My perfectionist sister is spiralling into madness because the name she uses online has some things that are starting to really bother her.
My sister has recently fallen into a really sad slump over a name she created, because she now feels like it has some major problems.
She’s an ENORMOUS perfectionist and gets incredibly meticulous about anything she makes! If something no longer feels “right” to her, she’ll completely abandon it, even if she previously loved it.
The name she created was “Redwyn,” combining “Red” (her favourite colour) with “wyn” (the Welsh word meaning fair, white, or blessed). Her goal was to make a name that could work universally for everything, as a believable unisex name for both male and female characters in games, and also as a username she could use across Steam, PlayStation, MMOs, social media, etc.
The problem started when she discovered that “Wyn” is primarily masculine in Welsh usage, while “Wen” is considered the feminine form. Unfortunately, she strongly prefers the appearance and sound of “Wyn,” including the fact that she’s already been using it in numerous different locations that won’t allow her to change it, and now she’s spiralling over the idea that the name is wrong. She’s even considered deleting accounts she can’t rename just because they use Redwyn in some form.
What’s upsetting her even more is that she’s seen people online criticize fantasy writers and Americans for using “Wyn” without respecting its cultural origin, and she’s beginning to feel guilty and embarrassed for using it at all.
Personally, as a woman myself, I don’t really understand why she’s being so hard on herself. I honestly think “Redwyn” looks and sounds nice, and I’ve even shown her plenty of names used for girls that end in “wyn.” In fact, to me, “Wyn” actually looks and sounds softer and more feminine than “Wen,” though it’s probably just my cultural bias talking.
I’d genuinely appreciate to hear other people’s thoughts on this, as some thoughts from real people about her exact issue would definitely help her get out of her slump, or at least help her make up her mind. She’s too shy to ask herself on a public message board, so I’m posting this on her behalf. I apologize in advance if I come off as ignorant regarding the topic.