Or “How The #$%((@#$)@ Did I Come Up With That Name For The Kitten?”
It occurs to me that the name “Aymeric Leonard Bitingway Vardy” is probably not in the top 10 names for cats these days (or, um, any days). As any cat owner will tell you, cats have extremely long names that are often shortened for convenience and used in full when Serious Matters Are Afoot. My boy Win, rest his soul, was more properly “Winjamin Failclaw” and he had more middle names and nicknames than I care to list. Cats accumulate names.
Each of the kitten’s names have specific meanings. Since they may not be obvious to all readers, let me elaborate. This is totally not just an excuse to talk more about the kitten. Nope. I wouldn’t do that. Not me.
Aymeric
This name is taken from Ser Aymeric de Borel, a character from Final Fantasy XIV. He’s the unrecognized son of Thordan VII of the Holy See of Ishgard. He rose from humble beginnings to become the Lord Commander of the Templar Knights. Aymeric was cool and distant to the player when he was first introduced but became one of your fastest friends. He is, if I remember correctly, the only NPC who has a side quest where you just go back later and have dinner with him because he’s your friend.
While the nature of his story and character are somewhat appropriate, the big thing is that his eyes remind us of the kitten’s. That’s the primary reason for the name, and its order in the list.
Leonard
This is a frankly unnecessary extension of “Leo” but if we’re going to use a scolding voice, “Leo” just isn’t long enough. A good scold name should allow you to really draw it out.
“Leo,” in this case, is the name of a cat I’ve never met. Leo was a grey tabby who was up for adoption at Austin Pets Alive! a good ten years ago. He had the friendliest face of any kitten I’ve seen. Unfortunately, he was FIV+, and with the cats we already had, we couldn’t justify bringing him in to the fold. So, we paid for his adoption and his photo is still on our refrigerator.
Bitingway
He’s a kitten, so yeah, he bites. Why “Bitingway”? It’s another Final Fantasy thing. The Loporrits (space-rabbits who have turned the moon into a spaceship to help humanity escape the…you know, just go with it) all have very gerund-y name based on what they do: Cheatingway, Puddingway, Aimingway…you get the idea. It just felt very appropriate for the third name, especially since the third name is the least-formal (in my non-definitive taxonomy).
Vardy
Named for the one-and-only Jamie Vardy, the legendary striker of Leicester City Football Club. Fast, silly, relentless, and cheeky-as-all-get-out. It’s the name of a champion and thus suits little Aymeric perfectly.
So, there you have it. Once again, I give you: Aymeric Leonard Bitingway Vardy!
