opnet [OpNet] What's in a name?

[April Rice]

Ok, so ... a little bit of weirdness from me. (Or maybe not so weird, I dunno. I just saw a conversation about finding aliens, so ...)

The publicity guys with the Knights say I should think about getting a "nova name." You know. For marketing and appealing to certain demographics ... and that kind of thing. The thing is, I don't really get that whole shtick.

I'm not really asking for suggestions (though that'd be fine too!), but it's more that I just want to get an idea of _why_ almost everyone picked another name. And, also, I get that some names are just basically advertising, but why does it get taken so seriously sometimes? Like, a while ago Endeavor decided to start using her name again. That's the kind of thing I _don't_ get. Why is a name so important?

Also, I guess any advice on how to pick a name would be cool, since I have no idea. (I mean, how often do you have to pick a name for yourself?) Yeah, I could go to one of the firms for that kind of thing, but if I'm going to get a name for marketing, I'd like to keep a _little_ bit of my soul, right?

[Conduit]

I think a name is important because it identifies you. It lets you be unique I guess. I picked a new name because I'm a different person now. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. Even spiritually. I don't know if that helps but..uh yeah. I wouldn't go to a marketing agency. You're right, you need to keep your soul. It needs to feel right.

[Haze]

I picked a new name, because like Conduit, I no longer felt my former name suited me. The changing of my name represented a fundemental shift of who I was.

[DigiGeist]

DigiGeist...

Ah. Let me put it like this. It's been my handle since the OpNet was called the Internet.

I still remember the old days where the Usenet was popular. That was my nick. It'll always be my pseudonym.

[Long]

I used to play Bloody Roar with my friends as a kid. My favorite charcter was Long. when I errupted, I found I looked identical to Long's beast form.. so I took the name as my own. It wasn't very original, but it fit at the time.

[Walker]

My advice on picking a Nova name would be to consider your powers and what it is you do as a Nova. Read up on some mythology, fiction or science relating to your powers and then steal something cool and poetic sounding

Marketing groups can help you find the name that will catch the public imagination. If your intention is to milk them for all they've got then run your ideas past them, they'll run it past Joe Public and tell you which one has the best customer appreciation index by demographic group or something. Note, I'm not saying this is a bad choice here.

I'm personally in favour of a Nova going for a name that sounds to cool to them if they go for anything at all. Like Haze and Conduit I choose a name to mark that I had changed. And because everyone else was doing it I think global society got caught up in a mass super hero identity syndrome in the early days. Now-a-days the public expects a Nova to have a Nova name which is probably why April's marketing dept are pushing her to get one. Don't get me wrong, for a lot of Novas it is a natural thing they want to do, to change their name after eruption, whether or not society expects it.

[Damanor]

Some people get a Nova name because they think it's expected; others get one for their privacy or the protection of their families. (As an aside, the same reasons apply for why many novas wear masks.)

I use a pseudonym to keep certain "interested" parties off my back.

If you don't want a Nova name, there's certainly no reason to take one. Look at Alejandra, for example. If you aren't comfortable having a Nova name, go out and build a reputation for yourself under your real name.

A warning: if you don't choose a name, the media may choose one for you, and they have poor taste in "marketing and appealing to certain demographics."

[Tarot]

I decided to use a name for just that reason, Damanor. Figured if I didn't pick one someone else would and I'd spend my tme being annoyed.

Reprinted from elsewhere:

The name "Tarot" tested very positively for consumer groups ages 16-35... Nah, just kidding.

When I was sitting in the emergency room I read this article about some rabbis trying to figure out which novas correspond to which angels in kabbalistic lore. That got me thinking about doing a tarot deck so I snagged a pencil and started sketching it out. Which scared the schnizzits out of the nurses. Me and a pencil. Anyway, during the ride it hit me that carrying a deck of images instead of just my sketch book might be pretty useful, so...

Tarot.

Funny. All that seemed really important before.

[Dreamer]

Some people chose nova name because they do not really like their own. I mean i really gave up my old name. Jane Doe. I for a wile thought of going along the lines of Jane "Dreamer" Doe, but Dreamer fits me best.

[Stigmata]

My mother named me Florida Keyes. What the hell was she thinking???

Stigmata suits me much better. On many levels I feel that I could not have chosen a better name. It also signifies the transformation I have gone through. I am just not the same person I was when I was pre-errupted. A new name seemed most appropriate.

[Lemmy Chillmeister]

Flordia Keyes?

I'm sorry my sweet skin painter but what did she want? A stripper?

Damn.

Me, I'm Lemmy because that's who I am. I ain't the same little punk my mama popped out two months early. Oh sweet magical mystical me. Gotta be who you are.

[Preston]

I chose to be who I am. I define myself. I do not let people play games with my identity.

April, be who you want to be. Take your time about it.

[Ashnod]

Quote:

Originally posted by Preston:
I chose to be who I am. I define myself. I do not let people play games with my identity.
April, be who you want to be. Take your time about it.

Or, April, you could always call yourself "The Running Girl."


--Ashnod aka Continuum Girl

[Jager]

April, you have a cool name. Keep it.

[Neil Preston]

Is there something wrong with the name "Neil Preston"?

[Singularity]

I first picked the name Singularity out of some young, stupid machismo urge. After I got my head out of my ass later, I came to the realization I had inadvertantly picked a name that actually does apply to me.

Still, Neil and Jager have a point: you do not have to give yourself a new or additional name.

[kestrel404]

I got "Alchemist" as a birthday present. My kids, with their mother's help, had Novations register "Alchemist" in my name.

I think they weren't entirely serious when they first got it for me. I had been doing tricks for them before that, turning their textbooks into gold to show them how heavy it was, making my daughter's teddy bears dance.

I keep the name because it suits me, and because it came from my children. What started out as a joke, has become something of a goal for me.

My suggestion: If you do want a name, choose one that you can strive for. Endeavor gave up her name when she felt she wasn't worthy of it, and then took it up again because she thought it was a worthy goal.

But don't feel pressured to choose a 'nova name'. It's something you should do because you truly want to, or not at all.

[Conduit]

Yeah I gotta go with Neil, Jager, and Singularity. Your name is pretty good. Most importantly, are you happy with it? Don't change your name because test audiences want this or that. Change it because you want. Personally, I'd rather purchase an April Rice action figure. Marketing wise I think it is pretty good, short and easy to remember. Just some thoughts.

Alchemist-textbooks to gold! Dancing teddy bears! Will you be my dad.

[Noir]

My "nova name" or "handle" came about as a nickname based off of my apperance, powers and my lack of a memory of any sort of name for myself. I started using it and it kind of stuck.

On a side note though, by not selecting a "nova name" for yourself, you run the risk of letting the media do it for you, as stated above. And they are not always flattering.

[Long]

Choose the name that defines you best..

[Access]

I think April Rice works just fine for you.

[Alex Craft]

I used to be called Paris, back in my early days at the Project, but I haven't used that name in years. If you don't want to change your name for symbolic reasons, there really isn't a reason - people will associate what you are now with whatever name you use.

'Course, you'll get more money if you come up with a cool, market-targeted name, but I wouldn't really recommend branding yourself for that reason alone.

[April Rice]

Sorry for the delay on getting back, but they've been keeping me busy over here. (And we haven't even announced the team yet )

I'm pretty much decided that I'll skip on picking a new name (by the way, thanks Jager, Conduit, Bandwidth - my mama would be glad to hear that she picked a winner ).

I wasn't really ever sold on the whole marketing thing, and I guess I haven't really seen a reason that appeals to me here. I mean, I _could_ pick a name that symbolizes my change, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm still me. I've changed a lot, sure, but I'm still the girl my mama named twenty years ago. Just a little older and a little more superpowered.

[Long]

That you're happy with your name is all that matters.

[Conduit]

Quote:

Originally posted by Long:
That you're happy with your name is all that matters.

Agreed

[Jager]

April, that's one of the things that team-mates are for.

[Xeno]

I am advised to inquire on a matter relevant to this topic. First, however, I will state that April's name has met with approval here as well. Of course I must concede that approval from me or them (my them) is scarcely relevant.

My chosen handle 'Howard?' is sufficient for this forum. However in hopeful preparation for a more dynamic existence it is suggested that I find something more appropriate. At least, it is suggested that I might find a name more audibly distinct from Howard's. I am now fairly confident that we are not the same individual.

I recognize the utility of such a pursuit but remain rather neutral on the matter. I agree with previously dispensed advice to the effect that a name without negative connotations is preferable. I have no special preference regarding a standard 'baselineoid' name versus a more cinematic 'nova' name.

I will continue to consider the matter myself, naturally, but I feel I would be remiss in not obtaining any input any of you cared to provide.

[Damanor]

Well, Howard?, you need to consider all the things mentioned above. Do you really need or want a Nova name, and what name would you be comfortable with?

My suggestion for a nova name is "Legion", but in the end, you need to decide what name is best for you.

Mark 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.

(If you don't use it, I just might.)

[Singularity]

Legion? Does that not have... well.. rather nasty undertones?

[Jager]

And Jesus was asking "who" it's name? A demon(s), right? A demon inflicting a man with madness. Hmmm ...

[Walker]

Howard? I don't know anything about your powers, abilities and perculiarities other than what you have stated here and what I can guess from your earlier choice of name. Baring in mind my earlier comments on this topic I might suggest something from the animal kingdom such as Polyp, Medusa, Hydroid or Anemone perhaps, though these have an aquatic theme which might not be appropriate for you. Something more abstract such as The Consensus, The Tribe, The Synergy (The Gestalt has already been taken I believe) might also prove suitable for you from what I can gather of your unusual 'mental' state.

[Xeno]

It is agreed that Legion has a nice ring to it.

I asked them about other living creatures I might be like and Howard told me about something interesting:

The xenophyophore is a single celled organism that lives on the bottom of the sea. They can reach the size of a basketball and their tissue has multiple nucleuses.

I just looked it up, and it seems a literal translation is "bearer of foreign bodies" which seems remarkably apt. Would 'Xeno' for short be acceptable, if not already taken?

[Jager]

Xeno has a nice ring to it. If you need, I can Applegate it for you. I've already put a lien on it for you.

[Y.T.]

Well, I have to say that I may change my name. I am thinking of changing my line of work. I have found a better way to achieve my goals. I was thinking something along the lines of Grace,or Silver.

[Xeno]

That would be much appreciated Jager. I will happily repay any time, effort or expense expended on my behalf, should it ever be within my power to do so.

However, I am advised to look into correcting my non-entity status before undertaking any official personal registration. I trust my name will be in good hands in the meantime.

[Damanor]

Quote:

Originally posted by Franklin 'Singularity' Alden:
Legion? Does that not have... well.. rather nasty undertones?

Quote:

Originally posted by Jager:
And Jesus was asking "who" it's name? A demon(s), right? A demon inflicting a man with madness. Hmmm ...

The reason I suggested Legion is that it fits, in spite of (or perhaps because of) the undertones. Howard?, it seems like you're wrestling with demons right now, in one form or another. The origin of the name isn't obvious, so most people will have no problem with it (unlike names like Mefistofaleez).

Xeno is also an excellent name for you, Howard?. If you don't mind my asking, where did Howard learn about xenophyophores?

[Xeno]

Howard studied marine biology in college. He was never a marine biologist though. Xenophyophores were a bit of trivia dropped by one of his professors that he happened to look into further. I think it is sad that he had to be put with them for such interesting knowledge to become at all useful to him.

I do like Legion too (some of them like it better than Xeno), but I have to admit it makes me uncomfortable in its implications. Right now I have myself and six others. I think I can imagine more. I think I can have more. I think they could be legion if I just kept taking them. But I hope to not take any more.

[kestrel404]

Xeno is probably a good choice for a name. Definitely better than Shoggoth.

As for becoming legion, well, that's your choice Howard?. If you incorporate unwilling victims, you will become more monster than man, and I pray you never choose that path. But if you are asked by those seeking immortality, change, and post-human experience, then that is your choice. You will certainly become something other than human, but I could not call it bad.

Or you can choose to remain as you are. Or you can become something new (like gaining the ability to reproduce yourself and hand control of the new 'you' over to your others, the ability to shapeshift into their forms and allow them to 'come out', etc).

The choice is yours. The possibilities are vast. Welcome to novadom.

[Tarot]

I have a question not having to do with marketing but related to identity. Shoggoth/Howard/Legion/Xeno; what's it like being you?

I did think Shoggoth was OK but Legion sounded better to me. Xeno's alright but then so was Howard. Your name, your business.

If you feel like answering the question feel free to start a new thread. I didn't only because I didn't want you to feel like I'd singled you out.