Hey, this space has been quiet for a couple of weeks. I got employed so most of my headspace has been occupied with learning the ropes of the new job. I've mostly acclimated by now, so while I won't try to match my earlier posting schedule, I'll post whenever I have some time to write.
To get the ball rolling again, here's a ramble about how I named this blog.
Why is this blog called the Rambling Marionette?
Well, I needed a quirky, fun name for the blog and I brainstormed some suggestions with my spouse during this one car ride and the Rambling Marionette was good enough.
That’s basically it, but here’s a longer and more interesting version I came up with after I had already picked up the name:
Names have power - even if you, my hypothetical readers, might not even glance at the name on top of the page, I know that the name will affect how I personally view this blog. So I wanted a name that both means something to me and resembles the style and themes I wish the blog to have.
Rambling
Here’s the Merriam-Webster definition for the word “rambling”:
(Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rambling)
This blog will stray from subject to subject. I tend to ramble when talking about things that interest me, and while I have a bad habit of over-editing my writing, it’s not something I wish for my posts here. I want to write about a broad range of topics tangentially related to RPG’s, get excited about one subject and then another.
I also like hiking and general wandering in the woods, around my neighbourhood and any interesting locales, so it’s a plus that the name reflects on that as well!
Marionette
My gaming circles have this joke that all of my games feature creepy dolls in some way or another. And they’re mostly correct.
Personally I don’t think I have any particular interest in puppets, creepy or not, but perhaps they spring from some subconcious thing or memory I’ve yet to process.
Anyway, “Rambling Doll/Puppet” felt too short, unbalanced, while Marionette evokes a picture of a marionette, with its strings cut, wandering alone in the woods. Perfect! Maybe I’ll commission some art of it, if I ever decide to put any money into this project.
(Another potential name for this blog was “No Strings Attached”. My spouse didn’t find that name funny, but I like that it survives as a potential visual gag.)
How do you name stuff when you need names?
