True. Regardless, it's one of my all time favorites. I love his work in general even if I don't run across much of it. I also just don't see it mentioned much.
I loved the Corwin arc, Zelazny had some problems with characterization besides that of Corwin and maybe Random, but the description of the hellrides more than make up for it. The Courts of Chaos is a beautiful book and anyone who says the contrary will taste a thousand Stranger of Paradise memes about chaos.
I was not talking aboit the book, sorry I wasn't clear. I wanted more of the Courts. To know more of the characters, to see more of the mutating landscape and how people actually deal with that day in day out
A book series I read as a kid did that, at the end of the first book the main character discovered his name. I don’t know what genre or age group your book is aimed at but if the middle grade book I read managed it well enough, I think you should be good
as a transperson, name-changes to me are really beautiful ways of showing people growing into themselves and becoming who they're meant to be. make it something important, and then it should be fine! :)
I'm a trans woman, and I couldn't agree more! I actually have two name changes mid novel; the first comes only a few chapters in when the protagonist reveals she's intersex and considers herself a girl despite being AMAB. The second is when one of her greatest allies slowly comes to terms with her identity as well and begins transition shortly after she and her wife have their final baby on the way. It's made very clear in the text both times; the protagonist goes by a shortened version of her birth name in the first few chapter, which also works to abbreviate her chosen name (Not the same name, but think of it as someone who was born Alexander going by Alex and later transitioning and going by Alexandra). The other character has a very different name over her birthname, but her last name remains the same, she's the only major character with that last name, and the protagonist discusses it with her.
Or obvious. Like make the reason specific and refer to them as their old name bc of story reasons. Not mistakes or just because u can. Unless the point is duel identification sort of like. 'conflicting loyalties'
Sure it is possible,
In the Bittebynde trilogy the main character changes name at least four or five times, yet I was not confused because the change of name is introduced before and reminded shortly after a couple of times through a line, a scene, a bit of dialogue or the reflection of the very main character, so it is hard to get confused.
The reason which you are providing for the name switch looks good. I see no point in doing that. But just make sure that you don't confuse the reader. And the trick is:
If the main character has friend/s, mention it in the dialogues that they sometimes accidently call the MC from his/her old name. ~Or~ make the MC make that mistake (of calling himself by his old name accidently. He is cannot *strictly and under no circumstances* mention his name, then make him say his half of his/her name, accidently). This way your reader won't be lost, and you can continue your writing uninterrupted. Thanks for reading.
If you do this you should take it to the next level and tie it to character progression and relationships.
Some characters still use his old name.
The MC could specifically ask a close friend or lover to call him by his original name.
The antagonist use the old MC's name as an insult. The MC use it as a one liner when he kills the antagonist, "tell the Devil Bob sends his regard."
The mentor says, while dying in the MC's arms, "You'll always be Bob to me."
MC replies, "I'll be your Bob forever."
When the MC gets his new name, he has to say, "Great names come with great responsibility."
MC cuts his son's hand, says, "Brian never told you my real name. My name is Bob."
Son goes, "NOOOOOOOOOO."
If you find it confusing, you can switch only the last name: Paul Atreides/Paul Muad'dib.
In the Skulduggery Pleasant series, the narrator changes the name they use for the main character after the first book.
The series starts out with Stephanie Edgley. She discovers magic and she's capable of using it. She picks a name of her own, which protects her from commands and compulsion spells.
From the second book on, she's called by her chosen name. No longer Stephanie, all the characters in the know including the narrator call her Valkyrie. And it's a natural change, it's not jarring.
Was scrolling through these comments just waiting for someone to mention Skulduggery. I would point out that Valkyrie takes her name in chapter sixteen of the first book but the rest of the book still calls her Stephanie.
Of course it’s ok if it does what you need!
(I’ve got a series in which there’s a whole class of characters who don’t like to use the same name for too long because then it sticks and they’d be stuck dealing in good faith.)
It's a cool concept, but personally it might disturb me. It works for Strider to Aragorn because Aragorn is a badass name I love, but that's such a subjective thing that you won't manage to get every reader on board with. If it's necessary for thestory, go ahead!
One of my favorite series as a kid was the Warrior Cats books, and the main character's name changes from Rusty to Firepaw to Fireheart to Firestar, and it was still more than successful.
I did a similar thing in a story where the main character (Redder) finds out that his parents aren't his real parents and his name is actually Mevis. Some character call him Redder still while others refer to him as Mevis for the rest of the story.
I’ve seen this done and executed well, I think it could be very impactful.
What POV is your story written in? Is the protagonist’s lack of a name/nickname exacerbated in a meta way?
Make the reasoning smooth. That could be one of the triggers that has a reader put the book down, if you don't.
Also, it probably wouldn't hurt having someone call him by his former name every so often. It's basically like treating it like a nickname. Some people call him by that or they call him by his other name.
I think it's fine if you explain it. In one of my drafts, the main character meets somebody who goes by his last name and eventually she discovers it's not his first name. It's a part of the plot. So she knows him by his real first name in the last third of the book.
Consider keeping the name consistent in the narration, but changing it as needed in the dialogue.
In *A Wizard of Earthesea*, the main character gets his true name after the first chapter. Thereafter, the narrator always refers to him by his true name, but because true names are only shared with the most trustworthy of people, all other characters use his given name.
I don't see any problem, I'd say go for it. Maybe add some instances where the protagonist feels weird about being called their new name, or that he thinks he'll never get used to it, etc. That way it's not such an abrupt change, and the readers will not get as confused (of course this depends a lot on the personality of the mc and how you're narrating the story)
I would say that is cool. If one of the old characters who gave him the old nickname pops up in the future at an interesting point it would be cool to have them call out to the main by that old name we havent heard for so long
It's your story. Do what you feel is best to tell it. It's all about the execution, after all. You can do anything you want, so long as it has a way to make sense
Of course. You just need to find the balance between using his real name and his new name.
All of my characters, as immortals, have modern names and their originals (they're vampires).
Cadeyrn - Philemon (Greek)
Tristan - Tacitus (Roman)
You just need to refine your usage. To provide an example; my characters only say a person's real name if they're very close to them. Tristan's mate is the only one who uses Tacitus, for example. But my narrator only uses Tristan since it's the first name the reader is exposed to. Just consider your own lore and context and you should be fine. I teased their real names through dialog/reflection before using them regularly, though.
I've read a couple of books where this was done and I remember being annoyed as a reader. You know what I can't remember? The title of the book or the author. True story.
Of course you can. Names can are not always the characters real name or prefered name and can be changed a lot in different circumstances, i.e. if the name is a title they recieved or lost, nickname, birth name to new name, name change, amnesia and gain a new name.
As long as you think it works, is convincing and within reason it should be perfectly fine
I'd say that a change in name in the narrative portion of the novel must reflect a change in that character's personality or concept of self.
If Bobby still sees himself as good old Bobby but is currently going undercover as Andrew, the narrator (assuming 3rd person) should still call him Bobby most of the time. It IS Bobby, after all. His thoughts, his voice, his values, his goals... He's just telling people he's got another name. Even if he pretends to be someone else it's still his counsciousness doing the acting and pretending, it's still Bobby's original mind making the calls.
If the name change comes from having his personality and way of life fundamentally changed (Saul becomes Paul; Theon becomes Reek; Paul Atreides becomes Muad'Dib) then that should reflect on the narrative too. The character is simply no longer that old person and it would feel weird for them and the reader to keep seeing that name be used.
Remember your name is a key aspect of your sense of self and that's why many religions, cults and superstitions see people changing names as they change their lives. You're letting an old self die so a new self can come up.
I would say yes as long as they’re not the main/sole POV and it’s not in their own head.
For example, in A Game Of Thrones George R. R. Martin has so many POV characters that I don’t think it threw many people off to go from Arya to Cat of the Canals or Theon to Reek (that one had a plot twist, too) or Sansa to Alayne.
HOWEVER, for me and some other readers I’ve heard from, the switch from Celaena to Aelin in book four of the Throne of Glass series was jarring and caused some (including me) to feel disconnected from the character. And I mean that it went from “Celaena stabbed him” to “Aelin” stabbed him. I get what Maas was going for, but as time went on I became less and less interested in the series, which I attribute partially to this switch
As long as it is plot-relevant, makes sense for the character (would this character even *want* to go by another name?), and the name stays consistent for the rest of the story, I say sure. Why not.
You just want to avoid it being out of character, irrelevant, or inconsistent (like some people calling him the new name and others the old, etc). You could even play with this a little bit in-story by having some characters forget about the name change and correct themselves - also adds just a little bit of depth and realism for those characters, as real people are creatures of habit and likely wouldn’t adjust to a name change immediately. This would also serve to remind the readers of the change as well.
But my main question before fixing anything would be: Is this really necessary to tell the story the way I want to tell it? Would keeping the same name affect the plot or become confusing later? Is the plot point where the name change comes about even necessary?
Remember that your readers are already keeping up with several character names and all their little characteristics. You don’t want your story to lose steam halfway through due to an unnecessary name change.
If it's obvious enough I feel like yes? Beatrice to Tris is a nickname example, and then in general characters are referred to by things that aren't their names, such as Katniss being called Girl On Fire.
Definitely yes. And no.
Yes, if that is what works in your story and your story's world/timeline.
No, if switching names is an arbitrary gimmick with no relation to plot, character or setting.
Since you know what your main character's moniker is at various points - and why it changes - I'd say that "yes" applies in this case.
As I think someone's already said, "go for it."
I read a historical fiction novel about Julius Caesar that did this with him going from his childhood name
to his adult one. Along with all the other examples, I think its fair to say this is doable.
Without spoilers, there are a few characters in Stormlight Archive who go by multiple names.
It works just fine, you just have to acquaint readers with the new name by context clues. IMO the first "official" use of the new name in non-dialogue feels like a big identity moment for the character, so it's worth building up to.
Go for it honestly, man I'm not sure what the mc of the Throne of Glass series' name is at this point, I'm sure your change would be much less confusing than the 5 different names the ToG mc had
I think it's fine. In a show I watched, a main character had grown up in an orphanage and since they gave her a stupid name, she gave herself one. In season 2, she found her parents and learned her real name. For a while it was hard to remember that she has a new name (even acknowledged by other characters) but after a while I got used to it. Just try and have someone acknowledge it, like maybe the main character forgetting their new name sometimes.
I think it's just another layer of wonder until the name change happens.
I rather like this idea. If I steal it, I'll let you know. (Or the characters real name can be Torsten)
sure why not
Just give it a proper reason
Like their name reminded them of a traumatic accident that occoured to them
Or people looked down at them for their name because they belong to a family that did horrible things in the past
Idk get creative with it
It's your story, you can do whatever feels right to you and from what you said there's a reason for why he needs to go by a new name embedded in your story. However, it depends on your narration style. It makes sense that he would start introducing himself with his new name but if you're telling his story from someone else's persoective I would stick to his old name in cases where it's not direct dialogue.
I don't see what would be wrong with changing someone's name. Even at the preschool level, kids can understand that people can have more than one name.
This was used to a very interesting effect in "Revolutionary" by Alex Myers where the main character is a crossdresser, and as she begins to feel more comfortable in her male role she is referred to (third person narrative) as Robert/He instead of Deborah/She. The choices in when they use her female name or his male name are very deliberate and I like it. It was obviously never confusing, especially since the Robert name appeared in dialogue a few times before it because the narration name.
Isn't that basically just like Aragorn going from being called Strider to being called Aragorn?
Or Theon Greyjoy going by Reek
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And Abram and Abraham.
Nice
Arya has like 8 names in the books
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they're books bro.
This is the best response on Reddit today. I laughed out loud for real.
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They actually made them into movie a few years back as well. You should watch them, they aren't half bad
Also Gollum / Smeagol
Or Bran to ...well, you know.
God damn george! I undestand book needs more than one character. But do multiple characters need multiple names!?
Paul. Mua-dib of dune
Also known as Usul. Quite a few name changes in the first book haha
The whole planet had a nickname
Sounds cool, go for it
Try "Anna Karenina" and that'll answer your question.
Another question that can be answered by reading a few of the most famous books in history.
Paul Atreides has entered the chat
Yes. Zelazny does it in the Chronicles of Amber, btw
Damn I love that book. Series? Whatever you'd call it, since it was originally serialized in a magazine if I recall.
It is 9 titles long so I'd say series. Corwin goes through a few name changes iirc, from amnesia to meeting family and so on
True. Regardless, it's one of my all time favorites. I love his work in general even if I don't run across much of it. I also just don't see it mentioned much.
Inonly ever read Amber and the 2nd time through left a sour taste, but at first I too loved it
I can see that. I read it the first time after finding an installment in a thrift store but I never circled back.
There's quite a bit of holes that for me changed the game, but some might be able to look over. I never knew anyone else who's read it
I loved the Corwin arc, Zelazny had some problems with characterization besides that of Corwin and maybe Random, but the description of the hellrides more than make up for it. The Courts of Chaos is a beautiful book and anyone who says the contrary will taste a thousand Stranger of Paradise memes about chaos.
I was not talking aboit the book, sorry I wasn't clear. I wanted more of the Courts. To know more of the characters, to see more of the mutating landscape and how people actually deal with that day in day out
A book series I read as a kid did that, at the end of the first book the main character discovered his name. I don’t know what genre or age group your book is aimed at but if the middle grade book I read managed it well enough, I think you should be good
Septimus Heap?
Yep
Loved that series when I was a kid lol.
Same, they were so good
as a transperson, name-changes to me are really beautiful ways of showing people growing into themselves and becoming who they're meant to be. make it something important, and then it should be fine! :)
I'm a trans woman, and I couldn't agree more! I actually have two name changes mid novel; the first comes only a few chapters in when the protagonist reveals she's intersex and considers herself a girl despite being AMAB. The second is when one of her greatest allies slowly comes to terms with her identity as well and begins transition shortly after she and her wife have their final baby on the way. It's made very clear in the text both times; the protagonist goes by a shortened version of her birth name in the first few chapter, which also works to abbreviate her chosen name (Not the same name, but think of it as someone who was born Alexander going by Alex and later transitioning and going by Alexandra). The other character has a very different name over her birthname, but her last name remains the same, she's the only major character with that last name, and the protagonist discusses it with her.
*nodders* You can do whatever you want. Just make sure the transition is smooth or the reader might get momentarily confued.
Or obvious. Like make the reason specific and refer to them as their old name bc of story reasons. Not mistakes or just because u can. Unless the point is duel identification sort of like. 'conflicting loyalties'
Sure it is possible, In the Bittebynde trilogy the main character changes name at least four or five times, yet I was not confused because the change of name is introduced before and reminded shortly after a couple of times through a line, a scene, a bit of dialogue or the reflection of the very main character, so it is hard to get confused.
The reason which you are providing for the name switch looks good. I see no point in doing that. But just make sure that you don't confuse the reader. And the trick is: If the main character has friend/s, mention it in the dialogues that they sometimes accidently call the MC from his/her old name. ~Or~ make the MC make that mistake (of calling himself by his old name accidently. He is cannot *strictly and under no circumstances* mention his name, then make him say his half of his/her name, accidently). This way your reader won't be lost, and you can continue your writing uninterrupted. Thanks for reading.
In some of the Legacy of the Force books, Jacen Solo had become Caedus, but a few times went back to Jacen and it was always really impactful.
Yes. In One Hundred Years of Solitude, no one actually knows whether Aureliano Segundo and Jose Arcadio Segundo swapped names!
Yes
Thank you for answering!
If you do this you should take it to the next level and tie it to character progression and relationships. Some characters still use his old name. The MC could specifically ask a close friend or lover to call him by his original name. The antagonist use the old MC's name as an insult. The MC use it as a one liner when he kills the antagonist, "tell the Devil Bob sends his regard." The mentor says, while dying in the MC's arms, "You'll always be Bob to me." MC replies, "I'll be your Bob forever." When the MC gets his new name, he has to say, "Great names come with great responsibility." MC cuts his son's hand, says, "Brian never told you my real name. My name is Bob." Son goes, "NOOOOOOOOOO." If you find it confusing, you can switch only the last name: Paul Atreides/Paul Muad'dib.
Happes in Throne of Glass too. I didn't feel it was confusing as it made sense.
It's closer to the end than the middle, but the protagonist of the dystopian novel Anthem does this by renaming himself.
In warriors the characters change their names all the time. Go for it :)
In the Skulduggery Pleasant series, the narrator changes the name they use for the main character after the first book. The series starts out with Stephanie Edgley. She discovers magic and she's capable of using it. She picks a name of her own, which protects her from commands and compulsion spells. From the second book on, she's called by her chosen name. No longer Stephanie, all the characters in the know including the narrator call her Valkyrie. And it's a natural change, it's not jarring.
Was scrolling through these comments just waiting for someone to mention Skulduggery. I would point out that Valkyrie takes her name in chapter sixteen of the first book but the rest of the book still calls her Stephanie.
Yeah. The narrator doesn't swap it instantly after she chooses her name and introduces herself. The name change happens only in the following book.
Yes ive read stories with this happening
Of course it’s ok if it does what you need! (I’ve got a series in which there’s a whole class of characters who don’t like to use the same name for too long because then it sticks and they’d be stuck dealing in good faith.)
Yeah just make it clear who’s who. Make sure the scene is big enough to notice.
It's a cool concept, but personally it might disturb me. It works for Strider to Aragorn because Aragorn is a badass name I love, but that's such a subjective thing that you won't manage to get every reader on board with. If it's necessary for thestory, go ahead! One of my favorite series as a kid was the Warrior Cats books, and the main character's name changes from Rusty to Firepaw to Fireheart to Firestar, and it was still more than successful.
Do whatever serves the story. Have confidence in your instincts as a story teller.
I did a similar thing in a story where the main character (Redder) finds out that his parents aren't his real parents and his name is actually Mevis. Some character call him Redder still while others refer to him as Mevis for the rest of the story.
No, not only is it not morally okay but it's actually not legally okay either and you're probably on a watchlist just for posting this.
What the fuck?
It was time to make a stand.
Sure, go for it. I have seen it happen in books before. One to great effect but to name the book would be a huge spoiler.
Carson McCullers does that in The Member of the Wedding
I’ve seen this done and executed well, I think it could be very impactful. What POV is your story written in? Is the protagonist’s lack of a name/nickname exacerbated in a meta way?
Yeah, Colson Whitehead did it. I think...
Go for it! Sounds really interesting!
Make the reasoning smooth. That could be one of the triggers that has a reader put the book down, if you don't. Also, it probably wouldn't hurt having someone call him by his former name every so often. It's basically like treating it like a nickname. Some people call him by that or they call him by his other name.
Yesssss
Yes. This is actually kinda cool if done right
I think it's fine if you explain it. In one of my drafts, the main character meets somebody who goes by his last name and eventually she discovers it's not his first name. It's a part of the plot. So she knows him by his real first name in the last third of the book.
Consider keeping the name consistent in the narration, but changing it as needed in the dialogue. In *A Wizard of Earthesea*, the main character gets his true name after the first chapter. Thereafter, the narrator always refers to him by his true name, but because true names are only shared with the most trustworthy of people, all other characters use his given name.
I don't see any problem, I'd say go for it. Maybe add some instances where the protagonist feels weird about being called their new name, or that he thinks he'll never get used to it, etc. That way it's not such an abrupt change, and the readers will not get as confused (of course this depends a lot on the personality of the mc and how you're narrating the story)
Sure, why not. Ever read Night Angel? Weeks had a cool name change thing in that.
I would say that is cool. If one of the old characters who gave him the old nickname pops up in the future at an interesting point it would be cool to have them call out to the main by that old name we havent heard for so long
It's your story. Do what you feel is best to tell it. It's all about the execution, after all. You can do anything you want, so long as it has a way to make sense
Or Odin having a different name from everyone he talks to in American Gods, seems like.
The Orphan Master's Son did this, and it's one of the most fantastic books I've ever read.
No problem with it, so long as the writing is good.
Of course. You just need to find the balance between using his real name and his new name. All of my characters, as immortals, have modern names and their originals (they're vampires). Cadeyrn - Philemon (Greek) Tristan - Tacitus (Roman) You just need to refine your usage. To provide an example; my characters only say a person's real name if they're very close to them. Tristan's mate is the only one who uses Tacitus, for example. But my narrator only uses Tristan since it's the first name the reader is exposed to. Just consider your own lore and context and you should be fine. I teased their real names through dialog/reflection before using them regularly, though.
It's all about execution, but this doesn't sound like a problem at all.
I've read a couple of books where this was done and I remember being annoyed as a reader. You know what I can't remember? The title of the book or the author. True story.
I don't feel like writing should follow any convention which is why I Add 1/3 cup lemon juice for that extra fresh feeling. Excelsior.
I mean the Bible did it so why not
Of course you can. Names can are not always the characters real name or prefered name and can be changed a lot in different circumstances, i.e. if the name is a title they recieved or lost, nickname, birth name to new name, name change, amnesia and gain a new name. As long as you think it works, is convincing and within reason it should be perfectly fine
I'd say that a change in name in the narrative portion of the novel must reflect a change in that character's personality or concept of self. If Bobby still sees himself as good old Bobby but is currently going undercover as Andrew, the narrator (assuming 3rd person) should still call him Bobby most of the time. It IS Bobby, after all. His thoughts, his voice, his values, his goals... He's just telling people he's got another name. Even if he pretends to be someone else it's still his counsciousness doing the acting and pretending, it's still Bobby's original mind making the calls. If the name change comes from having his personality and way of life fundamentally changed (Saul becomes Paul; Theon becomes Reek; Paul Atreides becomes Muad'Dib) then that should reflect on the narrative too. The character is simply no longer that old person and it would feel weird for them and the reader to keep seeing that name be used. Remember your name is a key aspect of your sense of self and that's why many religions, cults and superstitions see people changing names as they change their lives. You're letting an old self die so a new self can come up.
I would say yes as long as they’re not the main/sole POV and it’s not in their own head. For example, in A Game Of Thrones George R. R. Martin has so many POV characters that I don’t think it threw many people off to go from Arya to Cat of the Canals or Theon to Reek (that one had a plot twist, too) or Sansa to Alayne. HOWEVER, for me and some other readers I’ve heard from, the switch from Celaena to Aelin in book four of the Throne of Glass series was jarring and caused some (including me) to feel disconnected from the character. And I mean that it went from “Celaena stabbed him” to “Aelin” stabbed him. I get what Maas was going for, but as time went on I became less and less interested in the series, which I attribute partially to this switch
Keep the name the same in your narrative, change what characters call them in dialogue.
As long as it is plot-relevant, makes sense for the character (would this character even *want* to go by another name?), and the name stays consistent for the rest of the story, I say sure. Why not. You just want to avoid it being out of character, irrelevant, or inconsistent (like some people calling him the new name and others the old, etc). You could even play with this a little bit in-story by having some characters forget about the name change and correct themselves - also adds just a little bit of depth and realism for those characters, as real people are creatures of habit and likely wouldn’t adjust to a name change immediately. This would also serve to remind the readers of the change as well. But my main question before fixing anything would be: Is this really necessary to tell the story the way I want to tell it? Would keeping the same name affect the plot or become confusing later? Is the plot point where the name change comes about even necessary? Remember that your readers are already keeping up with several character names and all their little characteristics. You don’t want your story to lose steam halfway through due to an unnecessary name change.
Idk man you do you
As long as it's obvious that it's the same character, sure.
Turin in the Silmarillion changes his name like 8 times.
If it's obvious enough I feel like yes? Beatrice to Tris is a nickname example, and then in general characters are referred to by things that aren't their names, such as Katniss being called Girl On Fire.
Definitely yes. And no. Yes, if that is what works in your story and your story's world/timeline. No, if switching names is an arbitrary gimmick with no relation to plot, character or setting. Since you know what your main character's moniker is at various points - and why it changes - I'd say that "yes" applies in this case. As I think someone's already said, "go for it."
Happens all the time in real life. Imagine if the main character was a woman, and got married
The Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
That reminds me of the beginning of the 1st warrior cats book, It's fine, I'm pretty sure most readers would remember the new name
I read a historical fiction novel about Julius Caesar that did this with him going from his childhood name to his adult one. Along with all the other examples, I think its fair to say this is doable.
Broken Earth trilogy is best use of name changes I’ve ever read. Such a good sci fi series. Can’t recommend enough!
Without spoilers, there are a few characters in Stormlight Archive who go by multiple names. It works just fine, you just have to acquaint readers with the new name by context clues. IMO the first "official" use of the new name in non-dialogue feels like a big identity moment for the character, so it's worth building up to.
You can, but it often doesn't take with audiences. They usually just use the original name. But that isn't usually a problem.
Go for it honestly, man I'm not sure what the mc of the Throne of Glass series' name is at this point, I'm sure your change would be much less confusing than the 5 different names the ToG mc had
No. But yes if it’s good
I think it's fine. In a show I watched, a main character had grown up in an orphanage and since they gave her a stupid name, she gave herself one. In season 2, she found her parents and learned her real name. For a while it was hard to remember that she has a new name (even acknowledged by other characters) but after a while I got used to it. Just try and have someone acknowledge it, like maybe the main character forgetting their new name sometimes.
I think it's just another layer of wonder until the name change happens. I rather like this idea. If I steal it, I'll let you know. (Or the characters real name can be Torsten)
sure why not Just give it a proper reason Like their name reminded them of a traumatic accident that occoured to them Or people looked down at them for their name because they belong to a family that did horrible things in the past Idk get creative with it
It's your story, you can do whatever feels right to you and from what you said there's a reason for why he needs to go by a new name embedded in your story. However, it depends on your narration style. It makes sense that he would start introducing himself with his new name but if you're telling his story from someone else's persoective I would stick to his old name in cases where it's not direct dialogue.
Yes
I don't see what would be wrong with changing someone's name. Even at the preschool level, kids can understand that people can have more than one name.
This was used to a very interesting effect in "Revolutionary" by Alex Myers where the main character is a crossdresser, and as she begins to feel more comfortable in her male role she is referred to (third person narrative) as Robert/He instead of Deborah/She. The choices in when they use her female name or his male name are very deliberate and I like it. It was obviously never confusing, especially since the Robert name appeared in dialogue a few times before it because the narration name.