~naming~

Hi!

I'm a greenhorn -- or should I say "greenantler" C: -- at this. Pretty sure you can all tell that. Anyways.

I wanted to ask if anyone would be comfortable about telling how they named their deer/character. I know that a name is something special, and I haven't quite figured out my deer's name yet. (I have a "named" deer, but not anything that I call it by, you see) So, I think it would be interesting to see how other people came about with their names. Maybe it can help inspire me, or something^^

thanks - - graave
phantomhelsing's picture

Welcome to the Forest! We're

Welcome to the Forest! We're glad to have you here =D
lol "green antler" got a giggle out of me, you're going to do fine here XD

Personally, my first deer's name was kinda random. I was browsing names from around the world and just stumbled across one that sounded neat and rolled with it |D But others like to pick names based off of a theme, like maybe their deer is inspired by vikings, or has a lot of trait revolving around "light" so they'll pick a name that encompasses those things. Or perhaps their deer draws inspiration from something they like or find interesting like a literary character or something.

One tool I like to use to help me think is a site called behindthename.com, you can search for names based on where they come from or what letter they start with, what they mean, etc. They also have a random name generator you can play with.

Choosing a name is one of my favorite parts of making a new character, and I hope you find a good one c:

Have fun! Hope to see you in the Forest~
Kamaya's picture

Hello! First of all, welcome

Hello!

First of all, welcome to the TEF community!

And second, I personally give my characters random names. Sometimes I look through the internet to see how a specific word is said in another language and combine two foreign words that fit them to create a name. Or I name them based on their appearance/abilities/personality/backstory, or after a non-TEF character that they remind me of.

But it also happens that I make the names up. I think about it one night and it just suddenly comes across my mind just like this. Thus some of them can be rather weird-sounding, but they still appeal to me. At least they are original and unique (I think) so I don't really care.

Though, a few of them are named through a language I made up.

Also, like phantomhelsing said, Behind The Name is a cool website that can give you info on an already existing name, you definitely should check it out.

Hello and welcome!! For me,

Hello and welcome!!

For me, my main character Calida I had made a naming contest for. People submitted names and their meanings. The ones I liked the best went into a drawing. The winner got free art of their character. Calida Ameerah won, and I had drawn Allison for the player known now as Singareindeer (I think that's how she has it now??).

Keshadei was named for another roleplayer I once had the great pleasure of working with.

Raisa was simply because I liked the name.

Lumilla was named after a co-worker of mine when I was going through my internship.

Jasta was named after a favorite soda I liked as a kid that was actually banned shortly after its release due to causing health risks, considering it was an "energy soda" but not marketed as such. I saw it as a hidden gem, and based her personality off it.

Meng Po was named because....that's what she's the deer embodiment is. A "devil" of sorts from Chinese folklore about an herbalist who makes amnesia tea for the souls being reincarnated. That's her forest job, to offer this and other teas for people to use in roleplay plots.

I don't have too many others really. For anyone else I look for a unique/fantasy name or a very rare name with a meaning that relates to the character. For example, next month a new character will emerge who's name will mean "White Fire". White based with fire opal markings.
Verdalas's picture

The Demon Gazelle got his

The Demon Gazelle got his name because his first set resembled a gazelle. The demon part came from him being an antagonistic character (although tbh he was a grumpy bully more than evil).

His 'real' name, Walter, later came from a split-second decision when people began to consider him a grouchy old man. It fit the bill.

Lucky coincidence that Jeff Dunham had a puppet of the same name!

I named my character 'Llyr,'

I named my character 'Llyr,' then found out the name was Welsh but my character was African. So, instead of changing the name, I made the most confusing back story to try and make it fit because the name grew on me (luckily it was early in her development, but still). Now it's an alias she adopted from her Welsh father, and her real name fits much better. So just make sure you do some research sighs. But your character ends up growing into it, especially if you know some lore behind it, or historical people with the same name.

I get most of my names through minor characters of my favorite movies, books, Celtic mythology (or any mythology in general), or naming sites based on nationality, with the meanings listed behind (then further researched on).
lemon's picture

Welcome! I'm so glad you

Welcome! I'm so glad you asked this, I've been wondering the same thing, myself! Laughing out loud

I wish I could go back and ask myself exactly what I was thinking when I chose 'lemon', because it holds absolutely no significance to me whatsoever. I tend to name characters after inanimate objects a lot. One of my other characters outside of TEF is named Toast. ;w;

Anyway, that was not helpful in the least, I really just wanted to say welcome! And that I've been having fun reading through other people's behind-the-names.
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