I was wondering what gives a name its fantasy-like qualities, and also makes it sound nice and fitting? I haven't read much into the fantasy genre, so I lack a reference aside from IRE games (and Lord of the Ring movies).

Looking at the list of characters online, I nod and think, 'Yep, that sounds just about right.' Names like Nihmriel, Talan, Lothringen, Arel, Ilyarin, Malicia (off the top of my head), seem to stand out. All of the Divine have cool names too, that fit their characters.

I think if I could change my own character's name, Wuylinfe, I would, because it seems alien and obscure (and I doubt people pronounce it the way I intended). I literally didn't have any inspiration when making him aside from 'Hmm what kind of sounds can I put together that no one else would think of..." I have a better idea now, but clearly Wuy isn't going anywhere.

What makes a name stand out, in a setting like this?

Hmm those names...Like Talan, Lothringen, and Ilyarin seem to carry an inherit alignment. Like Talan, two syllable seems to have an ambiguity to it that lends itself to Glomdoring maybe even Hallifax. Lothringen stands out as being..well...not benign...I think it is the Loth part. Malicia, well, it is just awesome. It's friendly to me. Suits Seren, Gaudi and Celest!

When I picked my name, I went with friendly too. I even thought about my nickname, Lori. It's a nice name to me. I would just pick a name that is more than two syllables that sounds like the alignment you wish it to be.

Malicia is too close to malice.

Best name is Fillin. It would have been even better if it was Fillyin, though.

True, when I was a new player in Celest I was targeting Malicia during a raid, because I thought she was evil (based on her name). Maybe it's just through association over the years that I don't put the two and two together anymore.

Lorina is a lyrical name, and Rika also conjures up a playful and nice connotation. That's interesting about the inherent alignment and I agree. But it's hard to tell if this is because we actually know the characters, or from the name alone.

EDIT: I really like the name Xenthos, sounds so badass. Daevos, Visaeris... can't imagine characters in Celest with those names.

Malicia does have a hint of malice to her though.

Ah, yes...Fillin. I wish I could find the quotes of the accidental world echoes. That was a fun ascension.

This is tricky, since I tend to lean more towards how a name sounds than how it looks spelled out, but as you noted earlier, this will vary from person to person.

So long as there is no point in the name where it has more than three consonants in a row, there's some hope for it.

How about three vowels?

Part of that is a double-E. That barely counts!

The one thing I really hate is when people show no imagination, and just transpose real world names into the game. Lay-zee.

Zatshk.

I think that's pronounceable, too. Not a normal English name but I could see some cultures having a name that sounds like that, and people do like their spellings.

Just because it is pronounceable doesn't mean it sounds good.

I'd swap Sylphas in an instant. I've issued myself several times in vain hope, but been shot down. I don't mind the name on it's own, but we actually have, you know, sylphs. So that makes it annoying. This was a throwaway name until I decided if I liked Lusternia, and I'm stuck with it years later.

I created Druken on a whim. I wanted it to sound woodsy because I started in Serenwilde. I had no idea he'd make it this far, and if I had counted on staying power, I'd have made it a little more... austere.

Mine's just my name.

EDIT: Though to be fair, Phoebus' middle name is a bit more trilly.

My name is really unimaginative. I wanted Yila but it was taken, so I added the extra "i." I think "Telperion" is a really great name, not sure why though.

I got Seraku's name loosely off of WoW. In Shattrath one of the netherdragons is named Suraku, thought that sounded a bit too feminine and changed the u to an e.

Heh, I was about to include Sylphas as a name that stood out too, sounds really forestal and fun. Like a furry squirrel. Never associated it with sylphs before.

Or maybe that's because I just sold you dingbats today.

Same with Druken. Has the dark and brooding vibe to it!

Interesting... I wonder how many others feel this ambiguity towards their character names.

Sylandra is like a weird marriage between Sylvia and Sandra. I made it up on the spot, and I'm glad I did, since my normal internet name wouldn't have suited the character I made.

(three syllable names ftw)

I'm of the mind that we project our own ideas onto the names. After all:

What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.

We think of 'hot' and 'heat' when we see the word 'sun,' but someone who speaks another language wouldn't. Thus, Daevos and Asmodea evoke images of darkness and winter because their characters are just good at it. It could easily be the other way around (Asmodea, to me, just sounds scary).

A lot can be said about phonology, but I still think a lot of how we associate feelings and images with names comes from our perceptions of the character. Druken is brooding and dark because I make him be that way, and therefore, the word 'Druken' means dark and brooding. Viravain could be the Creatrix and Estarra could be a furrikin, etc.

All hail the power of semantics!

Three vowels. Check.



Three syllables. Check.