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+--- Thread: What's in a name? (/showthread.php?tid=1092)
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Re: What's in a name? - Dark Link - 05-16-2015
Dark Link's name, Kiln, is (get this) an anagram of the name Link. I won't lie, when I originally came up with that idea, that was essentially all there was to it; I picked that anagrammatic variation of Link simply because it was the only one that vaguely sounded like a name. But thanks to Vergil, I discovered that "kiln" is an actual word for a pottery furnace. When you consider that DL is a blank mind that is trying to solidify his knowledge of himself and the world around him, it ends up being ironically fitting.
In any case, while I sometimes resort to simple methods of naming (as I did above) or use names that I frequently employ, other times my choices are much more selective and deliberate. The thing that I like about names is that even the simplest and most common names have an origin and meaning behind them. While I don't always pick a name based on that criteria, since that would be limiting and (in some cases) counterproductive, it is frequently something I consider when creating characters. Admittedly, this is also in part because I'm not the most creative person when it comes to naming things and thus have to frequently resort to what other people have used; you'll see that quite clearly the next time I name an IC thread. :oops: :lol:
But getting back to deliberate names, this is how the NPCs I've created got the ones that they have:
- Brandt Herman is a combination of names with Nordic and Germanic origins which stand for "sword" and "army man", respectively. This is kind of a blatant example, since Herman is a lieutenant colonel in the Empire military and there are a lot of names with war-like meanings. But I wanted to go with a Germanic sounding name in this case in order to evoke that classic image of a ruthless smug snake officer who loves to engage in political games for his own benefit.
- Sophie Ellis is another name that has a mixed origin. Sophie is a variation of Sophia and means "wisdom"; Ellis stems from two different names, but the one I'm referring to is the Celtic name 'Elisedd', which translates to "kind". It's meant to symbolise her role as a benevolent guide to Sarah and DL. It's also meant to show that, in spite of her military authority, Sophie is a bit too kind-hearted for the role and can't really get out of her skin.
- Lady Melantha is someone who hasn't actually been introduced in mine and Sarah's roleplays yet, but she was already mentioned in dialogue. Melantha is another name of Greek origin; the "Mel-" part comes from the name Melanie (which means "black, dark") and "-antha" is the word for "flower". It implies a person of beauty and elegance, but that also possesses a dark nature.