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Young Writers Society


Naming help



What name do you think works best?

Torch
7
47%
Comet
3
20%
Sparks
5
33%
 
Total votes : 15


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Sun Nov 29, 2015 9:55 am
Zolen says...



In a story of mine the protagonist comes to own a bright orange egg that eventually hatches into a strange bird. A small, mostly round bird. Bright orange in color with details in a darker shade mostly around its wings and tail feathers. Twitching to and fro it lets off the occasional burst of fire.

Quite attached to the small thing he decides to name it. On the spot.

Now picking a convincingly random name that also sounds good is hard, but I have come to three names after annoying everyone who was on skype at the time about it, and ask people help me.
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Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:09 pm
Rosendorn says...



How would your character interpret the bird?

Since you're dealing with a character naming another, you have to take into account the character's own preference in the matter. What is he most likely to take away from the physical description of the animal?

Personally I'm not fond of "Comet" because comets are fairly rarely understood phenomenon, and have been harbingers of doom in Europe (and probably other places) for centuries. If you use that same mythology, then "Comet" is a really odd name for something that's supposed to be good. Unless you want either an ironic name or a foreshadowing name. The possibility also exists your character doesn't subscribe to the mythology, but that's up to you.
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Mon Nov 30, 2015 2:38 am
Zolen says...



Rosendorn wrote:How would your character interpret the bird?

Since you're dealing with a character naming another, you have to take into account the character's own preference in the matter. What is he most likely to take away from the physical description of the animal?

Personally I'm not fond of "Comet" because comets are fairly rarely understood phenomenon, and have been harbingers of doom in Europe (and probably other places) for centuries. If you use that same mythology, then "Comet" is a really odd name for something that's supposed to be good. Unless you want either an ironic name or a foreshadowing name. The possibility also exists your character doesn't subscribe to the mythology, but that's up to you.


I did take all that into account, however I can't force too much effort out of people, so I am listing things he might have thought up at first as well as the look of the bird. If I wanted people to think up names for me, rather then a poll I would have given more detail.

Additionally:
As I said, the animal was named on the spot. So no intentionally special concepts are planned for the name. I want to avoid that trope. More so on something I mean to sound spontaneous.

Thank you for taking the time you share your thoughts.


Pointless comment all are free to ignore:
Spoiler! :
I'm not a fan of stories where characters have names that magically fit what they eventually become. Names with special meanings are wishes of the parents, not predictions of the child. Often times parents pick names they like the sound of rather then pay attention to their meanings.

Excluding stories with future reading parents, or people naming their child after some old story that happens to be true, it makes no sense for a characters name to match their personality, actions, or destiny.

My name implies I'd be a saintly judge, I doubt that's ever going to happen. Nor do I imagine my parents predicted I would be a saintly judge.
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Mon Nov 30, 2015 6:59 am
Rosendorn says...



Oh, I agree with you on not wanting symbolic names.

I brought up the comet mythology because that was a potential impact for the character. If something is evil in your culture, you're unlikely to name it that, I would think, unless you either didn't believe it or you had a really dark sense of humour. That is genuinely something that can happen in an on the spot name.

I, for example, love the sounds "k", "l", and "a". As a result, the vast majority of my names include at least one of those letters.

We ourselves bring our own biases and purposeful symbolism whenever we name things, and it can actually show up more strongly in spur of the moment names. Because we're not filtering our biases at all, just going with what we believe applies the most strongly.

So does he see this bird as a torch, a spark, or a comet? That's the question.
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Mon Nov 30, 2015 10:48 am
Zolen says...



Oh that's what you mean. Fair point.

As I like imagining all sorts of life into my characters I have many of their mundane traits even figured out. I rather not make a massive text wall but all three are well within his thought process.

If you wish to know the full list I started with:
Spoiler! :
trigger, comet, wildfire, hotspot, wings, orange, torch, sunny, beak, tracer, firebird, amber, goldy, feathers, sparks, Phoenix


A list based on his understanding of media and his reactions to simple appearance. Some because of something he liked, some from myths, and some because he knows birds by those names.

I tried compressing the three ones I figured were easy for a reader to remember and might find endearing. As well as removed some such as goldy that seemed odd for a boy to want to name his pet as the age of the protagonist (25) while he does not act his age, ones such as those felt off.

example:
Spoiler! :
Such as the fact that in his room he hangs star maps as decoration. Though he never really bothered studying them so he knows nothing about the subject. A general interest that made him like comets but not really strive to look further. Which would be a likely motivation for seeing a round object that lets off fire might remind him of a comet. While he might be aware of the mythology around those things. He's a modern non-fantasy world person who mostly only imagines them in fantasy terms. In fantasy games and books (the ones I've read, and I am forced to work within my own experiences) the meaning of a comet can be good or bad depending on plot convenience. So I can't imagine he would name the firebird that out of irony.
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Mon Nov 30, 2015 4:05 pm
Rosendorn says...



So if it looked like a comet when it landed, why not name him comet?

Unless he's going for more what the bird looks like now, in which case torch or spark might be better.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Tue Dec 01, 2015 2:24 am
Lightsong says...



Torch sounds good, but semantically, I can't imagine your bird to resemble/or be closer to it. I like Wildfire in your full list because not only it suggests the bird produces fire, but it can also implies its character. Either way, at the end, it's just a name. No one would complain about it as long as it's not pronounced difficultly, so you're good. c:
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Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:18 am
Zolen says...



Welp I have temporarily come to the conclusion of.

Image

And will likely work with that while trying to refine the simplified style I'll use to draw him/her.

Thank you all who responded and voted.

Voting shall stay open because I have no idea how to close a poll.
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Tue Dec 01, 2015 5:27 pm
Stori says...



Is this for a novel or were you commission/requested to draw a character?
  





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Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:19 pm
Zolen says...



@Stori I like writing practice comics for the day I am finally a fast enough and good enough artist that I can actually start one properly. Seeing how far I go before I burn out.

In this I am focusing a lot of design simplification. Seeing how simple I can make characters and environments while still looking high quality.

Thus a bird made out of triangles and circles who has no shading. And the motion lines being drawn as flames.
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Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:40 am
Stori says...



You could post some of your work online, as you did here. That way it's "published" without having to go to a company and ask, "Might you print this?"
  





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Wed Dec 02, 2015 2:56 am
Zolen says...



@Stori Got all that planned and I even have a web site programmed up to put it on if I ever got far enough that it would be worth owning my own domain.

I have no interest in writing and drawing for a publishing company.

The whole Webcomic system was my plan from the get go if I ever get far.

First step though is to stop being a bad artist.
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Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:29 am
BlueSunset says...



Comet. ;)

Because why not?
busy throwing
words around

like a magician
casting spells.
  





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Wed Dec 02, 2015 3:44 am
Deskro says...



I don't know if you know this sub/consciously or not.

But a bright orange round bird called torch? That's just asking for a lawsuit xD

Now, I don't mean to be an ass but I don't really like any of the names, due to the lack of originality (no offense).

Comet is probably the best of the three, but it doesn't really suit a bird to me. I would head back to the drawing board.
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Wed Dec 02, 2015 4:17 am
Zolen says...



Deskro wrote:Now, I don't mean to be an ass but I don't really like any of the names, due to the lack of originality (no offense).


A name isn't about originality.

There is a reason we have a consistent list of names for each decade. Trying to remember, Gugamito Datus Zefry for example. A perfectly original name you can tell. Would be a bit much. Pet names more so, as they are often just words, combinations of words, or a actual human name. Originality takes a back seat to ease of reader recall.

However I am still open to name suggestions. If you can point to something better.
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