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Sax

10:20 / 12.04.02

Reading through a thread yesterday I was suddenly struck by how unsuitable my fiction suit name really is. I mean, I've been using Sax now for a couple of years, and it originated as Doctor Sax, from the Kerouac novel of the same name, but it all of a sudden seems a bit... I don't know. Alien, I suppose.

I was considering changing my ficsuit, but don't know if that just causes more problems than is solves with regular posters not knowing who you are, and getting confused. Anyone else changed their fiction suit purely for "cosmetic" reasons? Haus does it on a daily basis, but retains the main element of his suit. When you see a suit-name like, for example, "Sax", does that conjure up a load of pre-programmed reactions? Would I still be "me" if I changed my name, or would I be reborn into Barbelith as someone new?

Just wondering.

Trijhaos

10:23 / 12.04.02

You could do what fridgemagnet did. Keep your current ficsuit name put a / and then your new identity after the slash. Keep that ficsuit for awhile, maybe a week or two, so people get used to seeing that name by your posts and then change it over completely to the new name.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:26 / 12.04.02

I've changed mine a couple of times- once because of the whole pirate thing, once cos I love the Moomins, and this time cos of the "what dictator are you" thread. I've always been the same amount of twat. On the new board, though, I notice, you don't see member numbers appearing, which was always a pretty handy way of tracking who was who when they changed their ficsuit name.
I dunno. I just have a short attention span. Though obviously longer than Haus'.

that

10:30 / 12.04.02

That *is* a good idea... kinda phase in the new name. If you are going to change completely, that might be the smoothest and least confusing way to do it. Or start again with what you used to do, Haus-style name modifications occasionally - like "Sax on a stick" (that was you, right?).

I like Sax. I've never read that particular Kerouac book, so I tend to think of you as vaguely Kerouac-like in general, and it has fairly nice, friendly associations. I named my dog after a singer, but now I don't even relate the two automatically - I am actually surprised when I remember the origin of his name. I think the same thing tends to happen with ficsuit names - regular posters/lurkers get a sense of 'you' as the online Sax, and stop having so much of this image of you as Sax the character from the Kerouac book...

that

10:32 / 12.04.02

Er, btw, that post was designed to follow Trijhaos'...

Kit-Cat Club

10:34 / 12.04.02

I changed mine last autumn and immediately felt much more comfortable. I think most people knew who I was despite the fact that I didn't really tell anyone (though the fact that I was the Books moderator at the time must have helped).

I dunno about pre-programmed reactions... I know who fictionsuit 'Sax' is and the sort of thing he is likely to say, but I think it would probably translate quite well (unless you're going to change your entire posting style and stop semi-stalking Ariadne, of course...)

Sax

10:35 / 12.04.02

I like Sax. I've never read that particular Kerouac book, so I tend to think of you as vaguely Kerouac-like in general, and it has fairly nice, friendly associations.

Hmm, that's reassuring, Chol. I don't even have a new name I want to unveil on the world, it's just as I said: someone used the name in a thread yesterday and it struck me as a bit odd, like: "Are they talking about me?"

Possibly it is because apart from Barbelith no-one uses the name in connection with me - do any posters carry their ficsuit into real life?

Sax

10:39 / 12.04.02

KKC - the main reason for a possible name-change is so I can continue stalking Ariadne and circumvent the restraining order, which is in the name of "Sax".

Trijhaos

10:44 / 12.04.02

Carry ficsuits into real life? Geez, I'm embarrased to admit this, but I don't even know how to pronounce my ficsuit name. So I guess one would say no I don't use my ficsuit other than here on the board and some other stuff.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:46 / 12.04.02

Trijhaos- I just assumed "treehouse". The whole "stoat" thing comes from an old nickname that the guy who set up my email for me (me not knowing a thing about computers) remembered, so in my case it's more real life carrying over into the virtual.

Kit-Cat Club

10:51 / 12.04.02

Saxy, if you do change your fiction suit, change it to one which people can spell... to my knowledge there are currently two people on the board who spell mine properly (whether in full, in part or in abbreviation...)

Ariadne

11:06 / 12.04.02

I've seen some pretty weird spellings of Ariadne, too. I've considered changing it, cause I don't really like it, but I'm too lazy and can't think of an alternative. It'll do.
And Sax, I'd spot you through any disguise...

Shortfatdyke

11:26 / 12.04.02

how weird is this! been offline for a few days and started a thread about my own name, and now see this. my thread comes from a different and more specific angle, i think, but should it be moved to here? one thing i should say is that i like it when people keep their names instead of changing them all the time....

Sax

11:28 / 12.04.02

KCC (

) - sorry about the misspelling. I naturally think of Kit-Kats when I see your name, and when I write it in abbreviated form I always think of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Not that I have food issues, obviously.

Persephone

11:50 / 12.04.02

Trijhaos- I just assumed "treehouse".

Oh, bravo! I shall adopt this forthwith.

Captain Zoom

11:52 / 12.04.02

That's what I always thought too, Persephone.
Though it took me a while to come up with.
I have changed my name. I may change it again.

Evil.

pointless and uncalled for

11:59 / 12.04.02

I change my name on an irregularly regular basis and don't really seem to fool anyone.

People will easily recognise me by my psoting style (really shouldn't stretch the word style like that, it'll break).

I imagine the same would apply to you.

Shortfatdyke

12:03 / 12.04.02

i can never figure out who anyone is when they change their name. except haus, of course.

pointless and uncalled for

12:11 / 12.04.02

Sorry, I thought the idiocy would come shining through.

Matthew Fluxington

12:56 / 12.04.02

i can never figure out who anyone is when they change their name. except haus, of course.

!!!

higuita

13:20 / 12.04.02

I'm with sfd on this one. I have to talk to adamswish if I want to keep track of name changes. He always seems to know.
Funnily, I'd always thought of Sax as a conflation of several muppets from the electric mayhem band (Dr Teeth and Zoot. Shit, this isn't making any sense). No reflection on you, Sax, I've just never been up with Kerouac. I feel this reflects more on me than you. Ma-na-ma-na!

BTW, thanks for the pronunciation of TrijHaos. It's difficult talking about thread issues IRL when you haven't got a clue about the correct pronunciation. Then it turns out there isn't one. Gah!

My name only appears in real life when I have to do something with my initials. The name is good fun when people use the examples of 'mr x and mr y' in a thread, though. I'm then able to pounce and use my special threadrot powers. It's happened, oooh, once.

Cherry Bomb

14:43 / 12.04.02

Go for it. Just change it. Ain't no big thing.

Actually, when I first came here as an Invissys List Refugee (and no offense, much love to the homies carrying on there), I went through great pains to hide my identity from anyone who was possibly on both boards. Mainly because I'd established a rep as an "Old Timer" and I wanted more people to challenge what I had to say, which I figured I would get as a new person. (I should probably do that again but I like my fic suit too much.) And so, after trying on a few different fiction suits I abandoned my old moniker and became this one.

It's a freeing experience. Just jump into the pool. You'll be glad you did. And all the folks who are here all the time will figure out who you are quickly enough, and if you are afraid they won't know, just pm them and tell them your new suit name.

Spatula Clarke

14:54 / 12.04.02

Some names have their own flavour, though. When you changed yours, Cherry, sure I knew it was still you, but the fact that your posts were no longer prefaced with the familiar 'CB' did seem to have an effect on how I read them. The same applies to others who've done this. Dayglo/Umeboshi/Plums, Zenith/Flyboy, Tyrone/Tryone/Lyra; each new name affects the 'aura' around their posts.

Maybe it's just me.

That doesn't happen when part of the original name is present in the new version. If you're worried about losing your innate Saxiness you should incorporate 'Sax' into whatever you change it to, a la The Acolyte Rizla/Rizla77/Rizla Year Zero.

As for your other question, Sax, every now and again I find that I use the name Randy when talking to myself. It's a very odd feeling.

Persephone

21:59 / 12.04.02

I think "Zoot" would be brilliant! Zoot is the one that plays the saxophone, right?

Spatula Clarke

22:04 / 12.04.02

Genius. That's just... genius.

Utopia

23:18 / 12.04.02

Funny. I did change my ficsuit name, felt entirely uncomfortable with it, and went back to a variation of my original one. now how does this tie in with the abpve thread? here's how!: "utopia," or "man from...," was something i blatently...homaged from frank zappa for use on the net. my 2nd ficsuit name originated in the physical world (you remember: everything outside of the computer screen [dozens of people collectively gasp in sudden rememberence

]), and when brought here just didn't fit. so i wonder what this means about my connections with my electronic self v. my physical self?

Baz Auckland

06:50 / 13.04.02

I've thought about changing my suit's name, and did so for a few weeks last year, but didn't keep with the new suit. I would like a better name, but I now feel like I'm sort of stuck with the name Barry Auckland whether I like it or not, so there's little point in changing it.

Saint Keggers

01:33 / 14.04.02

Someone stole my orignial name

SO I took this one. The Capital/non-caps arnt supposed to be an eL33t thing but rather representing drunken wobblyness.

Matthew Fluxington

01:51 / 14.04.02

I think of cool new fictionsuit names almost every day... hence the reason why I like having the = variable....

Traz

09:52 / 14.04.02

I've been giving some thought to changing my name or starting afresh.

Does the name Traz, or this fictionsuit in general, evoke any images, feelings or associations? My moniker had a meaning, long ago, but now it just sounds like a cheap sound effect that might be produced by a raygun carried by a twelfth-generation copy of a Flash Gordon as he battles the Mutant Mongol Menace of Ming the Merciless with his sidekicks, Racist "Racy Red" Sub-Text and Umbutu, the Domesticated Dwarf Darkie.

"Take that, you alien Asian scum! Traaazzz!"

Shortfatdyke

10:19 / 14.04.02

having a name that sounds like a cheap raygun sound effect sounds good enough to me!

and flux = many apologies from me. yes of course i always know who you are! - although it took me until about yesterday to work out who heterodox was. d'oh!

Tom Coates

10:58 / 14.04.02

Personally I hate it when people change their names. I can never figure out who people are at the best of times, and it makes it all the more difficult when their online name doesn't remain constant. If it were up to me, there would be a much more complex process involved in changing one's display name...

But I would agree that if you really feel the urge to do it, you should be thinking in terms of keeping the old one displayed for a while - as in Tom Coates / Immortal Godhead or the like...

Sax

17:04 / 14.04.02

Actually, I might go for that - Tom Coates/Immortal Godhead. Might get me more respect round this burg.

After serious thought, decided not to bother with the name change (although I was quite taken with Persephone's suggestion of Zoot). So you'll just have to love me as I am.

tom-karika nukes it from orbit

17:06 / 14.04.02

I like to add lots of random punctuation. And 'K's. You can't have enough 'K's...

Ganesh

17:21 / 14.04.02

I too like a little constancy 'round these 'ere parts. And I like 'Sax'; it's simple, elegant, sounds a bit like 'sex'. Keep it.

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