Mirror Town names

[Ira Probst]

Hey guys, so I am trying to find a name for 2 towns that are across a ravine from each other. The towns are identical to one another, but one is always sunny, happy etc... and the other is always dark and sullen. The real trick is its the same town that appears to have been split in half when the world became cracked in half. This town was right along the crack, and instead of being split, it became mirrored. There is a lot more to the story, but it isn't important for this. Just trying to think of 2 town names that would work with each other for them. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Jhaelen]

The obvious idea would be to use the reverse of the first town's name for its mirror.
E.g. using latin for thematically related words: 'nox' (night) and 'xon' or 'lux' (light) and 'xul'.

 

[Lanefan]

The obvious idea would be to use the reverse of the first town's name for its mirror.
E.g. using latin for thematically related words: 'nox' (night) and 'xon' or 'lux' (light) and 'xul'.

Wouldn't the mirror image of 'nox' look like 'xou'? Even if it didn't, I'd use this variant anyway myself so it's not quite so immediately obvious there's a connection.

Lanefan

 

[MarkB]

You could go with a classical feel - come up with a world-appropriate name for the original town (let's say Exampleton), and then the inhabitants of the 'good' town call their town Exampleton Alpha and the one across the canyon Exampleton Omega.

And the inhabitants of the 'evil' town call their town Exampleton Alpha and the one across the canyon Exampleton Omega.

 

[monsmord]

In my homebrew fantasy-horror semi-Western, I had a town that stood at the threshold of an "evil" universe, where sleeping in one caused you to wake in its counter. The "good" town was Fife, the evil Drum. This paired naming was particularly good for the setting, though perhaps not so translatable to a more conventional fantasy world.

I recommend considering similar pairings that are either generically relevant ("Sword and Scabbard", "Silk and Steel"), or better still a phrase specific to your world's history or language, which I think adds an immersive depth to a game. (Also, I'm sure you can do better than what I just suggested. )

 

[Caliban]

Springfield and Shelbyville?

 

[Eltab]

Name the 'good' town after a local hero, a community defender and restorer.
Name the 'evil' town after his nemesis or the BBEG he defeated. Except on this side of the divide, the way the story is told is, BBEG fended off the hero's meddling interference.

So you might have the village of Washington and the mirror-burg is Cornwallis.

 

[Mallus]

Euphoria & Melancholia.

(though Springfield & Shelbyville are the best)

edit: also, they should be nicknamed the "Bi-polar Twin Cities".