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| Links: Back to XC names |
THE AUTHOR ON XC NAMES
XCs speak by vibrating tympanic membranes, and to a human ear their voice sounds like a series of chimes, bangs and other percussive blows. Hence I gave the two main XC females, Oomoing and Barabadar, percussion-type names that reflected their nature. Oomoing is a scientist, naturally inquisitive; imagine a tympani that makes a boinging sort of sound, going up at the end as if to ask a question. Marshal of Space Barabadar, on the other hand, gets her name from a straightforward martial drumbeat.
The relationship between Oomoing and Barabadar was inspired by that between Stephen Maturin and Jack Aubrey in Patrick O'Brian's excellent series of naval novels, starting with Master and Commander: Oomoing/Maturin the gifted scientist, completely out of depth in a naval environment, and Aubrey/Barabadar the not entirely broad-minded navy veteran. The novels are heavily recommended, but note that the relationship was only inspired — Barabadar and Oomoing never become that close.
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