Nicknames

[prillalar]

So, why is it that we hate reading nicknames in fic? That seems to be a huge peeve of a lot of people. And I often feel that way too. But I'm not sure just why it is.

Let's face it, we use nicknames a lot in real life. Nicknaming builds intimacy. (I recall how in Stephen Fry's memoir, he describes how, when he was at school, he carefully came up with a nickname to use with the boy he was in love with. And how one of his greatest moments of pleasure was when he overheard another boy use the same nickname and be ticked off because it was okay for Fry to use it, but no one else.) The intimacy of friendship, the intimacy of lovers.

If you are, or have been in a long term relationship, do you normally call your partner by their given name when you are alone? Or do you use one or more nicknames and terms of endearment?

Maybe "alone" is the key here. If my partner used those terms in front of other people, I'd be mortified by how cutesy they are. And how it opened up our intimacy to other people. Maybe by reading these nicknames, we're unconsciously feeling like we're intruding on something we shouldn't be seeing.

Does that make any sense to you? Or do you feel your dislike, if you do dislike nicknames in fic, stems from something else?

If the nicknames aren't overly sappy or cute, do you feel the same way? Back in the day, when I was writing a series of TXF stories about Skinner and Pendrell, they used nicknames for each other: Skipper and Professor, because of a Gilligan's Island thing from when they first got together. I think if I were writing that now, I wouldn't use the nicknames quite so much, but I did like the feeling of intimacy they created. I'm not sure how my readers felt about it, though.

I guess a lot of this comes down to the fact that we can't have people speaking in fiction as they would speak in real life, or we'd be bored to death. So what we accept as realistic in written form is a stylized version of reality. I suppose that's what makes good dialogue tricky to write. It has to be interesting but still seem in character for the individual.

Instead of asking you for examples of nicknames that you hate, because that could go on forever, do you have any instances of fanfic nicknames that you like?

Comments

[ellensmithee.livejournal.com]

I don't mind them that much in fics, and you're right, couples in RL use them continuously.

What I really, really, really hate are those Remus/Sirius fics where they call each other Moony and Padfoot. They just make me want to spork.

[jain]

What I really, really, really hate are those Remus/Sirius fics where they call each other Moony and Padfoot. They just make me want to spork.

Hee! And I was just about to comment that I usually can't stand nicknames in Harry Potter fic, with the exception of Moony and Padfoot (and, to a lesser extent, Prongs and Wormtail). They're absolutely ridiculous as nicknames, of course, but James et al. did come up with them and--presumably--use them for more than teasing Snape on the Marauder's Map. I think it all rather...sweetly dorky. So I find their use in MWPP-era fics endearing, and their use in post-Azkaban fics bittersweetly nostalgic. Either way, I enjoy it, as long as the nicknames are used in moderation.

[jfc013.livejournal.com]

In my Mulder/Krycek stories, Mulder always called Krycek "Alex", and, of course, "Fox" was never used except as an attention-getting device. Alex often referred to Mulder as "gorgeous", and Mulder's "term of endearment" for his lover was "you prick".

My Clark doesn't have a term for Lex, but Lex calls him "baby" a lot. People who say they don't like this particular usage puzzle me.

(For the record, my "pet name" for my husband is a letter. His given name, and the name he calls himself, is Jacob. His friends call him Jake, but I call him J, on paper and out loud. It's really just a shortened form of his name...)

[prillalar]

Mulder's "term of endearment" for his lover was "you prick".

LOL! And I love your name for your husband. That's really sweet.

I can like "baby" -- but it depends so much on the story.

[thete1.livejournal.com]

Man, I use nicknames all the time. I've been known to have to *remind* myself to use a good friend's given name every once in a while, just to break things up. And, well, while I'm probably an extreme case, it's true that most people do some version of the same.

I think... I think that nicknames in fic would have much less of a bad rap if they weren't so often used in stories that are already terrible, OOC, and overly schmoopy.

I think that the *nickname* might not be the trouble, so much as the quality of writing in general. But... I still hesitate to use nicknames in my own fiction, or even 'too many' terms of endearment, whether or not it would fit for the characters. I'm gun-shy, and so MANY things get overused.

I mean, how many people are sick unto death of Spike calling people 'luv?' He *does*, sure, but... man. Sometimes I think adorable canon is far more of a detriment to fandom than *fanon*.

And I wonder how I'd feel about the 'hotshot' thing if more than a handful of people had ever written John/Wally. (JL)

[the-star-fish.livejournal.com]

I think that nicknames in fic would have much less of a bad rap if they weren't so often used in stories that are already terrible, OOC, and overly schmoopy.

I think you nailed it right there.

[wickedcherub.livejournal.com]

The occassional nickname is fine. It's the overuse that gets to me. Even when Hermione called Ron 'Ronald' more than once for no apparent reason in the PoA movie.

The nickname I liked the best I think, is when flambeau got Krycek to call Mulder 'lisitsa' (I think!) on the sly. Russian for 'Fox'. I thought that was cute.

[prillalar]

Yes, re overuse. Maybe nicknames are like pepper -- best in moderation. But I wasn't bugged by "Ronald". That's not quite the same thing as a nick. I found it rather endearing. :)

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

This is a fairly weird example of a nickname, but I love it. In glossing's Book of Daniel, Giles calls Oz by his given name, Daniel, while everybody else uses the nickname Oz. So it becomes almost a pet name, and certainly a marker of their intimacy, the specialness of the relationship.

[prillalar]

I like that. It's not really a nickname and it's not cutesy. But it's very intimate.

And now I'm remembering the scene in Grease where Kenickie and Rizzo are getting it on in the back of his car and she asks him to call her by her first name and he doesn't know it. *g*

[katallison.livejournal.com]

Interesting--I hadn't thought of the correlation here, but I *never* make up nicknames for anyone I know (including long-term lovers) and I also have strong distaste for almost all nickname-usage in fanfiction. Ditto for endearments, for that matter.

That said, I recall with fondness a bit in Hth's "Three Kings," a Ray/Ray story, where Vecchio calls Kowalski "tough guy" in front of Kowalski's father, and then has a moment of total embarrassment at letting out something so private-to-them in that context. Something that non-sappy I can deal with (or, for that matter, snarky-teasing nicknames, like some other Ray/Ray story [can't recall which] where RayV calls RayK "Clairolski.")

[prillalar]

I *never* make up nicknames for anyone I know (including long-term lovers) and I also have strong distaste for almost all nickname-usage in fanfiction. Ditto for endearments, for that matter.

That's *really* interesting. Do people make up nicknames for you? Do you like it when they do? And how about people calling you Kat at fannish gatherings?

(Of course, you're not required to answer my nosy personal questions. *g*)

Mmmm, Vecchio.

[millefiori.livejournal.com]

The thing about nicknames is that, other than the usual and accepted shortening/changing of a person's given name they're generally kind of weird and off-the-wall. (e.g. Once upon a time, in my group of friends there was a guy we all called Pyro Tim -- sometimes shortened to just Pyro -- in the aftermath of a very odd bonfire on the beach.) And then there are jokey names that start out as a sort of teasing, affectionate insult and stick (though these are usually only used by one person) -- say, Ron calling Harry 'Harriet' or Harry calling Ron 'Ronnikins'. My office mate calls me by my last name, and she's the only person who does. I love it, because 1) I really like my last name and 2) it feels kind of special, affectionate maybe, that she's bothering to address me in a way that nobody else does. When we weren't fighting, my first husband called me Ms. B (the first letter of his last name).

I think the people who've done the best at capturing the nuance of nicknaming people is whoever wrote The Sentinel. The nicknames that Jim came up with for Blair were just genius and (at least IMO) showed off both Jim's cleverness and irreverence and his affection for Blair. And Blair's subtle pleasure at hearing those nicknames showed his affection for Jim. A lot of TS fanfic tries to capture that 'nickname magic' either by using canon nicknames or making up new ones, but it's a very tricky thing to make work.

Man, I am just gassing on and ON! I guess what I'm trying to say is that unless a writer has a deft touch and understanding of how nicknaming works in RL, I'd rather not see it addressed in fic. The Moony/Padfoot/Wormtail thing *is* canon, though I suspect Remus doesn't like his nearly as much as Sirius does, and Voldemort uses 'Wormtail' because it's such a perfectly cruel and ironic way of sticking the knife in Peter, while seeming perfectly innocent on the surface.

As for shortening names, I know many people in RL who get *very* offended if you shorten their Susan/Suzanne to Sue/Susie or their Victoria to Vicky, so I'm kind of wary of thinking of that kind of shortening (truncating?) as either welcome or a sign of affection/intimacy. And some names just don't lend themselves to that sort of thing. (e.g. I think both Remi/Remy and Siri sound idiotic. OTOH, I can imagine one or the other gleefully seizing on it and using it in the aftermath of it appearing in a florid, overdone Rita Skeeter article.)

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

A lot of TS fanfic tries to capture that 'nickname magic' either by using canon nicknames or making up new ones, but it's a very tricky thing to make work.

The trouble is that a lot of people are not as clever as Richard Burgi, really, since apparently he's an inverterate nicknamer. Or maybe that a lot of TS writers are too sentimental - most of the fannish nicknames end up being sappy. (And thereby I have lost many hunks of hair.)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I was really startled to discover how much people hate "Remy" and "Siri". I just thought they were logical shortenings of the characters names. Every so often I toy with the idea of going back to the one story where I used those nicknames and editing them out, but then I decide life is too short.

And heck, I thought I'd coined 'Mione when I first used it.

[lyricalnights.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna blush and confess that I actually like 'Mione, even though it takes a lot of shit. "Hermione" is kinda unwieldy for longterm use, the stressed "Her-" seems to drop naturally (maybe it's just me), and "Hermy" is the only other logical name-based alternative *makes face*.

Whereas, if the Trio were in my group of friends, Ron would be Rat-boy, Hermione would be Smart-ass or Smarty-pants (except that one's already mine), and Harry would prolly be Scar-head just to show Malfoy how utterly insignifcant he really is. =)

[infinitemonkeys.livejournal.com]

I don't mind nicknames in fanfic too much unless they're cutesy and then they make me gag. The ones that work best, I think, aren't necessarily the logical ones, such as Foxy or 'Mione but the ones which spring from weird situations or likenesses to things on TV. (I went to school with a boy who spent seven years being called "Mooncat" because his accent sounded like a TV puppet called the Mooncat. It suited him, though probably less so now that he's a thirtysomething transport logistics manager.)

I think it's perhaps coming from a culture where nicknames are absolutely the norm, and usually formed by taking either the forename or surname and shortening it or adding a -Y or -O to it.

So in Harry Potter fanfic, Dean Thomas could be called Deano, Oliver Wood Woody and Ron Weasley Ronaldo (though probably only the muggleborns would call him that)

I've noticed though, that people in established relationships tend to mark out their territory by using the full version of their partners' names when everyone else uses the contraction. One friend is Steve to the world, but Stephen to his wife.

[prillalar]

The ones that work best, I think, aren't necessarily the logical ones, such as Foxy or 'Mione but the ones which spring from weird situations or likenesses to things on TV.

If they're done well, they certainly sound the most authentic. And amusing.

I've noticed though, that people in established relationships tend to mark out their territory by using the full version of their partners' names when everyone else uses the contraction. One friend is Steve to the world, but Stephen to his wife.

Good point. My partner and I both have names that don't lend themselves to shortening *or* lengthening so we don't really do this. But it would be nice if we could. The Boy's aunt often calls him by both his first and middle names, which is kind of sweet.

And I love "Ronaldo". Must keep that in mind.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

I actually don't mind nicknames, b/c just like you describe, both my husband and I use them and most members in my family have them for each other. However, I think some aspects that were brought up so far are really crucial: one is the overuse and/or stereotypical use of a name. I'm sure if I'd read only one remy fic i would find it odd but not annoying...it's the repetition that does the damage (same, actually with canon names that get overused). Someone else pointed out that OOC fics have a tendency to overuse nicknames, so that he nickname leaves a bad taste by association alone (like, I could actually see jc and lance call one another josh and james simply to create a private space, but when i see those names now, all my warning signs go up, b/c it usually is a particular characterization that goes along with it). Finally, I think we are very worried about feminizing characters, and I think many of the run-of-the-mill nicknames tend to do that (at least to my ear). Maybe gay couples all over the world call each other baby, honey, sweets all the time, but to me it sounds weird.

I really like your idea, though, that we might be feeling too intimate somewhere when presuming to know...odd, how there apparently seems to be no issue making up sexual preferences and kinks yet the *naming* retains such power!!! [then again i'm wondering if the nickname anxiety resides somewhere close to Mary Sue as the "ultimate fanfic impropriety" as someone described it so beautifully today in my lj :-)]

[prillalar]

Finally, I think we are very worried about feminizing characters, and I think many of the run-of-the-mill nicknames tend to do that (at least to my ear). Maybe gay couples all over the world call each other baby, honey, sweets all the time, but to me it sounds weird.

That's a point I hadn't considered. Maybe we should try some experimental fic with very tough-sounding nicknames. *g* Harry "Duke" Potter and Draco "Iron Frame" Malfoy.

odd, how there apparently seems to be no issue making up sexual preferences and kinks yet the *naming* retains such power

Yes, very true. Names will always have power. (In the HP-verse, doubly so as they often have a symbolic meaning.) When you change the name, you're fucking with the *identity* in a way that making the character a homosexual necrophiliac doesn't seem to touch.

[gloss]

I *like* nicknames. Shortened ones, or just bizarre ones. What I hate are ones that, as thete1 and cathexys both point out, are widespread *and* tied to particular characterizations. Xanpet and Remy will never, ever sound right to me. But Xan or Moony is just normal, if it fits the rhythm of someone's speech - there's a difference, however, between friendly nicknames and 'ship names, I think. I've written some characters who *love* coming up with nicknames for friends and lovers, but that's usually in RPF, rather than FPF.

At the same time, my gf and I very rarely use our given names with each other in private, to the point that I get a little freaked when she *does* call me by it, like your mom using all your names to get your attention while yelling at you. It's an infinite variety of ever-evolving nicknames - but you're right, if one gets used in public, it's really embarrassing.

The weirdest thing here is that so many of us in fandom/on LJ go by noms de plume - when I meet kindkit, for instance, it's going to be hard to call her anything but Kit. That's who she is in my mind, and while it's sometimes problematic switching back and forth between my own name and 'Gloss', I'm pretty happy with the person Gloss is.

[thete1.livejournal.com]

The weirdest thing here is that so many of us in fandom/on LJ go by noms de plume - when I meet [info]kindkit, for instance, it's going to be hard to call her anything but Kit. That's who she is in my mind, and while it's sometimes problematic switching back and forth between my own name and 'Gloss', I'm pretty happy with the person Gloss is.

Dude, the noms-de-plume thing... totally. I have a *really* hard time using people's real ('real?') names, even when I've known them for years. Thankfully, most of my friends seem cool with that, but it's one of the few things that work, for me, about using 'Te' online. I never have to put anyone in the position of having to decide which name to use, because, well, there are very few people currently in my life who *don't* call me Te now.

[jacquez.livejournal.com]

Let's see. First things first:

If you are, or have been in a long term relationship, do you normally call your partner by their given name when you are alone? Or do you use one or more nicknames and terms of endearment?

I do normally use my husband's given name - his *full* given name. Most people call him by a nickname, which I tend to use in front of other people only. There are also a few nicknames I've given him, most of which I don't use around other people. We do use endearments in public - honey, hon, sweetheart, and so on.

YES WE ARE FULL OF THE SAP. :)

Instead of asking you for examples of nicknames that you hate, because that could go on forever, do you have any instances of fanfic nicknames that you like?

I've always like the Sentinel nickname "chief", but that's canon. There are a couple instances in canon where I just come over all SQUEEE. The first is a relatively early episode, where Jim uses "chief" towards someone else, and Blair goes all "buh? hey!" for just a second. The other is a later episode, where Jim holds out a phone without looking and says something like "It's for you, chief", and his boss goes for it, and Blair goes "He means me, Simon" - the nickname went from something Jim just used towards people generally to something he used only for Blair, and guh. Just guh. (Apparently, that particular nickname is one the actor uses a lot, ad-libbed, but I love how Sentinel made use of it.)

On the non-canon side...sometimes, rarely, "Sev" for Severus Snape has worked for me. When it works, it *works*, but when it doesn't work, it's a horrid thing. And it mostly doesn't work - the story has to have an edge of unsentimentality about it that few stories manage.

[prillalar]

The sap is nice. :) And I love your Sentinal examples. I wish I'd seen more of that show. (A moment of silence to think on Simon. Mmm...)

I think Snape has got to be the hardest person in the world to successfully nickname in an endearing fashion. Maybe we should have a contest.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Didn't fans start calling Krycek "Ratboy", and the show wound up using it? Or am I hallucinating again?

My husband and I have a mutual nickname, Monkey. It's probably annoying as hell on those few occasions when we use it in public...

I guess it all rests of characterization. If you can make me believe Obi-Wan calls his master "Quiggy", well, go you. But it will not be EASY to make me believe it.

[prillalar]

I can't really remember re Krcyek, but I believe his name means "rat" in Russian, so it could go either way. Didn't Scooby Gang for the Buffy gang migrate from fans to show?

And, oh god, Quiggy is just...eeeeeew. I can't even stand to see "Qui" and "Obi".

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean. In some shows, nicknames are canon, and so they show up in fanfic all the time. In Starksy and Hutch (the TV show, not the movie) there are lots of nicknames the two cops call each other: "Blintz" and "Blondie" are two that Starsky calls Hutch, and "Starsk" and "Gordo" are two that Hutch calls Starsky. So if they call each other that in fic, it feels right. I like those nicknames.

If you mean nicknames made up by the fanfic writers, I usually don't like them.

[prillalar]

Yeah, I mean in fanfic. And the overuse of canon nicknames in fic. Like in Stargate Jack calls Daniel "Spacemonkey" one time on the show. And then it gets used a million times in a million stories.

I must get out my Starsky and Hutch DVDs. I can hear Starsky's fine ass calling to me. *g*

[katie-m.livejournal.com]

I don't use nicknames for people that they haven't offered. I just... don't. I go by Katie; I considered trying to switch over to Kate when I went to college, because it felt a little older and more serious, and just couldn't imagine introducing myself as Kate with a straight face. Katie's me. (My parents and my oldest friend call me Kate, which is fine, but I'd never introduce myself that way.)

Of course, I've also been online for fourteen years without ever once using a handle that wasn't at least somehow related to my real name, so I may possibly be on the end of the bell curve on this one.

So anyway, back to your question: Nicknames work for me when they're established. I mean, there was a guy I knew in college, skinny little Polish Buddhist (don't ask) nicknamed Moose (no, really, don't ask). But I wouldn't just make up a nickname for someone--romantic partner, friend, whatever. So when I see things like, oh, the Delia thing for Cordelia, it instantly throws me completely out of the story, because Cordelia never called herself that and neither did anyone else in the seven-year history of her character. So I'm all "the hell? If she wanted to be called Delia, she'd say so!"

I suspect I could be gotten there if I was shown the first time it was used, and she kind of gave whoever it was a look, and they were all "what? I like it!" and she was unwillingly charmed... fine. But otherwise, it hits all my "that's not her name" buttons, just like someone trying to call me Kathy would.

[prillalar]

So when I see things like, oh, the Delia thing for Cordelia, it instantly throws me completely out of the story, because Cordelia never called herself that and neither did anyone else in the seven-year history of her character. So I'm all "the hell? If she wanted to be called Delia, she'd say so!"

Yeah, exactly. If you had some new character call her that and show her reaction, I could buy it. But not from the people who have known her for years and never called her that.

And now I must put on Johnny Cash's "Delia's Gone".

Delia, oh Delia, Delia all my life. If I hadn't shot poor Delia, I'd have had her for my wife.

[panisdead.livejournal.com]

Maybe by reading these nicknames, we're unconsciously feeling like we're intruding on something we shouldn't be seeing.

I think you nailed it right there, at least for me. Similarly to what Kat mentioned, I don't care for nicknames in general, hardly ever use them with my husband, and don't seem to inspire them in other people. And frankly, if my friends and relatives were prone to using nicknames for me, I think I'd be more embarassed than anything else. To my mind, that sort of behavior indicates a level of intimacy that damn well ought to be kept private. I also come from a family that was not verbally affectionate at all, so I don't think my reactions are terribly hard to figure out.

What actually bugs me way more than nickname usage, though, are stories where the characters yak about the meanings or significance behind the nicknames. The Sentinel seemed to have a lot of those--stories where Sandburg would go on and on about how frickin' meaningful it was that Jim called him Chief, while Jim sat there stunned at the revelation of his own psyche and I wanted to rip out my trachea. That always struck me as A). rude, like, don't tell the man what his own motivations are, please, and B). too meta for most authors to pull off without shoving me out of the story.

[prillalar]

I don't tend to use nicknames that much myself, other than with my partner, nor do I usually collect them from others, though I don't mind them. I'm not the sort of person who lets others into my space that easily, so I guess that's a big part of it.

What actually bugs me way more than nickname usage, though, are stories where the characters yak about the meanings or significance behind the nicknames.

Oh, god, way to ruin the effect! It ceases to work when it's made so explicit.

Little Frame of Reference...

[starshine24mc.livejournal.com]

...but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in anyway (that's 2.52 cents American)...in real life, I tend to use "hon" and "son" interchangeably for those near and dear, and "lady" for just about every other man in my life *L* I wasted "Daddy" as a petname on a short term ex boyfriend, and it was only fun then because he was so much younger than I.

I've read some Buffy fic, including the aforementioned Book of Daniel, and I did get a heightened sense of intimacy from Giles using Oz's first name, which I thought was cool. Given names always have power, I think.

In my fandom, XF, given names are important. Because nobody uses Mulder's given name, when it is spoken, it imparts a sense of importance, and though it doesn't make it a nickname or pet name, I think it does hint at intimacy. Did anyone ever notice that in "Tooms", Mulder corrects Scully when she calls him "Fox", but lets Skinner get away with it in the same ep? Hmmm...*L*

I write M/Sk, and have had Skinner call Mulder "son" once or twice, more a reference to age, and Mulder's obvious need for paternal approval, and have had Mulder refer to Skinner as "big guy" occasionally, but that's almost canon. Only in my "Vacation" universe have I used a petname, and there was a whole chapter devoted to the choosing of it. Wound up with Skinner deciding that "Puppy" was an acceptable pet name. Three novels in the same universe later, and the nickname has been used in different situations, but always as a way to reinforce the connection between the two men.

Wow, long post for a no-nothing, huh?

cheers!
Michele

Re: Little Frame of Reference...

[prillalar]

Did anyone ever notice that in "Tooms", Mulder corrects Scully when she calls him "Fox", but lets Skinner get away with it in the same ep?

God, we're watching the early seasons of TXF again now and Mulder's submission to Skinner is breathtaking to behold. Whenever they're in the same room together, Mulder's posture gets almost cringing and if Skinner is dressing him down, Mulder hangs his head. Oh, I love it so.

I write M/Sk, and have had Skinner call Mulder "son" once or twice, more a reference to age, and Mulder's obvious need for paternal approval

Mulder has so many fathers in TXF! Bill Mulder, CSM, Senator Matheson, Bill Patterson, Deep Throat, and even Skinner to an extent. Did I miss any?

[dmarley.livejournal.com]

My dislike of nicknames comes from the whole private and personal thing that others have mentioned, only a bit sideways. It's not that I think that people don't use nicknames in private, or shouldn't, it's that too much of the time I feel that authors in fan fiction stories use nicknames as a cheat, as a shortcut to that privacy and intimacy. Instead of showing the characters acting as though they have a close and special relationship, there's often the Great Nickname Moment when characters formally swap nicknames to seal the Specialness of their relationship. For any nickname to work for me, it has to be natural, and it can't be over-explained. That's a lot harder that it looks, and there are very, very few writers who can truly pull it off.

I also dislike nicknames because they feel, to me, a lot like the words writers use when they're afraid of characters' names. The blond. The Scot. The archaeologist. Names are beautiful, wonderful, invisible ways of identifying the characters, and I find that it almost always jars me when I have to make the constant leap of "Sev, Sev...right, that's Snape, the greasy-haired potions guy, got it, okay."

I suppose what it boils down to is this: I can't remember ever noticing when a story's characters *don't* use nicknames. If Jack and Daniel call each other "Jack" and "Daniel" throughout a story, I never stop to wonder "Gee, they've had sex/made up/declared their undying love, why haven't they swapped nicknames yet?" On the other hand, most nicknames bug me at least on some small level, even canonical ones if they're used inappropriately or out of proportion. So, as a writer, I go the boring, safe route, and avoid nicknames like the plague.

[prillalar]

Instead of showing the characters acting as though they have a close and special relationship, there's often the Great Nickname Moment when characters formally swap nicknames to seal the Specialness of their relationship.

That's a really good point. The Nickname Committment Ceremony. "With this nickname, I thee wed." Hee!

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Got here via metablog.

I think a lot of the trouble with nicknames is that the bad ones are so very bad that it colors our entire perception of them. I mean, let's be honest. Snape? Is not a "Sevvie". He's just not. Maybe in a joking manner, but you'd have to be a really good writer to pull it off. If you can write something and make it sound IC then go for it. But if not, then for God's sake, please just leave your cutesy nicknames at the door.

[prillalar]

Yeah, it's hard to do well. But now I'm having a strong desire to nickname Snape. There must be something that would fit. Hmm.

[muscatlove.livejournal.com]

(popping in from metablog)

I find that I very rarely mind nicknames when used in fic, with a few glaring exceptions.

1.) When it's just ridiculous with no amusing/cute/sensible reason/backstory given.
2.) When it sounds hideous when spoken aloud (I hope that writers give at least some thought to the fact that my inner voice is narrating the fic to me out loud).
3.) When it involves a Japanese name that has been chopped into completely Japanese-inappropriate and generally awkward syllables/pronounciation.

Unless a fic is so spectacular otherwise that I will stop to do a "replace" in Word to make the offending nickname something more palatable, I will drop the story like a hot potato and let bitterness envelope my heart. XD

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

3.) When it involves a Japanese name that has been chopped into completely Japanese-inappropriate and generally awkward syllables/pronounciation.

Yes! I hate when shipping names do that, too. Taichi + Sora =/= Taiora. Not. Possible.

Somewhat related is using -chan for non Japanese fandoms.

[alexandralynch.livejournal.com]

Some people Don't Do Things With Their Names.

Me, for example. (Example only, since this is a pseud) My name is Alexandra. Not Alex, not Sandra, or Sandy, and the only person who EVER called me Dree was a lover who never did it when we were dressed. And I've been like that since I was a very small child. And of course it means that my kids are Robert-not-Bobby and William-not-Billy, of course.

But they have nicknames. One is Boo and the other is Bug. And my husband is Bear. And he sometimes has been known to call me Cat and get away with it. But we've been married for fifteen years, and if someone started out calling me that I'd freeze up.

So if I write Severus Snape in bed with anyone, they call him Severus. Occasionally impaired by an inability to speak, but I choose to think that like me at that point, he's too busy to take too much offense. (grin)

[prillalar]

Yes, the type of nickname is really important. And some characters don't take to it as easily as others.

[briarwood.livejournal.com]

Nicknames in fanfic, I don't mind. As with the Sentinel example, sometimes it works. In RL, I don't use them, and don't like them being used for me. Maybe from a lover, but no one else.

In fic, between couples: baby, honey, sweetheart...I don't mind them, as long as it seems in character for the couple. And occasionally the weirder terms of endearment: bitch is one I remember that surprisingly worked well in context.

But I hate, loathe and detest the ridiculous prevalence of Spacemonkey in Stargate fanfic. It was one, stupid ad-lib of RDA's that the director failed to edit out of an episode. And it's become the emblem of really, really bad SG slash. (On the other hand, at least it's an effective signal to hit delete, fast.)

[prillalar]

Curse of the Spacemonkey! Coming soon to a theatre near you.

[flambeau.livejournal.com]

I don't mind nicknames as a phenomenon in itself, of course. *g* I go by *counts* six or seven nicknames, none of which have any relation to my real name. What I dislike about characters suddenly having nicknames based on their real name where no nickname was before is the way it suggests that the fanwriter knows them better and is more intimate with them than the original writer. It seems fairly clear that the people who knew James Potter best called him James, but no, the fanwriter makes them call him Jim, because of course they would. Except they didn't. For me, unmotivated nicknames seem to be a way to fake intimacy, not just between the characters (who don't necessarily need it) but between the characters and the fanwriter, and that bugs me. Nicknames based on a person's actual name tend to already exist if that person is among friends, and not suddenly spring up out of the blue.

Situational nicknames, though, when you suddenly have reason to call someone Pool Boy or Badger - that can really work, if the writer actually demonstrates a little of the situation that caused it.

Pet names between lovers are something else again. Me, I tend to use what you might call generic pet names of love and affection, not to mention made-up and even sillier ones, a lot when I'm in a relationship, but usually in a slightly ironic tone of voice. This obviously influences the way I think of other people as using them. :)

[prillalar]

For me, unmotivated nicknames seem to be a way to fake intimacy, not just between the characters (who don't necessarily need it) but between the characters and the fanwriter, and that bugs me.

That's a good insight. I wonder how much we subconsciously want the characters we write to *like* us. You know, if they really existed, that is. Unless it's RPF.

[vann.livejournal.com]

It depends for me. Someone calling Sirius "Siri" annoys me but I don't mind James becoming "Jamie." I don't like when a story shows them getting together for the first time and suddenly, now that they're in bed together, they're calling each other cute little nicknames. It's not realistic, and that's the biggest fault I have. If Frodo and Sam hopped into bed together, Frodo wouldn't call him Sammy suddenly, or Froddy or something equally lame.

However, if in canon they have a nickname or the fic goes through a scene where . . . Bob wins a truck load of apples and they start calling him Apple or . . . well, SOMETHING, if they explain the nickname, I don't mind it.

Now, if you have Lex and Clark start calling each other "Honey" and "sugar" and "Sweetie" and "love" I'm going to gag. REally, I tend to dislike nicknames because they are soooooo unrealistic. Especially when you take canon characters and make them all mushy and cute out of characterly.

In cases where the nickname exists, it's not AS bad -- Daniel to Danny, Nathan to Nate, Samuel to Sammy, Robert to Rob/Bob, etc. But Sirius to Siri? ERLhp3ie4rofh. And I don't think they'd call each other "Padfoot" and "Prongs" in bed, unless it was in jest . . . which defeats the whole purpose. (The Marauder names I consider aliases, not nicknames.)

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

(The Marauder names I consider aliases, not nicknames.)

Yes! That's it exactly. I was trying to figure that out, but you put your finger on it. They have that feel for me, too.

Also I thought of a couple more things in general on nicknames.

1. They should never, ever be used in narrative unless the character always goes by that name (Ron, for example).

2. Most people don't really address their friends and lovers by name (whether it be their real name or a nickname) all that much. To get their attention, or to refer to them in conversation with someone else, maybe called out during sex. But you don't just say people's names all the time in conversation with them. However, I think a lot of people who are big on nicknames do so because, as flambeau mentioned, they think it gives them a closer connection to the characters, and so they tend to use them a lot to emphasise that. So it sticks out more and starts sounding weird.

[franzeska]

I hate being called anything. I have a name, one name, and it is suitable for referring to me when speaking to third parties. If I am alone with a partner, they can just start talking. No names are needed.

I have a few friends who I refer to by very normal nicknames (Jen for Jennifer or whatever), but I generally use people's full names unless they go by a nickname with absolutely everyone.

I just hate nicknames. Full stop.

[prillalar]

Not everyone likes nicknames, that's for sure. Do they annoy you the same way in fanfic?