Friday, April 20, 2012

Ok, quick poll...


Ok, quick poll: which sounds like the stronger vessel?

Achmë 

or

Lyon


Cheers very much for your thoughts :)

26 comments:

jonathan said...

Unfortunately, Achme makes me think it's a vessel the Coyote mail ordered to help catch Roadrunner.

Arianne said...

At first I read it as Alchme (Which made me think of alchemy) and the sound of Achme is quite powerful, so I would have chosen that as the stronger name. Jonathan's comment does make sense though. Lyon carries associations of lions and is quite Aslan-ic, and it sounds sleek and fast, so I'd vote for Lyon.

Finbah said...

I agree with Arianne. I would think that the Lyon would be a frigate while the Achmë sounds more regal and impressive so probably a main-sovereign.

Newfoundjoye said...

Probably Lyon given the more regal associations we have of lions, and a sort of old world charm. You almost expect it to be Lyone. Achmë sounds a bit Looney Tunes to me spoken out loud.

tradgardmastare said...

I will also throw in my lot with Lyon.The name conveys strength and solidity whilst Achme speaks of cunning.

smudgeon said...

I think you're missing an opportunity here: what about "The Saucy Susan"? Now that's a name for a boat, Mr C!

ferd said...

Lyon. Mature, considered, not glamorous but capable.
Achme conjures up pictures of a scatterbrained scientist

Anonymous said...

My first thought was Achme, because the word "acme" does mean high point or success (that's why they used it in Looney Tunes).
But then I googled Achme and all the results strayed off toward "Achmed." Now I'm not sure I would use that word at all...

El Grego said...

Hmmm, I'm probably going against the tide with favoring Achmë in this setting. Lyon sounds great to our ears, but maybe not to the Half Continent.

Heather said...

achme is too roadrunner. i expect it to fail.
lyon sounds stronger.

Ben Bryddia said...

Good evening all

I think, Road Runner comments considered, that El Grego has a point. The names and words somehow work during the narrative. Fiasco for example. Achme sounds foreign enough to work in the H-c.

-Ben

Alyosha said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Lyon, probably.

BrokenSphere said...

Achmë was my gut reaction given that many words in the H-C tend to correspond with their real world equivalents.

Jowls said...

Lyon doesn't sound right, it sounds like a sleek little French sloop or something so definitely Achme

Alyosha said...

It depends on who is the owner. If it's of the pirate or even the marginally legal sort, then Achme seems fitting; if a law enforcement ship of an established state, then Lyon feels better. I expect though, that whatever name you chose, the story that takes place on board will be well worth the reading. Best Wishes.

Anonymous said...

I could go on a tangent and describe my associations to the words, as many other commentators did, but that was not what you asked for.

I would say Achmë sounds stronger, provided that the 'ch' is a rasping sound and not a 'k'.

But if you spelled Lyon like 'Lyonne', it would seem more impressive (and beat Achmë) even though I would pronounce it the same...

(and if anyone cares for the associations regardless of my initial statement, Achmë made me think of acne, and Lyon sounds like a city in France).

Oliver said...

Sir, I finished Factotum for the first time today! It was tremendously thrilling. I am glad to hear that you are still writing stories about the Half-Continent.
I have a few questions: would you ever write a novel or short story from the point of view of a monster? Will Fouracres ever come back? And finally, are there LGBTQ people in the Half-Continent? Are they well accepted, tolerated, or scorned? (I am particularly interested to know if there are transgender and transsexual people in your world, as I am a transsexual man myself.)

Thanks.
Regards.
Oliver Leon

Professor Neighton said...

(New commenter here.)

To be honest, I hadn't thought of Looney Tunes until it was mentioned in the comments. Then again, I'm terrible at making these sorts of choices anyway. Haven't the slightest idea which would work better.

On another note, I just finished reading Factotum - finally, that book was difficult to track down - and it's quite good to hear that you're still writing stories in this world. I must ask, though: Will we be seeing more of Threnody? She was one of my favorite characters, and it was a bit of a letdown to see so little of her in the third book. I am of the (probably uncommon) opinion that she and Rossamund should remain friends and not pursue a romance, though - that sort of thing is hardly necessary to improve a story, and in fact, I generally prefer reading books that do without. I liked how romance in general was not a focus of the story in the MBT trilogy... at least, as far as I can remember.

Apologies for being so off-topic, but I'm much too indecisive with names.

Victor Hinz said...

i was just wondering Mr. Cornish will there be another war in the Half-Continent because it seems that with all the increased monster activity in Factotum could start one and could there be older monsters there the monster lords?
such as the Leviathan and Behemoth in the Bible?
(i personal think they describe dinosaurs)
from a curious fan God Bless

Wolf Blood said...

I personally like the sound of "Achmë".

Hannah Ritchie said...

Lyon. Achmë sounds more graceful. Lyon is like.. Scion or something. Sorry this isn't very descriptive. It just has more of an 'umph' to it.

Differlot said...

Very late to the party, but i have no idea how either is pronounced which seems very important in deciding which sounds stronger.

Fyre said...

I personally think Achme is a stronger, more fluid vessel name. Lyon seems a bit more common.

Connor Johanson said...

Achmë sounds like a more regal vessel, because it sounds less common, like it was named after something of importance (a flagship, maybe?). Lyon sounds a bit more common, maybe well-equipped imperial frigate. I agree with whoever said that Achmë might be a main-sovereign.

Landon said...

Definitely Achmë. One of the things I really like about the Half-Continent is how "normal" words are sometimes given a new meaning. Achmë just sounds Imperial.