So... one of those coincidences again

[Bob Schroeck]

As you may recall, I had Luna introduce herself as "Mauno Luna" to Motoki in chapter 2.  This was just me compressing "Mau no Luna" -- "Luna of the Mau" -- into something that looked like a proper name.

Well, in chapter 3, Luna asks Doug to get her identity papers like he obviously has.  And I said to myself, "Say, is 'Mauno' a real surname anywhere?"

Answering that question has suddenly turned a "utility" scene -- "Hi, Luna, here's your ID."  "Thanks." -- into something a lot more fun, as I get caught up in what has occasionally been the unexpectedly entertaining part of writing this story, the research.

And because I am a cruel, teasing author, I shall leave it at that.  <evil grin>

[robkelk]

Oh, interesting... I'd only ever seen "Mauno" as a given name.

[DHBirr]

So she's not going to pass herself off as a PRChinese named Mao Noulun?

[Bob Schroeck]

<snort> Nope.

Oh, interesting... I'd only ever seen "Mauno" as a given name.

Which it primarily is, but it can be a surname, too.

Spoiler

(And yes, if you've followed that link, that means Luna's bogus ID is going to make her part-Finnish.)

[Dartz]

I thought it'd make her a minor hawaiian island.

[robkelk]

Hey, Bob... I hope you don't mind.

[Bob Schroeck]

Heh. Not at all. I'm honored.

[Labster]

Writing fiction in the internet age is really something. Compare to the recent thread on The City Beyond the Gate. If you look, if you really want to learn and be creative, it's truly an amazing tool to research anything. It helps me so much to create, it's still hard to believe.

I'm going to be the last generation that remembers what the Before Time was like. In middle school, I had to go to the college library to find research materials for class after other libraries didn't have what I needed. But by the time I entered college, you could find a little something about everything on the web. By the time I left college, everything was online.

[classicdrogn]

Well, that's assuming various corporations, repressive governments, and other bad actors don't get their way when they say "That's an awful nice world information network you have there, be a shame if sumtin' was to ... happen to it..." or the return of international tensions like we thought were done with in the 80s and 90s (or just an environmental apocalypse) don't flush all our toilets and leave any survivors playing Metro: Last Light in real life. Then there'll be a whole new Before to have a last generation who remembers.

... I remember having hope for the future once. I've forgotten what it was like, though.

[robkelk]

Yeah. The Internet is an excellent research tool nowadays (assuming one knows how to filter out the biased and counterfactual sources), but there's no guarantee it'll be around for anywhere near as long as books have been. That's why I still buy hardcopy reference texts on occasion.

[Bob Schroeck]

And now we're at risk of drifting off-topic...

[Labster]

Imma let you finnish but let's talk about the internet

[Bob Schroeck]

Well. I didn't expect it to go there. Even if it makes absolutely perfect sense that it did.