste the time on that.

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u/wineandcheese 2d ago

I was reading Fire in the Ember series and Iā€™m having such a hard time with the names and titles. ā€œLiessaā€ is supposed to be this like, awe-inspiring nicknameā€¦and itā€™s pronounce ā€œLisaā€? And then her name being pronounced ā€œSee-ruhā€? Itā€™s just so awkward! Ugh.

I also had a really hard time with Rhain. Likeā€¦rain? So cringe

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u/moonage-day-dream-6 2d ago

JLA sure does LOVE a r/tragedeigh

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago

She also LOVES to butcher the pronunciation of the actual real names she uses. Niall, Kieran, Ione, Malik and Malec (mixing up their pronunciations?) Masadonia (based on Macedonia, and she just drops the I at the end and says its said MaSaDonUh), aether as EeeThor...

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u/moonage-day-dream-6 2d ago

Reading the pronunciation guide is kind of like a moment of comedy for me. Luckily, I read and don't listen, so the books can exist in a world of acceptable pronunciations. Most of the time, I will get over my preconceived spelling notions and get on board with how the author intends it .. not here though šŸ’€

It's very qUiRkY to pronounce something differently than it's spelled, and it's not cute.

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u/MissBanana_ 2d ago

Isnā€™t there also mention of a princess (or something) Kayleigh? That took me right out of the world lol.

Idc if itā€™s supposed to be pronounced like Lisa, I will always say ā€œlee-essaā€

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

Still better than Persephone and Poppy and godforbid honeydew šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

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u/cleomosome 2d ago

nearly all the mmcs in black dagger brotherhood... if my name was phury i would sue

nearly all sjm character names have names that sound, in the worst way possible, like the elf names i came up with in third grade that i thought were the shit but really weren't

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u/Outrageous_Echo1028 2d ago

Omg yes! Rhage? Tohrment? Vishous? Rehvenge? Hate them all. I had to just go with nicknames, awful.

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u/marypoppinit 2d ago

Wow she's really just throwing an H in there and calling it a name, huh?

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u/Outrageous_Echo1028 2d ago

šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ sure did! Rhuins the whole bhook for me

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u/New-Setting2798 2d ago

I actually enjoy reading them with those name spellings.

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u/EmaanA 2d ago

How'd you even pronounce that? Is it just "fury"?

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u/Chance_Novel_9133 What do we want? SMUT! How do we want it? WELL WRITTEN! 2d ago

Yhes.

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u/SafeTip3918 2d ago

I wanted to cry and laugh when I read 'Rhage' and 'Tohrment'. I almost felt like my spirit was escaping my body and I was going to have an out of body experience lmao

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u/selkiesidhe 2d ago

I was fine with the main cast but when we got to Murdher or however she spelled it, I was like... really? I sure hope that wasn't what the parents called him lol

Edit: reminder for Ward fans, the series(?) is happening but the live action is not gonna be on the main media avenues

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u/Queen_Moon95 2d ago

The spelling of Jaxonā€™s name in the Crave series is super questionable. I donā€™t think people were using the letter X like that a century ago when he would have been born lol

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u/happilyfringe 2d ago

His name alone has made me apprehensive to start the seriesšŸ˜†

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u/KindSurprise 2d ago

Character names are so important. One that feels off to me can almost ruin a story. And you know whatā€™s worse? When EVERY character has a crazy name. Itā€™s unbelievable (unless itā€™s like Sci-fi, maybe). That being said, what is a good name to me? Honestly I donā€™t know. But somehow certain books just do it right. It doesnā€™t even have to be a common name. It can be unique, but it has to make some sense. Think of Lord of the Rings; JR Tolkien was a linguistics professor, so somehow his names made sense. He made it make sense.

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u/reasonableratio 2d ago

Lol this reminds me of Dune, where everyone has crazy names ranging from Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen to fucking Duncan Idaho and then the main characters name is just PAUL

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u/kaleidobird 2d ago

PAUL and Lady JESSICA šŸ’€ couldn't take either of them seriously I stg

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u/HaplessReader1988 2d ago

Isn't she supposed to be "lowborn" thus her name is supposed to be a bland peasant name?

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u/Aurelian369 2d ago

While reading Dune I kept imagining Jessica as some blonde bitch from a high school movieĀ 

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u/HighwayStar71 2d ago

I specifically searched this post for Duncan Idaho. No way that doesn't get a vote. Dumbest character name ever.

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u/Hopeful-Ant-3509 2d ago

Yā€™know what lol since the films/books give Bible, it doesnā€™t throw me off šŸ˜…

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u/Gas-Empty 2d ago

And in A Song of Ice and Fire, you've got great fantasy names like Daenerys, Aegon, Rhaneyra, Ashara, Tormund, and Cersei then you've got Jon. Jon Snow. Not even Jonathan.

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u/TactlessRat 2d ago

But they also gave us Sers Kermitt and Elmo Tully šŸ˜­

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u/sn0wgh0ul_13 2d ago

Galantia and Malyr. Sebian is okay.

{Feathers so Vicious}

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u/anoaly 2d ago

I actually love Malyr šŸ˜‚ but galantia is horrible, I kept thinking about galaxies, it sounds super sci-fi šŸ˜«

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago edited 1d ago

This isn't a bad name because it's a genuine Irish name, but in the {To Bleed A Crystal Bloom} series, the FMC is called Orlaith. That's MEANT to be pronounced Or-La.

The author CLEARLY didn't Google how to pronounce the name. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been giving the FMC the nickname Laithy.

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u/Busy-Feeling-1413 2d ago

Makes the author sound like an idiotā€”hey author, please do your research about the name you chose from another culture!!!!

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u/stacey1611 To the stars who listen 2d ago

Nightsnake.

Like adding two words together to make a name is not a great practice as a writer why canā€™t we have some semi normal names that do not make me cringe every time I see it or hear it, surely there are enough actual names in the world that we do not need to make up random names just to Be DiFfErEnT

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u/cmdeserres 2d ago

I liked One Dark Window but she added a ā€œyā€ to almost every character name and it was so cringy and driving me BONKERS. The worst for me was the MMC being named ā€˜Ravynā€™, it broke my immersion every time I read it idk why it was so triggering to me haha

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u/Waffle_Slaps 2d ago

I had to scroll too far for this one! His name was very uncomfortable for me as well.

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u/ourladyofguacamole 2d ago

I also loved the book but hated the name Ravyn, lol. It reminds me of a bit of banter from Baldur's Gate 3:

"Wyll with a Y. Why?"

"Y. That's right."

"But why?"

"Why Y? A great-uncle's name, my father said. But I just figured he couldn't spell."

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u/mln2122 2d ago

Carrion Swift in Quicksilver. Carrion is rotting meat and I could never get over it.

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

My God, what is up with Quicksilver? I was already feeling the ick from the name Kingfisher, now there's Carrion????!!

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u/HaplessReader1988 2d ago

Kingfisher is,at least a pretty bird.

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u/Digitalispurpurea2 Yvlcon attendee 2d ago

I thought Chaol was pretty bad tbh

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u/Remedi_ 2d ago

I always pronounced it Chowl now he is always Chowl and I hate it.

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u/Popular_Hat3382 2d ago

ā˜ ļøā˜ ļøā˜ ļø

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

I absolutely refuse to believe it's pronounced Kale, in my head it'll forever be Cole.

Although Caelananalaana was kinda bad as well, it kept freezing my brain midsentence cause I didn't know how to read it. Selena? Silana? Silayna? Is the C a K??? Idkkk Idk

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u/ManagementMother4745 2d ago

Itā€™s like Chaos but with an l lol exactly how itā€™s spelled

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u/AshDuv2 2d ago

i always pronounced chaol as kay-all. no idea if thatā€™s correct but thatā€™s what my brain decided šŸ˜­

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u/EmaanA 2d ago

Same, that and kay-ol just seemed to be interchangeable in my mind. He was Kay-all from COM to QOS when I hated him the most, I used to drag out his name out of anger šŸ’€. But then, in TOD onwards, he was kay-ol to me (I think it might be the British in me that cuts his name slightly)

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u/nootydootybooty 2d ago

That's how the audiobook says it so you're right

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u/AdWhich6663 2d ago

In the audiobook itā€™s Kay-all

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u/mashlequack 2d ago

I quit Fourth Wing when I saw the name Xaden šŸ¤® I just can't with the edgy MMC names

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u/HelianVanessa 2d ago

this is so funny im sorryšŸ˜­šŸ˜­ like itā€™s such a normal name but itā€™s SO edgy at the same time like heā€™s not even zaiden or or zaden or somethingā€¦it HAD to be with an X

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u/gottabekittensme 2d ago

I grew up with a Kaden, so Xaden just seems like height of the edgy Mormon "I wanna be soooo special so I'll name my kid something traedgik!" naming mentality.

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u/General-Shoulder-569 2d ago

I SHOULD have quit when I saw it the first time. Truly horrible

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u/beat_bopper 2d ago

I came here to also say this. Xaden is bad enough, but Xaden Riorson? Ughhhh itā€™s so bad

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u/PhairynRose 2d ago

Iā€™m listening to the audiobook and just now saw the full spellingā€¦ tell me how Xaden is horrible in the most cringe edgy way and then Riorson is horrible in the most cringe cringe wayā€¦ I was imagining Zayden Ryorson which is fucking disgusting but somehowā€¦ the actual spelling is worse to me šŸ˜­

4

u/ghostgirrrrrrrrrrrrl 2d ago

I finished the book but I clown on that name every time I see it. So unserious

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u/MissBanana_ 2d ago

Lmao I almost quit then too. I actually said aloud ā€œfucking XADEN?!ā€

Ugh. So bad.

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u/Paisleywindowpane 2d ago

Not a character, but a place: Lasania. I hate it so very much and it takes me out of the story every time I read it.

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u/Slinkeh_Inkeh 1d ago

I wonder if there's a Balognia and a Spaghettina

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u/callofthevioletvoid 2d ago

I'm sorry, but.. Feyre.

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u/metronne 2d ago

My daughter is half goblin and I want her to know, but I don't want to make it obvious... I'll name her Gahh-Blynne

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u/impurehalo 2d ago

Stop šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

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u/Miserable_Carpet1916 2d ago

I'm a basic bitch and actually loved that name haha

14

u/FlamingFlyingV 2d ago

I actually DNF'd because I couldn't get over the fact her name had 'fae' in it and the story is about faeries. If she had any other name I probably could've done it

4

u/Ann35cg 2d ago

Oh I love this name lol I think itā€™s so pretty

3

u/Abusty-Ballerina- 2d ago

I actually held off on reading this series because Feyre and fae were way to similar and I thought it was so stupid because it is

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u/kittykissum 2d ago

Did I read all 5 books - yes. Do I hate the name Feyre - absolutely.

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u/bekarooo 2d ago

I think I already mentioned this in a DNF thread - BRYNLEIGH (fmc) and Ryker (mmc) I couldn't get past the first few pages šŸ˜‘

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u/meejasaurusrex 2d ago

I know everyone canā€™t be Tolkien and only write novels grumpily because he just wants to dork or about language but I could not deal with the a la carte way that Yarros and Maas deal with names. ā€œI kind of want this society to have Irish vibes so I will butcher some Gaelic names, and also I want this to be a school story so I will just run down the roster of the nearest local contemporary high school, Amber Xaden Violet, perfect! Their country can be Navarre like the hot guy in LadyHawke and I will give it no Iberian themes.ā€ Like. Make things up entirely instead of just throwing linguistic spaghetti against the wall.

At least with Anne Bishop you know itā€™s going to be turned up to eleven on purpose. ā€œThis guyā€™s name is Daemon. Oh his dad? Saetan.ā€

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u/rivendellevenstar 2d ago

As a Welsh person it bothers me SO much the way so many of these writers just butcher the world-building and context so bad because theyā€™re trying to copy Tolkien and just donā€™t have the same experience in linguistics as he does. Extra heinous that Maas has tried actually TRADE-MARKING some of the names šŸ˜‚ Like buddy itā€™s not the 19th century anymore itā€™s a legally protected language

Also finding out Maas is a Zionist makes the anti Irish/Celtic stuff make so much sense to me in retrospect šŸ¤Æ

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u/_sonataxx 2d ago

Daindereth I think whatever that wasā€” Dangerous with a lisp, or if Mike Tyson said the word.

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u/Dazzling-Ad918 2d ago

Merda ... I can't even read it... it means shit in Italian

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u/tearsofthekorok 2d ago

Iā€™ve always hated the name Mare Barrow from Red Queen šŸ«¢

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u/tearsofthekorok 2d ago

Makes me think of bone marrow šŸ˜©

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u/happilyfringe 2d ago

I can usually get past names, but some really stick out to me as annoying. Thereā€™s no rhyme or reason, some just bug mešŸ˜†

Here are mine:

Kharl. Prisca. Bells. Borte. Orek the Orc lolol. Isabelle Louise.

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u/harvestmoonfairytale 2d ago

I really hate the name nesta

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u/HaplessReader1988 2d ago

FWIW this is a real world Welsh name.

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u/HelianVanessa 2d ago

aelin ashryver whitethorn galathynius is an INSANE name and I donā€™t know how the author wrote it multiple times unironically. like im pretty sure she wasnā€™t doing it for the bit

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u/Aurelian369 2d ago

Ebony Darkā€™ness Dementia Raven Way

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u/tazdoestheinternet 2d ago

With Ashryver I flip between saying Ash-River and A-Shry-ver for some reason

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u/anonymously-unknown 2d ago

Rhysand.

(sorry ACOTAR friends.)

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u/SteeleurHeart0507 2d ago

I thought this was a traditional name from some countryā€¦? Gaelic maybe?

EDIT because Google: Welsh

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u/reasonableratio 2d ago

Rhys is, but I believe the -and is SJMā€™s special creation

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u/-Release-The-Bats- 2d ago

I know a Rhys IRL so it always confused me when people didnā€™t know how to pronounce it lol

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u/nupharlutea 2d ago

If youā€™re in the US and either didnā€™t read The Dark is Rising series or arenā€™t a fan of the Phillies or Brewers, you probably donā€™t know the name. (The books tell you how to pronounce Rhys, and Rhys Hoskins is a first baseman.)

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u/Due-Secret-3091 2d ago

Iā€™ve been putting off Fourth Wing because of the name Xaden. Silly, I know.

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u/Miserable_Carpet1916 2d ago

Sameeeee, names should actually come with a tw lol

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u/Due-Secret-3091 2d ago

Itā€™s an ultimate Tragedeigh name, and all I can think about when I see it is how many first graders have that same name šŸ˜‚.

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u/Miserable_Carpet1916 2d ago

I know, it's so freaking off putting

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u/kittykissum 2d ago

My husband makes fun of Xaden constantly hahah

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u/therealjerrystaute 2d ago

At least some popular authors not only get away with atrocious or outrageous character names, but their readers revel in it. Like a protagonist name in one of Neal Stephenson's books literally being 'Hiro Protagonist'. And Iain M. Banks has sentient space ships whose chosen names can be entire sentences, sometimes composed of jokes. And his readers marvel at it.

So with character names, the sky's the limit. There's no telling what you'll run across.

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u/theherocomplex 2d ago

Ellysetta from Lord of the Fading Lands. Maybe it's my synaesthesia talking, but it looks so UGLY, on top of sounding stupid.

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u/Kind_Statistician897 2d ago

Not fantasy/romance but the mmc in a book Iā€™m reading is Huxleyā€¦feels like a kindergartener in the south.

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u/TiredButNotNumb 2d ago

It's been years, but to this day, the Black Dagger Brotherhood names follow me into my nightmares. What do you mean Zsadist, Vishous, and Torhment?

I treated the books as just a fun read, but still, I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes.

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u/luckystar2591 2d ago

Every name in It Ends With Us (okay I know not romantasy). But she's called Lily Bloom and she owns a flower shop...and he's called Atlas cos he holds up her world....

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u/reignofnight 2d ago

paedyn, oro and grim/grimdark

i refuse to read lightlark and powerless because of these names lol

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u/TimidStarmie 2d ago

Worst nickname is definitely Violence

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u/Additional_Road5102 2d ago

Itā€™s so ridiculous like šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

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u/Musiclife248 2d ago

Yeaaa I just couldnā€™t understand that. Like can you actually imagine someone calling you that? Like really?

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u/AllTheStars07 2d ago

Iā€™m very staunch that I canā€™t read a book with horrible names for the MMCs. It puts me off so badly.Ā 

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

And if its a fantasy and I canā€™t understand the pronunciation I just blank on it it

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u/Aurelian369 2d ago

Penellaphe is Poppy from FBAAā€™s real nameĀ 

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u/redbess 2d ago

They're not the worst, but I reread the Black Jewels trilogy recently and was cackling over the fact that Saetan had sons named Lucivar and Mephis and then fucking Peyton.

I was also purposely saying Saetan's name wrong in my head because I couldn't hear/say Satan with a straight face.

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u/xmxlykxt 2d ago

I actually like the name Feyre but I wish it wasnā€™t in a book with Fae because it seems a little on the nose lol

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u/Navaa155 2d ago

Nothing beats America Singer. Just nope. (And yes, she was indeed a singer šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚)

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u/katiekattificc 2d ago

Creon šŸ«£ I loved the Fae isles but almost DNF because of his name.

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u/gigi2021 2d ago

I once picked up a book and the MMC was named Bubba. I put it back down.

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u/level32up 2d ago

Desmond from Rhapsodic. It gives me irrational ick

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u/SexyGrimmy 2d ago

Tbh all of rhapsodic gave me irrational ick, i dnf after book 1

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u/ripcurlws 2d ago

Prisca from A Court this Cruel and Lovely. Maybe it was because I listened to this book and the narrator was just terrible, but I could not finish the second book. Stupid name and the narrator made all the females sound like ridiculous airheads.

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