A Note On Pseudonyms

[redbrunja]

 nimblnymph  was commenting about sexism in language, and it got me thinking about usernames. Specifically, (and I know I have people on my flist who do this and I don't mean to be insulting, this is totally just my opinion) how much I hate it when people use some part of a character's name in their username.

You know.

Mrs_Hatake

I_heart_hakkai.

Anything with Snape or Severus.

Even more subtle references: blooming_sakura or whatever cause me to twitch.

First, I always wonder how long you are going to like that character enough that you want them to be the most visible part of how you present yourself online. Secondly, I make the assumption that you are fourteen and feel the need to wave around your fictional boyfriend or (also fairly common) your OTP like a banner. I also (despite knowing really excellent writers who do this, and often aren't writing about the character referenced in their handle) assume that your fanfic is not worth my time.

Comments

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

I do the exact same thing. >_o;

Also, if I look at a story, and somewhere in the story there is an OC (I don't read stories where the main pairing includes an OC, but every once in a while, people put side-characters with an OC just so that they are obviously paired with someone) and it just so happens that that OC is your username. I immediately start thinking self-insert and completely ignore the fanfic.

[superduperotaku.livejournal.com]

I totally agree. Any fic with an OC pairing makes me want to skip over it entirely...especially since not even the summaries for most of those fics seem well written, let alone the story.

And I have several reviewers who have fictional characters as part of their username. It automatically makes me assume they are young and immature. Unfortunately, what they've written often confirms my suspicious. Why is it so hard to write in proper English online? How much time do you really save writing thanks as "thnx" and with as "wit" and why do people write in all caps? It makes me feel like I'm being shouted at.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, word.

It's like, save those fantasies for your daily commute - not on ff.net.

[moderndayportia.livejournal.com]

<---- do Shakespearean characters count?

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Yes, or non-fannish literary fiction? Because I've done that twice now -- my LJ/fannish nick here is the successor to an earlier one borrowed from a highbrow British lit-fic author, which I used pretty continuously from my early BBS days up through all my early years on the internet proper. ;)

(What can I say, I am far too easily amused by the secret-handshake aspect of having a pseud that many folks won't even realize is not my real name, unless they've read the same books...)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

No. I think choosing a less known character who you feel really does represent you (and isn't part of a fandom you're active in), especially when you remidiate it by adding some flair of your own (like you did) is hugely different than taking part of your name from a source everyone knows and doesn't actually represent who you are. Or does, but not in the way you intended.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

If I don't know anything else about an author besides the user name, that can really turn me off a story - as in, I won't both to read it after that.

Imagine how painful it would be to change to username, even though you don't like the character anymore.


I wouldn't think of it as painful, but you would probably lose a bit of recognition.

[lightprincess89.livejournal.com]

Well, my username is named after a character from a George McDonald fairy tale. But I like to think it's a bit obscure. I know what you mean though. ginnyharry4evah. hahah!

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Agreed. When it's obscure there is this whole different tone to it.

[kai-lis.livejournal.com]

When I was fourteen and just starting to really get into fandom, I made the mistake of grabbing fictional character's name for my handle. Later I realized that I hadn't even spelled it right, and now I'm just way less enthusiastic about that character than I was then. Switching away from it wasn't too painful, though, and I'm glad I did. I feel like it was just an embarrassing name to have, looking back, for pretty much the reasons you gave.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Smart move.

[the-sun-is-up.livejournal.com]

Haha I'm exactly the same way.

[chomiji]

Eh, at my age, I figure a choice on those sorts of issues is good for a number of years at least.

;-)

Having said that, my online nick is something that I made up myself, ages ago, for RPG, rather than a character name from something I've read. It turned out to be a word in Japanese, but that's just an amusing coincidence.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I haven't yet settled into one fandom for long enough to feel confident I would adore any one character in that passionate way, say, five years.

[elrickeyblade.livejournal.com]

...Guilty. And I'm reading all these comments right now about people who DON'T use these characters in their usernames, and I feel so pathetic...-_-

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Not my intention!

[cynchick.livejournal.com]

I've never really thought about it before, but its the same for me. If your user name has a fannish connotation to it, especially if its really fannish (like Deidei's_playtoy, or MrsUchihaSakura) I generally don't take them seriously. I assume their fanfic or fanart sucks (because they lack creativity and are probably a fantard), and that they are young and/or immature, and not particularly intelligent.

I'm sure there are a lot of(at least some)smart and talented people who are just really bad at choosing clever names. But. Some of my readers/fans have names like this, and I have to admit the often hyperfangirl squeevomit in their reviews only reinforces the stereotype.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Nothing like fangirls who screamingly conform to the sterotype.

[qualapec.livejournal.com]

*long pause* It doesn't count if it's an obscure reference to a character that was mentioned in a video game does it? *hides* I swear, I just liked the name.

I definitely see where you're coming from, but I think there are two primary reasons for this. A lot of times, it's those characters that draw tweens and teens into the internet, and they don't REALIZE it's so uncreative. But yes, I see what you mean about there USUALLY being a correlation between people who name themselves "sasuke'sGIRL" and a blatant disregard for the English language, structured arguments, and OOCness.

However, I also think there might be a fandom-related element to it. Let's face it, Naruto attracts a LOT of immaturity, mostly because the character IS very childish. That's not to say that a lot of reasonable people don't like it, but it DOES attract a younger crowd than, say, Resident Evil.

Back when I was still really active on the Resident Evil forums (the games, not the wretched movies), a lot of people used character names and they weren't any less mature than anybody else. Another thing to consider is that people sometimes use different names on forums to adapt to the fandom on those forums better. However, on something that's multi-fandom like Livejournal, it does seem a little odd.

So, while I generally don't jump to any conclusions, I can see the connection too, but usually before I look at someone's username for memorization I've already read something they've posted/read and learned something about them that way.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

You know, i think you're right about it being partially the age of the person in question and partically a function of the enviroment. I admit, I do see this naming trend A LOT MORE on ff.net than on lj.

[mistaria.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with you on this! Though technically my username is the name of a character in something I read when I was younger so maybe I'm guilty too. Haha. I will say that I crafted the name to my own online identity to the point where I associate the name with myself and not with the character. But usernames like "snapeluver112" and the like are... yeah... Let's find something else, please.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's one thing if something is obscure or started fandomy and you made it your own, but when it's snapeluver112, which I have LITERALLY SEEN (only probably not with that exact same number) it's like.... yeah.

[nekohooch]

ya know, i do that too...the avoiding or not reading thing...weird, i never realized that though...

Mine is just two of the nicknames I have combined. I was the first baby born in the 20th Special Ops Squadron my parents were in, and the bar they went to was the Hooch bar, and I became the "Hooch Baby". haha =3.

And my uncle lived in Japan for 10 years and had some habits ingrained and he and my aunt called me "Neko-chan". So I just combined them! ^-^

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

awww, that is a great story for how you got your online name!

[castalyne.livejournal.com]

I kind of like references to a certain character.

It's more of an annoyance to me when an original character name is used for an online handle, particularly if they're currently using said character in something they're writing whether it is fan fiction or original fiction and submitting it online for viewing. It's hard to get over and through a story if every time the character is brought in I'm thinking about the person who is writing it. Plus, it just screams 'Self Insert'.

It's kind of funny though that you brought this up when the 'Writer's Block' question is 'How did you choose your Live Journal username? Is there an interesting story behind it?'

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the writer's block was a very nice coincidence.

[korinacaffeine.livejournal.com]

Judging someone based on their username seems ten kinds of petty. That said, I can say with absolute certainty that 95% of us do it (myself included), and have no shame in doing so.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

An online handle is (often) the first impression someone makes online. It's no more petty than making assumptions about someone based on your first impression when you met someone IRL.

[yukitheawesome.livejournal.com]

See, this is where I'm torn. I don't know where I fall. Character usernames only annoy me sometimes, when it's like "so-and-so's_girl" or "certainpairing_4ever". But…

I adopted the name Yuki as my online handle because not only does it mean 'snow,' which I love (and don't get ANY of in the south, goddammit), but a lot of my favorite characters in anime are named Yuki. (Fruits Basket, Gravitation, Hikaru no Go, and I don't watch Haruhi Suzumiya, but I always liked Yuki Nagato's character design, even before I knew her name. It's a trend.) Yuki also became the name of my Yu Yu Hakusho-based OC when joking around with renegadekitsune some years ago.

When I came to LJ, I came because renegadekitsune made my account for me, under this name. So does it count as a character handle, an OC thing, or just a conceited nickname? I've thought about changing it before, but I wouldn't know to what. And I think I'd miss being yukitheawesome.

[/ponderings]

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. *ponders*

[tobu-ishi.livejournal.com]

Hunh. I've always seen my usernames as an expression of myself, so it never made sense when people named themselves after characters. The closest I ever came to that was calling myself "silveRocket" when I was thirteen and in the Pokemon fandom, and even that was a reference to my RL name (which translates to "silver" out of the Gaelic root).

After I got tired of the Pokemon fandom, I realized the silveRocket handle wasn't workable for other fandoms and ditched it with a resolution not to do that again. I spent most of high school calling myself "Bandit", but that was too widely taken and I was not enamored of the practice of putting numbers at the end of usernames, so after ff.net stopped allowing duplicate name, I decided to change it again.

I was studying Japanese at the time, and I wanted a really unique and goofy name without any of the usual neko shojo kawaii asshattery, so I asked my teacher a few questions and ended up with tobu ishi, which means "flying rock". An oxymoron, a surreal image, and a handy way for people to inform me that my writing was subpar, all at once.

(Then after three or four years of using that name, I got to Japan and discovered that the Tobu company--different kanji, same pronunciation--has its name prominently displayed the dozens of hotels and railway lines it seems to own, allowing me to play a delightful pseudo-Marquis of Carabas game. I have never looked back.)

All that tl;dr aside, when I see a handle that consists of a female (or uke-fied male) character's first name and a guy's last name, my interest in anything that person has done goes instantly right down the tubes. Any fandom username seems a bit daft and perishable, but that particular trope drives me nuts.

...come to think of it, that might be especially since I don't like the maiden/married name custom, but that's just a personal bias. >.>;

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I've always seen my usernames as an expression of myself, so it never made sense when people named themselves after characters.

Exactly.

All that tl;dr aside, when I see a handle that consists of a female (or uke-fied male) character's first name and a guy's last name, my interest in anything that person has done goes instantly right down the tubes. Any fandom username seems a bit daft and perishable, but that particular trope drives me nuts.

Oooh, I see your point.

[tobu-ishi.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, what are your thoughts on theme weddings? (Getting married while dressed up as Princess Leia and Han Solo under an arch of lightsabers, or Utena and Anthy, or what have you.)

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

I think getting married as fictional character is something you are highly likely to regret. First, because what happens when you don't love that show/character was much, but have such a huge, public part of your life inextricably linked with it? And secondly, it is a marriage - I feel that that is something you should go into as yourself.

However, REFERENCING fandom, as did the lesbian wedding that had a portal and Utena theme can be pretty awesome, and I think that worked because the theme didn't take over the whole wedding - it was just a nice in-joke for people in the know.

[syl-luvs-silver.livejournal.com]

To be honest, this has never bothered me (unless it's especially obnoxious, like 'xoxokakashisgurrrlxoxo' or something). Just want to clarify, though, that the 'silver' in my username refers to the colour (and at the time I was a teenybopper who thought it'd be cool to shove a pun in there, ha), and it's entirely coincidental that Kakashi's hair happens to be silver. :P

Couldn't have you secretly shunning me thus.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! I wouldn't secretly shun you even if you HAD been referencing Kakashi. And I never thought you were.

[iapetusneume.livejournal.com]

I have to admit I've never considered it from a sexist angle before. It bothered me because I thought taking a character's name lacked originality, and you should only save a character's name for an RP account. I think if you're really obscure it's ok, but other than that it does bother me.

I can't remember if I've ever enjoyed a fic from someone who obviously had a "fandom" username. Ok I just checked and I totally do. But they are definitely exceptions to the rule, because most of the time the authors are crap. I either find out about them by a friend reccing them, or by sheer accident.

My LJ username is technically inspired by fandom, but they don't contain any elements that are actually canon. Also, I was never in one of the fandoms, even as a lurker. (The fandoms being Sailor Moon and Lord of the Rings, LotR being the one I didn't participate in.)

You have, however, made me think about this in a way I hadn't before, and for that you get kudos.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Well, I wouldn't say I consider naming yourself from an online character sexist.

But they are definitely exceptions to the rule, because most of the time the authors are crap.

Yep.

And I think a lot of usernames have references to fandom - it's when they start getting very, very specifically referential that they start seeming crazy-fangirl-ish.

[neko-no-kaze.livejournal.com]

Hooboy this makes me think of the Mrs. Orlando Bloom bags and the such that were popular a few years ago -and slightly guiltily of my main user name for almost everything but lj.

I picked kouusa when I was thirteen I think -or younger- and was a BIG fan of Sailor Moon with the username being after my OTP. Worse because it was the name of a self-insert later. Thankfully all stuffed in a closet with out touching the internet. Although, I thought I was being smart not using any full names...

I still use it because I haven't grown out of my love for the series or the pairing. It's easy for me to use and remember and I found with playing with kanji it can be rather funny. Like 公憂さ which I think means something like melancholy companion. Maybe. Oooo or 憂さの公. Gloom's companion?

Yeah, I still have fun with the name.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

It's exactly like those Mrs Orlando Bloom bags. Which just makes me feel for the poor man.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I think my perception on this has changed over the course of a few years with LJ. When I first started here, a lot of people I made "friends" with were people who moved en masse from the Crumbling Walls Spuffy forum, where I was one of several mods for a while. BTVS was my first real online immersive fandom experience. I didn't really have that bias against character names in usernames that you describe above, although I admit I have certainly of dash of that cynicism now. The only thoughts I had about it for a long while was, for one, the feeling that it was hard to tell other online fans apart or know them as memorable because their names were too simple or interchangeable. The other was an undefined sense that it was not creative enough to satisfy me as an expressive creative writing-minded person. (eek, the grammar of that sentence.)

But there are writers I've had on my flist and still do who have some variation of "spike" or "buffy" or a combo in their username that I've known for a long time and whose fanworks I seek out and enjoy. They are removed from the taint in my eyes.

However, in newer fandoms...I feel like the marriage of LJ+ff.net as growing bastions of fandom are deeply, deeply established now, and as such, any new fandom is hugely influenced by the structure and mores of Fandom as a whole. In that way, I do think's its a very noob thing these days to pick a character name in your username. (though I'd totally let blooming_sakura pass on metaphorical grounds, if cheesy.)Fandom has been Fandom online for a while now, and everyone knows that original names are more memorable, get more attention, and linger. Many of us are also into multiple simultaneous fandoms instead of just mired in one, and thus feel less compelled to be defined by one particular fandom.

If I see someone named "tonystarktoy" or "zukofanlover" or "sheldonsmistress" I'm going to assume you're new to fandom and this is still something you're learning. I'm also probably going to have low expectations and assume your fanfic is a growing process. You haven't figured out how big the sandbox is, or what place in it you want to occupy. If, however, I see someone named "methos_kid" I'm going to assume that the fan is probably not a teenager, and has been around for long enough to keep the name of a fandom 10 years old and still be cool with it. That person I wouldn't have a problem reading.

[hungrytiger11.livejournal.com]

or one, the feeling that it was hard to tell other online fans apart or know them as memorable because their names were too simple or interchangeable. The other was an undefined sense that it was not creative enough to satisfy me as an expressive creative writing-minded person.

What you wrote here...this, is exactly it. I can't keep the people straight when they do things like this! And, well, it is not super creative. While usernames are not like tattoos (you can always change or remove one), they are sort of things you have for a while and that give a first impression. You want to be remembered at least and when meeting someone online I like to know more about them than just a shipping preference or character-love.

Of course, that said, my handle's from a book (picked way before any venturing into fandom), but then again, except for my Yuletide gift I've never seen anything written about The Hungry Tiger in fandom.... I feel a little sheepish then saying much of anything!