Putting a name to a face...

I have always loved naming things, but I tend to take it too seriously at times. It doesn't always have to be that deep! Characters can just have a name without any meaning behind it, but I really like symbolism too. 

I also make many things about a character interchangeable. Their physical appearance, their personality and even the role they play in the story. But because of that, I kept putting off naming some of them. I wanted to be able to visualize them in my head, and the name has to suit their personality. I have to look at their face and think, 'Yes, that fits'. Sometimes I try to think about how other characters would sound saying a name just to be sure I got it right. 

Which brings me back to the names I have already shared with all of you. When I was deciding how they would sound, I kept picturing them like bosses in video games. How would that name look written above a health bar? Since 'High King Cholera' was the first, he would set the theme for the rest of their names. 

So I started by writing down two lists. One was filled with plagues and diseases, and the other, royal and noble ranks. Some of them stayed the same for years, like Judge Scurvy and the Black Death Knight, but others would take many forms. 

Queen Consumption was once Queen Cholera like the King, but was changed soon after when I kept picturing a character with glowing lungs inside of an exposed rib cage. Consumption, or Tuberculosis, is a disease that affects the lungs. All the pieces just fell into place. 

There used to be a 'Prince Typhus' and 'Dame Rubeola' (measles). This was before my 'Prince' character became a larger part of the story, and Lady Typhoid even existed. I felt like having both a 'Typhus' and 'Typhoid' would confuse people, even if they are different diseases. Lady Typhoid went on to become one of my favorite characters, so I'm glad I scraped Typhus for her. 

The 'Duke of Syph' used to be 'Earl Syph', and the 'Yellow-fevered Baron' was 'Lord Yellow Jack'. I still really like both of the old names, but I also love how 'duke of...' sounds. With the baron I just wanted the word 'fever' to be included in at least one of the character's names, which leads me to...

The 'Scarlet Margrave', along with The 'Leprotic Priest', are my favorite names. They were also the last to be named, because for a long time I couldn't figure out what other diseases to use. Scarlet Fever is pretty similar to Typhoid Fever as far as symptoms go, but the Scarlet Margrave is a special character that won't really get the chance to show those symptoms fully. I put a hint as to why in their mood board, if you are curious enough to try to figure it out...

But what about 'The Pestilent Prince', you ask? The main character, and my plague doctor with a cleft lip. Aside from being the name of the story itself, there had to someone who could defeat these diseased characters. Since he can't do it alone though, there is another half of the cast that I haven't introduced at all yet, and they are the reason I made this post in the first place. I just can't get their names right.

And I thought figuring out what they would look like was going to be the hardest part...