Vector Shift — Naming Principles#

Approved by Briana • 18 September 2026

These principles apply when naming places, bodies in the sky, peoples, institutions and anything else in the setting.

1. Names echo; they do not dictate design#

A name should not fix the look of what it names.

Where this came from: Briana considered Egyptian mythology as a source for the planet and star names. She rejected it: "Egyptian words are too striking, and they almost demand a design of the assets based on that." Claude proposed keeping this as a general rule, and Briana approved: "Yes".

Reasoning: Greek and Norse names are already widespread in everyday language (planets, moons, days of the week, brands), so readers take them as inherited words rather than as a theme. Sources with a strong visual identity, such as Egyptian mythology, push artists and AI actors toward that culture's look. Kethra's architecture, dress and machines should remain free to be designed on their own terms.

In practice:

• Prefer sources, or invented forms, that do not carry a single strong visual identity.
• Test each proposed name by asking: would an artist or an AI actor who reads this name start drawing a specific existing culture? If so, reconsider the name.

2. The name a speaker uses marks where they belong#

This follows from existing decisions. The capital and the frontier name the same things differently: Selenne/Kethra for the planet, Theia/Sól for the sun, Hyperion/Surtr for the red giant. Which name a character uses signals their community. Name choice can also reflect how that community feels about the thing named.

See the planet naming decision, the naming resolution and the star naming decision.

3. Check proposed names for existing uses#

Before a name is approved, check it for prominent existing uses in fiction and games, and tell Briana about any overlap. Examples: Kethra in Warhammer 40,000, Hyperion in Dan Simmons' novels, "Earth-That-Was" in Firefly. An overlap does not rule a name out; the choice remains Briana's. These checks are creative checks, not trademark clearance.

Principles 2 and 3 describe practice already followed during 18 September 2026. They are recorded here together for future sessions and AI actors.

Prepared by Claude.