Nickname Vs. Real Name

[Rekka Alexiel]

This is an interesting experience I've had more recently regarding the use of nicknames/pen names as apposed to using one's real name.

Typically, for anything online, I generally go by the name Rekka Alexiel, or just Rekka for short. Many people think that I got this name from Flame of Recca...but I DIDN'T!! lol It's the name of the lead protagonist's armor (Rekka) from Samurai Troopers / Ronin Warriors, coupled with the name of the Organic Angel's name (Alexiel) from Angel Sanctuary. I hardly ever, EVER use my real name online mostly because I don't like it all that much, plus the Internet is much more free and open to express yourself...so why not use the name you like the most? Plus it helps to keep play and work separated online. ^_~

The most interesting thing that I've come across with the use of both names is that more and more people IRL are actually calling me by my nickname than my real name. lol This is partly because my nickname is also what I use on Facebook, so all my new friends that friend me there remember me by that name...and so it sticks even IRL. Even on the off chance to meet fellow cel collectors from here, they're confused what name to use. lol Personally, I don't care which name I'm called--I'll answer to both.

So what do you guys thing? Do you often go by your online handle/nickname or do you openly use your real name? Do you like one better than the other?

PS. My RL name is Heather. Now don't y'all start callin' me that, okay!? xP

[Hakiri]

Oo this is really interesting! It's pretty awesome that people started to call you Rekka in real life as well, that name sounds so badass! x) I love it! I really love your name Heather though, sounds really cute and sweet and airy ^^ always reminded me of.. feather! :3

My username is just some random thing I thought of haha. The first two letters are the same as my initials. Back in school, whenever a teacher said "make sure to initial your work!!", I'd use it as an excuse to go overboard and write HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA all over my stuff x) the last part Kiri, I didn't know what it meant to be honest! But some people told me it means 'left', and some told me it means 'right' haha. I guess I just have no idea which way I'm going ah?
I like making nicknames for people and I seem to have a lot of nicknames that people have made for me, which i really love! ^^ each different nickname is like a different character and when people call me that in real life, and it's unique to that person, it's really endearing! <3 I probs get called my real name 50% of the time and 50% a nickname of some sort.
No one really calls me Kiri in real life though I get called that online. I quite like it though. it reminds me of like.. how irrational numbers can go on forever and ever. Kiriririririiririririr can be written for ages. Only difference is that it repeats xD haha. I guess it can be pseudo-irrational letter xD haha what am I on about. TOTALLY SIDETRACKED. pahahahaha.

Annnndd as we are on the topic of nicknames, I shall give you the neckname Rekki!! x) teehee. Unless you dislike it of course! ^^ (In which case I have plenty more awesome nicknames where that came from! bwahahahhaha!)

[Rekka Alexiel]

Oo this is really interesting! It's pretty awesome that people started to call you Rekka in real life as well, that name sounds so badass! x) I love it! I really love your name Heather though, sounds really cute and sweet and airy ^^ always reminded me of.. feather! :3

HA! Awesome! I'm badass! hahaha Actually, it's really funny because there's a local bar/live house that I frequent and everyone I met there friended me on Facebook...so they know me as Rekka. Whenever I go there, EVERYONE calls me that. I doubt they know my real name although I'm sure when someone new asks my name, I still spew my real name. lol Then I'm like, oh wait! No one knows me by that name... heh I also sing with the live band for open mic events and they call me up to the mic like Bob Barker on the Price is Right: Reeeeeeekkkaaaaaaaa, c'mon down!!

My username is just some random thing I thought of haha. The first two letters are the same as my initials. Back in school, whenever a teacher said "make sure to initial your work!!", I'd use it as an excuse to go overboard and write HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA all over my stuff x) the last part Kiri, I didn't know what it meant to be honest! But some people told me it means 'left', and some told me it means 'right' haha. I guess I just have no idea which way I'm going ah?
I like making nicknames for people and I seem to have a lot of nicknames that people have made for me, which i really love! ^^ each different nickname is like a different character and when people call me that in real life, and it's unique to that person, it's really endearing! <3 I probs get called my real name 50% of the time and 50% a nickname of some sort.
No one really calls me Kiri in real life though I get called that online. I quite like it though. it reminds me of like.. how irrational numbers can go on forever and ever. Kiriririririiririririr can be written for ages. Only difference is that it repeats xD haha. I guess it can be pseudo-irrational letter xD haha what am I on about. TOTALLY SIDETRACKED. pahahahaha.

lol that is hilarious! I think someone was thinking of "hidari" for left. Close but not quite. Right is "migi" so not even close for that one. lol The closest meaning I can think of is "cut leaf/tooth", "ha" being either leaf or tooth depending on the kanji and "kiri" as to cut. What a nick name! ToothCutter! lol

Annnndd as we are on the topic of nicknames, I shall give you the neckname Rekki!! x) teehee. Unless you dislike it of course! ^^ (In which case I have plenty more awesome nicknames where that came from! bwahahahhaha!)

haha Thanks. I love thinking up names, so I know what you mean. My cat Misa has a billion different nicknames, most of them rhyming!

[Keropi]

In real life for me it's mainly just my real name. The only time I've met people I knew online before I knew them in person has been at the Slugfest meetings. I came close to meeting some people I knew online when I attended a Maison Ikkoku On DVD Anime Expo panel, but the people I knew didn't show up.

I use quite a few names online, but usually I just use whatever comes to mind. I've used Keropi, Greenish Growth, Godai, O-part, Sakamoto, NagaseTohru among others, but I've also used my real name Terence for Myanimelist and the Maison Ikkoku Message Board. Sometimes you might not want one BBS discussion to be connected to another if you know what I mean.

Yeah, it's fun when you're more used to knowing someone by their online name than by their actual name.

[sensei]

Names are important. I know I signed all my college papers First MI Last ("William C. Ellis") all the way to the Ph.D dissertation. But when I submitted my first academic article in my field, I saw that several of the bigwigs regularly published under their nicknames rather than their given names. Well, my article was as good as some of the stuff they write, I thought in my So-Much-Older-Then mode, and so I signed it "Bill Ellis." The journal took it, and that became my academic name, which bothered administrators no end as they kept trying to create an alter ego "William Ellis" who did half the stuff "Bill Ellis" actually did. But, yes, in my "larger life" as a researcher/teacher/writer, I'm "Bill Ellis" and online (except for Facebook) I've remained "sensei" and not generated any other identities.

I have been tempted to show up as "Carson Brandywine," which turned out to be my "Soap Opera Character Name" according to one game I encountered on Facebook. I envision this alternate self as a venal divorce lawyer, prone to taking corporal liberties with his clients, both female and male. But I fear that registering on Twitter under this name will lead to no good, whether or not I run for Mayor of Cephiro.

[Kasi]

I almost have a new alias for every site/forum/community I join up to. This is the alias I use most commonly though and since it starts similarly to my real name Katie I nearly have a few trip-ups at work. Uh-o.

[Gonzai]

Gonzai was a oooops moment for me that just kind of stuck. Baylor from here on Beta
started calling me that after I asked her a pretty dumb (on my part) type question. Since
it was anime related, I changed it to that here on Beta and on my RS gallery.

Originally I went by Pudge. That is what a lot of people still call me. I use that for
most everything else I do. Pudge was my first pug dog that I ever owned. I add 031791
to the back of that because that was his birthdate. Its just something that has stuck
with me for years.

My real name Nida is how I sign everything, and what everyone knows me as and calls
me in my personal life. Well, some people call be Bitch, but you know, if the shoe fits.

[JWR]

Yes screen names do serve a purpose for those that choose to use them. I know of a few people I have met in real life and know their names that do not wish to have their actual names used in online communications and I honor that.

In my own case I have never had a problem with people know who I am be it in person or online. JWR is my initials Joseph William Ryan. A little lack of imagination but it is the one I have used at all the online boards and other places. Sometimes I add 10X to JWR for some places that require a longer name such as Ebay as a homage to the days I used to compete in shooting events. The best possible score one can have in a 10 shot string is to have all the shots in the X ring which is half the size of the 10 ring in the center of the target. But in most cases I just go by Joe.

[cutiebunny]

When I was a little tyke, I used to get so frustrated when people would get my name wrong. There was this old man who owned a hamburger restaurant that we'd go to almost every Friday who would always call me 'Samantha'. That used to aggrevate the heck out of me and I would always make a point of correcting him. And then the next week, I'd be Samantha again. I remember asking my mom why he'd call me that and she'd just pat my head and tell me I probably reminded him of someone he once knew. Still bugged me, though.

My name is Amanda. You can call me anything you'd like - Amanda, Mandie, Amenda (as a doujinka once wrote..), whatever. 'Cutiebunny' is a moniker I got from an art project I did in high school. It involved creating your own characters, storyboarding, etc., and being bitter that there were never any decent female heroines on my cartoons as a child, I created this character. The internet was new to me, I needed a user ID and anything Sailor Moon related was already taken, so I settled with Cutiebunny. Then, it just made sense to incorporate that ID into every site I visit. It was easy to remember and (usually) never taken.

[theultimatebrucelee]

well, its kinda funny...back through high school my fellow school mates give me a bunch of nicknames, some are cool, some are plain stupid (i.e, asian hulk, the beast from the east, super asian) because I was somewhat obsessed with bodybuilding back then. Also got kids call me bruce lee all the time because apparently I look a bit like him yet a bit more muscular, some people I used to kick with nicknamed me "super bruce", "the ultimate bruce", and I thought that's such a cool nickname, so since then on a lot of sites I either go by this or just plain brucelee if that name wasn't already taken lol I chose the name not particularly because I'm such a big bruce lee fan nor am I good at martial arts, but people do assume that lol I do admire him to some decree though. People became much more mature after high school and so have always been called real name since, one time though I randomly saw an old school mate at work, and he just plainly shouts out "its the beast from the east!!"

[Drac of the Sharp Smiles]

Way back when, near the start of the general use of the internet, the original intent of my nickname was to hide my gender. Women were definitely treated differently online and I didn't want to muck through that. I avoided it by using a nickname that sounded male. I never actually told anyone I was a guy or tried to fake being a guy, I simply never said I was female and I let people's assumptions do the rest. ^_^ "Drac" is short for "Dracula" (not sure why some people look for more complicated explanations *lol*) and was a real nickname someone at school gave me because I enjoy vampire folklore/fiction.

After a bit, "Drac" (on it's own) started to get really hard to get as an ID for anything. It was always taken. So I modified my signoff "Many Sharp Smiles" into the name itself.... Thus creating "Drac of the Sharp Smiles", which is never taken as a whole. ^_^ Interestingly, when my husband and I bought our house, we found out the law in MA state is that if you use a name in more than ten places, you have to list it as a legal alias on documents like house purchase/sale papers. "Drac" fell in at nine places. Honestly, I wanted to find a tenth place and have to list it. *lol* ^_^

More interestingly to my reason for my nickname, I was talking to someone in the past couple years that told me male and female characters are treated differently in MMOs, hence why a lot of guys roll female avatars. This made me curious and I figured I'd look into it for fun. I'd done it before, right? Ha! While no one had problems assuming I was a guy in the past, when I tried to roll a male avatar in World of Warcraft to see the difference, NO ONE believed I was a guy. Go figure!

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac ^_~