so speaks the artist formerly known as elliemurasaki

[alexseanchai]

So the first chronological Toby Daye story (thus far) by Seanan McGuire, "Rat-Catcher", has a fascinating scene. Cut for spoilers:

[The narrator's name is Rand.]

Some small time later, the shadows opened, and I stepped out alone. The [Cait Sidhe] Court looked at me for a long, appraising moment. In the back of the room, one of Father's doxies began to cry, covering her eyes with her hands. I watched them impassively.

Then Colleen stepped forward, head held high, and said, "The King is dead."

"The Prince has died in slaying him," I replied.

She nodded, accepting my ritual response. "Who claims the crown?"

I thought of Jill in the rafters of the Duke's Theatre, pulling me away before the play could end. I thought of Mercutio, who played the fool, and died for his sins.

Princes die when they become Kings. It is the way of things. But oh, I would miss the foolish Prince that I had been.

"Tybalt, King of the Court of Fogbound Cats," I said.

The Court roared its approval.

So you probably all know that I'm genderqueer and have so identified for a few years now. A few months back, I got to thinking (possibly even prompted by "Rat-Catcher", though I'm not sure): the name my parents gave me, 'Elizabeth', is an explicitly feminine name. So is the name I chose from that, 'Ellie'. For that matter, so is 'Murasaki'.

I'm only sometimes female. I'm not real feminine. And I'm half Irish by ancestry and not Japanese at all.

'Seanchai' means 'storyteller'. The word is from Ireland, pronounced 'shanachee', with the 'ch' like a 'k' in that Gaelic way, as in 'loch'. 'Alex' is short for 'Alexandria', and I insist the long name (being, y'know, a city, with inhabitants of all genders) is as gender-neutral as the short name, though it is read as feminine as often as I am. Alexandria is of course the city of the famous library, and its name derives from two Greek words: the pertinent one, 'alexo', means 'to defend, help'. I'm keeping the surname I chose, Conall; you may notice that my professional account at elizabethconall is now alexconall. As for the timing, today's my twenty-fifth birthday, which seems an auspicious time for such a change. Also, Yuletide's over.

Elizabeth is gone. Alex is here.

Comments

[shanaqui]

Seanchaí is, via a labyrinthine route, the root of my username too!

[alexseanchai]

Cool!