Quickblade22
Character Creation Tip 1
Naming a hero or villain can be challenging. What I find to be the tricky part is not just picking a cool name, but picking a cool name that isn’t already used. When I make a new character, I usually go through this process…..sometimes not in the exact order. “What powers do they have? What do I want the costume to look like? Is their persona related to a specific object or event?” Once I get these questions out of the way, I look to see if adding something like a color, animal, or some other adjective that might help accent the name. A resource I like to use is the ever reliable Wikipedia. :P One thing Wikipedia is great for is to see if a name for a character is used and more importantly how popular it is. I don’t like to use names of popular characters because for me it’s hard to get past the general thinking of the widely known version. Suppose I name a hero “Batman.” Everyone has an idea of what and who Batman is. However if I name a villain “Komodo”, then I’m not worried that the name is used by some obscure character in both Marvel and DC. My general guideline is that if it isn’t in a modern movie, TV show, or cartoon, then its fair game…..with exceptions. Things get more complicated when trying not to use a name someone else uses in a Flickr group. I’m sure some of the names I use are already used by other people. If you pick a name you really like and then find out that someone like say….Quickblade is using that same name, then here’s my suggestion. Don’t sweat it. Unless the person has paid to have copy writes on a specific name and you plan to make money off of it, then it’s not a big deal. But what about common courtesy when using a name someone else uses? Well personally I try not to, but sometimes it happens. I have over 20 characters I have yet to reveal, and if someone debuts a character with the same name then I have 2 options. Change the name, or just go with it. In the past, I had a character that I changed the name of because it was too close to a friend’s main character. I decided to change the name even though he didn’t ask me to. I don’t know who came up with the name first, but it didn’t matter. You can always ask someone if you can use the name or give credit for the inspiration. It’s nearly impossible to come up with something unique and cool sounding at the same time. Just have fun with it.
Character Creation Tip 1
Naming a hero or villain can be challenging. What I find to be the tricky part is not just picking a cool name, but picking a cool name that isn’t already used. When I make a new character, I usually go through this process…..sometimes not in the exact order. “What powers do they have? What do I want the costume to look like? Is their persona related to a specific object or event?” Once I get these questions out of the way, I look to see if adding something like a color, animal, or some other adjective that might help accent the name. A resource I like to use is the ever reliable Wikipedia. :P One thing Wikipedia is great for is to see if a name for a character is used and more importantly how popular it is. I don’t like to use names of popular characters because for me it’s hard to get past the general thinking of the widely known version. Suppose I name a hero “Batman.” Everyone has an idea of what and who Batman is. However if I name a villain “Komodo”, then I’m not worried that the name is used by some obscure character in both Marvel and DC. My general guideline is that if it isn’t in a modern movie, TV show, or cartoon, then its fair game…..with exceptions. Things get more complicated when trying not to use a name someone else uses in a Flickr group. I’m sure some of the names I use are already used by other people. If you pick a name you really like and then find out that someone like say….Quickblade is using that same name, then here’s my suggestion. Don’t sweat it. Unless the person has paid to have copy writes on a specific name and you plan to make money off of it, then it’s not a big deal. But what about common courtesy when using a name someone else uses? Well personally I try not to, but sometimes it happens. I have over 20 characters I have yet to reveal, and if someone debuts a character with the same name then I have 2 options. Change the name, or just go with it. In the past, I had a character that I changed the name of because it was too close to a friend’s main character. I decided to change the name even though he didn’t ask me to. I don’t know who came up with the name first, but it didn’t matter. You can always ask someone if you can use the name or give credit for the inspiration. It’s nearly impossible to come up with something unique and cool sounding at the same time. Just have fun with it.