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A Guide to the Naming of Speculative Organisms
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Topic Started: Feb 16 2018, 03:14 PM (842 Views)
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Dr Nitwhite
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Feb 16 2018, 03:14 PM
Post #1
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Hello folks!
Very often I find folks complain about the difficulty of naming their creations. This isn’t an uncommon issue, both those with lots of writing experience and those with little have great difficulty with naming anything in a work of fiction, from characters to places to strange, speculative organisms, which will be the subject of this particular guide. Regrettably, this problem leads to a lot of poorly thought out names slapped onto otherwise upstanding organisms that can really leave them at a disadvantage, in some cases, they become entirely forgettable. Even worse, some may stop reading a piece simply because its introduction doesn’t catch their eye! Here, we’ll discuss some unfortunate naming conventions, how to avoid them, and a few better ways to approach naming your speculations. Keep in mind though that this guide is not meant to be a “be-all-end-all” on the subject, as there are plenty of situations where one might want to ignore my advice (some of which we’ll discuss here). Think of these points more as... guidelines. So without further ado, let’s get to it!
What one should avoid-
The “Awesomebro” Name-
This is perhaps the most obvious convention one should try and avoid, but you still see it pop up once and a while. Many real animals have somewhat imposing names, but rarely anything like “Deathspitter” or “Cavefiend”. Such names try far too hard to make its audience tremble in fear, and generally sound like something a 3rd grader would consider good. Even worse is throwing in some latin or greek where it suits and forgetting what it means, like “don”, “saur”, and “archeo”. If the name sounds like it belongs on a Magic card, one should probably rethink the name a bit and tone it down. It can give a project an immature feel (depending on the severity) and gives a project an air of fantasy rather than science fiction. Unless you’re gunning for that, try to avoid this convention, it sounds silly.
Mythological Names-
A general cliche, naming creatures for mythological beasts and individuals wouldn’t be such a problem if it hadn’t been done to death already. Countless sci-fi projects before spec even existed had a “medusa”, a “leviathan”, and a “pegasus” somewhere. And while many of these names are very evocative and create a solid image in one's mind as to what this creature would be like, it’s unfortunately quite trite, which unfortunately translates to forgettable. Once you’ve read about three leviathans, you really can’t keep them straight anymore. They blend together, and often draw a bit too much on the source material, giving them shared traits that make it even more difficult to tell them apart. This doesn’t mean don’t ever use mythological names though, just try and use them sparingly and subvert them a bit from their original use. Instead of one off names (“THE Leviathan”), use it to distinguish whole groups (The LeviathanS). Instead of describing an animal whose biology is basically that of the beast in question, use the name to describe an animal who only vaguely shares its characteristics. Try not to design a creature around the name, but find that the name describes the animal you've created well (more by accident). Unless you’re doing a fantasy type project like Bestiarium, use these names sparingly and where they won’t be forgettable.
(noun/verb)(noun/noun) and Related-
This is probably the most common poor naming convention I see in spec projects, but also the most tricky, as it can be done right. But it is so very often done poorly. You know the sort. The “quickrunners”, the “deserthoppers”, the “savannahbounders”, the “quillheads”, the “tunnelcrawlers”. This convention is defined as smashing two words together and leaving it at that. It’s something that you notice in almost all of the TFIW names, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the reason the convention was so common (I know my somewhat derivative early works, which have never been posted on this site, suffered quite heavily from this). But what makes it tricky is that it can be done well, even more so than the previous two, but it can be tough to see what makes one name good and the other bad. I think the first thing one must consider is- does this name describe one animal, or many? Let’s take an example from TFIW. The snowstalker. This is a bad name. Why? Because it’s meaningless! Think of how many modern animals fit this name. Wolves, foxes, several owls, several mustelids, and the list goes on. I will say this several more times today, but it’s truly the most important aspect of a name. A common name is a method of describing an animal, and the more memorable and specific it is to an organism, the better it is. If your name can fit so many different animals in whole different classes, you should seriously reconsider it. When naming an animal like this, try to make it unique. “Lurkfish” is dull. Lots of fish lurk. “Bushwipe” makes you pause. What is a bushwipe? Why does it wipe bushes? Not many things wipe bushes.
If you’re simply at a loss as to what to name something, there’s another thing you can do to subvert this trope and make it difficult to tell you’ve sneakily used this convention. Smush those words together even more to make a new one! “Lurkfish” becomes “Lish”. “Snowstalker” becomes “Snalker”. “Quickrunner” becomes “Quinner”. This sounds more natural than simply making a compound word, as humans like to mush compounds together and shorten things, especially where they’re awkward to say.
Things One Can Do-
Now that we’ve discussed everything you should avoid, let’s consider some good ways to go about naming something. The first is what I like to call the “Golden Rule”.
The Golden Rule of Naming Stuff-
I’ve actually discussed this rule already, but I’ll say it again, it’s that important. A common name is a method of describing an animal, and the more memorable and specific it is to an organism, the better it is. When scientists go about naming things, they try and make it unambiguous what it is they’re describing. You should to. Speaking of-
Look at Real Animals First-
Probably the best way to name something is to look at how similar creatures are named in the real world (and yes, that even goes for you xeno speccers!). Most animals have close relatives they share an “end name” with, but have additional adjectives in front that help to describe it. You’ll often see people mocking birders by making up particularly ludicrous names, but they can do better than that- I’d wager most organisms with a common name share this general convention! White-throated sparrow, white-footed mouse, Carolina anole, fire-bellied toad, striped bass, and the list goes on. Some things have standalone names, but most share this general convention. Best of all, the combination of adjectives with nouns really helps with specificity. A sparrow, what’s it like? Well, it’s got a white throat. Not many other sparrows have one like it. Another thing you’ll note about most of these names is the second bit is often arbitrary. That brings us to the next section.
It’s OK to be Arbitrary-
Nothing about the word “sparrow” on its own does much to evoke a sparrow. Nor does the word “deer”, “mouse”, or “duck”. These are all words that people made up for the animals around them, and generally, if you’re looking for something that sounds good as an “end name”, you can’t go wrong with arbitrary syllables that kinda “feel” like whatever it is. “Deer” feels sort of sleek, “Duck” sort of sounds like a guttural waterfowl call in a way. But only vaguely. A good place to look for names like this is Sheatheria. Very good work with arbitrary names there!
Miscellaneous-
There are more ways to name things than the simple (adjective)(optional second adjective)(arbitrary noun) way. Borrowing words from other languages (or conlangs!) is one way to start, just make sure it translates right, Onomatopoeia based on the animals calls is also a nice touch and favorite among ornithologists. And yes, naming things in the previous two “bad” ways of naming things can work well, and have in the real world. Sidewinders, woodpeckers, and hydras are real animals, but note how they fit into the exceptions I illustrated on both of those points. Another time honored tradition is naming things for human professions, like “noisy miner”. And there are lots more I'll have you go and find yourself.
I hope this guide has been helpful for you, and that you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Thanks for reading, and remember the Golden Rule!
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Beetleboy
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Feb 16 2018, 03:16 PM
Post #2
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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I was thinking about posting something like this, but a quick flick through shows that this looks much better and more comprehensive than anything had in mind. I look forward to looking through this properly tomorrow.
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Scrublord
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Feb 16 2018, 04:18 PM
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I've always been very wary of these cliches, and try to avoid them when possible. In the Neozoic I have Gourmands, Seavets, Harrow-wings, Molots, Lorrots, Shallisks, Bordas, Jabberjaws, Chugs, Kahunas, and Kujirani. In Valhalla I have Flass, Mantipedes, Bumbis, Flitterbicks, Baygulls, Picky-pickies, Poppycocks, and Stukas.
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My Projects: The Neozoic Redux Valhalla--Take Three! The Big One
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Rodlox
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Feb 16 2018, 06:21 PM
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- Dr Nitwhite
- Feb 16 2018, 03:14 PM
Hello folks!
This is probably the most common poor naming convention I see in spec projects, but also the most tricky, as it can be done right. But it is so very often done poorly. You know the sort. The “quickrunners”, the “deserthoppers”, the “savannahbounders”, the “quillheads”, the “tunnelcrawlers”. This convention is defined as smashing two words together and leaving it at that. It’s something that you notice in almost all of the TFIW names, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the reason the convention was so common (I know my somewhat derivative early works, which have never been posted on this site, suffered quite heavily from this). But what makes it tricky is that it can be done well, even more so than the previous two, but it can be tough to see what makes one name good and the other bad. I think the first thing one must consider is- does this name describe one animal, or many? Let’s take an example from TFIW. The snowstalker. This is a bad name. Why? Because it’s meaningless! Think of how many modern animals fit this name. Wolves, foxes, several owls, several mustelids, and the list goes on. I will say this several more times today, but it’s truly the most important aspect of a name. A common name is a method of describing an animal, and the more memorable and specific it is to an organism, the better it is. If your name can fit so many different animals in whole different classes, you should seriously reconsider it. When naming an animal like this, try to make it unique. “Lurkfish” is dull. Lots of fish lurk. “Bushwipe” makes you pause. What is a bushwipe? Why does it wipe bushes? Not many things wipe bushes.
so, "Snowstalker" is horrible...because more than one animal has that habitat and can be described as doing that? (given that moose is "twig eater" that's not saying much...oh but my bad - you say later that its cool if its not in English)
(also, yes, lots of fish lurk - but few are actually called a Lurkfish)
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Most animals have close relatives they share an “end name” with, but have additional adjectives in front that help to describe it. You’ll often see people mocking birders by making up particularly ludicrous names, but they can do better than that- I’d wager most organisms with a common name share this general convention! White-throated sparrow, white-footed mouse, Carolina anole, fire-bellied toad, striped bass, and the list goes on. Some things have standalone names, but most share this general convention. Best of all, the combination of adjectives with nouns really helps with specificity. A sparrow, what’s it like? Well, it’s got a white throat. Not many other sparrows have one like it
and that's great -- if you're doing spec that includes new types of sparrows.
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“Deer” feels sort of sleek, “Duck” sort of sounds like a guttural waterfowl call in a way.
"deer" feels pudgy, and "duck" is a stool.
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There are more ways to name things than the simple (adjective)(optional second adjective)(arbitrary noun) way. Borrowing words from other languages (or conlangs!) is one way to start, just make sure it translates right,
so, "snowstalker" is a bad name...but "snowstalker" in a non-English language is a good name?
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP)
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Archeoraptor
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Feb 16 2018, 06:54 PM
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https://allocene.deviantart.com/art/Nomenclature-dictionary-updated-252250139 this may be relevant for the good Speculative Evolutionist
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Astarte an alt eocene world,now on long hiatus but you never know Fanauraa; The rebirth of Aotearoa future evo set in new zealand after a mass extinction coming soon......a world that was seeded with earth´s weridest and who knows what is coming next...........
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Spoiler: click to toggle coming soon......a world seeded by outcast clades and some important easily forgotten ones.the world of the caecilians and company and who knows what is coming next...........[comming soon/spoiler] Spoiler: click to toggle Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Lyvatan The Wise? I thought not. It’s not a story the newbies would tell you. It’s a forum legend. Lyvatan was an admin of the forum, so powerful and so wise he could use science to influence the human imagination to create life… He had such a knowledge of the forum that he could even keep the ones he cared about from leaving.Speculative Evolution is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural. He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his admin power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice banned him while he was offline. Ironic. He could save others from leaving the community, but not himself.
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GlarnBoudin
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Feb 16 2018, 07:59 PM
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Disgusting Skin Fetishist
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- Dr Nitwhite
- Feb 16 2018, 03:14 PM
The “Awesomebro” Name- This is perhaps the most obvious convention one should try and avoid, but you still see it pop up once and a while. Many real animals have somewhat imposing names, but rarely anything like “Deathspitter” or “Cavefiend”. Such names try far too hard to make its audience tremble in fear, and generally sound like something a 3rd grader would consider good. Even worse is throwing in some latin or greek where it suits and forgetting what it means, like “don”, “saur”, and “archeo”. If the name sounds like it belongs on a Magic card, one should probably rethink the name a bit and tone it down. It can give a project an immature feel (depending on the severity) and gives a project an air of fantasy rather than science fiction. Unless you’re gunning for that, try to avoid this convention, it sounds silly. Um, you do realize that 'awesomebro' animal names like what you just described really exist, right?
Deathstalker scorpions, killer bees, Dracorex hogwartsia, Tasmanian devil, Tyrannosaurus rex, thorny devil, sea dragon, black swallower, destroying angel, death adder... the list goes on and on.
Adding onto Rodlox's points, this whole thing also completely bypasses some really big parts of names: Why would people in-universe give something a particular name, or what you want to evoke with the name.
Let's say that you have an alternate Australia where varanids dominate, and you have a giant macropredatory species with osteoderms down its back and tail for sexual display. However, you're a good speccer, and you won't stoop to such a stupid awesomebro name as a 'dragon!' No, you're a good speccer, you have a much better name: you'll call it a 'florfer'! That's totally unique, and it has zero awesomebroness! It fits these criteria, yes, but it makes zero sense for anybody in this universe to call it that. If colonists saw it, they would call it a dragon, but rather than go with the obvious, you just threw this in for no other reason than to make it unique. Besides that, though, it doesn't sound like a predator at all, or even alive, it sounds like something out of Care Bears; hardly what you would whisper in a hushed voice. But hey, it's not a noun and an adjective combo or anything remotely exciting, so hey, I guess that makes it good.
The way I see it, if your creation absolutely needs to have a unique name forced onto it to be noticed at all, then it probably needs some damn work. Go over potential names in your head, see what it evokes in your mind and see if that matches your creation. Alternatively, you could go the same route that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby went when designing monsters: that is, making random guttural sounds and writing out the ones that sound good.
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Dr Nitwhite
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Feb 16 2018, 09:49 PM
Post #7
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There are more ways to name things than the simple (adjective)(optional second adjective)(arbitrary noun) way. Borrowing words from other languages (or conlangs!) is one way to start, just make sure it translates right,
so, "snowstalker" is a bad name...but "snowstalker" in a non-English language is a good name?
To begin, that isn't quite what I'd intended by that. When I meant "translate right", I didn't mean "make sure it fits the (noun)(noun) convention" in doing so, more that the translation makes sense. For example, some folks really enjoy throwing the suffix "don" at the end of a name without realizing it means tooth. Less "Foreign words automatically make it ok!" and "foreign words can make an interesting name, just make sure that if you're doing so it makes sense in that language to describe the organism in the way you are." Also, the other considerations don't disappear.
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(given that moose is "twig eater" that's not saying much...oh but my bad - you say later that its cool if its not in English)
First of all, on the second point see above. Secondly, real names aren't always perfect, and not every name has to fit the guidelines I've illustrated. I suppose I wasn't clear enough in the second bit and I didn't explicitly mention that reality isn't a perfect wellspring, so I'll go back and clarify later this weekend.
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and that's great -- if you're doing spec that includes new types of sparrows.
You realize that was an example, correct? I made sure to list a bunch of other animals this same convention works very well for that were mammals, amphibians, fish, and reptiles each. And that's simply the vertebrates. Frankly I'm unsure what you meant by that.
- Quote:
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"deer" feels pudgy, and "duck" is a stool.
Fair enough? Again I'm not sure what our point is here, unless that arbitrary words are arbitrary, which they are I suppose. I didn't mean to suggest that they weren't, but I can see how you'd come to that conclusion- I'll edit that section later as well.
- Quote:
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Um, you do realize that 'awesomebro' animal names like what you just described really exist, right?
- Quote:
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Why would people in-universe give something a particular name,
I will concede both of these points actually, I'll make the edits later. However-
- Quote:
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However, you're a good speccer, and you won't stoop to such a stupid awesomebro name as a 'dragon!' No, you're a good speccer, you have a much better name: you'll call it a 'florfer'! That's totally unique, and it has zero awesomebroness! It fits these criteria, yes, but it makes zero sense for anybody in this universe to call it that. If colonists saw it, they would call it a dragon, but rather than go with the obvious, you just threw this in for no other reason than to make it unique. Besides that, though, it doesn't sound like a predator at all, or even alive, it sounds like something out of Care Bears; hardly what you would whisper in a hushed voice. But hey, it's not a noun and an adjective combo or anything remotely exciting, so hey, I guess that makes it good.
I think you're reading into all of this a little too deeply. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you ignored the two main points of the post- the first being that these are guidelines that can be ignored if the situation demands it, and secondly that a name should describe whatever it is it's describing well. In the situation you described, arbitrary names would be unlikely to arise, since we're dealing with human colonists with an entirely alien environment- there isn't much time for arbitrary names to develop naturally. And if there where, "florfer", arbitrary as it may be, is awkward to say, and if you're dealing with a macropredator you'd probably want something easy to yell. "Flor" wouldn't be so bad.
If it sounds like I'm agreeing with you in how ludicrous the name "florfer" is, it's because I am- you've set up a strawman.
- Quote:
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The way I see it, if your creation absolutely needs to have a unique name forced onto it to be noticed at all, then it probably needs some damn work.
This is somewhat true, but really beside the point. This isn't a guide to magically making your creatures better by giving them a good name, it's a guide for people who want to add some zest to their world with more creative, less cliché heavy names. It's certainly the case that a lot of people genuinely have trouble naming things, and also the case some people might not look into something if the title of the post doesn't catch their eye. Your creature should of course be able to stand on its own, but its name isn't a non-factor.
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Speculative Evolution Projects- The Great Song (5 myh, North America is filled with giant coots, life in the clouds, and the songs of human descendants. One curious society has devoted itself to the study of this world) The Curious World of Laniakea (An endless world of islands, shallow seas, mangrove swamps, and reefs) Hidden Spring (A partner project between myself and Beetleboy- exploring a future where a twist of cosmic fate changes the planet forever)
Other Relevant Work-
Final SE Lifelist standings 1. Sayornis (82) 2. Dr Nitwhite (79) ↑ 3. Steampunk FireFinch (44) ↓ 4. The Dodo (26) 5. W.C.K.D (23) 6. Sphenodon (21) 7. Sheather (19) 8. Beetleboy (19) 9. Thylacine (16) 10. Monster (15) 11. HangingTheif (15) 12. Aptornis (13) 13. Stealth Rock (10) 14. KomradeWatcher (9) 15. lamna (7) 16. Flisch (5) 17. Olympianmaster (4) ↑ 18. Archipithecus (2) ↓ 19. Datura (1) ↓ 20. Giant Blue Anteater (1) ↓ 21. Kachimushi (1) BREAKING NEWS We interrupt your regular programming to bring you this cutting edge report. ATTENDANCE DROPS DRASTICALLY ON SE SERVER This past Monday on Discord, famous server Speculative Evolution took a hit in the attendance office when it's offline member list suddenly reappeared. Mods scrambled to rectify the situation, but unfortunately there was little anyone could do. Server member Ivan was asked what he thought of the situation. "So long as Flisch, lord of machines and scion of Urborg lives, all will be well". SE, (in)famous for it's eccentric userbase, has recently been spiraling downward, and now we have hard conformation of the decline. Moderator "High Lord" Icthyander states "There is nothing to be concerned about, Discord is merely changing its UI again", but members are beginning to suspect the honesty of their staff. Stay tuned, we'll be back with more at 11.
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Scrublord
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Feb 16 2018, 10:04 PM
Post #8
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- Posts:
- 4,418
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #169
- Joined:
- May 5, 2009
- Gender:
- Male
- Area of expertise:
- Future Evolution
- Nationality:
- American (unfortunately)
- Favorite Quote:
- Life can seem a challenge. Life can seem impossible. It's never easy when there's so much on the line.
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What's your take on pop-culture reference names? I think it was a funny idea early on (like when the Speculative Dinosaur Project was doing it), but a lot of projects these days really overdo them.
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My Projects: The Neozoic Redux Valhalla--Take Three! The Big One
Deviantart Account: http://elsqiubbonator.deviantart.com
In the end, the best advice I could give you would be to do your project in a way that feels natural to you, rather than trying to imitate some geek with a laptop in Colorado. --Heteromorph
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LittleLazyLass
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Feb 16 2018, 10:30 PM
Post #9
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Proud quilt in a bag
- Posts:
- 8,633
- Group:
- Global Mods
- Member
- #1,463
- Joined:
- Jun 18, 2014
- Area of expertise:
- Alternate Universes
- Nationality:
- Sorry, but why do you want to know aboot my nationality, eh? Uh... sorry, that was rude of me. Sorry.
- Favorite Quote:
- "you know you're a nerd when you search Wookieepedia for porn"
- Also known as:
- You can call me Little; full list of old names found through profile.
- Gender:
- Trans Questioning (see link in sig; feminine pronouns)
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On the subject of awesomebro names, I think using real life as a comparison is a bit flawed. "Killer whale" is pretty awesomebro sofar as they come, but we've heard it so much it kind of loses that, we've been desensitized. But when we learn about your spec creature, the barbaric slasher, it's new to us and immediately stands out as awesomebro. Regarding the dinosaur names cited, they're in Latin, so it stands out far less. I would say Tyrannosaurus rex is a fantastic name, one of the best, especially considering the context that Osborn wants his exhibit to be a hit.
Additionally, consider the wider universe, if that's applicable. Dragons and devils, for example, are a part of our folklore, and then we found something real that fit closely enough the definition. You could just draw from some Earth mythology, but if you have the sapient side of thing fleshed out a bit to (say, something you could do in a project like the Library or Cornucopia), then you could instead draw from that. Perhaps some bird or biblidont in the Library could be named after the page sucker story.
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totally not British, b-baka!
You like me (Unlike) I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me  Forum user Uncanny Gemstar drew what is supposed to be a me. Thanks! Spoiler: click to toggle As they walk in, they're greeted by a small, poorly kept pathway leading to a poorly constructed Japanese-style gate. Behind this, a small field made up of corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, among other plants is contrasted by large piles of books, as well as a few rather out of place looking laptops. Off in the corner, a small woman, with long, striped, and strikingly colorful socks, no shoes, unremarkable denim shorts, a large, fancy black coat, arm warmers, glasses, a tuque, and somewhat unkempt, mid-length blue-and-pink-streaked red hair, is rummaging through a trash bin, located behind a sign saying "employees only". She continues this for a while (walking behind a wall to change her outfit now and then), until one of her visitors coughs. Startled, she looks up, apologizes, and grabs a handful of textbooks and novels before daintily running off to join them. What, you want me to tell you what these mean? Predenterra The (Lost) Lost World The Standing World Read First Clarifications on my sex and genderSorry if I come off as rude, I don't put much thought into word choice sometimes. I'm also super prone to editing my posts, sometimes multiple times, in the minutes following posting. For the love of god, take my posts from my earlier days on the forum with a grain of salt. I was not particularly knowledgeable or mature back then. Some of them are so cringe-worthy I can't even bring myself to look at them. Words Maybe Great Words - Words To Spec By
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It would have to be something extremely alien, pushing the limits of our imagination. But those are always my favorite kinds of life. ~~The Words of The Xenologist
- Words To Live By
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Ignorance is never insulting if you're willing to learn, we're all ignorant about most things. ~~The Words of Lamna
- Words I Live By
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Yeah, and even if you don't agree with creationists on that concept, that doesn't mean they can't be decent people. I have friends who are creationist (possibly even young earth) that I get along with fine in general life. I don't think they're right of course, but that doesn't make them intellectual degenerates. ~~The Words of forbidden3
Member Quotes - jman123
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Ass-breathing fish-lizards? Sounds like a punk rock band
- Sheather
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"Holy fucking shit a toilet paper roll! Our favorite thing!"
- Urufumarukai
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Tyrannosaurus aquastronka
- Kamineigh
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Myo, if you don't stop reading the YouTube comments...
- Lamna
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Are you saying what I think you're saying?
Sheather bathes in cum?
- Cephylus
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And last night I dreamed I was blowing up a Kindergarten with a grenade launcher for no particular reason...
- revin
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Oh, and of course more people get killed by selfies than by sharks. Of course.
- Parasky
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SHEEEEAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
- whachamacalit2
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The smell of rotting flesh really kills my appetite, surprising, but the visual appearance of corpses makes me hungry. Is that weird?
- Ebervalius
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I mean, let us say I'm a genderfluid blurflux demi-romantic woman who is sexually attracted to men, but only if they are Melanesian and have a voice like that of Nicholas Cage. Okay, so what?
- trex841
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When I first saw that picture, I thought you were dissecting a condom.
- Mr Mysterio
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All hail Robo-Stalin.
- Peashyjah
-
Seems like everything in this project is now dead.
- Stealth Rock
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Seagulls are pretty much trees, right?
- Watcher
-
We all must finish chapters of our lives to go on to the next. Sometime this means leaving behind versions of ourselves that don't want to die.
- Yiqi15
-
For April fool's, we had to make an orgasm that resembled a human foot.
- Flisch
-
im the black market
- CaledonianWarrior96
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He was a skater birb, she said tweet you later birb
- Most People at Some Point
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Quotes - Some dude called plucas1 from Youtube comments
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Funny, isn't it, that our world needs Clark Kent a lot more than Superman.
- Xenoblade Chronicles
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Even though he is our creator, that does not afford him the right to take our lives on a whim. But that is the thinking of a homs. He is a god. Such morals cannot apply to gods. So you think we should just shut up and die?! If that is the fate decided by a god. You are mistaken if you think we will simply accept such a fate and wait to die. We'll never stop fighting. Not till the end. To Zanza, the outcome is the same. Thus your logic is flawed.
- Hades - Kid Icarus Uprising
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When freaky aliens give you lemons, make freaky alien lemonade.
- Kid Icarus Uprising
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But Souls are delicious. They're like bacon - they taste good on anything. But if you eat them, you completely remove them from existence! They can't move on or... or be reincarnated! Huh. I never really gave it much thought. Besides, what do you mean by reincarnation anyway? You know, being reborn as someone or something else. Which means different body, different memories, different experiences, yes? So isn't being reborn as "something else" the same as being "removed from existence"? I... I... eating souls isn't right! That depends on your definition of "right". All living things survive by eating other living things. So what? You're a god. You should be above all that! Gods are above living things, which doesn't necessarily mean we care about them.
- Some Dude on BBC Two
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You are being shagged... by a flightless parrot.
Stuff
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GlarnBoudin
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Feb 16 2018, 11:42 PM
Post #10
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Disgusting Skin Fetishist
- Posts:
- 1,900
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #1,641
- Joined:
- Feb 15, 2015
- Gender:
- Male
- Area of expertise:
- Alternate Evolution
- Nationality:
- United States
- Favorite Quote:
- "My armour is like tenfold shields, my teeth are swords, my claws spears, the shock of my tail a thunderbolt, my wings a hurricane, and my breath death!"
- Gender:
- What is a gender? A miserable pile of secrets!
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There's also the fact that, well, a lot of damn things are named 'dragons' even in real life. Lizards, seahorses, sea slugs, deep sea fish, even flowers.
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Quotes
Spoiler: click to toggle OctoSharkTaSaurus: WELP. HELL-O-PHANTS IT IS. Kamineigh: I was six and I had started having fantasies about this old crone dying. Sometimes by my own hand. YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING HORRIBLY WRONG IF A SIX-YEAR OLD WANTS TO KILL YOU WITH THE SAME HANDS HE JUST USED TO MAKE A BLOCK TOWER. Parasky: No, he's right, they have a medical grade walrus at most hospitals for that sort of thing. Mr Mysterio, regarding yours truly: I'm learning things about you that I'm not sure I wanted to know. HangingThief: An otologist is only as good as his walrus Stealth_Rock: We have a discord for double penetration? Ichthyander: If your eyelids are massive enough to significantly affect the path of light in space, it is time to go sleep. Mr Mysterio: Glarn-Glarn, don't... don't fuck the cave baboons. Kamineigh: They lacked wings. Instead, they went around in modified pilot's gear and beat the shit out of people using maces. Parasky: No! We will not calm down! This is a serious argument over whether or not some long dead animal is in any way similar to a group of modern animals that they are descended from! THIS. IS. SEWIOUS. Lamna: Obvious typo, I'm never going to be popular in Belgium. Trex841: Interesting point. Valid counterpoint. Self-obsessed psychotic rant. Parasky: No ties. Begin genetically modifying crows until we have organisms that roughly resemble those in the competition, and then have them fight to the death to see who wins this competition. Alternatively, Cephalian and SabrWolf could fight to the death. But at the end of the day something will be fighting to the death for my amusement to determine the winner. Yellowdrakex: Is it alright to have an irrational fear of gliding snakes? They're snakes. FROM ABOVE. Kamineigh: See, you wouldn't be in this mess if you began a bloody revolution every time your leaders showed to unsatisfactory. Zihuatanejo: Somewhere in heaven, a very groggy, very confused angel has just woken up and is trying to figure out why a boisterous Australian man is poking it with a stick. Komodo: I'm sorry but in what alternative universe would thousands of zebras be sent back in time by some sort of illegal time travel group to change history and preparing them by making gigantic working animatronic allosaurs? Seriously, why? Parasky: Maybe y'all should move to America, where you can flex your freedom muscles. Sir Spookums: It's a game about children catching super powered monsters, stuffing them in tiny balls, and battling other strangers' monsters. What about that makes sense in regards to anything, mister Kam? Des Orages: Yi qi. Just when you think you've seen it all, nature screws us over once more. Kaminiegh: This is clearly an inaccurate statement. I'd never challenge the authority of an admin... Unless Paraksytron stubbed his toe and fell over. THEN I, STARSCREIGHM, WILL BECOME THE NEW LEADER OF OF THE DE-SPECU-CONS! Dragon: Is normal a good word to use for describing any of us? Velociraptor: I once dreamed I was trying to steal a flamingo. The flamingo was oddly calm about the whole situation. Kaminiegh: THAT'S IT, I'M KINKSHAMING. Flashman63: In its 4,600 year history, men from all eras, places and classes have been entering into the Library: from the ancient bearded sages of Sumeria and Chaldea, to the sober-minded Academics and Zoologists of the Victorian era, to the great warlord Cletus, an inbred hillbilly who just happened to be carrying his AR-15 around his County's Strip-Mall library. OctoSharktasaurus: Well, uh, it's a pseudo-tripedal, terrestrial subcontinental Madagascan Beaked Whale... Is that not obvious? It literally says it blatantly. Holben: Did you not add lamb's blood to your fruit juice and the crushed bones of an englishman to your salsa? It's not authentic if you don't. Kaminiegh: Shut up, Hybrid, stop ruining my chances of time-travelling and getting some Neanderthal tail! Mr Mysterio: Except maybe Canada. If ever there was a country that was hiding secret reserves of powerful alien technology, it's probably mine. HangingThief: If you answered mainly "yes," you are most likely a salamander. Unfortunately it is becoming harder and harder to tell these days. Monster: In vaguely related news, I've developed a fear of my sewing machine. WHAT ARE YOU STRANGE NEEDLEBEAST Mynxi: He sowed the seed, I merely pissed on it and saw what grew. Beetleboy: The moral of the story: never trust a catfish. Parasky: Speaking of original, note to self: write erotic classical Chinese literature fan fiction Bromance of the Three Kingdoms under pseudonym Tuck Chingle. Little: Starting playing DND, took all of an hour of gameplay until a yuri love-triangle was initiated. And no, it was not my fault. Corecin: If this is your first time with a lesbian love triangle in a DnD game than you don't even have to specify that you're starting out. Octo: Oh no now Little will enlighten with the deep and complex subject that is hentai lore. Beetleboy: It shows what kind of person I am that I'm seeking crush advice on a forum about creating fictional organisms. Corecin: I am not in the mood for looking up yuri because then the FBI agent monitoring my computer will judge me with reckless abandon. Blue_Komrade: Excuse me sir I am going to have to see if you have your membership card to the Misanthrope Club. Parasky: Ultimately, by the miracle of microbiology and biochemistry, I have accidentally added an additional month to my brew and created a Bavarian style hefeweizen rather than the American style wheat beer I planned, despite technically not having the correct ingredients. However because I wrote down what I did wrong its not a mistake it's actually science. Rebirth: I can't be the only one curious about what would happen if you spayed and neutered a male antechinus before it reached sexual maturity. Ebervalius: Laws? What kind of spooky cuckery is that? Parasky: Ah see, but that's just the thing, you thought that I thought that you thought that I had said you hadn't read it, when really I had said that you had said that you thought that I thought that you hadn't read it. So really it's Flisch's fault.
Co-creator/corporate minion for the Pop Culture Monster Apocalypse!
My Projects
Spoiler: click to toggle Coming Soon
Spoiler: click to toggle Evolutionary Continuum: Jurassic Safari: An adventure 65 million years in the making continues. The Future is Altered: When man plays God, he plays to win.
Alternative Evolution: The Extended Jurassic: The time of the titans extends through the Cretaceous Xensaron: Second chance for the strange
The Habitable Zone: Bellator: A World at War Pentrex: The five worlds of the five champions of the dinosaur world, together at last.
Alternate Universes: Terra Venatus: Where fantasy comes to life Terra Incognita: Planet Earth, now with 150% more pulp! Sol and its Surrounding Worlds: A Guide to the Organisms and Peoples of the Solar System (Companion to Terra Incognita) Guide to the Ark: ???
Cafe Cosmique: Time Rip: When Dinosaurs Attack!
My dA page. My Fanfiction.net page.
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Rodlox
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Feb 17 2018, 01:25 AM
Post #11
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- Posts:
- 3,109
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #21
- Joined:
- Jun 28, 2008
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- LittleLazyLass
- Feb 16 2018, 10:30 PM
On the subject of awesomebro names, I think using real life as a comparison is a bit flawed. "Killer whale" is pretty awesomebro sofar as they come, but we've heard it so much it kind of loses that, we've been desensitized. "killer whales" used to be called "whale killers"...and for a bloody good reason. but, sadly noun+verb. bad humans! don't you know lots of things eat kill whales?
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP)
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Rodlox
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Feb 17 2018, 01:30 AM
Post #12
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- Posts:
- 3,109
- Group:
- Members
- Member
- #21
- Joined:
- Jun 28, 2008
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- Dr Nitwhite
- Feb 16 2018, 09:49 PM
- Quote:
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However, you're a good speccer, and you won't stoop to such a stupid awesomebro name as a 'dragon!' No, you're a good speccer, you have a much better name: you'll call it a 'florfer'! That's totally unique, and it has zero awesomebroness! It fits these criteria, yes, but it makes zero sense for anybody in this universe to call it that. If colonists saw it, they would call it a dragon, but rather than go with the obvious, you just threw this in for no other reason than to make it unique. Besides that, though, it doesn't sound like a predator at all, or even alive, it sounds like something out of Care Bears; hardly what you would whisper in a hushed voice. But hey, it's not a noun and an adjective combo or anything remotely exciting, so hey, I guess that makes it good.
I think you're reading into all of this a little too deeply. In fact, I'd go so far as to say you ignored the two main points of the post- the first being that these are guidelines that can be ignored if the situation demands it, and secondly that a name should describe whatever it is it's describing well. - Quote:
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The way I see it, if your creation absolutely needs to have a unique name forced onto it to be noticed at all, then it probably needs some damn work.
This is somewhat true, but really beside the point. This isn't a guide to magically making your creatures better by giving them a good name, it's a guide for people who want to add some zest to their world with more creative, less cliché heavy names. It's certainly the case that a lot of people genuinely have trouble naming things, and also the case some people might not look into something if the title of the post doesn't catch their eye. Your creature should of course be able to stand on its own, but its name isn't a non-factor. "a name should describe whatever its describing well" - yes, like Twig Eater (moose) or Snowstalker, which is a proper name, not a noun phrase.
Snowstalker may be cliché - because its a famous speculative critter.
(though in a way your right - this is why my projects avoid cliché things like naming planets after gods...I name them things like "Placid" and I think in my notes I have plans for the Tall Continent (two big mountains) and the Squat)
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.---------------------------------------------. Parts of the Cluster Worlds: "Marsupialless Australia" (what-if) & "Out on a Branch" (future evolution) & "The Earth under a still sun" (WIP)
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LittleLazyLass
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Feb 17 2018, 01:38 AM
Post #13
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Proud quilt in a bag
- Posts:
- 8,633
- Group:
- Global Mods
- Member
- #1,463
- Joined:
- Jun 18, 2014
- Area of expertise:
- Alternate Universes
- Nationality:
- Sorry, but why do you want to know aboot my nationality, eh? Uh... sorry, that was rude of me. Sorry.
- Favorite Quote:
- "you know you're a nerd when you search Wookieepedia for porn"
- Also known as:
- You can call me Little; full list of old names found through profile.
- Gender:
- Trans Questioning (see link in sig; feminine pronouns)
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I think a good thing to add would be not to force scientific names through google translate Latin (or something similarly crude), and especially not to use them in absence of a common name. It almost always ends up sounding and looking terrible, and it's an instant turn off for me.
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totally not British, b-baka!
You like me (Unlike) I don't even really like this song that much but the title is pretty relatable sometimes, I guess.
Me  Forum user Uncanny Gemstar drew what is supposed to be a me. Thanks! Spoiler: click to toggle As they walk in, they're greeted by a small, poorly kept pathway leading to a poorly constructed Japanese-style gate. Behind this, a small field made up of corn, rice, wheat, potatoes, among other plants is contrasted by large piles of books, as well as a few rather out of place looking laptops. Off in the corner, a small woman, with long, striped, and strikingly colorful socks, no shoes, unremarkable denim shorts, a large, fancy black coat, arm warmers, glasses, a tuque, and somewhat unkempt, mid-length blue-and-pink-streaked red hair, is rummaging through a trash bin, located behind a sign saying "employees only". She continues this for a while (walking behind a wall to change her outfit now and then), until one of her visitors coughs. Startled, she looks up, apologizes, and grabs a handful of textbooks and novels before daintily running off to join them. What, you want me to tell you what these mean? Predenterra The (Lost) Lost World The Standing World Read First Clarifications on my sex and genderSorry if I come off as rude, I don't put much thought into word choice sometimes. I'm also super prone to editing my posts, sometimes multiple times, in the minutes following posting. For the love of god, take my posts from my earlier days on the forum with a grain of salt. I was not particularly knowledgeable or mature back then. Some of them are so cringe-worthy I can't even bring myself to look at them. Words Maybe Great Words - Words To Spec By
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It would have to be something extremely alien, pushing the limits of our imagination. But those are always my favorite kinds of life. ~~The Words of The Xenologist
- Words To Live By
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Ignorance is never insulting if you're willing to learn, we're all ignorant about most things. ~~The Words of Lamna
- Words I Live By
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Yeah, and even if you don't agree with creationists on that concept, that doesn't mean they can't be decent people. I have friends who are creationist (possibly even young earth) that I get along with fine in general life. I don't think they're right of course, but that doesn't make them intellectual degenerates. ~~The Words of forbidden3
Member Quotes - jman123
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Ass-breathing fish-lizards? Sounds like a punk rock band
- Sheather
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"Holy fucking shit a toilet paper roll! Our favorite thing!"
- Urufumarukai
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Tyrannosaurus aquastronka
- Kamineigh
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Myo, if you don't stop reading the YouTube comments...
- Lamna
-
Are you saying what I think you're saying?
Sheather bathes in cum?
- Cephylus
-
And last night I dreamed I was blowing up a Kindergarten with a grenade launcher for no particular reason...
- revin
-
Oh, and of course more people get killed by selfies than by sharks. Of course.
- Parasky
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SHEEEEAAAAATTTTTTHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
- whachamacalit2
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The smell of rotting flesh really kills my appetite, surprising, but the visual appearance of corpses makes me hungry. Is that weird?
- Ebervalius
-
I mean, let us say I'm a genderfluid blurflux demi-romantic woman who is sexually attracted to men, but only if they are Melanesian and have a voice like that of Nicholas Cage. Okay, so what?
- trex841
-
When I first saw that picture, I thought you were dissecting a condom.
- Mr Mysterio
-
All hail Robo-Stalin.
- Peashyjah
-
Seems like everything in this project is now dead.
- Stealth Rock
-
Seagulls are pretty much trees, right?
- Watcher
-
We all must finish chapters of our lives to go on to the next. Sometime this means leaving behind versions of ourselves that don't want to die.
- Yiqi15
-
For April fool's, we had to make an orgasm that resembled a human foot.
- Flisch
-
im the black market
- CaledonianWarrior96
-
He was a skater birb, she said tweet you later birb
- Most People at Some Point
-
Quotes - Some dude called plucas1 from Youtube comments
-
Funny, isn't it, that our world needs Clark Kent a lot more than Superman.
- Xenoblade Chronicles
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Even though he is our creator, that does not afford him the right to take our lives on a whim. But that is the thinking of a homs. He is a god. Such morals cannot apply to gods. So you think we should just shut up and die?! If that is the fate decided by a god. You are mistaken if you think we will simply accept such a fate and wait to die. We'll never stop fighting. Not till the end. To Zanza, the outcome is the same. Thus your logic is flawed.
- Hades - Kid Icarus Uprising
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When freaky aliens give you lemons, make freaky alien lemonade.
- Kid Icarus Uprising
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But Souls are delicious. They're like bacon - they taste good on anything. But if you eat them, you completely remove them from existence! They can't move on or... or be reincarnated! Huh. I never really gave it much thought. Besides, what do you mean by reincarnation anyway? You know, being reborn as someone or something else. Which means different body, different memories, different experiences, yes? So isn't being reborn as "something else" the same as being "removed from existence"? I... I... eating souls isn't right! That depends on your definition of "right". All living things survive by eating other living things. So what? You're a god. You should be above all that! Gods are above living things, which doesn't necessarily mean we care about them.
- Some Dude on BBC Two
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You are being shagged... by a flightless parrot.
Stuff
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Lowry
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Feb 17 2018, 06:44 AM
Post #14
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ARH-WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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I think that this entire sub is a guide to something wholly subjective that doesn't really matter. Just name things how you want and be done with it, yes people may appreciate it more if you focus on the etymology of your speculative names but ideally, it doesn't even matter that much. Now we've managed to start an argument over such a little thing.
P.S. 'Awesomebro' can be taken as a derogatory term (by certain members) that I think should be left out of something so subjective and broadly encompassing as etymology. It refers to the sacrifice/ignorance of accuracy for the 'cool' factor, something that is done all around the English language (Greenland comes to mind, but other people have shown other examples), which in my opinion makes it actually to some extent accurate. Please refrain from using this if this conversation continues, for my sake.
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Beetleboy
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Feb 17 2018, 12:10 PM
Post #15
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neither lizard nor boy nor beetle . . . but a little of all three
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- Jacob, JurassicJacob, Beetle
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I think you're all overthinking this. Dr Nitwhite has simply given some advice to those who want it, it's not like he's forcing anybody to name their creations how he says. I think all of what you've said are good points, Nitwhite, and this is certainly a helpful guide.
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~ The Age of Forests ~
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