Faith's Surname

[OkinawanSteel]

Just out of interest, how do people here feel about it? Love it? Hate it? Not fussed either way?

I'm still surprised at the amount of people who don't like it and refuse to accept it as canon. There's nothing wrong with it. But, I'm not somebody who, even as a massive Faith fan, has spent much time thinking about it. I personally liked that she didn't have a surname. It made her more mysterious and presented a statement about her isolation. She was connected to nobody.

I haven't seen many alternatives offered. One recurring surname I've seen in fics is Spencer, and I much prefer Lehane to that. Wilkins, of course, gets mentioned, but I doubt she would use that with all its negative connotations. I have read a few stories where Giles, for all intents and purposes, adopts Faith, and she opts to take his last name. I do like that. I don't think you can make a bigger statement of renouncing her isolation than that, really. If her surname is going to crop up in the comics, I'd like it to have some meaning like that, but even if they only chuck it in as a throwaway line, I have no problem with it being Lehane.

Thoughts?

[KingofCretins]

Lehane is canon, actually -- Joss canonized it in a Q&A, I think. He either came up with it on the fly or said he'd had it in mind earlier. The closest that's ever been used in the text, though, is in Season 8, when she works under the alias Hope Lyonne, which is basically a phonetic twist on her own last name, and shares its linguistic roots.

I think it's fine. It fits her well, because I've seen it credited as being both of Scottish and Irish origins, and as a Bostonian, Faith has a pretty good chance of coming from Irish stock. Also very cool is that one site says that 'descendant of the spear'... or the stake, one might say

[OkinawanSteel]

I didn't know that Joss canonized it in a Q&A. When was that? I did know it was pretty much canon, and accepted it as such. Some people are against it though, much like they are rejecting S8.

The spear thing is very cool. Probably a fluke though. I was thinking Joss got the name from the author, who's also from Boston.

I'm wondering how it would be pronounced. Like "Lehain"? or more like "Lehahn/Leharn"? Or "Lehanne"? (Forgive me if they are crap descriptions) I'm leaning towards the middle one, but that might have something to do with how it reads to me because my Englishness. People have made a lot about "Lehain" pronouciation and the French "la haine" which means "the hate".

Any thoughts on the Faith accepting Giles' surname angle? I suppose it could actually happen since their alliance in S8.

[tangent]

I would personally go with Lehane as rhyming with L'Rain. That's how i read it anyhow. I can see why people might not like season 8 and why they might 'reject' it but Lehane is only a surname, I don't get why people would have a problem with it.

Any thoughts on the Faith accepting Giles' surname angle? I suppose it could actually happen since their alliance in S8.

I don't see why she would. I mean they're working together sure but he's not the father figure to her that he is to Buffy and it's not like he's adopting her.

[OkinawanSteel]

I would personally go with Lehane as rhyming with L'Rain. That's how i read it anyhow. I can see why people might not like season 8 and why they might 'reject' it but Lehane is only a surname, I don't get why people would have a problem with it.

I don't see why she would. I mean they're working together sure but he's not the father figure to her that he is to Buffy and it's not like he's adopting her.

Rejecting the surname is as ridiculous to me as it is to you. But people have been. It's what lead me to creating a thread on this topic.

You don't see Giles as a fatherly-type figure to Faith? Not even with the obvious parallels with F/G, Buffy/Giles and Faith/Mayor? Perhaps Giles didn't come off as overly paternal to Faith in "NFFY", but I could see, if there is ever any reason she needs a surname, that she might use Giles'. I could have seen her using the Mayor's surname, and if Giles is filling a similar position, why not?

I see a sort of sibling relationship between her and Angel, and if he'd had a surname, I could see her using that too, if the occasion occured that she needed one. After forming these relationships with people, I actually see it as more likely she'd use those names than her own, if need be. Just my opinion, obviously.

I think it's fairly obvious she doesn't really associate herself with the Lehane name. It'd be very weird if she just started wandering around all "I'm Faith Lehane, yo!".

[tangent]

I can see a peternal relationship growing between Faith and Giles but i don't think we're there yet. I think it will be somethinmg that develops though, throughout the season.

I don't think she necessarily rejects lehane as a surname unless there's something in books or so on that might suggest that (Haven't read any of the novels but I know there's at least one that's Faithcentric.) It's true that she doesn't seem to use it a lot but then neither do any other character really and the use of the name Hope Lyonne that KoC highlights seems to indicate she's not overly concerned with it.

[OkinawanSteel]

Perhaps you are right. I just always got a feeling that it was a fairly pointed choice by the writers, and therefore the character, not to use her last name. Kendra included, I thought it was meant to be a statement about their isolation, and with Faith, I got the feeling it was a pointed choice not to use it herself. From the background we got the impression she came from, I could see why she'd choose to distance herself from that.

The reason Joss invented surnames for those two was a Watcher's Guide, right? It makes sense that they'd have this information. I supposed Faith not having a last name is something that just slipped through the cracks, but I can't think of another human character that was around and involved as much as Faith, and never got a surname. They could have thrown one in any old time. It felt purposeful. *shrug*

As for Hope Lyonne, that could be evidence against my interpretation, but I got the idea that she made it up on the spot. Surely, in a clinch where you need to think of a surname, your own would come to mind first, even if you're against using it. It could have been a name Giles gave her as a spin on her own too. I'm just making up stuff here, I can't remember how and when she uses the name in the comic. I'll look it up.

[basakbangel]

Uhmm.. You know what Ive never thought about what I feel about it

But I agree that "no surname" made her more mysterious, cool and I felt more like "the dark sidey- Girl with it. Because you know normally in TV shows, the writers doesnt state any surnames or any other information about the bad character since It makes the bad character more clear and the mystery would be broken.

I have no problem with Faith having a surname, Its all fine and "Lehane" is kind of cool surname, Its sounds nice and different, so thats why I liked it o Faith, On the other hand, I have to say that; surnames and names gives a lot of info and signs about the character, Faith Lehane is pretty suitable for Faith.

[stormwreath]

The reason Joss invented surnames for those two was a Watcher's Guide, right? It makes sense that they'd have this information. I supposed Faith not having a last name is something that just slipped through the cracks, but I can't think of another human character that was around and involved as much as Faith, and never got a surname.

I'm pretty sure Faith's surname was devised for the BtVS roleplaying game; one of the authors contacted Joss and asked him if Faith had a surname, and Joss made up something that sounded "Southie".

Does Kendra have a surname now too? I've also heard that Joss has said that Spike's original name was William Pratt.

Personally, the character I most want a surname for now is Kennedy, especially if she's going to appear in Season 8 a lot more. It makes writing fic much easier if you have the surname...