CAP 13 CAP 2 - Part 8 - Name Submissions

Objection: Floradenta has too many syllables IMO. And it also gives me an imagery of a victreebel with tusks. It works out, but isn't elegant, which loses a bit of appeal. Ya I know it doesn't NEED to be elegant.

ReshiramBlitz: "Carn" doesn't sound well with "iden". Perhaps use somethign other than maiden? Like maybe Carnafaith or something?

And I get the feeling that we shouldn't stray too much into the languages of french and japanese...

I'll just put this here for now, since there has been a fair amount of positive feedback for it.

Final Submission

Name: Shamantra
Etymology: Shaman + Mantra
Pronunciation: Shuh-Mahn-Truh

The latter part of the name focuses on the telepathic and spiritual nature of CAP 2's design, and primarily looks at its Ghost typing. This matches flavor abilities Forewarn and Telepathy very well. The Grass typing is slightly seen in shaman, where many shaman figures use herbs to ply their trade. Either way, I think the shaman tempers the use of mantra, making the mind drift instead to 'Ghost-type' instead of 'Psychic-type' with a hint of something else for the Grass typing that they get by looking at the art. Lastly, for those interested, the name is a corruption of 'Samantha', a common female name.

Rising_Dusk said:

I'll just put this here for now, since there has been a fair amount of positive feedback for it.

Final Submission

Name: Shamantra
Etymology: Shaman + Mantra
Pronunciation: Shuh-Mahn-Truh

The latter part of the name focuses on the telepathic and spiritual nature of CAP 2's design, and primarily looks at its Ghost typing. This matches flavor abilities Forewarn and Telepathy very well. The Grass typing is slightly seen in shaman, where many shaman figures use herbs to ply their trade. Either way, I think the shaman tempers the use of mantra, making the mind drift instead to 'Ghost-type' instead of "Psychic-type" with a hint of something else for the Grass typing that they get by looking at the art.

Click to expand...

Sound a bit more Dark-typish...but I can't nitpick out too many bad stuff about it. J'aime. Not too sold on the shaman and grass connection though.

Btw, I thought of an ultra cute but meaningless name for it:

Sassafraz!!!! (Why can't it be sassy? Go powerpuff girlz...)

As always, please go to page 2 to halp me with my final submission! Much appreciated friendly people!

riekku said:

Objection: Floradenta has too many syllables IMO. And it also gives me an imagery of a victreebel with tusks. It works out, but isn't elegant, which loses a bit of appeal. Ya I know it doesn't NEED to be elegant.

ReshiramBlitz: "Carn" doesn't sound well with "iden". Perhaps use somethign other than maiden? Like maybe Carnafaith or something?

And I get the feeling that we shouldn't stray too much into the languages of french and japanese...

Click to expand...

Carnaiden was meant to be car-nay-den, not carna-iden. I agree that carna-iden sounds bad, I intended for it to be car - nay - den

Rising_Dusk said:

I really dislike Scrytrap, though, since it sounds so harsh. That sounds like a name you might be able to pin on something as gruesome or angry-appearing as Carnivine, but not for something that demands a hint of elegance like CAP 2.

Click to expand...

That's why I like it, though! Exactly because it hasn't made any effort to sound particularly feminine or "elegant", as you put it. The vibe that I get from this Pokemon is the same sort of vibe that I get from those little kids in horror movies that turn out to be monsters or demons or something. Yeah, it's cute, but the reality behind that cuteness is something horrifying. I think that CAP2's design is gruesome and angry-appearing, even more so than Carnivine, when you look past its more obvious feminine elegance.

I also like it because it's the sort of name that doesn't require any explanation for us to get it. I look at a lot of these names that people are coming up with, and without their specifically explaining them to me, I wouldn't get it at all. That's fine, I know that's the reality for a lot of official Pokemon, but I think that if you're trying to be punny then a name with more obvious origins is going to be more broadly appealing. I also like Willowitch for this reason, though I'm not sure that it's as appropriate for this design as it would have been for Doug's, as this design is not based on a willow. I would like Lillighast were it not for the fact that I just think it sounds way too much like Lilligant, and the same goes for Spirivine and Spiritomb.

I can't think of any complaint for Wraithorn, though. I really like that one, Kaprikorn. It evokes both grass and ghost, it sounds pretty scary, and it's obvious what it means.

For, Rediamond, instead of Necturnal, which sounds too adjectival in my opinion, what if you just shorten it to Necturne? Still evocative of darkness and the night, but the additional possible musical reference may appease the need of some for a sense of elegance from the name?

I'm still not a fan of the names like Auwraith or Shamantra that include no reference at all to the plant typing.

The issue I have with Wraithorn, although I quite like it, is that we already have Ferrothorn.

This is the same reason I'm a bit wary of anything with vine, venus, leaf, dew, loom, or lily in its name--we already have Pokemon incorporating these grass-themed words.

So, considering I didn't get any positive input for Rheeve, I'll drop it.
For Clarification's sake, I'll put pronunciations next to each. Bolded vowels are hard sounds, unbolded are soft

Names still up for commentary:

Perseeve: (Pur-se-v)

Lileter: (Lil-e-ter)

Demyl/Demele: (Dem-el)

How about

Belladonna

On the one hand, it is the name for a type of plant whose berries are extremely dangerous and can cause hallucinations or death when eaten, which follows the Grass/Ghost and creepy pant aspect of this CAP.

On the other hand, it means "Beautiful Lady" in Italian (according to Wikipedia). CAP 2 is only female, so the lady part certainly works. While I don't know if beautiful was the main goal of designing CAP 2 (the artwork was very nice nonetheless), CAP 2 definitely has grace, elegance, and composure (just my opinion on the art here), which goes a long way towards beauty.

On the third hand (first foot?) is the fact that Belladonna is actually sounds good as a name for something since it already has significance in the real-world. The reason that it is already the name for a plant is because it is a good name. Some other suggested names are just mash-ups of two things related to plants and death/witchcraft that really don't sound good together (no offense guys, but just repeat the name 100 times out loud, then see if you still like it).

Belladonna almost rhymes with itself and sounds a lot shorter than how it is spelled, sort of like Klingklang, which helps it roll of the tongue and sound smooth.

Final Submission:
Belladonna

Note: Yes, I ripped the name from a real word, maybe we could intentionally misspell it and have it sound the same, like Game Freak did with Gastly. Not that using real-words is unprecendented (Ninetales, Haunter, Mr. Mime), it just might be seen as a bit uncreative.

Along with my own submission of Belladonna, I also like
Mystress
Thisyl and
Necturne
simply because they sound good and seem to fit the design and concept of the CAP.

Does anyone think that Allurune would be a good idea as well?

Allure: it's a flytrap, lures stuff in.

Rune: used by mikos for spells and such

Also similar to a common castlevania rose monster: Alura Une,

Lunar fist: As for Belladonna, I get the feeling that it's a bit TOO non-macabre. It feels too...nice. Also reminds me of the material girl...whom I don't like, lol.

My opinion factors in how the name should have a reference to a grass typing, a hint of its maiden or ghostly appearance, and in general, should sound feminine. Also, would like to throw out anything that sounds even remotely like Lilligant, period.

So, as much as I hope that my own submission of Mikora would win, I'd have to say that Herbinoire, Mikopula, and Zeratoreph sound like the top candidates. My only problems with any of these is that it seems like they lack a feminine touch to them, which is sad to say being higher quality than all the other ideas imo. Mikopula sounds like a spider now that I think about it.

Just thought I would throw in my two cents there.

In regards to Belladonna:

I know Game Freak (Mr. Mime, etc.) and CAP (Strategem) have both used real words as names, but I simply don't like when that happens. It seems uncreative and not like a name at all.

Keep in mind:
All the examples you use from Game Freak are Gen. 1, and we've seen very few names--if any--like those since.

Also, Gastly isn't misspelled simply for aesthetics; it's a gas Pokemon, after all. Belladonna is less open to misspellings anyways, and its length restricts a lot of possible changes.

Necturne is nice, though. Nectar + nocturnal (since it was originally Necturnal) sounds very nice and captures the essence of CAP2.

Final Submission:
Azuvene

I think it gets both of the Pokemon's origins into one name, and it sounds feminine (well, at least moreso than it does masculine).

Comments on Belladonna:

This is actually something I also tried to work with. I wanted to try to sneak something else grassy or spiritual in there through a misspelling and I was unable to do so to a point where I was happy. As it is, I do agree that using actual words is very rare, and almost (entirely?) exclusive in 1st gen. Still, it is a good place to start.

The best I could come up with was to corrupt a few letters to introduce alternate words. I came up with, but did not submit (you can if you want to) Bellidawna. This spelling of Belli instead of Bella refers to bellicose, roughly meaning aggressive, and belligerent, meaning warlike, which come from the Latin root word for war. And then dawna instead of donna maintains the pronunciation while introducing dawn, which is unexpected for a ghost, since Pokemon seems to associate them with Dusk (see Dusclops and Dusknoir,) but I think is appropriate for a grassy spirit.

This has gotten some good feedback, and it looks like I won't be able to get back on the Internet tonight, so:

Final Submission

Name: Willowitch
Etymology: Willow + Witch, Will-O-Wisp
Pronunciation: Will-oh-witch

Willow is a nod to this Pokemon's grass typing, and witch is from its ghostly and creepy nature.

Willowitch also comes from Will-O-Wisp, which according to Wikipedia is "ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes... drawing travellers from the safe paths."

Therefore, this name captures all the important traits of CAP2: it is ghostly; has to do with grass-typing with its reference to swampy, vegetation-laden areas; and it is tricky/lures prey, a trait of plants such as the venus fly trap.

It still rolls off the tongue a bit better than some other submissions, and it is within the ten-letter limit.

Besides my submission of Mikodama (me-KO-da-ma), I also like Shamantra, Willowitch (a clever pun), and Allurune.

i absolutely love the name Willowitch. that's probably the best so far imo, great work :D

The stuff I came up with so far:

Clairvoyew: Clairvoyant + yew (or sundew)
Clairew: shorter version of above
Clairvelle: Clairvoyant + mademoiselle
Clairasia: Clairvoyant + euthanasia
Clairaphne: Clairvoyant + Daphne

Ghoulsary (ghoul + rosary)
Slumbra (slumber + umbra)
Sassafraz (Sassy + frizzy)
Allurune (Allure + rune).

Does anyone like any of these in particular?

So far, clairvelle, Clairvoyew, Clairew, and Allurune seemed to have garnered some interest.

Thanks peeps.

Midnight Show said:

This has gotten some good feedback, and it looks like I won't be able to get back on the Internet tonight, so:

Final Submission

Name: Willowitch
Etymology: Willow + Witch, Will-O-Wisp
Pronunciation: Will-oh-witch

Willow is a nod to this Pokemon's grass typing, and witch is from its ghostly and creepy nature.

Willowitch also comes from Will-O-Wisp, which according to Wikipedia is "ghostly light seen by travellers at night, especially over bogs, swamps or marshes... drawing travellers from the safe paths."

Therefore, this name captures all the important traits of CAP2: it is ghostly; has to do with grass-typing with its reference to swampy, vegetation-laden areas; and it is tricky/lures prey, a trait of plants such as the venus fly trap.

It still rolls off the tongue a bit better than some other submissions, and it is within the ten-letter limit.

Click to expand...

I didn't the "in your face willow + witch" feel at first, but it actually does sound quite natural. I think that to make it a bit more subtle you might consider misspelling it to Willowich or Willowicz...(lol russian...) But perhaps you're right and being direct is the best way to get your point across.

riekku said:

Objection: Floradenta has too many syllables IMO. And it also gives me an imagery of a victreebel with tusks. It works out, but isn't elegant, which loses a bit of appeal. Ya I know it doesn't NEED to be elegant.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I suspected this might happen. Since four syllables seems to be too many and there is no elegant way of going from one syllable into "dent", I think the "a" at the end will need to be removed. Which then means if I want to work in the feminine aspect, I'll have to do so in the first part of the name. The "Flo" in the beginning can stay though as a reference to the flower aspect. So Flo-something-dent, and only three letters to work with. Unfortunately, the only two feminine suffixes I can think of are "elle" and "ita". Even if "elle" is shortened to "ele" or "lle", the flow of the name is all messed up, and it's much the same story with "ita", only being two syllables, it doesn't even address the syllable problem the name had in the first place.

So, in the name flow regard, while I am sure Floradenta can be improved, I cannot think of how it can be improved without losing one of the three main aspects covered by this name.

((EDIT: A VM from someone suggesting Florenta. I guess it could work, but I worry that without the "d", the name's connection to teeth is too easy to miss. Thoughts?))

Now, about the "Victreebel with tusks" imagery: well, tbh, when I look at the design, what grabs me most is the "teeth" on the dress, which is why I wanted to focus on that in my chosen name. Judging by the ideas that most of the names seem to be going for, I guess I am the only one who thinks this.

As for your names, I like the idea of clairvoyance, but I'm not sure any of the names you've put forward with that idea really work out right. Did you try Clairvoyel?

Final Submission:

Persieve

I finally chose this one based on the fact that it requires the least amount of knowledge of mythology to get. (Though knowing of Persephone would be helpful)

posting in support of Sharmantra. it feels like a "pokemon" name and rolls off the tongue pleasingly and easily. additionally, the "shaa" sound is very ghostlike and i like the way the name has a feminine connotation appropriate for CAP 2. and the shaman-grass connection is easy to make. i also like Willowitch -- clever wordplay especially since a will 'o wisp has grass/ghost connotations already, being a small spirit that hangs out in dark forests.

i dislike Scrytrap. it's just a really unattractive word to say and the cacophony of the syllables seem completely at odds with the miko's grace and haunting beauty. it's been said that the name is appropriate due to the inherent dangerous quality of the pokemon -- the harshness poking out from the pleasing facade. i feel like this beautiful danger should be expressed in a name that, yes, has a dangerous quality to it also as aesthetically pleasing to hear as the pokemon seems to be on the outside. as it is scrytrap is just bluntly dangerous -- the name of a spiky-shelled grunt rather than a scary but captivating princess.

Final Submission:

Sistoll

The "head scarf" suggested in the artwork put me slightly in mind of a nun, a sister. "Sister" is also a word used as a term of position within many all-female orders.
Toll comes from the old sayong "For who the bell tolls" meaning, death. Again with the ghost typing and the theme of our mon communing with the spirits I thought it was quite fitting.


My favorites so far have been Snorlaxe's Fantoleur and Rising_Dusk's Shamantra as both roll off the tongue quite well and fit the theme and the general art of CAP2 quite well.

I love willowitch

I think many of these names here sound goo foreign. They should sound English and roll off the tongue.

Asylum_Rhapsody said:

For, Rediamond, instead of Necturnal, which sounds too adjectival in my opinion, what if you just shorten it to Necturne? Still evocative of darkness and the night, but the additional possible musical reference may appease the need of some for a sense of elegance from the name?

Click to expand...

I feel the need to bring up that, while Necturne would make a fitting and nice-sounding name, it's still really similar to Cacturne.

Also, riekku, my favorites of your names would probably be Ghoulsary and Clairasia. I also like the idea behind Allurune but something about the spelling seems awkward, although i can't put my finger on why.

I like Belladonna but most people don't seem to be favoring it. Belladawna could be some way to change the name up a bit, although dawn sounds too sunny for a ghost, and there isn't much else you could change with the name either.

And I'm still trying to come up with my own submission as well lol.