/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.2176465]

How do I come up with good names for science-fiction races without restorting to a random string of letters interspersed with apostrophes? Everything I can come up with sounds like a cheap Mass Effect rip-off.

Pic related, it's my face when I settled on 'Kirranid', then found out there's a race in Starcraft called the 'Tyrranid' or some shit.

[Anonymous No.2176470]

Think of a trait your race has which is similar to something we have. Like spiders, for example. So, to name your spider race your best bet is to look up the etymology of words related to spiders (spider, arachnid, etc.). You may also find useful words or phrases in mythology.

Fuck around with it a little and there you go. Here's an etymology dictionary; just type in a word and it'll spit out the history of it.

http://www.etymonline.com/

[Anonymous No.2176473]

>>2176470
Ooh, handy. Thanks.

[Anonymous No.2176474]

By using a tool that has been lost to modern man: wit.

[Anonymous No.2176477]

>>2176474

[Anonymous No.2176487]

>>2176477

Very cool, and very irrelevant picture, bro.

[Anonymous No.2176517]

who have named this race, is it the humans? might their relationship to this race have been an important factor when naming them? how important is it that the visuals of the aliens corresponds with the word? how important is it that the characteristics of the aliens corresponds with the word? the people who have named them, what is the anatomy of their "vocal tools", what kind of sounds do they produce? how does this affect their language? how might we interpret what they say in our language? should the name refer to historical events, are these events fictional or not? are there some important connections you wish the reader to make when they're reading their name? should it be of symbolical importance? how important is it that the name adheres to the standard sci-fi naming conventions?

[Anonymous No.2176542]

Call them something profane for comedic effect.

The fucktards were a nomadic race...

In a small region of the galaxy hid the small planet Bellend. This cheesy planet was populated by the Bellendians, a nomadic race...

For 500 years a fierce battle between the Pissholes and the Asswipes had raged. The asswipes were a nomadic race...

[Anonymous No.2176549]

>>2176542
you think that's funny?

[Anonymous No.2176582]

>>2176465
>there's a race in Starcraft called the 'Tyrranid' or some shit.

[Anonymous No.2176767]

>>2176582
>>2176470

I used that etymology website and saw anon mention Starcraft and ended up finding this.

Terran
"of or pertaining to the planet Earth," 1881, in science fiction writing, from L. terra (see terrain). Also used as a noun meaning "inhabitant of the Earth" (1953). An earlier form, terrene was used in M.E. in sense of "belonging to this world, earthly, secular, temporal" (c.1300), later, "of the Earth as a planet" (1630s).

Blizzard really didn't put a lot of effort in, did they?

[Anonymous No.2176816]

>>2176767

The name "Terran" being used for humanity/people from Earth is a long established sci-fi trope.

[Anonymous No.2176825]

>>2176816
In the same way everybody uses Elves?

[Anonymous No.2176828]

>naming alien races using human etymology
Just come up with a slang term that humans might make up to refer to them. People would more likely call a group of spider-like aliens simply "the spiders" than "arach'thnidias" or something retarded like that.

[Anonymous No.2176842]

>>2176825

I guess so.

[Anonymous No.2176846]

>>2176828
Surprisingly accurate, the spider-alien race in Mass Effect are called the Rachni.

[Anonymous No.2176920]

>>2176517
Is it human...?
Or
Is it dancer! :D

[Anonymous No.2177051]

>>2176920

Are you a faggot?
Or
No. No you are a faggot.