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Roleplay / RPG Discussion: Character Naming
« on: May 03, 2014, 12:45:24 AM »
Naming your characters; methods, meanings, etc.
Another TFN topic I felt pertinent. So, when naming your RP characters, what methods do you usually use? Do you stick to primarily existing characters? Do you prefer OCs? How do you go about naming your characters? Do you use name generators? Your own name and anagrams of it? Nicknames? Do you name by meaning, by sound, by look, the amount of beats?
If I'm not using an existing name (Trak or Quickie), I've used throwaway names for my RP characters (Funger Muckuss, Lizardon, Spanky, Iggy, etc). For some games, I just don't put a lot of thought into the name and throw in whatever, which eventually just sticks. It's a dumb habit that's followed me through the years, and still shows up.
For stories, I tend to stick to names with a certain sound. I want a certain number of beats and certain consonants and vowels to reflect the sound I want. Hard characters get hard names with hard sounds. I want a gruff sergeant, so I want their name to sound like a dog's barking. I want a weaselly administrator, so I want their name to sound important and snaky. Slimy characters get slimy names.
Meaning used to be an important part in name creation for me, until I learned that more often than not, sound commands more feeling than meaning. You can have a character whose name means "ruler of the Death Castle," but the name "Mabuz" does not itself command fright. The sound is all wrong.
Another TFN topic I felt pertinent. So, when naming your RP characters, what methods do you usually use? Do you stick to primarily existing characters? Do you prefer OCs? How do you go about naming your characters? Do you use name generators? Your own name and anagrams of it? Nicknames? Do you name by meaning, by sound, by look, the amount of beats?
If I'm not using an existing name (Trak or Quickie), I've used throwaway names for my RP characters (Funger Muckuss, Lizardon, Spanky, Iggy, etc). For some games, I just don't put a lot of thought into the name and throw in whatever, which eventually just sticks. It's a dumb habit that's followed me through the years, and still shows up.
For stories, I tend to stick to names with a certain sound. I want a certain number of beats and certain consonants and vowels to reflect the sound I want. Hard characters get hard names with hard sounds. I want a gruff sergeant, so I want their name to sound like a dog's barking. I want a weaselly administrator, so I want their name to sound important and snaky. Slimy characters get slimy names.
Meaning used to be an important part in name creation for me, until I learned that more often than not, sound commands more feeling than meaning. You can have a character whose name means "ruler of the Death Castle," but the name "Mabuz" does not itself command fright. The sound is all wrong.
