Note to self

[james_davis_nicoll]

Even if the polity of asteroid city-states calls itself the Republic of Independent States, they probably won't refer to themselves collectively as the RISables.

Comments

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

No, but their enemies certainly would.

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

I don't know. It reads to me like self-selected nerd humor. I would find it believable that at least He-Man Hard Science Fiction story characters would pick a word that either doesn't mean what they think it means or would pick a name that's at least kind of self-deprecating and then over time forget the deprecation part existed. (This does suppose an author aware that every word in English is at most 200 years from meaning its exact opposite.)

[nelc.livejournal.com]

Depending on the backstory, I can see them taking it on as a badge of honour. Say some Earth politician, in the midst of their struggle for independence, calls them "risable", and sends in the space marines. But the marines get beaten back and the rebels send Earth a message refering to themselves as "The Risables", and they call themselves that ever after.

[beamjockey.livejournal.com]

See "Lunatics."