thinking about name

Posted 4 months, 17 days ago by Astrophagic

I've been going by the name Arcstrider for a while now (about 2 years), i'm really fond of this name as i associate it less with my old (young) self and my past, which i kind of want to move away from.
Kass, which is short for Kassillea has grown into me so much to the point it feels like a deadname, and ive been using Kassillea for so long (since 2015 or so) it makes it really hard for me to rebrand to anything else. I'm also afraid to confuse people with something different

Initially I took Arcstrider as an alt when i met one of my best friends, and we started playing destiny 2. i grew very fond of that name, and i kind of associate myself with it as well? i mean, my wiser and better self?.. but, im afraid, it will be hard to rebrand on other sites, it also feels more common, idk?? but i could be wrong ofc
I might keep kassillea for links but rebrand to arcstrider fully/on surface. the old brand feels like a deadweight now, and i want to step into the next 12 years free from my childhood, and something different (also cause i want to separate myself from the brand, there is almost one of it with the old name)

Any thoughts/reccomendations? i'm sorry if the text is messy, i just have a lot of thoughts regarding that matter and i'd like to hear what other people think, before i make the final decision. i might have been a little too emotional and open while writing this

Comments

Nebquerna

i think that's great!
i already consider Arcstrider as you, so it wouldn't be confusing imo, plus i think it's best you change to be happy, your followers will adjust either way ♥

be proud! you did lots of work to get there, no need to second guess yourself, change is good

Noche

I went by one username for 8 years before I changed to this one. It might feel weird for a while, but I'm sure eventually you'll get used to it and the old name will seem like someone else (it sorta is).
Besides, I think sometimes we get so stuck on "branding" that the art comes second. Your art is amazing regardless of what your name is c:
Arcstrider sounds badass anyway lol

Kibbowle

I think name changing/rebranding is natural! I’ve gone through a ton of them trying to figure out which ones I identified with the most, and Kibbowle ended up being one I’m happy with (since mid 2022 wrow)

I was worried about people not recognizing me anymore after a name change, but it hasn’t been a real issue to me. My friends switched easily and everyone else caught up pretty quick as well. It also feels liberating to have a part of you stay in the past if that makes sense? Like I can attribute the previous names I’ve had to specific interests, people, and phases that I had at the time. It’s nice to feel like my name is growing with me :]

Do whatever you think feels best for you!

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astarphel

honestly I rebrand a lot(?) (though looking at it now, I'll have had astarphel for 4 years in march wtf...) but the best time to do it is always now/when you want to. Especially if you keep accounts, cause that way it will always link to the new one
it is always worth trying to be comfortable, I never experienced any drop in audience when changing my usernames. I will say arcstrider might be hard to grab the username on other websites, if you could make a variant for it I think it'd work really well!
if the old name feels like a weight to you, you do not have to keep it :)

Xialthia

My current username is a full rebrand. A few years ago I shed my old main with the same concerns as you. You'll be surprised how easy of a transition it can be just by removing the emotional payload. It really doesn't compare, granted I never got as big of a following as yours. I'd say nowadays it's easier than ever to switch. A site I used when I did my switch doesn't have account name change ability, yet about 60-70% of my following moved with me to the new account. Which felt good since the rest was probably abandoned accounts.

Same as bonesparrow, I agree happiness comes first. Even when it seems inconvenient to others. People will adapt and the ones that can't probably weren't meant to stay anyway.

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