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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Will your pandaren fit into your character naming convention?
by Mathew McCurley 
Mar 24th 2012 at 8:00AM
I've written about my naming conventions before, using the prefix Gen- or Genz- for most of my characters because of my own affinity for my middle name. Every character but two fit this mold and use some sort of variation on the theme. Thankfully, my pandaren monk easily fits into the Asian-themed culture.
The pandaren monk that I made at BlizzCon was named Genzji, and I liked it, so I'm happy to use the name come live. Will your pandaren characters fit within a predetermined and established naming convention? Or will you take this opportunity to break the character-naming mold?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
Noyou Mar 24th 2012 11:33AM
Nice. I have Zaijian (Good bye) reserved on my main server. Not sure if I am going to use that or Intoxxic- a play on my DK's name. My only naming thing is having double letters somewhere in the name. I don't follow it 100%.
gogogadgetkat Mar 24th 2012 10:05AM
I don't have much of a naming convention anymore, but I like to find unique and meaningful names. That said, my Pandaren hunter will be Shoots, and my monk will be Edamame. Both are too cute to pass up!
Lipstick Mar 24th 2012 10:06AM
I've had themes before but they inevitably never last. As a result Lipstick has been a number of names over the years, Malvyn, Kalvyn, Pattycake, Moralune just to name a few. Whenever possible though I've changed her to Lipstick as it's the name I feel most comfortable on.
For over a year I played only alliance characters. I made fun of the horde, I hated the horde, I thought the horde were all evil, terrible people. Whenever I would attempt to roll horde on an alt it was always a troll priest and never made it past level 14, most never past 6. Then one day while talking to my friend on the phone who was a life time horde {she had an undead mage on another server} I started making fun of Blood Elves, saying what Barbie-Dolls they were, how thin and unrealistic they looked etc and before I knew it I was making a Blood Elf Priest named Lipstick. It was my way of poking fun of them. 3 seconds later I got this whisper from a little Blood Elf Mage named Mascara. My best friend had decided to make one too. We only leveled to level 7 before she had to go.
But that marked the beginning of the end of my Alliance wow career. Something about Lipstick was different than my other horde alts. What started as a joke, and me making fun of the horde, slowly began to corrupt me. It started with me telling myself I just wanted to understand them a bit better, so I could have better reasons to hate them. It started with me reading "the rise of the new horde" and learning what the orcs did to the Draenei, and getting to experience the early Thrall and Thrall's parents. Suddenly what had always been evil, was suddenly innocent pawns in a larger evil's game.
My baby priest who started as a side project to level on, a few hours at a time quickly became my full time gig as I leveled her whenever I wasn't raiding on my main. Once I reached the point I wanted to continue leveling and not raiding, I knew I was a goner. Eventually I apologized to my old guild, left the guild, and made my horde alt my main.
Sure you all didn't want to know that whole story lol but that's why Lipstick has a special meaning to me. It is both a reminder for me that, that which we do not take serious, and don't understand can come to mean more if we peel back the layers and look deeper, and a bit of humor to me as what started off as a joke ended up being a joke on me.
I wanted to name my panda Chopsticks in honor of Lipstick but it was taken on my realm, so at this point not sure what name I will use.
Noyou Mar 24th 2012 11:37AM
You could do- Chopstïck (alt 139 for the ï) or perhaps Bamböö (alt 148 ö).
eirinefrostblade Mar 24th 2012 12:29PM
@Noyou: Don't forget that they've disabled those special characters for naming on North American servers, as they aren't common-use in English. Granted, if you're on an EU server, I think you can still use them, Lipstick. :)
Noyou Mar 25th 2012 3:17AM
No. They have not. I made a toon named Mediná yesterday. They were supposed to not allow them anymore but for whatever reason, they didn't go through with it.
Alchemistmerlin Mar 24th 2012 10:09AM
Let's see
Tauren Shaman - Urdunai
Draenai Paladin - Oordani
Tauren Warrior who I then rerolled as a Paladin who I am going to reroll as a monk - Uredai
Troll Hunter - Groka... Crap, c-c-c-c-combo breaker.
Gnome Mage > Warlock > Disc Priest - Chira
I can probably come up with something that fits my old naming scheme, but apparently I don't follow it anymore.
lady.silverdragon Mar 24th 2012 10:15AM
I generally try and use names that are drawn from whatever real world culture most corresponds with the race (which is easier in some races than others!), and have a meaning appropriate to the character in question. Pandarens will easily fit into this, and I am looking forward to picking one out.
Nathanyel Mar 24th 2012 10:21AM
I'll probably try to come up with something that sounds somewhat "eastern", but I'll google-check it so that it isn't something from an Anime, and I'll find out which of my friends can speak Chinese, Japanese or other East-Asian languages, to make sure I'm not calling my char something like "question rodent".
I often draw inspiration from random results from http://rinkworks.com/namegen/
Amanda A. Mar 24th 2012 10:24AM
I won't have room for a pandaren. :( I wish I did; I might race change someone yet or delete my warrior for one. (I'm not liking rage.)
If I do find a place for a panda, though, yes and no. I tend to give characters culturally appropriate names. So it would be a unique name, because I don't have any characters with Chinese names, but it would fit thematically.
SamLowry Mar 24th 2012 10:40AM
Everyone's getting an 11th slot.
dodgeballer2005 Mar 24th 2012 10:24AM
Naming mine Partywok, short for Partywok Isinthehouse tonight.
He even has his own Party Wok Anthem. LMFAO!
It's a world wide punomenon!
Scuutor Mar 24th 2012 11:01AM
Though I hate that song, you sir, win an Internet today. I love puns. My little pink pigtailed gnome DK is called pwnellope, I have an engineer rogue (gnomish,) named Oonoes (pronounced double oh noes)
My panda will definitely use my punt astir naming convention. I've just not thought of it yet.
Lubricus Mar 24th 2012 10:25AM
I have thought out a separate naming convention for my Pandaren characters. I have high hopes for it!
silentbob1125 Mar 24th 2012 10:25AM
Took all of my names from the webcomic looking for group as no pandas have shown up in it yet I am not sure what I will use for a name but I am thinking of useing some variation of Timluvchiken or something like that
Dennis Mar 24th 2012 10:32AM
I don't use a naming convention other than one that fits the race (sorta). My Pandaren name is going to be Wuhu, pronounced like Homer Simpsons "Woo Hoo!".
SamLowry Mar 24th 2012 10:33AM
I'm just glad to see folks who are putting any thought into the names of their characters. Some of the names I've seen in the DF make me wonder if the player is illiterate, 8 years-old, stoned out of their gourd, or just an idiot.
Noyou Mar 24th 2012 11:43AM
Sadly Sam, probably neither. I'd like to say stoned or just an idiot, but most people just don't care about their names. Which is how you end up with Healsforyou or Lawlidan. Of course, I shouldn't talk, I named my warlock, "Lockitloud" and didn't think of a better name until much later.
ravyncat Mar 24th 2012 10:43AM
I don't use any type of naming convention.
I look at the character I am creating and see what name looks like it would fit them. It is sort of like making characters for a story to me and usually the names are just there in my head. My main challenge is finding a way to spell them that isn't already taken.
I also try and use names that fit their culture.
So my Pandaren will likely have a Chinese sounding name. :)
Welshy Mar 24th 2012 10:50AM
My Pandaren is going to be named Grauman, after Grauman's Chinese Theater.