Genre of [name_u]Story[/name_u]: [name_f]Fantasy[/name_f]
Time Period/Location: several continents, as plot involves entanglements, people being telepathically connected over great distances. Character in question happens to live in a mountain village, isolated from most others outside of the local villages. Look and feel of village similar to mid 1800s [name_u]North[/name_u] [name_u]America[/name_u], names for her particular culture have names with English, Germanic, and Slavic roots.
Brief Plot: For this particular plot thread, a woman from this mountain village becomes entangled with two other people: a senator from a corrupt political family in one of the most powerful countries in the Known World, and a man who abandoned his family to become a wandering fisherman. The overall plot has to deal with politics of the interconnected counties, all while the established magic of the world starts going through a major shift. The psychic connection of these three characters has major effects throughout the whole story.
Unchanged Characters: [name_u]Ari[/name_u], the fisherman; [name_f]Tula[/name_f], the senator; [name_m]Thackeray[/name_m], the love interest
Character 1:
Current Name: [name_u]Arley[/name_u] [name_u]Emerson[/name_u]
[name_m]Reason[/name_m] for Change: I have two reasons, the first being that it sounds too similar to [name_u]Ari[/name_u], the second being that it doesn’t really fit into my naming scheme for the civilization I built. I want [name_u]Arley[/name_u]'s village to have a slightly post Civil War era vibe, and [name_u]Arley[/name_u], especially for a female character, feels too modern for me. Several characters are adapted from a previous incarnation of this story, and even though [name_u]Arley[/name_u] fit in the previous world, it doesn’t really fit in this world. Last name will probably stay.
Character Description: an introvert who prefers reading and gardening to socializing, works as the village herbalist and midwife. A big part of her plot revolves around the fact she assists the local women with abortions, and she experiences a fair deal of violence from many in the village because of that. Maintains a quiet, but stay relationship with one of the local constable. Can be incredibly determined, stubborn/strong willed, giving, and empathetic. Struggles with being entangled with two people she often finds selfish and destructive.
Who named the character: her parents, typical villagers in the area. They’re long deceased by this point.
Other Characters: aunt [name_f]Cilla[/name_f], cousin [name_m]Ogden[/name_m]. Lover is named [name_m]Thackeray[/name_m], but was previously called [name_m]Granville[/name_m] ([name_m]Thackeray[/name_m] was also a previously scrapped character).
Already Considered: [name_f]Heddie[/name_f] and Millina. These are characters from the previous story that I don’t think I don’t think are going to make the cut. I’m pretty attached to them and really like the idea is recycling the names, but I’m not sure if I will. I’m also considering [name_f]Astrid[/name_f].
Anything else?: [name_u]Arley[/name_u] is one of the main six characters, so having a name that strongly stands out is important. Most of the other characters have pretty exotic names too, so I’m relying on this mountain village civilization to provide a lot of the more familiar sounding names, and I still feel like the names in choosing are on the odd side. Something strong and unique yet familiar enough to appeal to a broad audience.