I Only Enjoy Multiples Not in the Context of Personalities

[sincerely_helene]

Since my first posting here at Lit, most have been more than accepting of my presence. I appreciate that welcome to an extent that mere words cannot begin to describe.

A few of the regulars I have even formed a bit of a bond with, despite the understanding that perhaps this bond might not be nearly as significant to them (yes, I am foolishly sentimental.) I do also continue to respect the request that real life particulars and dramatics remain away from such forums, thus wish to assure readers this is in no way intended as a personal attack.

That being said, I somehow still don't feel it inappropriate in the least to inquire why some choose to take on multiple identities and/or assume false genders? Apart from the obvious reasons (ei: Cross gender/1 bomber issues,) what might be a considering factor in the logic behind this?

I think I recall a similar thread, but regret that I can no longer find it.

 

[Guest]

 

[oggbashan]

That being said, I somehow still don't feel it inappropriate in the least to inquire why some choose to take on multiple identities and/or assume false genders? Apart from the obvious reasons (ei: Cross gender/1 bomber issues,) what might be a considering factor in the logic behind this?

I think I recall a similar thread, but regret that I can no longer find it.

I have three personalities including this one. Oggbashan; jeanne_d_artois and Fag-Ash_Lil.

I created the second one, jeanne_d_artois, to explore writing from a female point of view and to write different stories from my usual one. I 'came out' and admitted that oggbashan was also jeanne_d_artois on 1st April.

It was an experiment. It worked to some extent because it forced me to think differently about my writing style. Some AH regulars guessed that jeanne was Og but preserved the secret. A few were disconcerted by it. It was very difficult to maintain a second persona and sometimes I posted as jeanne when I meant to be posting as Og and hurriedly edited. The different feedback was an eye-opener. As 'jeanne' apparently a woman in her fifties, I had anonymous (and sometimes email addresses) feedback suggesting physical activities in real life. I also had more views and votes as an apparent female.

Fag-Ash_Lil is a joke related to the Uni-Boob challenge. It has always been obvious that Fag-Ash is Og.

Now I make it clear that jeanne is Og and Fag-Ash is Og.

I never vote except as Og.

I might use jeanne for other types of writing and I do have to finish her major series - sometime. I am not deterred from experimenting as Og and some of my stories are seriously weird.

So - multiple identities for me was really a way of trying a change of approach to my writing. It was a useful exercise but jeanne's purpose has now been served until I want to try something different again.

Og the triumvirate

 

[cantdog]

There are a couple of people who post their work under another pseudonym, for, as you mention, 1-bomber issues. That is, it gives them the freedom to be cantankerous in discussion on the forums without a great probability of retaliation voting.

Some people cross gender lines to write as a woman or write as a man. The name of the correct gender appears on the appropriate story. A bit elaborate, but there's plenty of precedent for it in the history of authorship.

After that, we have three broadly overlapping reasons, in my view. Sheer fun (which is like, one) and pathology (B), and finally. malice(3).



There's the joy of deception, practical joking. This is a cross between one and 3.

There's the joy of an invented "person" who can be free to say the things you are too wise to blurt out under your own name. Just a one for that, but there can be some mischief there.

There's also bound to be some people who really maintain multiple identities for reasons which go beyond fun or mere malice, and have an element of subconscious compulsion or even deeper, madder motives.

The one-bomber sort of person would be more effective with several identities to vote with (that's malice, but it too might be a little pathological.)

I can think of examples of some of these. I imagine others can assign the ones they know of to those categories, too, fairly easily in some cases.

cantdog

ps I'm glad you're here, sin, it wouldn't be the same place without you.

c

 

[Guest]

 

[dark&stormy]

 

[sincerely_helene]

Sorry, Helene, I don't know the answer, I perfer to exhibit my multiple personality disorder with just this one persona.

And I'm so glad you do!

 

[sincerely_helene]

Re: Re: I Only Enjoy Multiples Not in the Context of Personalities

I have three personalities including this one. Oggbashan; jeanne_d_artois and Fag-Ash_Lil.

I created the second one, jeanne_d_artois, to explore writing from a female point of view and to write different stories from my usual one. I 'came out' and admitted that oggbashan was also jeanne_d_artois on 1st April.

It was an experiment. It worked to some extent because it forced me to think differently about my writing style. Some AH regulars guessed that jeanne was Og but preserved the secret. A few were disconcerted by it. It was very difficult to maintain a second persona and sometimes I posted as jeanne when I meant to be posting as Og and hurriedly edited. The different feedback was an eye-opener. As 'jeanne' apparently a woman in her fifties, I had anonymous (and sometimes email addresses) feedback suggesting physical activities in real life. I also had more views and votes as an apparent female.

Fag-Ash_Lil is a joke related to the Uni-Boob challenge. It has always been obvious that Fag-Ash is Og.

Now I make it clear that jeanne is Og and Fag-Ash is Og.

I never vote except as Og.

I might use jeanne for other types of writing and I do have to finish her major series - sometime. I am not deterred from experimenting as Og and some of my stories are seriously weird.

So - multiple identities for me was really a way of trying a change of approach to my writing. It was a useful exercise but jeanne's purpose has now been served until I want to try something different again.

Og the triumvirate

I have long been aware these other characters, but, then, you have never once tried to hide their true identity from any of us. I respect that, and your reasons for doing so.

 

[sincerely_helene]

ps I'm glad you're here, sin, it wouldn't be the same place without you.

c

You have no idea just how much that sentiment means to me right now, cantdog. Thank you.

 

[sincerely_helene]

Helene,
I have one...alt.

Dark&stormy..which i have not used in sometime.

I made him up to see if I could make a fresh start...

I felt as if I had alienated people and was being ignored.
SO ...I tried again..still being ME. Apparently that's what I DO> alienate myself...by being dull(?),by being rude(?) or whatever.

so...now I am back to original "recipe" (which is the same formula), though Dark&Stormy still remains.

I truely appreciate your honesty with regards to this topic, rhino. Though, I personally find you niether rude or dull.

 

[Shock Chick]

Cos I'm a bitch.

 

[Guest]

And I'm not.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

That being said, I somehow still don't feel it inappropriate in the least to inquire why some choose to take on multiple identities and/or assume false genders? Apart from the obvious reasons (ei: Cross gender/1 bomber issues,) what might be a considering factor in the logic behind this?

I think I recall a similar thread, but regret that I can no longer find it.

Okay, I did reply to this, but my post got lost in Lit limbo.

So I'll take a stab at this...

Some folks choose another 'indentity' to be able to speak freely without fear of retribution from a troll. It's a safety measure to prevent their hard work from being 1 bombed or ripped to shreds.

Some folks like the idea of being different characters, some use it as a tool for getting to what may be inside the head of a character in their story. The "character" can interact with people and come to life.

Some like to be multiple just like being an actor in a play, they can live their fantasy here.

Some folks do it for fun or as a joke to liven up the boards. There is no malice intended.

Some are just jerks. Plain and simple.

In the words of Sybil Dorsett: "I need my purple crayon."

~Abstruse~

 

[Guest]

Helene, I'm glad you're here, and always read your posts, sometimes even respond .

I'll repeat myself and say I don't like extra identities. Even if no malice is intended it can happen. I no longer welcome newbs because of this (my loss too I admit).

If one wants to protect their work, fine, but when it comes to interacting with people, why be false in any way? The joke's not worth it to me. Twice I felt hurt (not deeply, but still) when someone I thought of as a cyber friend revealed their false persona. I would not do this in real life, and here in cyberville where we take so much on trust, I don't like being fucked about, even in jest.

Yeah, I feel strongly about this.

Perdita

 

[Colleen Thomas]

I know of at least two folks who adopted feminine or gender neutral personas here for a while because they wanted to try writing Lesbian themed stories and were afraid they would get slammed posting as guys.

I know of several who choose to use an alternate here to avoid retaliatory votes on their works because their views are not in the majority. I, would probably have benefitted from such a strategy, but I don't have the requisite multitasking ability to maintain a target persona.

I know of at least one person here who is highly controversial, who writes under a different account and never posts to the fourms under that name.

Several Brits adopted false persona in the run up to April fools.

I think there are a lot of reasons, with maliciousness being the least common.

-Colly

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I'm MP in RL, I saw no reason to bring it here. This has only lead to my one personality exhibiting its own form of MP. Sometimes this is as confusing as having multiple identities and to those who I have confused, I say fuck you, because most of them have been amicus or his clones and they deserved it.

 

[Guest]

 

[English Lady]

well i'm not a fan of them to be perfectly honest and i don't understand why people do it. Yes i understand for story posting purposes...but in the forums? Nope I don't get it.

But thats just me...I'm me....lots of different aspects make up me and I might vary from day to day or hour to hour, but what you read is me at that moment

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I don't mind people having pen names and posting stories under different names. And I don't mind people who have obvious alter-egos and are upfront about it, like Lou and Og and SweetnPetite.

Anything else counts is deliberate misrepresentation in my book, and no matter what your motives are, it's deceitful.

I can recall at least one instance of a male here who posed as a female and led several other male Litsters out on a deceptive and embarrassing sexual dance in PM's. God knows how many there've been that we don't know about. It's not exactly the best way to build trust and engender friendships.

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

 

[gauchecritic]

OOOO!!! ooooo!


MY AV (current)

The Witch does NOT represent ME...only a facet of my imagination.
The Broom DOES represent me...also a facet of my imagination.


just in case some guys ( or lesbinims) were falling for me based on my Av.

Damn! I was hoping that you'd 'come out' as a well endowed ladyboy.

I have another persona that has posted 2 poems but never posted to the board.

I invented a persona last week for one post, don't know if they'll ever post again.

Gauche

 

[Guest]

 

[rgraham666]

On another board with highly political overtones, now defunct, I had three sock puppets. Sock puppet is the term used on that board for extra IDs.

One was a demon. He would show up and gloat about how a wonderfully cruel political ideal came from him and how pleased he was that such a delightfully evil idea was being bandied about as a useful political philosophy.

One was a luchadoré called The Flea. I stole this character from a Saturday morning cartoon. I used him to bait trolls.

The last was John Conyers Anson III, CEO of Global Resources and Future Technologies Inc. More commonly known as Grab 'em, Rip 'em And Fuck 'em Tender Inc., or GRAFT for short. Since it was a Canadian board, we often had separatists of various stripes show up. I would summon up Mr. Anson who would say separatism is a great idea because in a world of tiny powerless nations, guess where the real power would lie.

Malice? Humour? Insanity? You pick. I had fun with them.

I have no sock puppets on Lit. I value the people here to highly to pull silly games on them.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I find the idea funny; that I might have agreed with one person, partially because they usually make sense, in opposition to an idea put forward by an alternate personality of that very same individual with whom I am agreeing. This would be, all things considered, a fairly benign result from deceit.

Of course, several people have told me that I am a truly weird tomato.

I might consider taking on an alternate personality, except that I post from such chaotic locations, I have enough trouble keeping my posts on topic, my spelling comprehensible, and my syntax paid.

 

[sincerely_helene]

I have read and re-read each individual response, because I wanted maintain an open-minded perspective on the subject. As stated previously, I wholeheartedly understand why one would assume a seperate pen name from their forum name. I even understand that some who have undergone gender operations and the like might present unintentional confusion which could be mistaken as deliberate deciet.

I know a great many may be of the opinion that a silly message board shouldn't matter, and that anyone who feels it does needs to "get a life." But, the thing is, my friendships both on this silly messageboard and realtime are invaluable to me. Sometimes even more so here, because I confide and confess to a very personal side of myself that not even those who are dearest to me in my real life are exposed to.

I'll come right out and admit that what prompted this feeling of betrayal was recently recieving word through my email that someone here (who means a great deal to me) is not the gender he presents himself to be. I was also informed that the person in question "got off" on assuming several identities, some even to back up his/her own other personalities posts in board debates.

Once again, I do respect that dramatics and realtime be kept away from these forums, and also take into heavy consideration that the email may have been a complete fraud. Still though... that lingering question remains in the back of my head, and I hate that I'm having to doubt someone who once meant so much to me.

Now that that is off my chest, I would like to offer a hearfelt thank you to those who expressed their views on the topic. I truely appeciate it.