Fake NPCs for a story, need advice!
 

I've decided to write a novel-style story about a girls first year rush/membership experience. I spent the last few hours making up some fake NPCs because I dont want to worry about misrepresenting any groups or making them look bad.

I came up with about 48 groups, and I haven't decided if they will all make the cut as national groups, but I'll figure that out later. What I need help with is chosing the groups that are going to be on the campus I'm writing about. Its going to be a hugely greek school, so I'll probably have half of these groups on the campus. I know most of these names have probably been used by some sort of group at some point in the history of greek life, but my main concern is to not infringe on any group that is well known nationally now. even though this story will probably not leave the confines of my notebooks, i want pretty unattached names.

so basically i want advice on which groups should be on campus X. tell me which you like/dont like, and if there is a group by that name i should know about.
thanks!

(all phi's and xi's are pronounced fie and zie unless otherwise noted.) my list:

Alpha Delta Sigma
Alpha Gamma
Alpha Gamma Alpha
Alpha Lambda Delta
Alpha Mu Gamma
Alpha Sigma
Alpha Sigma Delta
Alpha Sigma Phi
Alpha Xi Phi (pronounced zee)
Alpha Zeta

Beta Kappa Delta

Chi Nu
Chi Phi Epsilon
Chi Tau Kappa

Delta Beta
Delta Chi Omicron
Delta Delta
Delta Kappa Zeta
Delta Tau Upsilon

Epsilon Delta

Gamma Gamma Gamma
Gamma Gamma Iota
Gamma Kappa

Kappa Delta Zeta
Kappa Phi Phi
Kappa Tau Omicron
Kappa Zeta

Lambda Mu Nu
Lambda Pi

Mu Nu Xi

Omega Kappa Nu
Omega Omega Omega

Phi Delta Xi

Pi Beta Chi
Pi Chi Omega

Sigma Chi Alpha
Sigma Delta
Sigma Epsilon Pi
Sigma Phi

Tau Beta Omega

Theta Mu Sigma
Theta Sigma
Theta Xi Theta

Xi Delta Gamma
Xi Xi Xi

Zeta Nu
Zeta Pi Sigma
Zeta Sigma


semi-unrelated note: i also made some fraternities, mostly they're names i thought didn't feel feminine enough, which sounds silly.
Epsilon Upsilon Nu
Beta Tau Epsilon
Tau Chi Epsilon
Gamma Pi Sigma
Delta Alpha Tau
Chi Chi Psi

anyway, i'd appreciate any input, thanks!!

honestly, if you're going to do this,PLEASE try to use a name WITHOUT an NPC contained within... like Beta Kappa Delta or Kappa Delta Zeta (just as examples). People would be like oh that must be about the Beta/Zeta chapter of KD. Well, people who know about sororities.

Just my opinion :)

Alpha Sigma-I find a lot of Alpha Sigma pins on E-bay...I don't know anything about them though (Plus, people possibly could assume it's Alpha Sigma Alpha/Tau)

Alpha Sigma Phi-this group exsists nationally...Ask AlphaSigOU

If you can find ariesrising's greekpages again (PM her, I'm sure she has the link) She does have a list of every combo that's ever been anything (besides a one-campus local)...maybe check that

I swear, that girl is one of our best resources.

I read a book that used the fictional sorority "Omega Omega Omega." Worked well b/c they also had a ready-to-use nickname ("the Omegas" or "the Tri-Os") which worked well for the book.

Hello my sister, here are my faves. :)


Gamma Gamma Gamma (Tri-Gam. LOL)
Omega Omega Omega (Tri-O, like HotDamnImAPhiMu pointed out)
Xi Xi Xi (Tri-Xi. LOL)
Alpha Gamma
Alpha Xi Phi
Mu Nu Xi (way cute, I just like Xi. :) )

Alpha Zeta is a national ag honorary. Also, people would think Pi Beta Chi was really Pi Beta Phi!

You could go with Sigma Epsilon Chi or Pi Omicron Tau. I remember a few guys in college thought those were funny. :p

How about Delta Chi Delta? ;)

DOG
DIK

For the sororities use something that starts with Beta, Epsilon, Nu or Xi - there aren't any NPC groups that do. Maybe Beta Delta Nu?

Don't use ANYTHING that starts with Alpha, please. There are already a ton of national groups and locals that do so you're apt to step on somebody's toes. It's better to just avoid it.

My advice...Good Luck...

Too early in the morning to think right now.

Actually, the reason there are so many alphas is because i looked at the NPCs to see the most commonly used letters, which were alpha and delta.

most of the combos i like just cause they look pretty. im a dork.:D

i looked at the list on ariesrisings page, but the problem is, i dont know which of those groups is still existing, if they're honoraries, etc etc.

Another suggestion is to make sure the nicknames you use (assuming you were to give them a nickname so you didn't have to write out the full name every time) are not nicknames used by NPC sororities. For example, Alpha Xi Phi....if you were to refer to them as Alpha Xi's then that would be associated w/ Alpha Xi Delta. Don't refer to one of the groups as Kappa, Theta, Sigma, Zeta, etc.

I think that if a group has ever existed you should not use their name. It's more than a combination of letters for their members. There are so many combinations that have never been used. I'm sure that you can find a few that you like. :)

There is a local fraternity called Gamma Gamma Gamma.

yeah they all have nicknames already, and i tried to do that. Alpha Xi Phi is AZPhi.

i think that would be really hard, that list is intimidatingly long. i understand that their letters have a special meaning for them, but its fiction, its not their group even if the letters are the same. i bet there are even groups that have the same name out there, and thats kind of the same thing.

You know, you really shouldn't put fake NPCs in your story because someone will confuse it with something. If you use any greek letters at all, everybody will think that you're actually referring to every organization that actually exists. Because you know, people are really stupid. You should just give the organizations names like "Butterball" or "Squid" -- oh, but then someone will confuse them with Farmhouse or Fiji or something. Maybe you should rethink the whole story idea. I mean, if you make up anything about a fake sorority, people will thing that ALL sororities are just like that one and that we ALL engage in the behavior of your characters, which may or may not be questionable, but really you should try to avoid it. I mean, people can't tell the difference between fiction and reality. Maybe you could invent an entire alphabet that has nothing in common with any letters that actually exist, and use them to name your organizations, just to be extra sure that nobody is ever confused. I mean, some people may still be confused, but at least it won't be as many people as if you used real, actual greek letters. Because you know, people are really stupid.

It was Pi Beta Alpha. I can't believe I remembered that.

okay sweetie, cause I'm a big ole dork, I looked at aries list and since I like Alpha and Xi, I came up with some other ones (that weren't on your list or the list aries gave the link too).

I also noticed from that list that Eta and Mu are the least used letters as a first letter (if that makes sense).

Here is the list I came up with (like I said I'm a dork. LOL).

Alpha Xi Pi (one of my personal faves. like the way it looks in greek letters)
Alpha Xi Theta (another fave :) )
Alpha Xi Chi
Alpha Xi Phi
Alpha Xi Kappa
Alpha Xi Omicron
Alpha Xi Epsilon
Alpha Xi Beta
Alpha Xi Mu
Alpha Xi Nu

Eta Xi Alpha
Eta Gamma Beta
Eta Sigma
Eta Omega


(Love the way all of these look in the Greek letters):

Mu Xi
Mu Theta
Mu Delta

Good Luck sweetie!!!!!!

Someone should use Robot house.

Hahaha!

The Nancy Drew on Campus series and Anne Rivers' Siddons "Heartbreak Hotel" both had a sorority that was referred to as "Kappa." Sweet Valley University had the Thetas (short for "Theta Alpha Theta"). A cheesy YA series I read when I was younger had "Sigma Phi Sigma" (Phi Sigma Sigma much?). Anne Rivers Siddons' "Outer Banks" has Tri Omega (a little similar to Tri Delta or Tri Sigma). And of course there's "Eating the Chesire Cat," which actually uses the Tri Delta name and goes in depth about a real chapter . . .

Should any of us be too worried about this? No. None of those nicknames did any significant damage our sororities. And this story that lyrica is writing, unlike some of the above, will be written by a Greek who will probably present a much more positive portrayal than some of the above.

Please stay away from easily recognizible ones, like using "Delta Xi" (sounds like DZ) or "Gamma Pi" sounds like "Gamma Phi". or "Phi Nu" sounds like "Phi Mu". They are too closely related and readers would think you were actually talking about those specific orgs. I would try to use letters that aren't so popular like Xi, Psi, and Eta for letter combinations. Like:
Xi Psi Xi (said "zy-sigh-zy", for short "Xi Psi")
Sigma Eta (short "sigma-ates")
Rho Zeta (short "rho-zs" said "rosies") ok- i think that one is kinda cute!

for our recruitment skit last year we used a fake sorority called Theta Pi Pi. I think it is kinda a cute name.:)

And then there is also Chi Kappa (as well as the Pack: People Against Chi Kappa), in the Sorority Sisters series by Marjorie Sharmat. Not to mention Pearl (and Rose and Gold Key) in the Sorority Girls series. (I think both those series are out of print now)

I read too many books about fictional sororities back in the day.

thanks for the vote of confidence s&s!!!

i think my fave letters are xi delta and gamma, so i use those a lot.
but i set out specifically to avoid anything that sounded like another org, example, maggieaxid's Phi Nu sounding like Phi Mu. anything like that i'm staying away from. most of the ones that could be compared somehow to another org i didnt even realize.

looks like im gonna spend some quality time with the greek alphabet again.:p

turns out Anne Rivers Siddons (the woman who wrote Outer Banks, the book about sorority sisters in Omega Omega Omega) is actually a Delta.

DDD to WWW. Guess all those "one letter says it all" sayings got to her!

I think you should use whatever letters you want. It is a work of fiction right? OK, historical fiction since part of it is real life. I really wouldn't worry about it if I were you.:)

OMG, let the girl write her book!

Just how many Greek Letters are there?

You can make any combo of letters sound like someones Greek Organization.:)

Animal House, or Revenge of the Nerds or any other TV or Movie.

If it becomes a best seller then We can ALL Say, We Knew Her When and We are the best of Friends!:p

One of the least used Letters is Lambda. Make a Great Fraternity, LXT, combo of LXA and TKN who merged in 1939, still the largest merger in Greek History, social that is!:D

hahahah these anti-greeks at our school decided to make their own "anti-greek greek fraternity" and they named themselves: Rho Omicron Tau....which you know when you put the greek letters together spells out POT

Yeah that list is long. I'm sure that you will figure something out. Good luck!

Rho Omicron Tau looks better than Pi Omicron Tau. Both crack me up, lol. :)

Try TNE
 

One of the mysterious and underground - never recognized - groups is TNE (Theta Nu Epsilon), which lives in mythology and in reality as a campus leadership/political group.

Sometimes it's said to be composed of the 'chosen' chapter presidents, and to accept a bid you had to reveal your GLO's secrets.

I hope you'll include such a group in your story.

Alpha Lambda Delta is a freshman honor society

Personally, I wouldn't call these organizations "NPCs", but rather some other made-up international name. I am too in the process of writing a book with made-up sororities in it and have had to change some of the orgs names because I found out that they already exist.

How about Mu Epsilon Alpha
call them the MUs lol............ MEA.........

i thought that was sigma pi?

lyrica9,

Sigma Phi was founded at Union College in New York in 1827. It's one of the fraternities known as the Union Triad (Kappa Alpha Society and Delta Phi are the others).
Sigma Pi was founded in 1897, so it has a long history too. Originally its name was Tau Phi Delta, but in 1907 the name was changed to Sigma Pi, according to Baird's.

Use Eta Theta Xi, nothing that sounds or relates to a real GLO, Call em E-Xis

Personally, I've always been fond of Rho Rho Rho.

your boat gently down the stream....
sorry, thats what popped into my head when i read that:p