Monday, December 10, 2012

The Stranger

I need name help again.

Though this time, it's for a character.

This character --- a man --- is tall, skinny, and gaunt, with hollowed cheeks and jet-black hair. His eyes, electric blue, are filled with intelligence and cunning, though they are sunken. He is (surprisingly) a good guy ... the leader of the Resistance! (Which will be dubbed the Fallen). He is shrouded in mystery, and my three main characters are still unsure whether or not to trust him. I myself am unsure.

But, as of now, he is a good guy, and a good guy without a name. I was going to go with the name Morpheus, but if you have ever seen the movie The Matrix, you know that I can't do that. I like the ending -pheus, though, so my names that I have come up with are as follows: (Google Translator is perfect for name inspiration - just type in a character attribute and translate it into Latin or some random language. It's awesome.)


  • Alpheus
  • Orfeo
  • Alipheus (pronounced uh-li-fee-us)

The mysterious man paused, his hand hovering over his computer mouse, then, pulling his arm back and resting it on his leg, he spun around.
            His hair was jet-black, and his face was gaunt, his cheeks hollowed, his electric blue eyes sunken, though the life in them had yet to fade.
            A long, white scar crossed his pale face, from his temple to his chin. His washed-out skin seemed to let off an unearthly glow, making his eyes appear like they were lit up in comparison.
            He stood. Tall as a tree, but skinny as a twig, he towered over the five.  His long bony hands were curled, almost like they yearned to grasp the computer mouse.
            His frosty eyes searched Skylar’s, Sophie’s, and Sierra’s. Sophie felt like he was scanning her brain. She had the uncanny feeling that he could hear her thoughts. No, no, that is just an illusion, she reassured herself. But was it?
            He took several steps towards them, away from his chair. Sophie tried not to look frightened. It took all her willpower not to high-tail it out of the creepy place.
            “You three look familiar,” the pale man said, staring at them.
            They didn’t answer.
            “You seem very much alike,” he murmured to himself, beginning to pace. “I wonder …”
            Shaking his head, he stopped his pacing, directly in front of Skylar. Their eyes met --- vivid blue against steely blue.
            “You are triplets?” he asked her.
            She nodded once, her face not betraying any ounce of fear. I wonder if she’s afraid, Sophie asked. Probably not … this Drew person sounded pretty scary.
            “Who is your father?” he asked, his eyes probing.
            Skylar stared defiantly back. “Why do you want to know?”
            Ransom and Maize looked shocked, and the man looked surprised for a moment as well at her sudden insolence. But then the moment passed.
            He lifted his chin slightly. “You are under my authority now, and mine alone,” he said coldly. “You will tell me what I want to know.”
            Sophie’s stomach clenched. He’s threatening us, she fretted. I knew it was a bad idea to come here, and trust that Maize person.
            “I’ve dealt with people like you before,” Skylar rebutted icily, her eyes shining in anger, “and I won’t give in to your blackmail. We were brought here by your men, and we have a right to know who you are, what’s going on, and why we were told to come here.”
            The man stared at her for a moment in amazement, then suddenly burst into laughter.
            Skylar stepped back, confused by the display.
            The man smiled, his teeth glittering against the lantern light. “You are a brave little one, I see that now,” he said. “You will be perfect for the job.”


From the small insight into his character that you saw, what do you think his name should be --- should it be powerful, strong, with a tinge of sinister and dab of evil? Should it be the name of a criminal mastermind, flavored with cunning yet sprinkled with insecurities? Names tell a lot about the person, you know. When you read the snippet, what names came to mind?

4 comments:

  1. I am terrible with names! mime helps me with most of mine, and she usually comes up with quite fascinating ones (though I do hit on a frabjous name occasionally). Of the three you have there, I like: Orpheo. And yes! Haha, I have seen the Matrix, so I understand why you can't use that name. ;)

    And I tagged you:
    http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/tagyoure-it.html

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    1. I like Orpheo too, but my mom suggested the PERFECT name - Falcon. <3 and isnt the Matrix awesome? :)

      Yay for tags! :D

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  2. I like when characters like he hide their name and use some title in its place. It makes them sound cold and frightening. Like The Clockwork Master. He is so sinister one cannot even know his name. *Evil laughter*

    I'm not the best with names though. I shall think about it, there has to be a name out there for him! He sounds so cool, and creepy! I loved the snippet!

    (Oh, and thank you, you have given me a name for one of my characters.)

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    1. :) you're welcome. I LOOOVE the Clockwork Master! So using it. Thanks!

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