I'm thinking of taking suggestions on the story. Well, it should be obvious where things are going or why post on BC and SD? ;>
So how about some suggestions? Like, what Drew's name should be, what should Mom's name be? They can't use their own names, even if Drew would be perfectly fine for a girl.
It's a few episodes away before this decision has to be made, so does anyone have any suggestions?
On another thought, should Drew pretend to be younger? How young? Suggestions?
Next story post Saturday or Sunday, I'm trying to have three posts done ahead before I post but then I keep editing right up until I (or Erin) posts the story. ;>
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Wanda
Comments
Maybe you can use
A random number generator to pick from a list of names people will suggest . That way you can filter the names you don't like and still have some degree of randomality to it.
age
I don't have name suggestions for you, but I do have thoughts on Drew's assumed age. I wouldn't think he would want to pretend to be younger. One, my feeling is that kids of that age greatly want to be seen as older if possible, but certainly not younger. And I don't think it would add anything to the deception - if he's gonna disguise himeself as a girl, and is successful - he's able to convince everyone around him that he's a girl - that should be enough. Changing his age wouldn't seem to me to add any extra benefit. I'm a little unclear at this point about the mom - the story seems to imply that she looks a lot younger than she actually is - I'm just wondering if they are going to try to pass as sisters - I seem to recall a suggestion of that in Kelly Girl as well.
Names and things
I would vote against any age regression but, if Drew is short for an eleven year old boy, he would be very, very short for an eleven year old girl (most have begun their growth spurt by then). Also, being a bit younger might make social awkwardness less of an issue. (How many verses of the Hannah Montana Theme Song does he know?)
As for names, I'm very fond of Ally (just me; but I think that homograph is wonderful for the name of a strong, generous child or adult.) Also, Jewel is very nice, even if it is just a nickname.
Joy, Jan
P.S: one more thing. Even with all the other things going on, I think that Drew would see missing a year of school as a disaster. That ties into the age regression part too, and not just because of missing friends.
I dunno ...
Were you small? Until age 15 I was always the smallest or second smallest kid in my grade. I actually didn't go to kindergarten because of being too small, the school feared for my safety. At age 16, I still got into theaters and other places as under 12. Very embarrassing. I'm only 5'7" now (I kept growing till I was 23), so it kind of worked out. ;>
I just looked up shoe sizes for a later chapter. I distinctly remember wearing a size 1 at age 13 (I lost one of the pair and had to pay for a replacement pair out of my allowance). According to the charts I found, that's about average for a 9 year old.
The grade school talked about holding me back a year in the fourth grade, again for safety, Only the fact that I was a straight-A student (except for penmanship, I never learned to hold a pen or pencil right since my hands were too small) likely stopped them and I STILL would have been the smallest kid in class.
Then we moved to a progressive school district and I ended up in eighth grade math, science and English classes at age 10, high school junior English at age 11. ;> We moved again to a district that ran a normal curriculum and in effect, I ended up having to repeat the seventh and eighth grade. Bored me right out of my skull, I've never been the same since. ;>
I started high school only 4'9" tall, with one other boy my height, a cousin of mine who was one inch taller and a Filipina girl who was 1 inch shorter. I seriously wondered if I'd ever make it to five foot. ;>
Growing up, I constantly fooled adults and other kids as to my age. I frequently wasn't believed when I told the truth. The idea of slipping backward a year or so occurred to me a lot and like I said, responsible adults in the school districts even suggested it. ;>
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Wanda
OK, your right
OK, I checked. And the difference is only an inch or so at all percentiles.
You would be the second or third tallest in my extended family, but I have you by almost an inch. :) I also have an August birthday, and that didn't help at all. One twelfth of the kids in class were eleven months older than me, and that made me feel shorter. I just always remember girls that towered over me in those years. But maybe with the boys, I was more worried about the length of their arms.
Hugs and Joy, Jan
I'm a Little Surprised...
...that you don't have a femme name for your lead character -- not that it's an important issue, but I think I'd have a harder time conceptually taking a protagonist through a story if I didn't have a name in mind. (Then again, if you've been thinking of her as Kelly-Prime or some such...)
Anyway, I don't know how plausible it'd be, but I can see one of the Hispanics in town addressing her as "cara", and Drew adopting that as a name: though it's a Spanish (and Italian) term of endearment, as a name (with either a "c" or "k") I've always considered it pretty white-bread. (Wikipedia tells me that the "K" form has a different root, from the Greek "charis", meaning joy).
There's a tie-in, as old DC comics readers know, to Supergirl, but I doubt that it would mean anything to Drew or his mother.
Eric
Name
I do have a name in mind, but I'm willing to go with another one. ;>
I like Cara and Kara, both good names. And Jan suggested Allie. We'll see what else comes up.
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Wanda
Ooh, yummy!
I'd like to see the story without age regression myself- as much as I enjoy KG, the age regression element always gives me mild heebie-jeebies when a character is that young for some reason.
Daphne is a good name that could make a fun paradox with Drew's 'tomboy' nature, and for his mom's name and a last name, a bit of fun could be had in the story by, say, opening a phone book at random and pointing to a random name.
"Ethel? I don't wanna be an Ethel! Do I look like an Ethel, Drew?"
Melanie E.
Drew And Name Change :-)
Whatever name you choose, I'd not choose Gaby [because Maddy Bell is using that combo for her character ] But a possible name change, considering everything is Duella. As is duece = two or Di Di /Dee Dee. [Didimus + twin. As for being younger, no, stay same age because some girls are late bloomers.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine