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

does abinu and ferysa work?

Xixi? Xiksune? Could you give examples of some other names in your story?

Xweetie

Not quite sure if this is the proper purpose of this thread, but I'm debating between two names for the chapter I'm working on. Every chapter I've done I've named with only one word that I think succinctly summarizes the meaning of the chapter, so it's only going to be one word.

In context, this is the chapter where the main character and his best friend finally reach the city of their destination after running away from home, only when they get there they learn that the city only allows a certain amount of people in per week, and only one of them can get it.

So the main character decides to let his friend - who is very sick - have his place, but at night he becomes very worried about his friend, and after watching the patterns of the guards he sneaks in to find his friend. At this point I really try to show off the beginnings of his stealthiness, so while it doesn't go flawlessly he still manages to get past all the guards successfully.

The two names I'm debating between are "Sneak" due to the swaths of sneaking going on in this chapter, or "Arrival" since it, obviously, is when they reach their destination.

People have used this thread to name all kinds of things, so you're in the right place.

This is how I see it. What do you think is more important for the reader to get out of this chapter- the character's stealthiness, or the characters' arrival at this location?

The way that I personally prefer to do chapter titles is I name them after a high concept portrayed in the chapter that contributes to the overall meaning of the story, rather than the actual physical events. In my mind, the events are what's going to be capturing your attention, while the meaning is what I'd prefer the reader to come away with. So I name my chapters after the meaning or overall result. But that's just the way I do things- what I recommend you do is look at your previous chapters and see if there is a particular aspect of the chapter that you tend to name them after. But if you're stuck between names because both names fit your naming scheme, defer to which aspect of the chapter you'd rather the reader come away with.

@Ewolf: I can't find any particular reason they'd come across as bad or uninspired.

One thing I forgot to mention about naming is that when you're naming characters that are nonhuman, name them something that makes sense for their culture, not something that just reflects their species. Would the faun and satyr's parents really name their kids anagrams of their species name? If you were asked to name a child, would you name them an anagram of 'human'? Of course you wouldn't. People tend to name themselves after things they encounter in their environment, cultural virtues, personality traits, or notable physical attributes. The species of a baby born into a society of others that share its species isn't notable enough to name them after it.

edited 1st Nov '16 6:04:48 PM by CrystalGlacia

I needed names for a species not individuals.

You should have clarified that the first time around, then. I don't know what you've done to those names, but they're different enough that they could sound like names for anything.

How do you say "Together in Spirit" in Latin?

I need a name for a creature that hunts down humans who've exceeded their natural lifespans, like immortals, Half Human Hybrids, Reincarnation, ghosts, basically a human that has become more than human and retain what makes them "them". In my setting, humans have a set amount of time before their death, 120 years maximum, and after their death they have their souls wiped clean and recycled by basically The Lifestream. These people escaped that fate.

Also, in my last question:

• What would be a good name for an Ancient Conspiracy that involves prophecies and dealing with the fate of the world?
• Would Mekhamaton be a good name for a race of Mechanical Lifeforms

edited 6th Nov '16 6:33:21 AM by SkyHavenPath13

coniuncti animis

... That seems to translate to "united minds/spirits" instead.

edited 7th Nov '16 2:10:26 AM by MarqFJA

coniuncti in animis

@Sky Haven You could play with the name Orion, being The Hunter - Oronos, Orin, Oryon etc.

Or use some archaic words - Venator or Venerer from Latin.

With Greek you end up with Kynigós (anglicised into Kinigos).

Pakistan and India have Shikari, a big game hunter or guide.

Just a few options.

Does "Neogene Echelon" (more or less "newborn" in Greek) sound good as a name for a unit of cybernetically and biologically augmented supersoldiers who are given various cutting/bleeding-edge weapons, equipment and vehicles (e.g. Powered Armor Mecha) to support them?

Now it's translating to "united in minds/spirits".

edited 7th Nov '16 3:15:45 AM by MarqFJA

Is your issue the plural of "spirits" or the "united"?

Neogene Echelon will remind some people of Neon Genesis Evangelion, or is that intended?

Google Translate is giving "In Spiritu Uniri", and as we know Google Translate is always 100% accurate.

The "united" part.

And yes, the reference is intentional, though I'm trying to be a bit subtle about it. It's for a made-up archetype for the YuGiOh card game; previous placeholder names were "Cyber Evangel" and "Evangynoid".

i need a name for a game about a bunch of punk kids racing in a post apocalyptic world.

edited 7th Nov '16 2:12:07 PM by ewolf2015

Alias Suggestions, Please: A female character with an unnatural flexibility ability (like how owls can turn their heads all the way 'round? She can do that with her whole body) and a little limb extension. She has a big ego and her one goal is to kidnap this one guy and make him date her. She is roughly fourteen years old. She comes from a poor background.

I'm getting the vibe of an antagonistic childish bitch. She's up to some real creepy stuff.

With a big ego, you could give her a name that makes her sound like a Rich Bitch, eve when she's actually just Bitch. Ideas: Courtney, Samantha, Margaret, Chloe, Tiffany, Brittany, Beth.

You mention "alias". Does she have a Supervillain nickname to cover up her real identity? Such a nickname would refer to her elasticity more. You could get ideas from Rubber Man.

edited 14th Nov '16 7:21:12 AM by hellomoto

I have a character with Two First Names, and I'm having trouble figuring out which order I like better: Nolan Deckard or Deckard Nolan. I actually like both quite a bit, but I want to know which one sounds better to other people.

Not sure if helpful or relevant, but his tropes are:

• Dragon Ascendant
• Big Bad
• Big Bad Friend

I prefer Deckard first.

#4693 How about... Desolation Derby

#4684

1. Reaper is the most obvious thing. Grimwraith though.
2. If it's set in the real world just name drop the Illuminati (or any Grand Theft Auto-style corruption of it) will do.
3. Yes!

edited 14th Nov '16 7:17:14 PM by Malco

thanks for the suggestion.

I need a name for a rebellion that's going against their tyrant king. For context, this rebellion is part of a large scale story, and they were formed to oust the King of Thorn, located in the land Taproot in Arcania. Their goal to overthrow King Albian Chastain and then put his more benevolent daughter Alesia on the throne, who allied with their cause after realizing that her father had gone too far.

The rebellion is shown through the eyes of Alesia, who is part of a Switching P.O.V. that involves other characters in different areas of Arcania. However, I'm having trouble coming up with a name for the rebellion. I could just call them "The Rebellion", but that would sound generic and would probably remind people of Star Wars too much. Any suggestions on what they could be called?

If their enemy is nicknamed "King of Thorns", maybe the rebellion could have some other floal motif? Like Gardeners (because... cutting down thorns, I guess?) or the Tree Of Something-Or-Other.