#dtyf

There’s a few ways! 🌟 

1. Intentional 

If I have a strong concept for a character already in mind—like their gender, race, and role in the story—then I can search for a specific meaning that would be on the nose or ironic. For example, a minor character in my OnS longfic Down till You Fall, Bernard Porcher, has a last name meaning “swineherd.” Since he’s a vampire who looks after human prisoners, I thought it suited the vampires’ view of things well.

2. I Know the Role and Nothing Else

When I need an OC to fill a specific function in the story, it often doesn’t matter to me “who” they are. In that sense, I often find a name first and create the details of the character from there.

As you might know, the biggest block of OCs was the nineteen vampires I needed to create for the Literature Committee in Down till You Fall (“needed”—of course, since I’m the author, I did it to myself haha). Most of their purpose could be summarized as cold bodies who could vote, but naturally they were also there to showcase various societal viewpoints, do some work thematically, and provide worldbuilding. (It wasn’t all perfectly random, though; the fact that there’s a higher proportion of Japanese vampires is deliberate, since the third vampire city is in Japan.) In cases like that, there’s leeway in character creation, so I can go wild with name searching until I think of a good concept.

Basically, I rely on a few trusty websites to do my name finding! Behind the Name is a lifesaver; there’s so many settings to customize your generation, and odds are you’ll find a name you like eventually. I also use Mom Junction and 20,000 Names From Around the World.

3. It Just Sounds Pretty

I don’t always go for meaningful names, alas! Sometimes, even if I know a lot about the character in my head, I just pick something that sounds nice or a name I like and want to use.

Additional Resources:

I don’t usually use this for character naming myself, but Fantasy Name Generators has a lot of options! I use it for random things like towns; it always pulls through.

RULES: List the first lines of the last ten stories you published. Look to see if there are any patterns that you notice yourself, and see if anyone else notices any! Then tag some friends. 

1. When Yuuichirou was eight years old, his mother and father tried to murder him. (Down till You Fall, Owari no Seraph, M, 86k, WIP)

2. This is the beginning of your direct message history with @Mitsuba. (Serpent’s Quest Big Bang 2017, Owari no Seraph, T, 1.5k)

3. It’s the end of an era, but Uraraka Ochako doesn’t have time to think about it. (The Quirk Thief, Boku no Hero Academia, M, 15k, WIP)

4. There’s something Emma and Norman aren’t telling him. (this is how it has to be, The Promised Neverland, G, 803)

5. They say the King of Spring, who shined so bright / has gone away / and hid from sight. (The Rising of the Wind, Owari no Seraph, T, 2.3k)

6. If you want to know the details of how it all fell apart—the heroes, the villains, and whose hand held the hammer that cracked the whole thing wide open—then I will tell you. (Fatal Flaw, Owari no Seraph, T, 1.7k)

7. Above a meadow covered in wildflowers, dove-gray clouds raced across the sky. (Black Veil Over the Light, Owari no Seraph, T, 3.7k)

8. “Someone write my caption!” Nanami hisses, tossing her wavy hair artfully. (Hedonist, Revolutionary Girl Utena, T, 501)

9. When Mika gets home, his mother is folding brochures and watching television. (Virtue’s Imitation (Mall Goth, Suspended), Owari no Seraph, T, 1k)

10. Saiko sits on a tree stump with a container of takoyaki and a bag of fortune cookies, watching the carnival fold itself back up. (Ritual Hunger, Tokyo Ghoul, T, 4.3k)

(Note: in my collaboration fics, I didn’t happen to write the first sentence, so that’s why they aren’t included.)

Let’s see…most of these are about establishing the setting and/or main character. 1, 3, and 6 are probably the most dramatic, although 4 goes for a similar “mystery” angle. Only one involves dialogue; I guess I’m fine with that. I’m not sure I learned a ton, but this was fun to compile!

Tagged by @kiki-writes-fic

Rule: bold whatever applies to your chosen character.

I’ll go with Yuu in Down till You Fall

BROTHERS KARAMAZOV: orthodox monasteries, deep woods, starry nights, the sound of paper being torn, dimly lit rooms, withered roses, an unfinished letter, piles of books, the sound of shattering glass, ticking of clocks in a silent house, heavy wooden furniture, the air before a storm, the smell of earth, a crowd of people dressed in black, distant murmurs, emptied streets, the fear of walking alone in dusk.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: coldness of the skin against a blade, slender pale fingers & slightly shaking hands, a red stain blooming on white fabric, lonely steps in a corridor, the slow dripping of water, looking out of the window into the thickening darkness, a single dying candle on the table, listening to one’s breath & counting heartbeats, too many stairs, the desire to be invisible, a subtle memory of kind words.

THE IDIOT: classical statues, wealth covered with dust, a dark house tainted with inherited madness, an unsettling feeling, long walks in a park, useless chatter, a silken ribbon forgotten on a bench, a melancholic face, an unexpected spring rain, the joy of reading one’s favorite book, the clarity of mind after fully perceiving the world around, looking at cloudless sky.

ANNA KARENINA: fields of crops, flowers brought from an early morning walk, the wind caressing a girl’s hair, a bowl of fruit, the smell of ripe pears, the clatter of a spoon against porcelain when stirring tea, children’s laughter coming from the garden, soft sunlight & white curtains, the sensation of velvet against skin, pearls from a ripped necklace spilling on marble floor, a sudden silence in a room full of people.

WAR AND PEACE: a glass of wine, the brightness of a crystal chandelier, white lace, a raging snowstorm, the sound of a door being gently closed, the moment of holding one’s breath before walking in a ballroom, indulging in looking at a beautiful earring against light, closing one’s eyes for a moment while dancing, the sweet smell of strawberries, a pair of gloves left on an armchair,  light scent of powder.

THE MASTER AND MARGARITA: the chaos of a lively city, ambient jazz in an expensive restaurant, jumping on a moving tram, the sight of Moscow from the roof of a house, yellow flowers in a vase, leaning out of the window, shelves stacked with books, a small tin box with old photographs, strange shapes in the night sky, laughing in the middle of the night on a balcony, colorful posters for a surreptitious magician’s show floating in the wind.

EUGENE ONEGIN: a lonely mansion, reading a book in the parlor, faint piano melody lingering in falling silence, long evenings, passing seasons, discussing French novels of the moment, unspoken thoughts, leaning against the door frame, quickly averted glance, eating a peach absent-minded, bright mornings, footprints in snow, a loud gun-shot terrifying a flock of birds nearby.

FATHERS AND SONS: birch groves, morning mist, moss-covered stones near a moor, scientific books, white roses, cheap champagne, shabby pocket-watch, light-hearted irony, a maladroit cello sonata, freshly mowed grass, letting thoughts come & go, a slow yawn, picturesque plates & bowls filled with traditional dishes, drinking tea on the porch.

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO: a strange feeling of loss, writing poems in a diary, traveling by train, the hesitation before touching someone’s hand, the gaze of one lost in thought, the warmth of cinnamon, a scarf brightly embellished with flowers, a glass of water, a threadbare jacket, the tempting void, the evanescent serenity of yesterday.

CHERRY ORCHARD: a lone chair in an empty room, falling blossoms, old samovar, the unsettling need for change, a mirror reflecting full moon, the disappointment of a glossy object turning worthless after second glance, a piano out of tune

Chapter 11 of Down till You Fall, my Owari no Seraph longfic, is out!  Yuu explores a hidden passage, visits a jail cell, and finds himself the target of an unexpected ambush.

Chapter 7, Antipathy, Crystallized, is out after a long delay! Yuu makes progress in helping Chizue organize the palace library, but a particular novel ends up being a most potent distraction...

Chapter 8, The Provisional Twenty-first Member, is out! In an interview with the Literature Committee, Yuu fights to prove his expertise in…?!