The "What's a good name for this?" thread

"New Liberty Media" it is. Now I just need a kickass slogan, hopefully one that serves as a Shout-Out to the formal name of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World), as I'm thinking of giving it a Statue of Liberty-based Iconic Logo.

Hmmm... "Bringing light to world news"?

edited 1st Dec '15 9:08:33 AM by MarqFJA

Yeah, that one should work?

On second thought, I'm leaning towards "Bringing Light to the World", because this parent company is not just about news stories (that's handled by division/subsidiary "NLM News"). They have dedicated edutainment channels and programmes for children, for example.

What would you suggest as the birth name of a loner wizard who can shapeshift into an owl?

It would depend on the setting. Is it a modern/"Real World" type setting, medieval fantasy, or something else? What kind of names do the other characters have?

edited 6th Dec '15 7:00:06 PM by peasant

^ Definitely the closest to the typical medieval fantasy. I'm currently at the stage of planning everything, so I don't have the names set yet, unfortunately.

Nycti? Medieval Latin for Owl was "Nycti Corax", "Night Raven". Of course now it means another animal... There, maybe there's something helpful in "other names" section.

I'm open for suggestions regarding a Name That Unfolds Like Lotus Blossom (an English-language one, obviously) that effectively translates to "s/he's an All-Loving Hero(ine)" in Troper-lingua.

edited 7th Dec '15 9:12:33 AM by MarqFJA

She-Who-Brings-Light, perhaps?

I need a suitably academically dry yet slightly terrifying informal name for a species of superpredators from another dimension.

That only evokes the impression of "s/he is an Ideal Hero" or "s/he is The Chosen One", which is related but not the same.

edited 7th Dec '15 9:45:24 AM by MarqFJA

I'm trying to come up with a made-up name that sounds similar to Jennifer, Guinevere or Genevieve, but doesn't sound too silly. So far, I've got "Genawir", but it doesn't feel quite right.

On an unrelated note, I'm also trying to come up with a name for my evil red-eyed raven avatar. I'd like something Latin-esque and ominous, but still sort of cute, if that's feasible.

First one's pretty tricky. Looking at the names, I can come up with Jenaver, Jenifier, Junnivere, Guinifer, Gemifer, Juniver, and Gennalir. Bit of a mix-and-match game, for sure, so you'll probably have to keep playing around until you find something that fits. (Failing that, I've always thought Gemma or even Gamma would make cool names.)

As for the raven name? I'm no Latin expert, but a quick search on ravens turns up the name corvus corax, so you're not exactly wanting for something sinister-sounding if you go with Corvus or Corax — especially the latter if you feel like leaning on Mortal Kombat conventions. But for a cute twist? Cora, or Corvi, or Coraxia, or Corvella, or Corelle, or Coraxa. Just to name a few.

Awwwwwwww yeah, OOO is my jam. Seiya!

...Just thought I'd make that clear.

edited 9th Dec '15 8:50:05 PM by Voltech44

Yeah, I'll have to keep working on that name.

I like the cute raven names, but at the same time I don't want it to be too similar to my user name. Might stick with 'Cora' for now though.

Cora sounds nice.

I'm looking for a name for a publicly-known governmental organization that enlists paladins and shamans to fight demons and death cults. I'm quite certain I want this to be "Imperial something-or-other", but I can't figure out what something-or-other could be.

edited 10th Dec '15 9:15:56 AM by Kakai

If it's a publicly government agency, it would make sense for its name to be Exactly What It Says on the Tin (a la the FBI, CIA, etc); possibly with some Fun with Acronyms thrown in for good measure.

The following words are current candidates for the name of a fictional religion. What is the first thought that comes to your minds when reading each one?

• Cosmism
• Cosmicism
• Cosmicalism
• Cosmicanism
• Cosmosism
• Cosmosianism

Cosmetician.

I'm so sorry!

• Cosmism: A joking description for someone who reads Cosmopolitan magazine (often nicknamed Cosmo) much too piously.
• Cosmicism: The philosophy one's college roommate comes up with while stoned.
• Cosmicalism: The philosophy one's college roommate comes up with while drunk.
• Cosmicanism: A political movement from a Space Opera that believes in the fundamental unity and rights of all sentient species — basically the next logical step from humanism.
• Cosmosism: An atheist astronomer subconsciously thinking of Sagan or Tyson's Cosmos while trying to name his philosophical worldview, shaped by the grandness of the universe.
• Cosmosianism: The self-description of an airy new-age temple with lots of crystals and really pretty starscape paintings. Congregation is likely sincere and pleasant, but a bit out-if-it.

edited 11th Dec '15 6:39:26 AM by KillerClowns

<jogs down in his notes> Anyone else? (And while I do appreciate the humor above, try to take this a bit more seriously for the next feedback submissions. I find it hard to believe that most of the words would inspire comedic ideas as the first impression.)

edited 11th Dec '15 10:44:11 AM by MarqFJA

Cosmicism is already a thing. Everything else is all kinda of sci-fi or new age stuff to me.

@MarqFJA, they... do sounds a little bit off the "serious" mark, to be honest. Cosmism and Cosmicalism both bring word "Comical" to mind, and the last three are a bit awkward to pronounce. I'd go with Cosmicalism, it brings an image of a New Age-like cult to me.

@peasant, here's the problem, I can't think of any acronym that would both sound okay, tell what the organization is about and not be a mouthful. Ideally, it would be three/four letters plus any "of"s and "and"s, but all I can think of just sounds stupid.

So I'm looking to name one thing in my story and possibly find a different name for another.

The basics of the story: It's a deconstructive Magical Girl story with a bit of Gnostic symbolism, where the girls are up against a bunch of machines called the Bleaksteel (thanks to Morningstar for that name; I probably should have thanked you a long time ago).

The thing that needs a name are the trinkets the girls use to transform. They're basically fancy bracelets with an odd glowing jewel, and the girl taps the jewel in order to transform. The form the bracelet gives the girl is somewhat based on their "true selves." I previously called these things "Power bracelets" and "amplifiers," but the former just seems too corny and I don't think the latter is a truly apt description. If you can work a Gnostic reference into it than bonus points, but the name doesn't necessarily have to be.

The thing that needs a rename is the Dismantled MacGuffin that drives the story for the most part; it resembles a star made out of solid light set in a metal ring and possesses incredible powers of creation and destruction. It's currently known as the Pleroma. However, I'm not sure if "Pleroma" is the best name for it considering that's a realm in Gnosticism while this is an object. I don't want to go with the obvious and call it the Monad (a better descriptor for its role in the plot) since that's too similar to "Monado" and this story has enough Xenoblade references as it is. I am looking for something that's less reminiscent of Xenoblade yet still Gnostic to call this. I've been considering calling it the "Absolute" instead, but something about that name seems lacking.

edited 11th Dec '15 9:02:18 PM by Yomegami

Um You're welcome? ^note I must have forgotten the Bleaksteel thing

For the trinkets, I would suggest naming them Divinity Sparks, based upon the divine sparks from Pleroma. For the Dismantled MacGuffin, does Logos Gnosis sound good?

"Divinity Spark" is a great name for the trinkets; I think I'll actually use that one (that name also gave me an idea for where the things come from; before now they didn't have much of a backstory). Thanks!

Logos Gnosis is a bit of a mouthful as a whole, but "Logos" on its own might do trick considering its meaning in Gnosticism. I'll have to think about this one a little.

@Kakai: If you're still looking for a name for your government organization, maybe "Imperial Executors" could work?