This is in continuation to my previous post - 'What is in a name?' It was when I started judging stories for the random awards that so dot Wattpad that I found the answer...'everything, the name is everything.' It was an conclusion that left me disturbed and slightly depressed.

However, since I have to elaborate on why I feel the way I do, I will try to illustrate by way of examples using the two male leads (ML1 and ML 2) and two female leads (FL1 and FL2), the ancillary characters really do not vary much with regard to their names, or rather in their case the names are again dependant of who the ML and FL are.

For example one, I put down the following scenario:

ML1 and FL1 are in love; FL2 is an arrogant and egoistic girl who has never learnt the meaning of no in her life. For whatever the reason it could be, she decides that she needs ML1 in her life and by hook or crook she manages to coerce ML1 to marry her.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks /months/years, in accordance to the pace the writer has decided, FL2 has slowly changed in the presence of ML1 who is a kind hearted and understanding man. Now comes the moment of decision for him once he learns that FL2 is repentant for her actions and want to give their relationship a chance in earnest.

What should he do - choose her because he is married to her or go back to FL1 the woman who loves him and whom he loves, and who is still waiting for him?

The answer is depending on names of the characters, if FL2 and ML1 are the names of the popular OTP then all her crimes are forgiven, she turns into an angel overnight, the ML realises that it was only infatuation with FL1 and they happily drive off into the sunset. The magnitude of crimes committed by FL2 (which are quite gigantic, like firing people and ensuring they do not get jobs, causing accidents etc.) are all swept under the cosmic carpet of the soul mate concept and the FL1 is forgotten or transmuted into a villain.

However, if FL1 and ML1 are the OTP, then FL2 does not stand a change of redemption, irrespective of how minor her crimes could be (she could be arrogant and used her money to blackmail him into marrying her, but is otherwise a good girl), she committed the cardinal sin of coming between two eternal soul mates. She either has to die for her sin or will mutate to being pure evil and would be finished off by the Gods / hand of justice.

Let us now skip to scenario 2 where I flip the leads - FL1 and ML1 are in love or engaged to be married, ML2 sees her and is enamoured by her, forces her to marry him, usually by the simple method of raping her. Or it could be that he marries her and uses her only for sex, with physical abuse thrown into the mix and one day she meets ML1 and finds an empathic sympathiser who slowly falls in love with her.

Again fast forward to a couple of weeks /months/years, in accordance to the pace the writer has decided, and ML2 has a change of heart based on his wife's demure and unflinching attitude and begs for a chance to start their relationship afresh. By now even ML1 has confessed his love for her and offers her an opportunity for a new beginning. This time she is in a dilemma, whom does she choose?

The answer is again dependant on the names of the characters. If ML2 is the male half of the OTP, even heavens cannot do them apart- it does not matter if he is a rapist or a sadist; all his sins are washed away in the river of love. The ML1 is left as the way he entered, a sympathetic bystander. Yet, if ML1 is the half of OTP, ML2 should start counting his days or rather minutes before he faces the wrath of the righteous ML1, his repentance shall not withstand the fury of the true lover.

Now you might wonder why it disturbs me, for it does disturb me, disturbs me a lot; for in the name of love, under the guise of romance we seem to justify arrogance and rape, we give emphasis to the misleading theory that love is enough. It is not enough, just love is never enough, without the solid foundation of self-respect and trust, with the existence of basic tenets of decency and honesty, a relationship cannot survive. Causing bodily harm, raping a woman, subjecting him/her to physical and emotional trauma are crimes and the perpetuator has to be punished, not forgive by saying the words 'I love you' just because he /she is named after your adored OTP.

It is not merely depressing to read such tales; it is frightening at times, what messages are we, as writers and readers, trying to propagate? That anything is admissible under the name of love? Are we not fooling ourselves? It is indeed a sorry state of affairs, when the characters are not judged by their words or deeds, when they are not judged by their strengths and merits, when the only thing that matters is what their names are.

It is indeed worrisome that the name is everything and character is nothing.