meaning of names

[himejoshiheart]

Fandom: Sealomimi
Pairing/Characters: Mary & Puppy
Content Notes: no warnings! note that these are closed species ocs haha :3
Prompt: March Twenty-Eighth - Mary & Puppy are on a boat

 

Sealomimi fish a lot. It's part of being a seal person, isn't it? Most meat eaten around sealo-heavy places like Aesine is fish, and most vegan sealomimi make exceptions for fish. Part of fishing, of course, has to be boats.

That's how Mary ended up on a boat, ready to fish. Shepfolk don't really eat fish all that often- Mary's village wasn't near a lake, and even wandering Shepfolk only ate fish sometimes and most often fed it to their sheepdogs.

"I wonder what fish tastes like." Mary says, fishing rod in hand. They... are pretty sure they know how to use this thing, but there's a real chance that they don't, even after studying the guide.

"You don't know what fish tastes like!?" Puppy asks, looking at him from the waters below.

"... I didn't eat fish in my world." Mary says. "Most of the meat we ate was mutton... Sometimes my husband brought meat over that didn't taste like mutton, however."

"What did it taste like?"

"Pork, I think. I don't know where he got it from, but we ate it sometimes."

"Sounds tasty!" Puppy jumps up onto the boat, causing Mary to stumble. For a second, Mary thinks that a white clam followed her onto the boat, but it appears to actually be a tiny little purple and black animal wearing clam shells. Is this Puppy's pet? "I've only had pork once, but it wasn't all pork- it was a mix of pork and beef and whatever meat, and it tasted very very different from the usual fish! We should stop by another region sometime and try some meat."

"Is that animal your pet?"

Puppy nods. "Yep! She's a shellel, and her name's Shelly! She follows me everywhere I go!"

 

Yellow eyes that almost match Puppy's look up at Mary, and Mary bends down to pet Shelly. "Why is her name Shelly?" Mary asks, expecting an answer more like the ones Shepfolk give- a tale of another Shelly, maybe, whose qualities Puppy wanted to see in her own pet, or something about the qualities of shells- toughness, beauty, elegance?

"It's because she's a shellel! And she wears shells!"

Mary pauses. "That's why?"

"Yeah? Why's your name Mary? Why's my name Puppy?"

"My name is because my parents wanted me to be someone people rally behind, or someone who people would listen to and go to for advice." Mary says. "By my traditions, whoever gave you your name wanted you to have some traits of a dog- helpful, friendly, loyal, resilient enough to never give into temptation..." It pauses. "As well, the name 'Puppy' specifically may also represent the cheerfulness of puppies."

"... I didn't realize your world took names that seriously?! Wait, you're from another world?!" Puppy's left ear shoots up, and her floppy right ear twitches with excitement. She sits, and Shelly sits nearby her.

Mary nods. "It's not my whole world, just us Shepfolk- but I've heard of other Elven cultures having similar traditions."

"What does that mean for Duskie and Hibby?! Oh, if Hibby has two names, what does that mean?! Can people even have two names, or is that cheating?!"

"Duskie I've actually spoken to!" Mary smiles. "He's named after a hero who saved his original world from destruction- which would mean that his brothers hoped for him to be someone who would be brave, heroic, or maybe some of Sundown's other positive or neutral traits... Of course, sometimes people turn out opposite from how you name them. Duskie's namesake is quiet, but Duskie himself is pretty loud, isn't he?"

Puppy nods. "And Hibby?"

"Beauty, success, and glory are what her namesake embodies. As for her other name... The name 'Straybow' is an odd one- I would guess it's one either made up to symbolize something not covered by another name, or maybe she's named after someone else."

Puppy groans. "... Ugh! I wish someone knew where Hibby's birthname came from..." She sighs. "Maybe her mom saw a bow flying in the air or something... Thanks for telling me about names even though I was a little rude!" She jumps right off the boat, and Shelly jumps off with her.

... Mary has not yet cast her line. She probably should do that now.