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deadly kisses of love (deadlylovekiss) wrote in rp_tutorials,
@ 2011-02-02 21:10:00

Entry tags:

question: character creation

I don't know if this is something that would be allowed on here, but I have another question.

How do you pick a name for a character that's in reason? I prefer names that are a bit unique, but sometimes I feel that my name choices could affect how people look at my character. If that names sense.

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nexttonormal
2011-02-03 02:17 am UTC (link)

For me, a lot of it depends on their background and what their parents are like and I always make a point of including that little fact in their bio. I think as long as you have a good reason for having a unique name and it's not way OTT, people don't mind too much. I know a lot of people frown on changing the spelling of common names to make it special/unique, but that's really the only complaint that I hear. There's a difference between that and variations on names (ie: Alexandra/Alexandria vs Alyxandra) and things like that.

I also hunt baby name sites quite a bit for less-than-common names and variations on ones that are common (different spellings, different languages, etc).

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	deadlylovekiss 2011-02-04 12:35 am UTC (link)
	I do sometimes, depending on the character's family, have an explanation for why the character is named that. I also stick with, ' this is roleplay but that doesn't mean you can name your character lamp, and it be okay.' I also change the spelling of some names, just because I prefer them spelled differently. Like Gabryellia vs Gabriella. (Reply to this) (Parent)

pitterpat
2011-02-03 02:50 am UTC (link)

I agree with the post above for background on parents. I had a character with an odd name but it really fit with her parents and why that name came about. I would say find a way to have the parents come up with it and why. I think if it is built into the history of the character it can really help.

I would also say finding a way to make your character react to a name like that... maybe they found it too weird and tried to change their name but it just never worked and they came to enjoy the name they were given.

I think growing up with a different/unique/weird name can really play into how they think about themselves. Some might take it really well and be proud of it, others might not. Even with traditional names like Evelyn that can play into someones life.

Just my thoughts...

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	deadlylovekiss 2011-02-04 12:36 am UTC (link)
	I totally agree with you. Like I said above I'm not going to name my character Lamp, you know? The names I pick are names. It's just sometimes I feel like people judge. (Reply to this) (Parent)

hammertech
2011-02-03 08:37 am UTC (link)

This is totally allowed here! But honestly? You just go

I used to work somewhere and loved going through names. A ton of people have really weird names (and ESP. weird last names). While it's true it depends on the parents to be in character? It's your character. People are going to judge you about anything. I know handful of players that give their characters odd names and they're all great players. So, nevermind anyone who complaints.

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	hammertech 2011-02-03 08:38 am UTC (link)
	*MIDDLE NAMES. Not last names. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	hammertech 2011-02-03 08:38 am UTC (link)
	COMPLAINS. JFC. >:\| NEEDS EDITING FUNCTION. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	deadlylovekiss 2011-02-04 12:39 am UTC (link)
	Yay! That gif made me giggle, and you are 100% right. Someone, somewhere will find something to complain about, no matter what. And yes they do! I hate typing something, realizing you spelled something wrong JUST as you hit post comment. (Reply to this) (Parent)

nebari
2011-02-03 06:35 pm UTC (link)

I agree with all of the above. I once had a character named 'Mary Christmas' and a google search proved that there were women named like this. Another RP situation was where the parents of a character of mine loved giving their children strange names (such as Wolfgang and Mozart), while giving their pets normal names. I knew a real life Wolfgang, so crazy is maybe not that crazy?

Truth is, plenty of people have weird ass names. More so if you look at the trends throughout the years. While I giggle over the surname of 'Dick', it was perfectly normal in the oh, sixties and earlier? And look at the names in the HP fandom, like Scorpius? (I'll admit that I'll think of Farscape first, but oh well.) On the other hand, there's plenty of John Smiths too.

It really depends on what you like. Some players don't like strange names for their character, but on the other hand, it helps to remember that you didn't have a choice in deciding how you would be named - your parents did.

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nebari
2011-02-03 06:48 pm UTC (link)

On the other hand, yes, it's sad that you're not taken seriously when you name your character something 'funny', but most of the names I use for my characters are from real people and I have the habit of throwing around documentation and proof until they can't stand it no more. Bad me.

I've always been squinted at for giving my people 'strange' names. Well, guess what? Not everyone in the world is of American origin. If I'm playing a Dutch/Belgian character, I'm not going to name him Donald O'Donnelly. He's going to be Jozef Janssens.

But to those people ... It's just a name. Lestat de Lioncourt is one of the most ridic names ever and we've all come to love him. If you're going to let a name hinder the possibility of having a great RPG experience, then I pity the lot of you. But it's your character and if they laugh at you, then well ... I always went 'neener neener, you'll miss out on playing wifs me'. There always will be people who will.

Another option might be to write a short explanation in your character's bio why you chose that name? IDK.

But it IS a good question.

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deadlylovekiss
2011-02-04 12:43 am UTC (link)

If I have a character who's ethic background plays a MAJOR part in their lives then, I do give more traditional names. Other times, I just names that would be more common for a guy then a girl.

As I said above, I do sometimes explain the name, if it needs to be explained. Thank you! I was thinking about it before I went to my History class and thought I posted it, to see what others thought.

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	hammertech 2011-02-04 03:15 am UTC (link)
	This is a great point: what seems like an odd name will quickly become normal. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	ginge 2011-02-04 02:37 am UTC (link)
	Drive-by, but I know a Merry Christmas. Sucks for her like. And I think her brother is like, Noah Christmas. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ginge 2011-02-04 02:37 am UTC (link)
	Sucks for her life * (Reply to this) (Parent)

nympholepsy
2011-02-03 11:38 pm UTC (link)

it depends on what you mean by unique. if they're real names or real variants on names, that's fine; honestly people will side-eye characters in rp for the most ridiculous reasons, just ignore them. but if it's a really weird respelling of an existing name or something you just made up, i'd... question the point of that, you know? there are tons of real names that aren't commonly used in rp.

some ic reasons you can use for your character having an unusual name:
- they (or their parents, or grandparents) are not american,
- they were named after a relative,
- their parents were dead-set on a certain name for a certain gender, and when they were surprised by their baby being the opposite gender they decided to stick with it anyway, or feminize/masculin...ize it,
- the character themselves picked up a nickname (especially a really weird/pretentious one) as a teenager, or an online handle, or whatever, and it just stuck,
- they are named after a mythological figure, fictional character or famous person,
- they were named after the state or city they were conceive/born in,
- their name was misspelled on their birth certificate and they never got it changed,
- their parents decided to combine two names,
- their parents are hippies,
- their parents are actually super pretentious yuppies who gave them a really obnoxious name like maddyzin,
- their parents decided on a double first name,

etc, etc...

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deadlylovekiss
2011-02-04 12:46 am UTC (link)

Like I said above, I do change the spelling of some names, but with in reason that make sense. However, I would question my self, if I randomly made up a name. Lol. This "their parents were dead-set on a certain name for a certain gender, and when they were surprised by their baby being the opposite gender they decided to stick with it anyway, or feminize/masculin...ize it", is something that I've done a few times. Double first names can be cute, like Mary-Katherine.

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irreparable_mod
2011-02-04 12:14 am UTC (link)

I have a few stand-bys that I go with:

Bookish, educated parents-- a strong name, but something that may be a reference to literature. Authors, Shakespeare Characters, etc.

Pureblood Wizards-- Stars, emperors, or Mythological figures.

Middle-class, down-to-earth parents-- a sturdy common name. Sometimes I try to Google the census for the origin of the family. This helps come up with good surnames, too. Even if I end up with Iphigenia because her parents were out there, I can pair it with Taylor, which is a common English surname.

Babynames.com is good for meanings and for looking by ethnicity. Babyname wizard has a great feature where it lists common names of siblings. This helps you come up with first/middle/sibling names that seem to go together.

Just remember that just as in real life, if you take a common name with a unique spelling, everyone is going to roll their eyes and assume that your parents think you are the greatest child ever. Ashley vs Ashlee, Mandy vs Mandi. It's proven in studies. If you want that for your character, it's best to mention in the bio that the parents thought it was unique and acknowledge that it may be out-there.

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	deadlylovekiss 2011-02-04 12:47 am UTC (link)
	Thanks for the advice! I never really thought about it, until now, but in some ways I do pick names based on social class. Even if I don't realize it. Lol. (Reply to this) (Parent)

buchan
2011-02-04 02:55 am UTC (link)

I won't restate what everyone else has already suggested. I just have a website that I like to use instead of the baby name sites. They have lists of names grouped by country of origin or ethnic group and they have a random name generator where you can select from different categories.

http://www.behindthename.com/

Another website that can be useful for characters born in the US is the social security website. You can get a list of the most popular names of the past 100 or so years. I think they go back as far as the lat 1800's, but I'm not sure.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/

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