Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Namator Game

We all need to do some exercises in spontaneous creativity now and then or we forget how to have fun. That said, we don't have a lot of spare time. So here's a quick and easy game you can play that will spark ideas, get your muse working and maybe even inspire a story or two.

To play the game, you must visit Namator.com and, using the four generators there, pull three words from each list of results you generate. Then, very quickly and without thinking about it too much, write who or what they are.

Here are mine:

Companies:

Effenoise -- Records to make your parents swear. Company motto: Turn up the Effenoise.
Silemony -- Like alimony, only your ex pays this company to keep you quiet (there's a whole creepy story in this one.)
Phonevox Corps -- something steampunk, I think. Maybe like the Peace Corp, but they go to third world countries to install the vox, a primitive form of land line communication.

Fantasy:

Jeffrry -- The werebeast version of Jeffrey the pest control guy. Not my pest control guy. His name isn't Jeffrey. I promise.
Arakgaret -- I really liked the way this sounded when I said it out loud. An Egyptian deity. The God of Airless Spaces.
Dracass -- Pernish-sounding. Maybe the dragon version of the jackass.

People:

Augustine Hinsch -- Sourpuss. Penny pincher. Dog hater. Priss lips.
Minta Dasilva -- Her dad owned a mining company, and thought he was being funny.
Dhanya Ishida -- Nice and lyrical. Maybe a poet or a samurai. Or a samurai poet.

Planets:

Ancient Baseor -- Okay, so God coughed up this huge hairball, and then . . .
Gothdustrial Silver -- Ahhhhh. Gothdustrial. I'm in love. I want to live on this planet. Take me there, please.
Terra Floraop IV -- the planet of adorable floppy-eared bunnies who got kicked off earth, or invaded earth . . .wait, I think Spinrad already wrote that one.

If you play the game and want to share some of your results in comments, please do.

7 comments:

  1. Planets:
    Botop IV - the galactic plastic surgery capital

    Kotsvektion - exports a lot of vodka

    O' Trurull 18 - major manufacturer of multi-sided gaming die

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  2. Oh, this was fun. :)

    PEOPLE: Athena Simeon – (lovely name, actually)…beautiful makeup mogul who sprang, fully-formed, from a vat of concealer.

    COMPANY: 6Dix Complex – a half-dozen company managers who never agree on anything.

    FANTASY: Akoklix – plague named after the guy with TMJ disorder who invited me to his prom.

    PLANET: Dawn Terrareap 2 – Landing site for the Rapture. Part Deux. In the morning.

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  3. The dragon version of the jackass... too funny.

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  4. Names

    Heliodoros Okazawaya - Greek-Japanese CIA operative specializing in stealing technical data from foreign computer hackers and spy satellites.

    Downeti Walker - Counselor at a battered women's shelter in Philly and foster mom to two gradeschoolers.

    Jacy Duleepsinhji - Ran away to New York at 14 to become a Broadway star. Currently 22, HIV positive, and waiting tables at Mack's Egg and Burp while trying not to itch her crabs.

    Companies

    Cron4 Media Club - Distributes discretely packaged elder-porn movies for upscale retirement centers.

    WaveCinq Visuals - Motivational and relaxation DVDs specially created for yoga, meditation, childbirth, and asking the boss for a raise.

    Ringgineering - Makes fake diamond and gemstone jewelry for weddings, red carpet events, and inaugural balls. Why pay for the real thing when you can Ringgineer it?

    Fantasy

    Drockurtis Der Heilende - Tax collector who loves knock-knock jokes so much he always knocks twice and, when the citizen asks who's there, he hollers 'Your tax bill!'

    Mitara The Insulting - Scrawny, scabby old woman who sits on her porch flinging rude gestures and crotch grabs at passing travelers. She also farts a lot.

    Hekkduardo The Loving - One-eyed village idiot. Size of a rhino. Hugs people. Hard. 'Nuf said.

    Planets

    Trisov Ecksharvest Cyan - Covered in blue plants, none of which are edible by off-worlders.

    Neu Mactar Macgregor - Planet of rolling highlands where ancient earth history buffs re-enact the wars between England and Scotland.

    Foxvektion 19 - The pleasure planet where all vices are legal, as are the raunchiest - and youngest - strippers in the quadrant. Planet is quarantined, however, and travelers are prohibited from leaving if they pick up an infection. Since even the cards, booze, and dice are tainted, the population of Foxvektion 19 is exploding from immigration.

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  5. I agree, Raine. This was a blast! :)

    Names

    Pawl Benz Conceived in a laboratory accident. 50% human, 50% canine. As an adult Pawl uses his unusually developed nose to sniff out crime.

    Heidi Mulligan Golf instructor by day, vampire slayer by night.

    Margarethe Farley All she wanted was to marry a duke (or maybe an earl) and raise a happy brood of children. And then the others showed up.

    Companies

    Nuevegineering Production(s) The Garden of Eden can be reverse engineered, the apple unbitten. Let Nuevegineering Productions show you how.

    Huittering Unlimited A company specializing in the manufacture of buggy wheels. Their motto: Everything old will one day become new again!

    Effeultra Tired of tap water you can set on fire? Effultra's patented water renewal system can help!


    Fantasy

    Hunest the Affectionate The cuddliest ogre on the block applies to become an early childhood educator.

    Hoex The Dead A 12th century sheepherder who died, became a ghost and then charmed his way back to life only to lose it again in a foolish bet with a drunk stranger.

    Rangoht The Daring Born a humble bell-ringer, Rangoht grows up to be an anti iron-age evangelist.

    Ryrissa At 14 Ryrissa is given in marriage to a cruel man more than twice her age. At 32 she helps her oldest surviving child run away to avoid the same fate.

    Planets

    Hosystos Silver A planet-wide penitentiary for werewolves who have committed the worst of the worst crimes. Due to the high silver content no werewolf has ever left this planet alive.

    Selrull Rouge All forms of pleasure can be found on Selrull Rouge. The longer one stays, though, the worse the pain is when they leave. Visiting more than a few hours so acclimates your body to those sensations that it is pure agony to fly away.

    O'Doras Dow A small, predominantly watery planet in one of the furthest corners of the known universe. Researchers and fishers gather there to attempt to snag the Lussel, a fish the size of small airplane whose gastric juices have recently been declared a cure for the common cold.

    Storm Exomrull Una A warm, tropical, pest-free planet with extremely low housing prices. There's just one problem - a giant storm circles around destroying everything in its path. Anyone who builds there can expect to lose their home (and possibly their lives) once every third year.

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  6. I ended up doing my own blogpost for this. it's a lot of fun so thank you!

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  7. I can't play. I'm finishing edits, editing the novella, writing a new story and now I'm madly making notes because something just sparked a possibly fun idea...

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