#the suffixes im using actually predate summitclan itself by a longshot

[summitclan-chronicles]

Hi there! Idk if this will be something discussed in the server after applications are accepted, but does SummitClan have a naming system they follow? Any names considered taboo? Always interested in little tidbits like that when brainstorming possible characters :DD

EYES WIDE OPEN ...

Yes, Summitclan follows something I've gotten used to calling "post-traditionalism". Essentially, it follows the rules of traditional naming, but is designed to be living & flexible. Prefixes go in and out of style, suffixes might get modified, replaced or simply go extinct due to leader preferences and historical acts, etc.! So rather than being a single solid thing that has always existed, every character has ancestors with suffixes that no longer exist & prefixes that have connotations that have been lost.

BUT overall, prefixes are nature-based (exclusively things found in the Adirondacks) reflecting overall coat color & suffixes are honor-based and rooted in personality and skill. Some prefixes might sound nontraditional, but that's mainly bc the aim is to create a color connotation. For example, lichens can be all sorts of colors, but Summitclan heavily associates them with gray. Ditto to mullein, which is literally green, but Summitclan also associates mullein with gray.

For taboo names, there are a few... for prefixes:

Sun

Moon

Star

Spirit

Mid/night

+ all of these are actively disallowed socially. as in, it's not illegal to name your kid that, but all of these are considered sacred & it's sacreligious to name a kid that. Arrowseeker will just straight change your kid's name cus she's personally that serious about it. If someone tried to name their kitten Moon- she'd have a cardiac event. (That doesn't mean the next leader will be the same though!!)

and for taboo suffixes:

things ending with -er (<- such are reserved for the highest of honors and the deepest of formative experiences, much like a Tail Name in Tailchaser's Song)

anything negative or shameful

anything associated with injury, manure, death or rot

+ there is a set list of suffixes. the admin/leader assigns suffixes, and the addition of a new suffix is extremely rare. More common is a suffix's meaning being assigned to a new word following a controversial figure that will be associated with the old suffix, but even that is still uncommon!

To top it off, here's my top 5 favorite prefixes & suffixes:

Arrow- (obviously)

Ink-

Porcupine-

Purslane-

Dill-

-song (storytelling)

-spring (silliness)

-pool (diplomacy)

-minder (faithful kindness)

-twine (artistry)