Since I'm currently struggling to name my own OC's I got an interesting question stuck in my head thanks to it
How'd you end up naming your own OC's? Or moreso how do you usually do it? I already know how Noon got his, but your variety is inspiring with all the side characters.
Oh, and to quote Noon himself. "Dustmote - and who names their child that?"
Ohhhhh, I actually do have a system for this!
The general approach is to figure out the naming conventions applicable to that character, the visual inspiration and then... Well, then it is a bit of the "vibes" game :D
So, for Dustmote, I started with the moth kin naming conventions. I had to develop those from the two canon moth names: Thistlewind and Markoth. I take them both to be offshoots of two naming styles: one is quite easy to define as being a combination of two nature-based words, while the other is more about the specific... mouthfeel? There is a lot of actual science regarding what syllables and in what way combination form names from different areas and times (that's how you get all those name generators). But I only ever skim the surface of that, focusing on what sounds feel like they belong in the same family. And for some of my fictional cultures, I can pinpoint the irl naming inspiration more clearly than for others.
I went ahead with that, creating some surrounding lore and variations on both. In my head, the nature-themed noun names are more "traditional" and associated with the temple, while the other naming format is more modern. It can be a good (although not always reliable) tell for who was named in what circumstances.
With that established, I also borrow inspiration from the real-world moths. "Sweetlily" is based on the lily moth and "Tersa" on the tersa sphynx moth. (I have a moth-collecting phone game, which I basically use as a name glossary haha.)
And then, the more characters you name from that culture, the bigger your list of references becomes!
Going back to Dustmote. I knew they would get a very traditional name (not by choice), and not a very flashy one. I also knew that I wanted them to be based on a wax moth in appearance. Then, it was a matter of the vibes game. Dustmote is someone easily overlooked, someone who had been, until now, pushed to do menial pencil-pushing work despite their bright mind and burning resolve. So, dust motes just felt right for them. They are associated with archives and stuffy paperwork, but at the same time, can be exceptionally striking when they catch the light.
(Kind of like the boring, grey wax moths)
Having said all that, I promise I don't spend nearly as much active thought on the names as it seems from all of this chatter haha. I normally just let the character concept rotate in my mind until all of the above aspects stick to them to produce sounds I like.
