Fandom Discussion: Misspelling Proper Names

[themostepotente]

Okay, folks...

Is it so much to ask to reference the correct spellings of proper names from either the books or the Lexicon?

In the past month, I have ran across THREE fics where a character's name was spelled incorrectly. Now, I know that we are all human and make mistakes, but a typo that's skirted past weary eyes is something all together entirely different from misspelling oh say, G-R-I-F-E-N-D-O-R. *cues her audience to cringe*

The first fic I encountered was a Lucius/Draco with a brief mention of Walden Macnair. Macnair was spelled M-C-N-A-I-R. Apparently the 'a' went AWOL. And funny, nobody that reviewed the fic caught this.

Oh-kay, moving right the fuck along, the next fic I encountered was a Snape/Bellatrix. Now all of you Rodolphus Lestrange fans are going to be plucking your eyeballs out over this. Rodolphus's name was spelled not once, not twice, but THREE different ways -- in ONE fic. Rudolphus, Rodulphus, and Rodolphus.

I have issues with the word 'cinnamon.' I am forever looking this bitch up. For some odd reason, I can never remember how to spell it. Two 'n's? Two 'm's? But to spell it both ways and think, well, one way must be right...is just trifling. So I use my handy dandy online dictionary. It's just that simple.

The last fic I ran across was by far the WORST. How the fuck do you misspell Severus? No shit, I found a fic where he was referred to as Saverus. Saverus? What the FUCK is that? Doesn't that have a bit of a Vulcanesque ring to it? I'm reading this story for shits and giggles and picturing Snape with pointy ears and arched eyebrows.

Pon Farr? Live Long and Prosper? *headdesk*

Any stories you'd care to share? Leave 'em here!

--Penny

Comments

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Oh, we had a whole discussion (scroll upward) about Saverus sounding Star Trekish. We're geeks that way.

[spiritstairway.livejournal.com]

What about Wesley?

[janegraddell.livejournal.com]

Here via quickquote

I can understand that a novice fan of a television show might not know how to spell a name at first (in fact, it was a few episodes, as I recall, before Alex Krycek's name got any canonical spelling), but there's a limited amount of slack for that kind of thing. But if you're going to take the time to write a story, or even just hang out in the fandom, then for crying out loud do some elementary research! And if you're in a book-based fandom? No excuse.

Then, of course, there's the one author I recall who announced in her story notes that she was going to spell Blaise Zabini's name "Zambini" because she liked it better. No words.

I'm also reminded of the poster on the main Highlander mailing list whose mission was to see that Richie "No T" Ryan's name was spelled correctly. Mind you, this was something that even the show's official website didn't always get right....

[chasethecat.livejournal.com]

EW. *makes face*

[chasethecat.livejournal.com]

Yes. Personally, I don't tend to notice the minor characters name misspellings (unless they're *really* bad), and I can usually forgive them when I do, but you should know the main characters names by now!

[leni-jess.livejournal.com]

This is why I never volunteer to beta-read for someone whose work I haven't already read - preferably more than one story! There's a limit to how much improvement one beta can induce in one fic at one time, and I doubt, no matter how hard you work, whether you will want to have your name as beta-reader on the edited results of your striving, if they ever see daylight. Only how do you say, 'Sorry, go back to school, use a dictionary, use spellcheck FGS?' You'd exhaust yourself just entering SPaG corrections, before you tackled word choice, or canon, or common sense, or taste. My sympathies for your predicament! At least badfic doesn't usually see print form, these days.

I can't spell McGonagall (just inserted the second 'l' after checking) without thinking about it, along with apartment and spectacles. So I use MS Word Autocorrect (I am also dead lazy, and typing L when I mean Lucius saves a lot of bother).

[fleshdress.livejournal.com]

God, that sounds nasty. Guess Voldie saves that one for when someone's really pissed him off.

[tehlils.livejournal.com]

I can see where it happens though, especially if the writer is also a Buffy or Princess Bride fan.

[abremaline.livejournal.com]

Saverus? Sounds like 'Save us!' "Save us, Sev'rus save us." Err...yeah, I'll stop there.

The misspelling of 'Draco' tends to annoy me. It's five letters! Not entirely an uncommon name/word either. It is beyond me how people get that one wrong.

*hugs tightly everyone who said they had to check the spelling of 'McGonagall'* I'm another one for that. Each and every time I have to look that one up, just to make I got it right.

Still waiting to see 'Harry' spelt wrong. (You just know its going to happen eventually.)

[biggersandwich.livejournal.com]

That bugs me too. I especially can't understand it in Harry Potter Fandom where a LOT of the characters have relatively normal, English names (or at least compared to my anime fandoms where there isn't necessarily an English spelling for the name). The spell check might not catch everything but you shouldn't be able to write Hary or something like that.

[spiritstairway.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can see it too, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that they're silly.

Although when I was around in the BtVS fandom, the name Wesley was usually followed with 'that little fucknut'.

[ahriman-lives.livejournal.com]

You think you've seen horror?

Sirius as 'Serious'.

I deserve compensation.

[impinc.livejournal.com]

The ones I hate most:

Lilly. (Argh! How do you forget the main character's mother's name!? Oh and I often see this in MWPP era fics. *facepalms*)

LeStrange (This is just me being terribly picky. However... the s is not capital.)

Zambini (*cries* I hate this one.)

Re: Here via QQ

[imkalena.livejournal.com]

At least I've never seen that famous hockey player, Blaise Zamboni.

arg!

[dacaktty.livejournal.com]

*shakes fist* That was the LAST of my tea, and now I have a monumental mess to clean up! *grumbles*

I've lost count how many times I've ended up wiping down my monitor, keyboard and desk since I started lurking in this fandom. Some of my keys are permanently sticky -___-

....and apparantly I've bitten through my lip o_O;;;

*wanders off to clean up*

tooooo funny

[tehlils.livejournal.com]

heh, this is true. and I think it's silly, too, but I can see how it happens.

when I had my laptop, the keyboard was really sensitive and I often typed Roon instead of Ron. Granted I would catch it 99.9% of the time, but sometimes I missed it and my beta would catch it.

[passinggo.livejournal.com]

I know people have said this one already, but ZAMBINI. ZAMBINI, ARGH. It KILLS me.

I can deal with bad spelling of other things, but Zambini sounds like a pizza place.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Then, of course, there's the one author I recall who announced in her story notes that she was going to spell Blaise Zabini's name "Zambini" because she liked it better. No words.

*chuckles* That's just ignorant.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough being a Harry/Draco fan, I've never seen Draco misspelled.

Of course, now I will.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

I'm tempted to ask for links.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Hermione is not what I would call a 'normal' name, but then I'm not English.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

Zambini scares me, I think.

And for Christ's sake, the character was mentioned ONCE in the books.

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

I'm doing a post next on the rage that is the one hit wonder of Slytherdom.

[biggersandwich.livejournal.com]

It's relatively normal given that many fantasy books have names that are totally made up and Hermione is at least a actual name (I think it's greek but don't quote me on that).

Here from QQ.

[elohvee.livejournal.com]

"Mrs. Muggunagal." No, I'm not kidding.