A is for... Apollo

OceanMasters have names from Greek mythology, and there are many to choose from, especially once we move out of the pantheon and into other areas of mythology. When I applied to become an OceanMaster, I daydreamed about my choice of OceanMaster name. I tried not to; I didn't want to get attached to a name and be disappointed. But it was an alluring thought, and I found it difficult to keep my mind away from it. As we all waited to hear about the appointments, with varying degrees of patience, I realized that there was one potential OceanMaster name that I kept coming back to, that I felt very comfortable with. I knew then that if I was lucky enough to be chosen, I would request this name.

I wasn't chosen, and one of the nine OceanMasters recruited in that wave took the name I had been considering!

When I was offered an OceanMaster position later that year, my decision on name was made very quickly, compared to the weeks of daydreaming I'd enjoyed earlier. I considered Zeus, but decided that I didn't want to live with his somewhat depraved and despotic character in mythology. (Ironically, within weeks of starting the job, I was using the existing Zeus account as a character to help with in-game events and prize distribution. I needn't have been worried about Zeus's character. Once translated into the Y!PP world, Zeus is a good-humored and slightly bumbling old man with a bad memory and an excellent imagination. At least, he was when I was controlling him.) After Zeus, I had two other main possibilities: Apollo and one other. They were quite different, but reading through information about them, both seemed to reflect parts of my personality and interests. I decided on Apollo. As well as being twin brother of the delightful Artemis, Apollo is god of many things... including light (and the sun), truth, prophesy, healing, music, poetry (and baboons, according to Featherfin).

And so OceanMaster Apollo appeared. On the whole, I’ve been pretty comfortable with him. Writing this, I wonder whether my behavior and style would be very different if I’d ended up either with my original daydreaming choice, or with Zeus, or with another name. I know that as a player, my impressions and expectations of the other OMs were somewhat influenced by their names. What impressions and expectations do players have of Apollo? How much are the impressions guided by what I actually do and say, and how much by the expectations from the name? Would they be different if I were named Zeus? Probably! :D

Avatar credit: this avatar depicts Apollo in Hare Hare Yukai style, and was created by Daggerdarla of Sage Ocean. Apollo still wears the Hare Hare Yukai outfit on Sage!