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.

[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...)

[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!

[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.

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

Haha I'm exactly the same way.

[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.

[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.

[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...-_-

[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]

Oh, word.

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

[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]

See my comment to Portia, but the short answer is: no. It doesn't count.

(Speaking personally, if I was renaming myself, I'd be really tempted to do a subtle referent to Iwaya Sumire, because I relate to her so strongly and it is a lesser known manga.)

[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.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

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

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Smart move.

[redbrunja.livejournal.com]

Not my intention!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

IMO, as long as you can tell Shakespeare's Portia from a Porsche. (= Haha.

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

Haha. I did that too. I was like, "Hi = Fire, Ko = child. Hiko = Child of Fire. IT MUST MAKE SENSE." And then "mokushi" was apocalypse, so I tacked it onto the end for flare. I know nothing about Japanese, but I'm sure that's not how it works. xD

However, at the time, it was just cute. And it's literally become something I don't explain anymore. I use it for everything, not just online. For a while I had "HIKO" on the back of my soccer jersey, and my car's license plate is a vanity plate that says "HIKO 23."

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

Somebody corrected me one time. Completely FLAMED my entire Picture Trends. And attempted to tell me what I was doing wrong. Okay. I understand. I'm not the best writer. Sometimes, I write in cliches - but hey, sometimes, cliches are cliches cuz they work. And at least my stuff is original. I didn't steal anybody else's ideas.

However, I completely flipped shit when she effing spelled "critique" and "criticism" wrong. I blew up like a freaking puffer fish.

[plural-entity.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm sure they have little diaries, you know. They write little lemons about themselves and the characters. -gag-

If you fantasize about yourself and a cartoon character, you need a reality check.