The Perfect Name (2)

[le Dawnz]

Naming your character is an important part of the creative process of building a biography. Your charcter's name is what everyone will know them as, and should describe your character accordingly. Do you need help figuring out a name for your character? The first thing you need to decide is if your cat is a clan cat, a kittypet, a loner, or a rogue.

In most cases, only Clan cats have compound names, although there are few times when they don't. That's not to say it's impossible for a cat outside a clan to have a compound name. For example: Ravenpaw and Rain fur. Ravenpaw was once an apprentice of ThunderClan, but left the clan to become a loner when his life was at risk. But he didn't change his name or drop the 'paw' at the end. In Firestar's Quest, they met a loner named Rainfur who later joined SkyClan. Just as it is not impossible for non-clan cats to have compound names, it is not unheard of for clan cats to have singular names. For example: Daisy, Millie, and Brook joined ThunderClan, but none were forced to change their names. While it is usually custom for a cat to recieve a proper warrior name(compound) once they become full warriors of the clan, such as when Firestar first joined the clan as Rusty and became Firepaw, there are cases where the cat wishes not to (though not all leaders are quite as sympathetic as Firstar). Both Millie and Brook felt loyal to ThunderClan, but neither wanted to give up their name because in their eyes, their names identified who they were. Brook recieved her name from her Tribe, and Millie's name was a reminder of her past kittypet life which was good up until she decided to leave. Daisy, though not a warrior, was still a part of ThunderClan, and felt the same way about her name. Another example is Boulder, who was formerly of BloodClan. He joined ShadowClan, but never really changed his name.

If your character is going to be a loner, rogue, or kittypet, there is almost no end to the names you can choose from. Most loners have names similar to those of the clans, though they aren't always compound. Most are some sort of thing found in nature such as Leaf, Rock, Barley, Tree, Star, and Sky. Rogues can be like this as well, but some may have kittypet names, just like Hawkfrost and Mothwing's mother, Sasha. Keep in mind that Kittypets are named by humans, not their mothers. So they can be named human names such as Louise or Cody, or pet names such as Spot or Princess, or nature names. Very few are named with foreign names, though it is not unheard of.

Warrior names are different. Your name is earned, and often based on rank. Kits are given a name they deserve, such as Flamekit for a flame-colored pelt, or Bouncekit for their great amount of energy. Apprentices usually carry the first part of their name to their ceremony, but change kit to paw, ie- Flamepaw and Bouncepaw, unless they're names no longer suit them. Warriors recieve a wide variety of choices. Leaders pick names that best suit the particular warrior. They can be anything, such as Fireheart and Bouncefoot. The same goes for Medicine Cats. Warriors that become queens, deputies, or elders usually keep their names. If a cat becomes leader, they drop the second part of their name and add star to become, for example, Firestar or Bouncestar. There are few times when a warrior changes his name. The only time it happens is when the name no longer suits the warrior, such as Lostface becoming Brightheart. I'm sure One-eye and Halftail didn't always go by those names.

Have you decided yet? Great! And now that you know all about names, it's time to pick one! Let's begin with the first part of your name. Your charrie's name can begin with a color. For example:

Red
Blue
Black
Yellow
White
Gray
Gold/Golden
Tawny
Silver


Or it can begin with something in nature! For example:

Leaf
Rock
Stone
River
Cloud
Dawn
Fire
Sand
Dust
Breeze
Holly
Bramble
Thicket
Bracken
Fern
Berry


Or maybe an animal! For example:

Fox
Rabbit
Crow
Jay
Lion
Tiger
Shrew
Spider
Raven
Snake
Adder
Owl
Mouse
Fish
Badger
Squirrel


The possibilites are endless! The second part is usually easier. Kits always end in kit, apprentices always end in paw, and leaders always end in star. But warriors, medicine cats, elders, and queens are a little more difficult. Usually, second part names are nature names such as:

leaf
pool
stream
flower
feather
flight
fall
poppy


Or they're names that describe physical appearance or personality, like:

claw
pelt
fur
foot
eyes
heart
ear
tail

Again, there are many possibilities. Most names describe how the character looks or acts, but not all. The only things we require are that names must be creative and realistic. Don't make a character named Robotstar or Ironclaw because realistically, cats don't know what those things are! And don't give them names like Glitterpaw or Rainbowshimmer or Monsterkit, because those sort of names will only being embarrassing to a true warrior. Also, be creative. Make your own names, and don't use names of main characters in the warriors series like Fireheart, Graystripe and Tigerclaw.

Well, now that you know all about how to find the perfect name for your character, it's time to hop to it! Your name is out there somewhere, you just need to know where to look! So go ahead and create your first character! If you still need more help, a list will be posted below of names found in the warriors series, organized by the first part and the second part. They'll be numbered so that if you really can't decide, or you just want to make it a surprise, you can pick one number from the first list, and a number from the second list, and put the two names together. That is how we admins used to do it back when we first started roleplaying! If you need any help, let an admin know. We'd be more than happy to assist you!