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The first question is for a story I'm writing, but it's relevant for general naming too. Do you think twin names should be separate or have some kind of connection? In my story, I originally named the twins Ariel and Harlow, but then I thought of changing it to Ava and Harlow, so the names would have a theme (classic movie stars). I like Ariel better, and I think it suits the character slightly better, but I really like the idea of the themed names. What would you do?

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The second question is: if I go with the themed names, do I mention it in the book somewhere, e.g. 'their mother was a fan of old movies'? Or do I mention it in a subtle way e.g. have Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe pictures in the den? Or do I not mention it, and have it as a fun fact for name nerds to figure out and probably have no one except for name nerds realise it?

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In another story, I have a character named Aurora Valentina, who was born at dawn on Valentine's Day (and named for that reason). In this case, I probably would mention it, but should I say why she was named, or should I just subtly mention her birth date etc in the book somewhere and have the name nerds go "Oh that's why!", but probably have no one else notice?