Need help with deciding on a name!

Started by Alfieri July 1st, 2014 12:30 PM
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Alfieri

aka Ronnie

Age 27
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New York City
Seen June 23rd, 2019
Posted June 23rd, 2019
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I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this.

Anyways, I'm writing a graphic novel about a teenager entering a group of bounty hunters to go on missions for money.

The thing is, what name should I go with when describing groups of bounty hunters authorized by the government?

Should I call them Bounty Hunter Guilds, or Bounty Hunter Leagues?
I plan on doing stuff like a Guild/League Master, D-Class to S-Class Bounty Hunter and the like.

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
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Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
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It depends on the setting. If you're talking traditional fantasy type scenarios, "guild" describes things to a tee because that's what organized groups of tradesmen, bounty hunters, etc. used to describe themselves as. In a modern era, that's no longer an acceptable term because organized groups aren't "guilds" anymore, they're just "groups." If you want to make them sound professional, you could call them "leagues," "teams," "unions," or even "syndicates" (though that's generally reserved for things like organized crime). "Clan" also comes to mind, but that's not really appropriate because "clan" generally insinuates that people are actually related somewhere down the line.

Alfieri

aka Ronnie

Age 27
Male
New York City
Seen June 23rd, 2019
Posted June 23rd, 2019
2,850 posts
9.1 Years
It depends on the setting. If you're talking traditional fantasy type scenarios, "guild" describes things to a tee because that's what organized groups of tradesmen, bounty hunters, etc. used to describe themselves as. In a modern era, that's no longer an acceptable term because organized groups aren't "guilds" anymore, they're just "groups." If you want to make them sound professional, you could call them "leagues," "teams," "unions," or even "syndicates" (though that's generally reserved for things like organized crime). "Clan" also comes to mind, but that's not really appropriate because "clan" generally insinuates that people are actually related somewhere down the line.
It could always be a modern guild! There's no law saying a guild must belong to medieval times. My story is in more of a sci fi urban setting.

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
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Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
I suppose... Traditionally, though, "guilds" are reserved for medieval or even just olden timescales. For modern settings, it's rare for groups to call themselves "guilds" unless they're actually keeping some sort of long-running tradition alive. It really depends more how formal you want them to sound. If they're organized groups, modern terminology would sound slicker.

Edit: I should elaborate. "Guild" is actually a very archaic term. It has very limited use in the modern/post-modern age. There are some groups that do call themselves "guilds," but in reality, they're actually full-blown organizations with multifaceted operations. They aren't focused on doing one thing anymore like guilds originally were meant for.

Alfieri

aka Ronnie

Age 27
Male
New York City
Seen June 23rd, 2019
Posted June 23rd, 2019
2,850 posts
9.1 Years
I suppose... Traditionally, though, "guilds" are reserved for medieval or even just olden timescales. For modern settings, it's rare for groups to call themselves "guilds" unless they're actually keeping some sort of long-running tradition alive. It really depends more how formal you want them to sound. If they're organized groups, modern terminology would sound slicker.
I can always break tradition then. xD
The more and more I think about other words to describe a group, the more unfitting it feels for me. Such as "League", league sounds too super-heroic thanks to Justice League. Group sounds like a public school student project, and team seems more sportsmanlike. Organization is probably a good alternative because I'm making this bounty hunter agency government authorized. But then I would have to call the master of the group, the Organization Leader instead of Organization Master. Idk.

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
Male
Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
I'm not saying you have to use my suggestions, but I wanted to offer up some honest advice since I actually write a lot of modern and post-apocalyptic fantasies that involve a mix of groups and organizations. For modern/post-modern age stories, I've learned that use of modern terms is more fitting because it promotes familiarity for the reader. You can deviate from that, but I wouldn't recommend it. "Guild" is actually considered rare if not obsolete in the modern age because it doesn't describe organizations anymore, unless the organization has actually existed for years-upon-years and it started as a guild (none really come to mind and the ones that still use the name "guild" aren't really guilds in the traditional sense, i.e. the Screen Actors Guild is more of an organization of actors supporting things within their own agenda).

Another term I could put forth is "association," but that may sound too business-like for what you're writing... >.>

Alfieri

aka Ronnie

Age 27
Male
New York City
Seen June 23rd, 2019
Posted June 23rd, 2019
2,850 posts
9.1 Years
I'm not saying you have to use my suggestions, but I wanted to offer up some honest advice since I actually write a lot of modern and post-apocalyptic fantasies that involve a mix of groups and organizations. For modern/post-modern age stories, I've learned that use of modern terms is more fitting because it promotes familiarity for the reader. You can deviate from that, but I wouldn't recommend it. "Guild" is actually considered obsolete in the modern age because it doesn't describe organizations anymore, unless the organization has actually existed for years-upon-years and it started as a guild (none really come to mind and the ones that still use the name "guild" aren't really guilds in the traditional sense, i.e. the Screen Actors Guild is more of an organization of actors supporting things within their own agenda).

Another term I could put forth is "association," but that may sound to business-like for what you're writing... >.>
Yeah that's true, but you have been a big help! I'm deciding to go with organization. It's probably the best fit for my story.