I don't like nicknames.
Feb. 5th, 2010 10:23 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sessifetIn fact, I loathe, detest and generally blow raspberries at nicknames. Not those applied to other people by other people (though I do occasionally wonder about the sanity of all concerned), but those applied to me. I will not give someone else a nickname and anyone who has the bright idea to give me one will be met with an 'we are not amused' response.
Pet names are fine. Being called 'my love', 'dearest', 'sweetie' and the various permutations* by my beloveds makes me feel all fuzzy and warm. My sister can call me 'ukkie' and bring a smile to my face, just as me calling her 'lange Jan' brings one to hers. I cherish being a grasshopper, because it is a joke between me and the Wise One.
My online name is Sessifet. This is a name I chose when I joined online Pratchett fandom. There wasn't a huge amount of deliberation there (Aniger, Goddess of Squashed Animals was too long for the irc channel I hang out on), but it seems to fit and I am happy with it. It has, in many ways, become part of my identity as much as my first, second and third 'real' names. I also respond to Sessi, Sess and 'ifet (the last one mostly in text), though this is context-specific. Some of my friends call me Sess even though they know my real life name and use it regularly. This sometimes causes a short 'bwuzuh?' moment. Occasionally they choose to use my online name because there is someone around whose name sounds like a lot like mine and the repeated duets of 'yeeees?' coming from varying locations gets confusing for everyone involved. Sometimes they call me that because, even though they know my real name and I would not mind them using it, they've only ever seen me as Sessifet and...well, that's just my name to them.
Now, the first category are petnames and different rules apply. To me it implies a certain comfort level and a certain type of relationship before one of those would fit. Very few of my friends are allowed to give me a petname and of those, most of them haven't bothered or it just never happened.
The second category is a name I chose later in life and all variants I accept are dimunitives of that name. Oh, you may see an occasional SessiFret on channel, but guess what? That's my choice to have my nick reflect what I am doing at that point in time.
My real name is Karen. A name given to me by my parents for various reasons (no, they were not fans of The Carpenters). They didn't see fit to call me Kazza or Kaz or Kaka or any of those stupid dimunitive forms. So it is just Karen. No play on words in sight, so don't bother stretching for one. Just Karen. You are welcome to call me this if you know me in real life (or well enough online). It is entirely up to you. But do not make it into a nickname, do not shorten or change it. Definitely no making it a part of an alliterative goddamned cantrip unless you have an overwhelming desire to see what your digestive system looks like from the outside.
And for the sake of all that is holy, good and pure in this world (and if you value your own physical integrity), do not, under any circumstances, make up a nickname with my last name. Do not even make a joke about it. No alliteration either. My last name is mine to play with, not yours. And anyone who makes the really not funny 'family of Harold, then?' joke is going to find one of my stompy boots shoved so far up their arse they'll be tasting rubber for a week.
My name, my rules.
Of course I realise that, if you were sufficiently determined, there is nothing I can physically do to stop you from ignoring everything I have just said and giving me a nickname anyway.
Feel free.
Just be aware that, just as I can't stop you from doing whatever you want with my name, there is nothing you can then do to stop me from coming to your house in the middle of the night and widdling on your cat.**
*I can hear you gagging in the back row there. Stop it.
**Unless you don't have a cat, in which case I'm just going to have to get creative in my widdling.
Pet names are fine. Being called 'my love', 'dearest', 'sweetie' and the various permutations* by my beloveds makes me feel all fuzzy and warm. My sister can call me 'ukkie' and bring a smile to my face, just as me calling her 'lange Jan' brings one to hers. I cherish being a grasshopper, because it is a joke between me and the Wise One.
My online name is Sessifet. This is a name I chose when I joined online Pratchett fandom. There wasn't a huge amount of deliberation there (Aniger, Goddess of Squashed Animals was too long for the irc channel I hang out on), but it seems to fit and I am happy with it. It has, in many ways, become part of my identity as much as my first, second and third 'real' names. I also respond to Sessi, Sess and 'ifet (the last one mostly in text), though this is context-specific. Some of my friends call me Sess even though they know my real life name and use it regularly. This sometimes causes a short 'bwuzuh?' moment. Occasionally they choose to use my online name because there is someone around whose name sounds like a lot like mine and the repeated duets of 'yeeees?' coming from varying locations gets confusing for everyone involved. Sometimes they call me that because, even though they know my real name and I would not mind them using it, they've only ever seen me as Sessifet and...well, that's just my name to them.
Now, the first category are petnames and different rules apply. To me it implies a certain comfort level and a certain type of relationship before one of those would fit. Very few of my friends are allowed to give me a petname and of those, most of them haven't bothered or it just never happened.
The second category is a name I chose later in life and all variants I accept are dimunitives of that name. Oh, you may see an occasional SessiFret on channel, but guess what? That's my choice to have my nick reflect what I am doing at that point in time.
My real name is Karen. A name given to me by my parents for various reasons (no, they were not fans of The Carpenters). They didn't see fit to call me Kazza or Kaz or Kaka or any of those stupid dimunitive forms. So it is just Karen. No play on words in sight, so don't bother stretching for one. Just Karen. You are welcome to call me this if you know me in real life (or well enough online). It is entirely up to you. But do not make it into a nickname, do not shorten or change it. Definitely no making it a part of an alliterative goddamned cantrip unless you have an overwhelming desire to see what your digestive system looks like from the outside.
And for the sake of all that is holy, good and pure in this world (and if you value your own physical integrity), do not, under any circumstances, make up a nickname with my last name. Do not even make a joke about it. No alliteration either. My last name is mine to play with, not yours. And anyone who makes the really not funny 'family of Harold, then?' joke is going to find one of my stompy boots shoved so far up their arse they'll be tasting rubber for a week.
My name, my rules.
Of course I realise that, if you were sufficiently determined, there is nothing I can physically do to stop you from ignoring everything I have just said and giving me a nickname anyway.
Feel free.
Just be aware that, just as I can't stop you from doing whatever you want with my name, there is nothing you can then do to stop me from coming to your house in the middle of the night and widdling on your cat.**
*I can hear you gagging in the back row there. Stop it.
**Unless you don't have a cat, in which case I'm just going to have to get creative in my widdling.
