On Lists and Personas

[katiefoolery]

I need to write exactly two thousand, two hundred and ninety-seven words in the next few days if I hope to meet my November target of ten thousand words.  And you know what?  I can do that.  Easily.  Tonight, in fact, if I actually get my act together.

Of course, it’s entirely likely that I’ll forget this intention to write and instead spend the evening reading fanfic, messing about on messageboards and writing pointless lists of stuff.  But I shall do my best not to let that happen.  Well, much.

Besides, the pointless lists will be about writing, so they practically count towards my word count, don’t they?

*looks hopeful*

I really do need to make a list of these stories in my head, otherwise I’ll lose track of them.  And maybe if I write them down, that will keep them separate and they’ll stop bumping into each other and making new little baby stories to add to the litter.  I’m only one person!  I can only write so much.  And that procrastinating takes a huge chunk out of my time, too.

In non-writing news, I’m finding myself increasingly alienated from this person who used to be “Buneater”.  It’s quite a bizarre sensation, considering that’s who I’ve been pretty much since I first set foot on the ’net.  But she seems to belong in the past and she keeps pulling away from me, looking askance at who I am now and raising a disdainful eyebrow at the stories that come into my head these days.  And it’s OK with me, because I don’t really feel like “Buneater” any more.  I think I’m almost ready to start saying my goodbyes to her and move onto something new.  ’Cause there's a great deal of fun stuff in my life that isn’t related to Bunliness at all.  Yes indeed.

Mind you, there’s still a fair bit that is attached to Bunliness, but I can cope with that.  Being introduced to people’s friends and family as “Bunne” is quite a unique experience, really.

But I’d be interested to know if anyone else has done what I seem to be doing: switching one internet identity for the other.  Is it always such a strange experience?  Or is it just a matter of using a different name?  And how do you keep from potentially alienating people who have always known you by your first “identity”?

Comments

[alankria.livejournal.com]

I used to be Chibialandra over on fanfic.net, and then when I turned 18 I decided I should drop the 'chibi' part, but some cow had already taken Alandra so I made up the name Alankria. Somehow, it's become far more me than Chibialandra ever was, and even to the extent that I momentarily considered using Alankria Dally as my pen-name (until I remembered that having a unisex name, Alex, is always an advantage because some men won't read things written by a woman, especially not one with a name like Alankria Dally) (Dally being my middle name and mother's surname). I lost some readership on fanfic.net because of the name change, but I was already drifting away so I didn't care.

Stop procrastinating on LJ and write! *is a hypocrite*

[naelany.livejournal.com]

first name I ever was known by (and am still known by, by some of my old friends) is iyanla (yes, lowercase, just like my current name).

*blinks* and I lost my train of thought -_-.... I hate when that happens lol

[rigel-7.livejournal.com]

I used to be linnet (and numerical variations thereof) for most of my internet life (however Ober had that name already taken, so I shoved in Rigel - the name of my favourite star) and the name really grew on me. It became the new internet me

It's funny though because here on LJ - unless you actually go and look at my journal, most people think of me as linnet_101 now, cos Rigel and several Rigel variations were taken :D

I think of you as Bunne/Katie. Bunne for me is your nickname, and I think I'll always associate it with you. But when I talk about you (or the other LorFers) I use your real names :D Except for Flit - for some reason :P

[crazedturkey.livejournal.com]

resolves to make an effort to call you Katie...

[bethamphetam1ne.livejournal.com]

Hmm, yes, I can definitely relate. My first permanent internet persona was Polyesta Girl and it still remains my Hotmail and eBay account among other things but I found myself gradually outgrowing it a few years ago. I chose "demimonde" for my LJ name for no real reason other than I liked the word. Over the last couple of years, I grew into "bethamphetamine" and decided to adopt it all round - unfortunately when I went to change my LJ account over, some dirty mole had stolen it!

[flippyfrog.livejournal.com]

I used to be Mara, then there was Alantarial (what a wank of a name, but it was my Elvish name and if you couldn't tell, i was a LOTR nut back then... still am) but i never kept any internet friends that way. It wasn't until Obernet, and Flit was a throwaway name because i didn't think i would be on there for long (geez, did i luck out on that?) But it kind of fits. I quite like having it for a nickname, and i sometimes go through bizarre moments of thinking of myself as a Flit rather than a Jenny...

I suppose Flippyfrog is a name i grew out of. I went from calling myself that, to using it as a designated place. Instead of my name, it's more like the title of my home. So my LJ is flippyfrog, but my name is Flit... an alias inside an alias.... only i just gave everyone my real name, so i suppose it just lost any weight it might have had...

[dizzy-liz.livejournal.com]

Does the word count include anything? Like, letters etc? I have no problems there!

[sirgallivant.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! A part of me felt very mournful reading your post. I wanted to point to the bun on top of your head and say 'Look! It's still there, see!?' But of course, we can't keep buns on our heads forever.

I've always thought of you as both the Buneater and as Katie. You're mostly the Buneater to me, but you were Master Katie at one stage too so the Katie has stayed.

I think I've been 'Gally' or other derivatives of 'Sir Gallivant' almost since I began on the internet. The name is kind of irrelevant now, but as irrelevancy is something to be celebrated, I keep it.

[charliemc.livejournal.com]

You know, you discussed this before some time back, changing your LJ name... (Online identity?)

Anyway, I personally always think of you as Katie first, so I wouldn't mind a change at all -- whatever name you decide you prefer.

I strongly feel that if you don't like the name you're using, then you need to change it. It's about you, first and foremost!

I've had more than one LJ friend change names here, so I think it can work out just fine, by the way... (And it's not like you're telling anyone that they can't ever use the old name, is it?)

Keep us posted on this, of course, dearheart...

(hugs)

[drscruffy.livejournal.com]

I've gone through several internet-persona metamorpheses... When I was young and didn't know any better, I was just 'Carmel'. I then realised that I needed a proper pseudonym, and I was "Wench of the Gods". I was Wench pretty much exclusively for many, many years and like you I have many very close friends that just seem incapable of calling me anything but Wench or Wenchie. I don't mind - it's part of who I am. But, as I got older, I also started to realise that I wasn't really that girl anymore. And now, whilst some of my nearest and dearest will always call me Wenchie, I don't really feel like that person anymore.

It's a strange feeling - but I'm kind of comfy with it. It's a bit like looking back over my highschool year books - I look at the photos of me, and whilst I know that it me smiling out of the grainyt black & white world, it's a me that doesn't even know the people who are my closest friends, who doesn't have the same dreams, hopes or aspirations. So yeah, it's a strange feeling, but not an unpleasant one. I don't really know what precipitated the change, except that Scruffy is the name that Scott has always called me, so maybe it's all his fault... :)

[girl-in-melb.livejournal.com]

hmm switched from the initial nick on net - miss chaos to so many things..

end conclusion is that every nick i choose - i dont necessarily let the old mates know.. unless i really enjoy their company on net about my changed nick..

i guess at the end of the day .. they all depict different aspects of us at different times? =P

[tryniamerin.livejournal.com]

I've gone by both Tryniamerin and StarbearerTM, so I sorta understand your quandry. But I've known lots of users who frequently swap ids depending on what site or email they join. So sometimes when I get an IM or something from a 'new' person I get a bit surprised when they expect I should know them. Then I have to change the whole list of contacts... I haven't chosen a name that has been used by someone else. But it sounds like this person attaches a LOT of significance to their ID when they need to realize that a name is a name... and how important is a name versus a friendship...

Dunno if that helps. But sometimes people get in a huff about the most intersting things. If you changed your ID that wouldn't necessarily bother me, as often people do when their intersets change. For instance now that I'm more into DBZ then KISS or other interests I'm using Tryniamerin more then StarbearerTM. Luckily the StarbearerTM works for DBZ because of the dragonballs... even though Starbearer is a character in the KISS psycho circus comics...

[rilla06.livejournal.com]

I was going to comment on this yesterday, but the silly substitute teacher made us go to Period 4 :P

I've been Rilla ever since I got the Internet, because one of the first things I did with it was join Ober.net :) I can't actually imagine being called anything else on the net... but maybe one day...

I think I shall always call you Bunne, but every so often I catch my self calling you Master Katie :P

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