Lucky Shot 232 October 24, 2015 Share October 24, 2015 (edited) Bronies really really need to learn this: there's a basic rule to naming ponies. The rule is that the name must be one of the following: a childish or girly mixed-word phrase a pun, whether alone or as a set with other ponies; a figure of speech or meme; or really anything that is not an ordinary human name Authentic pony names must all be plausible as trademarks, but that's a long story for another day. Below I will explain what each of those things means, and the primary exception to this rule. A childish or girly mixed-word phrase This occurs when you slam a bunch of words together that share a certain theme and is probably the most common way to name ponies. The primary goal of a "mixed-word phrase", and the one that is easiest to get wrong, is that the complete phrase rolls off the tongue easily as though it's a single word. To do this, I advise that your phrase not exceed four syllables, and ideally aim for three. This will limit you to one or two words, and those words will not be particularly eloquent. In the case of Friendship is Magic, more or less all mixed-word phrase names appeal to children ("childish"), and many of them appeal to girls specifically ("girly"). Words like THUNDER, DASH, or LIGHTNING are "childish", while words like TWINKLE, STARLIGHT, and RAINBOW are "girly". Optional but useful benefits are: Alliteration (starting or ending with the same sound) An intuitive relationship between the words in the name, such as an adjective and noun (the name "Twilight Sparkle" makes it seem like Twilight is the adjective, a sparkle in twilight, etc.) A pun A pun is a usage of a phrase, or a modification of a phrase, that gives it additional meaning or adds humor to it. Puns used in Friendship is Magic can sometimes be very subtle and range from blunt wordplays to obtuse situational commentary. As an example, Rarity's name references the fact that she prefers every single dress she makes to be custom-ordered. That is, Rarity's special talent is making one-of-a-kind dresses. A figure of speech or meme There are certain figures of speech or terms that are already very familiar to the American audience. Some ponies' names are simply these exact phrases dropped in without modification (but puns are acceptable too.) These are names like: Daring Do, original term is derring-do Hoity-Toity, a phrase mocking elegant and elite society Spitfire, a World War II-era biplane Naturally, these memetic phrases might not be familiar to children, but so long as they are familiar to the public at large, they're acceptable. Examples of good or at least okay names Childish or girly mixed-word phrases Twilight Sparkle Rainbow Dash Thunderlane Bulk Biceps Puns Apple family Cup, Carrot, Pound, Pumpkin Cake Maud Pie (and probably all Pies that aren't Pinkie) Rarity (happiest when every dress is a custom order i.e. one of a kind) Soarin' Trixie Figures of speech, memes, puns thereon Daring Do Hoity-Toity Spitfire Sugarcoat None of the above but still not a human name: Vinyl Scratch (yes I know it's record scratch but the phonetic change makes the reference less clear) None of these names would likely be given to a human being except by nerd parents directly referencing the show, not counting Equestria Girls wherein all characters have the same name as in Equestria. Names like these are what you should be looking for in your OC. Examples of not-good names The following names are graded as either "not that good" or "bad" depending on how well (or poorly) they follow the criteria given above. The two criteria most importantly considered are how well the name rolls off the tongue and feels like one word ("mixed-word phrase") and whether the name is "too human" or not. Names that aren't bad per se but aren't great Coco Pommel: equine fashion / saddle pun on Coco Chanel; I would have called her Cocoa Pommel and pretended it was more subtle Names that are bad Derpy Hooves: reeks of 4chan; should have gone with Ditzy Doo or Topsy-Turvy or some other goofy thing Dr. Whooves: can you please just call him Time Turner Lyra Heartstrings: should be just Heartstrings but bronies demanded Lyra so Octavia Melody: poorly rolls off tongue, too wordy; could easily pass in an anime with human characters Steven Magnet: subtitle error, meant to be a running gag Exception: Pretty Princesses Princesses ("alicorns") are the toys most squarely marketed to little girls, and THEY ARE THE LAW so they say screw the rules and get pretty princess names little girls would like, just like any other princess from any other toy line. And thus, the three characters who debuted as princesses are Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, all of which are passable human names suitable for pretty princesses. Twilight Sparkle became a princess rather than debut as one, hence she does not take this exception. The toy line also features a Princess Skyla who looks suspiciously like Cadance's daughter...Non-pony names Non-pony races have no pressure to follow the above rules (but might anyway as with Cranky) and have their own separate conventions for names. They're generally more free because non-ponies are rarely major characters. Most names seen so far begin with the first letter of the race's name (except cows), but non-ponies are considerably less common than ponies, so conventions may be spited at a future date. Changelings: Only named is "Chrysalis", starts with a C, is an insect anatomy term Cows: Only name I remember is Moorielle or some such, pun on "moo" Griffons: all known names start with G Mules: Only named is "Mulia Mild", starts with M, mule pun Zebras: only named is "Zecora", starts with a Z, meant "zebra" in a now-outdated form of the Oromo language Edited October 25, 2015 by Lucky Shot 1 DeviantArt | Tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift 4,274 October 24, 2015 Share October 24, 2015 @@Lucky Shot, Lyra Heartstrings is actually a decent name. 'Lyra' is a pun on 'Lyre', the instrument she uses, and is also a constellation. Heartstrings is a pun on the idiom 'tugging on your heart strings'. Octavia (Melody) isn't completely a pun, but close. It refers to octaves in music and 'Melody' refers to... uh, melodies. Dr. Whooves is a reference and pun to Doctor Who. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, all of which are "pretty" human names But the three of them are puns... Celestia is a pun on 'celestial', which means solar being. Luna is the italian word for moon, and also refers to the word 'lunar'. Cadance is a bit obscure and i'm reaching a bit, but Cadance is an altered version of the name 'Cadence', which is a balanced, rhythmic flow. Cadance has a pretty damn good singing voice, arguably the best on the show, and has one of the best songs. Have the courage to think and act on your own. And have the courage to disobey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Shot 232 October 24, 2015 Author Share October 24, 2015 (edited) @@Shift A pun is a usage or modification of a phrase that grants it humor or additional meaning as appropriate to the context. Example: Time-Turner, the real name for Dr. Whooves, is called that because his job is to turn the hourglass for timed Ponyville events. That makes his name metaphorical and comical, ergo it is a pun. The names you have listed are not puns, because they don't provide any extra meaning or humor to the phrases they modify. Celestia just has to do with the sky and heaven. Luna is literally the name of Earth's moon as distinct from other planets' moons. The name Cadance isn't "a pun" on cadence - it's a real name that is just an alternate spelling of cadence, which it literally means, imagined here as "generally a nice and serene person". And similarly, naming the girl with the lyre... lyre, and the girl who plays music... octave melody, isn't a pun. That's like saying that calling a family of tailors Tailor is a pun. It's not. Lyra's proper name is Heartstrings, and that's a pun because she plays a stringed instrument, from the heart, which is not what Heartstrings normally means. But the point is not whether or not the name is a pun. The point is that, pun or not, a pony's name shouldn't sound like it belongs to a human; specifically, it should not sound like a given name and/or a surname. Even though I listed Coco Pommel as a proper name, I originally had it under bad names, because despite the pun, it's normal. Look down the list and spot the odd one out: Meadowbreeze Sugar Cookie Rainy Days Shinebryte Emma Trotson Morning Mist Fireflash It's like stubbing an ingrown toenail. Edited October 24, 2015 by Lucky Shot DeviantArt | Tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sporemane 546 October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 A lot good information in this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Pip 775 October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 I think Octavia Lyra Luna and Celestia all are named similarly so if you call some of those bad you are calling the rest bad that are similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shift 4,274 October 25, 2015 Share October 25, 2015 @@Lucky Shot,Lyra's official name is Lyra Heartstrings as seen on merchandise. Dr. Whooves is pretty ambiguous; in merchandise he's either Dr Whooves/Hooves or Time Turner, and in Slice of Life he was referred to as Doc, and he's referred to as either Dr. Hooves or Time Turner. But that's beside the point. The point isn't if the name is a pun or not; the point is that there are too many pony names that don't fit into the childish/girly phrase, figure of speech, or pun guidelines for them to really be guidelines. The only guideline when it comes to pony names is the last one; it shouldn't be human except in special cases. The figure of speech/pun thing is just a bonus. - Blossomforth- Cloudchaser- Flitter- Rumble- Pipsqueak- Suri Polomare- Star Swirl- Lightning Dust- Thunderlane- Blossomforth- Sassy Saddles- Cheese Sandwich- Nurse Redheart- Doctor Horse- Rose- Professor Neigh- Lily- Daisy I 100% agree with you on not naming ponies human names, though. Nopony runs around being called Lauren, Megan, Michael, John, etc. Some human names are acceptable when used properly; Rose is a good example, as is Lily, Daisy, Cadance, and Pony Joe, but ones like Bob and Caitlin are a no go. Have the courage to think and act on your own. And have the courage to disobey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Shot 232 October 25, 2015 Author Share October 25, 2015 (edited) Can you please stop wasting my time on this pointless argument? I've edited the first post to better clarify and present my points on the general nature of pony names. Edited October 25, 2015 by Lucky Shot DeviantArt | Tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeric 46,876 October 29, 2015 Share October 29, 2015 Locking for review. Love and Tolerate people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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