CloverReef

I usually like to give my characters a name that has a meaning. I like using google translate and giving my character a name that means something in another language. Like for example my character Bai Hu, his name is white tiger: Bai – white, Hu - tiger in Chinese (according to google translate). And I use this method for naming places too. 
I also just like pick the names I like, you know, I like how they sound and shit. I tend to write down names I like so when I need a name I come back to that list. Or (like ppl already pointed out) baby name websites and shit like that.

Ok...I got nothing more to add. But yeah thanks clovey as always you are most helpful!

TCR on Worship
I was tempted to go all bitch and just say “Fuck you” to this. But of course I would say it with love and I worried that wouldn’t translate in text without an explanation lol. Blame it on a week of watching drag queens read each other. Bitch, the library is closed! God, I’m sorry! I can’t get Rupaul out of my head!!!!

*Clears throat* anyway… Thank you for the review hun. I don’t remember what I altered after you betaed, but I’m glad you approve. 

Been a couple years since I’ve had a JP marathon! Totally have to do one now. 

Random name generators are pretty awesome. Place names have always been a fun thing to do for me, when it comes to my fantasy world planning, but I’ve been working on that world for over a decade, and plenty of the names I thought sounded all cool and shit 15 years ago, I’ve since changed because now they sound pretty ridiculous. But when I changed them, I just removed a few letters or rearranged the letters until they didn’t sound silly anymore. For most of those places, I just smooshed a bunch of sounds together until I liked it. Sometimes I’d use a fantasy name generator and mix and match the sounds. My favourite generator for that job is the rinkworks one. 

And then there’s the description name that you and TCR mentioned. I think taking a description and putting it in a different language, as you explained, is an excellent way to find something that might be unoriginal and make it sound cool for your English audience. Like in one story I had that took place in a central american inspired island. Decided to name it after a marine animal, but used the Spanish name. Isla Raya. 

In a chinese setting, you could also take words or names from other languages of countries that have warred and fought over land with China, such as mongolia, or indigenous groups in the area. I’m not sure what there is in China. Hmong? Or different dialects. 

Or just take a given name or a surname in your mythos or from history and use that! 

Random name generators are pretty awesome. Place names have always been a fun thing to do for me, when it comes to my fantasy world planning, but I’ve been working on that world for over a decade, and plenty of the names I thought sounded all cool and shit 15 years ago, I’ve since changed because now they sound pretty ridiculous. But when I changed them, I just removed a few letters or rearranged the letters until they didn’t sound silly anymore. For most of those places, I just smooshed a bunch of sounds together until I liked it. Sometimes I’d use a fantasy name generator and mix and match the sounds. My favourite generator for that job is the rinkworks one. 

And then there’s the description name that you and TCR mentioned. I think taking a description and putting it in a different language, as you explained, is an excellent way to find something that might be unoriginal and make it sound cool for your English audience. Like in one story I had that took place in a central american inspired island. Decided to name it after a marine animal, but used the Spanish name. Isla Raya. 

In a chinese setting, you could also take words or names from other languages of countries that have warred and fought over land with China, such as mongolia, or indigenous groups in the area. I’m not sure what there is in China. Hmong? Or different dialects. 

Or just take a given name or a surname in your mythos or from history and use that! 

Random name generators are pretty awesome. Place names have always been a fun thing to do for me, when it comes to my fantasy world planning, but I’ve been working on that world for over a decade, and plenty of the names I thought sounded all cool and shit 15 years ago, I’ve since changed because now they sound pretty ridiculous. But when I changed them, I just removed a few letters or rearranged the letters until they didn’t sound silly anymore. For most of those places, I just smooshed a bunch of sounds together until I liked it. Sometimes I’d use a fantasy name generator and mix and match the sounds. My favourite generator for that job is the rinkworks one. 

And then there’s the description name that you and TCR mentioned. I think taking a description and putting it in a different language, as you explained, is an excellent way to find something that might be unoriginal and make it sound cool for your English audience. Like in one story I had that took place in a central american inspired island. Decided to name it after a marine animal, but used the Spanish name. Isla Raya. 

In a chinese setting, you could also take words or names from other languages of countries that have warred and fought over land with China, such as mongolia, or indigenous groups in the area. I’m not sure what there is in China. Hmong? Or different dialects. 

Or just take a given name or a surname in your mythos or from history and use that! 

Personally, I like the deus ex as a tool. But as with any tool, it has to be used consciously and carefully to avoid that eye roll, 1 second left moment DP mentioned. Sometimes it’s fun to straddle the line between miraculous and realistic. Sometimes miraculous can be made believable, and sometimes shit that’s unbelievable can be gripping and suspenseful. It’s just when it’s used in excess or, you know, cliche-y, or very clearly just stuck in because the writer didn’t have any better ideas, then it feels too silly/lazy to enjoy. Sometimes it feels like a wasted opportunity for growth because the authors afraid to hurt their characters.

Moral of the story: Tools are fun if you use them right. (I feel like that’s a wink wink moment… Do Deus Ex Machinas vibrate?)

 

Personally, I like the deus ex as a tool. But as with any tool, it has to be used consciously and carefully to avoid that eye roll, 1 second left moment DP mentioned. Sometimes it’s fun to straddle the line between miraculous and realistic. Sometimes miraculous can be made believable, and sometimes shit that’s unbelievable can be gripping and suspenseful. It’s just when it’s used in excess or, you know, cliche-y, or very clearly just stuck in because the writer didn’t have any better ideas, then it feels too silly/lazy to enjoy. Sometimes it feels like a wasted opportunity for growth because the authors afraid to hurt their characters.

Moral of the story: Tools are fun if you use them right. (I feel like that’s a wink wink moment… Do Deus Ex Machinas vibrate?)

 

Since cloning of humans is still not a done thing, you have leeway to play a bit. You could invent a way to use electrical stimulation of muscle groups to assist in the proper development of the adult clone. Since you’ve already said the clone will possess full awareness from the original, they will have the experience of walking in their brain already, and should have the proper neural pathways established. So, it becomes a question of readying the muscles. Perhaps there’d be some initial unsteadiness, but the memories are there, and if the muscles are not atrophied, and have been kept limber and healthy, it should pass as quickly as a couple of days.

The deus ex is certainly prone to abuse, but I can see its use in situations where you’re focusing on a character’s reflection, helplessness, etc, or in a comedy that’s not taking itself seriously.  (Or, in a superhero story where it’s pretty much a given.)
I generally avoid deus-ex’s, especially “just-in-the-nick-of-time” as the countdown reaches “one second remaining” types.  My distaste grew while working on my potter fanfic ages ago because it kinda destroys realism in the odds.  Sure, occasionally there’s a white knight that shows up, but not very often.  Most very often, the victim perishes.  And, developing a reputation to not write deus ex helps with the suspense to the reader, because they won’t know if character in distress will live or die
- DP

Ok I'm just gonna go and get into this shit, coherency and dignity be damned! I have some things to get off my chest and possibly get or even give advice. Although idk if anyone should really take my advice might not be a good idea… don't recommend it!
So I’ve had some difficulty with writing, ok a lot of difficulty. I just can’t fucking do it! I manage writing once in a month or 2 but that’s about it. This is kind of a recent problem but it’s also kinda not… I wrote things when I was about 12-14 and when I was about 15-16 and as I recall I was a super fast writer, I wasn’t good but I was fast! I took a break for a few years and I’m back now, s been about a year and I ain’t got shit to show for it! Also I really hate writing, it’s kind of a chore for me now and before you go like “wtf are you doing writing if you don’t like it?! bitch get off the stage!” let me try and explain wtf I’m talking about…
So my mind is a strange and dark place, tangled in all sorts of crazy psychotic ideas, it’s a scary place for most ppl, ok? Since I was really young I used to come up with stories and such, and I still do. I have A LOT of ideas. Some better than others, but they’re there, in my head and idk what to do with them! I just need to get some of this shit out before it drives me insane! So writing is one of my outlets and probably the best one for me when it comes to storytelling at least. Idk is this crazy? Am sure I’m not the only one out there who feels this way! Now a lot of writers say they write for the sake of writing, they enjoy it, even if it doesn’t get them much feedback. I am not one of those ppl. I write cuz I need to share my stories with ppl, that’s all I care about. If I knew nobody would see something I write I would never write it at all. Ugh idk if I’m even expressing myself correctly it’s just hard to explain! I know many people must think this is wrong or narcissistic or not noble of me but it’s just how I feel. And it’s not just cuz I want ppl to suck on my balls and praise me (though, not gonna lie, that would be nice too). Um… it’s like when something happened to you and you have to tell it to someone, you know, you wouldn’t be satisfied just talking to yourself out loud, would you? That’s how I feel. I just have stories I need to share. If I was a good speaker and had an audience Id just sit down and tell them my story. But I’m kinda stuck with writing shit down, which wouldn’t be so bad if I liked doing it more… And this is the thing I don’t feel this way about my other art. I’ve been drawing, painting and doing all sorts of shit my entire life and I love doing it regardless of what people thing about my work. I’ve never questioned whether or not I would quit drawing or was it worth it. Sure sometimes you hit a road block, it is only natural, but at the end of the day I was always certain it was my true calling and still is. So yes, writing is more of a hobby and a side-thing to me, but storytelling is not. I need to share my stories and many times other forms of art just aren’t adequate enough. (And don’t you dare suggest graphic novels and comics! It’s even worse than writing! Trust me I tried…) And…ok I have no idea wtf I was talking about… welcome to my brain I guess! I said this was gonna be incoherent didn’t I?!
But yeah, idk wtf to do… I don’t remember hating writing when I was younger. But I don’t remember liking it ether. Maybe I just got lazy, or lazier that it. Maybe that’s it! I don’t really know. It’s kinda funny, back then I didn’t have much time for writing but I did it anyway, I was pretty productive. Now I got time, I still got passion and better skills too but apparently I lack something else! Motivation? Inspiration? Discipline? Idk, could fucking be!
Its discipline isn’t it….. fuck its always discipline! How dafuck is my depressed, emo, suicidal 13-yearold self more discipline than me?! I hate that bitch!
But like I did decide to like get into writing again and really try this time, about a year ago, like I said. I picked a shorter, simpler story, a kinda fun one as an experiment, to see if I could stick it out, you know. I wrote 2 and a half chapters in a fucking year. That’s just… that’s really fucking disappointing… I mean it’s not a failure…per say…but it’s definitely not a success! And that’s not the only story I wanna write! By this fucking rate I won’t have anything done! And I’m free right now and it won’t last forever so I feel like I’m just wasting precious time!
So I’ve been thinking of maybe getting a co-writer, somebody who can make my dreams come true, ya know. Idk should I? How dafuck does that even work?!
I have no idea! I would also probably be the worst co-writer ever… I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my work (it doesn’t really help…) and people may have accused me of being too harsh at times… So I’d probably destroy this person! But I mean how do you trust a stranger with your baby?! My friends don’t wanna do shit with me (I wonder why…) and I’m kinda scared just seeking out strangers. It didn’t really work out with the entire roleplaying thing, why should it work with this?
Speaking of rp, that’s kinda how I got to the whole co-writer conclusion. I do apparently feel motivated enough to write while in a good rp. I’m even having fun writing and I feel all exited and giddy about it, so maybe that’s the thing for me! There is hope! My co-writer Jesus! I mean idk should I make an add? Anyone have experiences in this sort of thing? I’ve been thinking about it for awhile but I still just can’t decide if it’s a good idea in practice...
I had an idea that maybe I should get someone to watch me write, like in google docks, you know, be there and just…keep me company. You know like when your jacking off (well chicks don’t jack off, but masturbating doesn’t really sound as funny as jacking it, so…) and its always better if somebody is watching you then when you’re doing it by yourself. Like it’s not as fun and as exiting, you know. So I thought maybe I’m like an exhibitionist writer! Maybe that’s the thing I need! Well to make the long story short –didn’t really work… Maybe I try it again, but yeah I doubt it’s gonna help much…
I also wanted to talk more about feedback, cuz the lack of it just kills me. Like I said the feedback is the thing that I’m writing for. I’m sure all of you guys out there know what I’m talking about when I mention feedback though so idk why dafuck am I even complaining … I don’t even know why dafuck am I writing this!
Some might say I’m writing for the wrong reasons; I kinda understand your point, but your wrong… the end! Lol I’m joking a bit (or am I..) I mean really, when we look at art, the audience it a very important thing. Art could be considered a form of communication. I went to art school btw, as you can see by my pretentious bullshit… But not to bore you (and myself) with this crap, I say to those who claim my reasons for writing are flawed: Fuck you!
Ok… let me try this again… I say: Who are you to say to me that my reasons for expressing myself are wrong? Sure everyone has a right to opinion…including me and my opinion is that your opinion is wrong and you should shut up!
…..umm…… Idk…. Even I don’t know what I’m talking about at this point… Like nobody ever even said to me anything about my reasons for writing, I just randomly started ranting about these possibly non-existent people! This isn’t even ranting at this point! This is just nonsensical gibberish! Who’s even reading this?! Go home brain your drunk! Why do you always close your eyes when we make love?!
You know when I’m writing I like to have things like underlying themes and messages and pretentious crap like that. And I like to leave hints around too for readers to find. (and yes I’m just gonna move on like nothing happened…) You know Easter eggs? Well I call em Easter turds. (Trademark) But what’s the point of it when nobody cares or notices or even reads? Like should I make a note that there is a hint somewhere in there? I mean I understand my readers don’t have much faith in me (they’re right, I suck) but come on I can do stuff to! And it’s like if nobody says anything about my turds how am I supposed to know if they smell or not?! I forgot where I was going with this…
I don’t fucking know where I was going with any of this shit! Wtf was the point of all of that?! Don’t ask me! I just feel like shit I guess…
Ok rant over! Any questions?

 
 

I really, really tried to like the remake, I did. But Tim Curry, and yes, dem legs!

List’s longer than I expected. I was convinced this was like the hardest question ever, lol. “What the hell is there besides revenge, money, lust and power?!” TY for getting the creative juices flowing, guys. If you think of any more, even if they fall under already listed items but are not mentioned, keep ‘em coming. 

I’ll keep this brief because the name says it all. This is for writing purposes, of course. I need a little help while I explore my options. 

If you were a Lord (let’s say… 16th-18th century based fantasy world), what reasons could you have for summoning a demon. The type of demon is not yet specified, so let’s assume that the demon can do pretty much anything for you. May not be a ‘demon’ in the evil sense, may be a genie, god, spirit, imp, etc. 

Options so far:
Vengeance/Revenge (Killing someone or someone’s loved ones, humiliating somehow, destroying someone’s reputation, turning enemy into submissive pet) Love (Making someone fall in love with you, making two other people fall in love, making people in love fall out of love) Lust (Banging the demon itself) Painless plastic surgeon! (Make yourself more appealing, change your appearance or species!) Promotion (You want to be King or want others to love/obey you.) Magic/Alchemy (immortality, the act of granting wishes) Healing (Cure for something incurable, stop a plague, cure for mental illness) Warfare (creating an army, or winning a battle, or summoning some brilliant strategist?) Avoiding Warfare (squashing rebellion) Bodyguard Confidante/Advisor (Provide information, honesty, loyalty, friendship) Spy (Also could provide information, play mole in enemy forces, seduce or befriend an enemy) Knowledge (Investment secrets, business superiority) Keeping society from progressing/molding society into personal utopia.  Demonic handyman/Maid service Necromancy (Thank you for contributing, DirtyAngel, BronxWench, Pippychick, Anesor, and my friends. I removed ‘power’ because it’s vague and could mean all kinds of things.)

And now I have Sweet Transvestite playing in my head on loop. I’m not complaining, I’m bragging. Friggin’ love that song. Dem legs tho!

And now I’m having a Rocky Horror moment… “He’s my satanic… mechanic.”  Tim Curry is brilliant.

List’s longer than I expected. I was convinced this was like the hardest question ever, lol. “What the hell is there besides revenge, money, lust and power?!” TY for getting the creative juices flowing, guys. If you think of any more, even if they fall under already listed items but are not mentioned, keep ‘em coming. 

for manual labor around the estate. Europe was still recovering from the plague so there was a manpower shortage, not sure if your world had something like that but it could still be cheaper to have demonic slaves rather than humans, so he could be like a satanic handyman  with maybe like a tool belt made from a priest’s spine...just saying LOL

how about just as a confidant/advisor sort of thing, no sex. You know because you can’t trust people in court. you summon the demon because you need information or advice, then maybe become friends?
Oh, maybe a demon as a spy? Or is that like under Power or Warfare?
oh and under the revenge thing, there is no more fulfilling revenge then to take an enemy who has hurt you and make them your submissive little pet, or so I’ve heard
 

The time period you state could be important: the end of the medieval period and the beginning of the renaissance. A strange time to conjure a demon, when the world is moving away from superstition and towards reason. This puts your Lord at odds with the world around him. Perhaps (since he is a Lord and so would hold land), the demon is summoned to keep the serfs in a state more in tune with the middle ages, and therefore avoid any risk of rebellion, effectively extending the reach of the middle ages in the lands that are under his control. That could result in an interesting juxtaposition with the rest of the world/country outside the longer it goes on.
 

Hm. Magic/alchemy? Or would that fall under Power? Although the magic and/or alchemy could incorporate immortality without all that bloodsucking. Mostly.

I’ll keep this brief because the name says it all. This is for writing purposes, of course. I need a little help while I explore my options. 

If you were a Lord (let’s say… 16th-18th century based fantasy world), what reasons could you have for summoning a demon. The type of demon is not yet specified, so let’s assume that the demon can do pretty much anything for you. May not be a ‘demon’ in the evil sense, may be a genie, god, spirit, imp, etc. 

Options so far:
Vengeance/Revenge (Killing someone or someone’s loved ones, humiliating somehow, destroying someone’s reputation, turning enemy into submissive pet) Love (Making someone fall in love with you, making two other people fall in love, making people in love fall out of love) Lust (Banging the demon itself) Painless plastic surgeon! (Make yourself more appealing, change your appearance or species!) Promotion (You want to be King or want others to love/obey you.) Magic/Alchemy (immortality, the act of granting wishes) Healing (Cure for something incurable, stop a plague, cure for mental illness) Warfare (creating an army, or winning a battle, or summoning some brilliant strategist?) Avoiding Warfare (squashing rebellion) Bodyguard Confidante/Advisor (Provide information, honesty, loyalty, friendship) Spy (Also could provide information, play mole in enemy forces, seduce or befriend an enemy) Knowledge (Investment secrets, business superiority) Keeping society from progressing/molding society into personal utopia.  Demonic handyman/Maid service Necromancy (Thank you for contributing, DirtyAngel, BronxWench, Pippychick, Anesor, and my friends. I removed ‘power’ because it’s vague and could mean all kinds of things.)

warfare, you could be a great conquerer with a demon leading your army
bodyguard, no one would mess with you
sex, you could have your own pet succubus, without all the soul sucking dying during sex sorta thing of course, because bad girls are very good

“English doesn’t borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.” (Terry Pratchett)