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Inspiration For Your Main Character's Name.

Started by Ancelyn, August 28, 2009, 12:06:24 PM

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Tullio

QuoteTwo of my favourite series referenced in one sentence? Do I detect someone here with similar literary tastes? Funny enough, whenever I saw your name 'Tullio', I did always think of that ill-fated fool in The Subtle Knife , but I assumed you were just a fan of italian names. A weird world

Guilty as charged, most likely. I assume therefore you spotted the Earthsea reference in there. I'm not completely why I chose Tullio - as an online alias it's just because of whatever came to mind at first, but the game Tullio doesn't bear much resemblence to the young idiot of Cittagaze.

To be honest, as a rule of thumb I'm not a fan of referential names, especially the obvious one (Lookin' at you "Gabriel Angelos"). Same thing goes for planets as much as individuals - there's nothing more groan inducing than a planet that's apparently existed for millennia being called Nom'nom VII just because it'll get attacked by the Tyranids.

Tullio

Inquisitor Sargoth

Though it's been a while since I played Inquisitor... Most of the characters which appear in anything I write have meaningful names (some fitting, some deliberately at odds with the character themselves) , though my main characters simply have names that simply sound right. Here are a few examples of both, from AM.

Adilet means Justice. Marshal Adilet is an Arbitrator. His colleague Intelligencer Raguel is named for the Archangel of Justice. These being as suble as a brick to the face, they're joined by Investigator Leto, who is a man (the name is feminine, though Frank Herbert doesn't seem to care either). Leto was the mother of Apollo and Artemis (the huntress herself) and means 'hidden'. Much more subtle for an investigative type.

Leiurus, a desert-born Inquisitor, is named after a scorpion. Calista, who after a childhood trauma is mostly bionic, means 'most beautiful'. Bitterly ironic. Aqil means intelligent or wise in Arabic, yet the savant has lost his humanity and much of his capacity for human thought, instead becoming a human database incapable of either despite possessing vast quantities of knowledge.

The as yet unseen Annabelle Vyzier - Vyzier was chosen to deliberately sound made up and as harsh as possible, also to trick people into assuming that  Vyzier is a man. Also a homophone for 'Vizier', and they're always evil in fiction. Annabelle, when revealed is a pleasing contrast as it's a very feminine name.
One More Hit - A tale of addiction.

Aidan

Quote from: Tullio on September 07, 2009, 07:38:46 PM
Guilty as charged, most likely. I assume therefore you spotted the Earthsea reference in there.

You mean that Terrenon has a pet psyber-crow? Heh. I assume that your character Terrenon also has no (other) similarity to the Terrenon of Earthsea, which is after all a glorified paving-stone.

Quote from: Tullio on September 07, 2009, 07:38:46 PM
To be honest, as a rule of thumb I'm not a fan of referential names, especially the obvious one (Lookin' at you "Gabriel Angelos"). Same thing goes for planets as much as individuals - there's nothing more groan inducing than a planet that's apparently existed for millennia being called Nom'nom VII just because it'll get attacked by the Tyranids.

Indeed, that kind of stuff really irritates me. Even with obscure references, I tend to keep it down, which is why of my 60+ characters who've appeared in Inquisitor I can only count 7 names which are refrences/tributes.

-Aidan.

Nate

Theya Martell was named simply because I liked the name, more than any other major basis.

Nathaniel Monroe was named for Nathanial Dance and Adam Monroe. Adam Monroe for obvious reasons and Nathaniel Dance as, for some reason lost to me in the mists of memory, all of my internet handles etc. are based around him.

Keynes/Locke's characters are based on the economists, as I thought of them during a lecture on a similar topic, with random Gothicy first names stapled on.

Other characters, including Sirrap, Korban, Wood and the soon to be made techpriest Xenofarion are all characters from my corp on EVE, who I should probably get around to telling about this at some point ('by the way Xeno, I've named a slightly derranged techpriest after you, do you mind?')

For any misc disposable characters I usually name them after band members, ones that don't die imediatly are generally McPherson, Taylor and Konstantinovic, especially now all the nightwish themed characters are taken =P

GhouraAgur

I found this little site...
http://www.math.ubc.ca/~cass/frivs/latin/latin-dict-full.html#T

Where I steal words, bastardize them, and use their mutant spawn as phonetic inspiration.

MarcoSkoll

Quote from: GhouraAgur on October 04, 2009, 04:20:43 PMI found this little site where I steal words, bastardize them, and use their mutant spawn as phonetic inspiration.
I did something like that with a couple of my characters, mostly before I started using Behind the Name.

Silva Birgen's first name, for example, is from the Latin for "Woods/forest". I later found out that it is used as a name in some parts of the world.
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Simeon Blackstar

Martell Alexandros - The Chapter he hails from is in some ways based on the real Knights Templar, who were supposed to defend the cities taken in the Crusades rather than do the crusading themselves.  Alexandros is a fairly Byzantine name (although the Templars were more western European if I've got it right), while Martell is shamelessly stolen from Nate's Theya above because I like the name too.  ;)

Aidan

Quote from: Simeon Blackstar on October 04, 2009, 09:24:57 PM
Martell Alexandros - The Chapter he hails from is in some ways based on the real Knights Templar, who were supposed to defend the cities taken in the Crusades rather than do the crusading themselves.  Alexandros is a fairly Byzantine name (although the Templars were more western European if I've got it right), while Martell is shamelessly stolen from Nate's Theya above because I like the name too.  ;)

The Anglicised surname Martell comes from a french word (I presume of latin origin) meaning 'hammer'. Famously the epithet of Charles Martel, the frankish warlord who set the stage for his grandson, Charles Magne, to establish the Holy Roman Empire. (Where 'Charles' is a french name pronounced shar-le)

So it's not unfitting for a space marine.

Simeon Blackstar

Not unfitting at all, considering I made his favoured weapon a Thunder Hammer!  Looks like it was more appropriate than I imagined!

DapperAnarchist

The Knights Templar were indeed western European - the founder was a french noble named Hughes de Payne, and the last Grand Master was Jacques de Molay. There were a couple English Grand Masters, and Masters of Chapters (yes, Chapter) from all over Europe, but it was always very closely linked to France.
Questions are a burden to others, answers a burden to oneself.

The Keltani Subsector  My P&M Thread - Most recent, INQ28!

Morcus

My main Characters name has a very complex origin mostly related to dreams. His Boss on the other hand, the inspiration for his name is alot more obvious. George Coburg, named after George V and originally I used more of HM's surnames. I did this because its easy to remeber.

MarcoSkoll

I'm trying to work out if I would be misbehaving myself horribly on a naming front.

I'm cooking up another character - an Inquisitor who, amongst other things, has dedicated himself to exposing/otherwise inhibiting the Order Perditus, the Order of both Marco Skoll and Lyra Rhodes. (Yes, I like threading together most of my character concepts - so sue me.)

I'm wondering if I'd be going too over the top by calling him Fischer Monkshood.

For those who don't see the inherent pun, Fischer Monkshood is a common name for one of the species of Aconite. And aconite as a whole is often known as Wolfsbane (as anyone who remembers the first Harry Potter book will probably know).
And of course, Skoll is a name I borrowed from a Wolf demi-god. Thus, one of the nemeses of Inquisitor Skoll (who is named after a wolf god) goes by the name of a plant that is also called Wolf's bane.

I'm trying to work out if that's too ridiculous, too obvious, or sufficiently obscure and reasonable to be used.
As it is, I'm getting quite attached to the idea of a character called that, so I need to work out if I need to scrap the name before I get too attached to want to!
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

Kasthan

#42
Marco, don't worry as long as the name is fitting to the 40K universe and their background it should be fine.

Without the explanation I would never have know.

Fischer Monkshood sounds cool to me, in particular to a Puritan, possibly Monodominant based character.   

(edit: spelling)

Inquisitor Cade

I don't think of Fisher (with or without a c) is a very Inquisitory, for which reason  I'm for it, after all they aren't named for their future jobs. I'm not a fan of a characters name describing them. However This also puts me opposed to his name being equivalent to, 'the nemesis of the other guy' no matter how subtle. Had you not explained the connection though, I could never have guessed it (neither my botony nor my norse language are up to scratch) so it's not like the name is overtly groan worthy.
*Insert token witticism*

DapperAnarchist

Fischer might be a better last name... But Monkshood is good. How about TWO characters, one called Fischer, one called Monkshood? There's lots of examples of double-act villains out there, and they work quite well.
Questions are a burden to others, answers a burden to oneself.

The Keltani Subsector  My P&M Thread - Most recent, INQ28!