Howdy! @lemony-cricket here, and that's a weird name, isn't it?

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_{Image is a composite of my own creation.}

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Well, you might think so. I've been nominated by @suesa to do the Steemit Name Challenge. I'm not really sure who started this, but it's interesting and it will get me posting again, so I'm all for it.

I'm told the rules are as follows:

• Tell us in a post how you chose the current Steemit username you have. The story behind it.
• Tell us your real name!
• If you could change your current username, which name would you choose and why? If you have a possible usernames list, mention it!
• Use the tag #steemitnamechallenge so that the creator of the challenge can track all the posts and check them out
• Nominate 5 people for this challenge

My Steem username and its origins

My name has two parts. The first is "lemony." Lots of people choose to use this as my first name, though I don't really see it that way. At least one person I know shortens it to Lem, and that's okay too. In fact, it's surprisingly close to Len, which is short for Leonid! Speaking of which.... well, we'll get to that later.

The second part of my name is "cricket." Some people call me this too, though it's interestingly much rarer than "Lemony." But neither of these parts are of particular interest on their own. They're boring.

But look for a moment at the following two names, and you'll notice something cool:

• Lemony Snicket (the pseudonym under which A Series of Unfortunate Events was written)
• Jiminy Cricket (a character from Pinocchio, a manifestation of the titular character's conscience).

The first thing you might notice is that @lemony-cricket is half of one name, and half of the other.

The second thing you might notice is that "Lemony" is pronounced mostly like "Jiminy," and "Cricket" is pronounced mostly like "Snicket," so this name is actually greater than the sum of its parts.

The third thing, the one you probably didn't notice, is that the name is symbolic.

Jiminy Cricket is a character who is synonymous with friendliness and righteousness. He was the manifestation of Pinnochio's conscience. Now, I don't try to make a habit of going around and playing the role of people's consciences. I do, however, dream of a better future for the world and the people in it, and I guide my actions based on those goals. I don't think playing pool is bad though. I never did understand Jiminy's objection to billiards.

"Lemony Snicket" is certainly a pseudonym, but it's more than that too. It is true that it is not the author's real name. However, it's not really right to say that it refers to the author of the books, either. If you are confused about this statement you should read them and find out what I mean... but basically, the author listed on the cover of the book is actually a character inside of them, too.

I am a pseudonymous, stateless entity. I say that a lot. Some people might start to roll their eyes if I keep saying that... but it's true. I am not the person who is typing these words. I am more than that; I am an idea. I only lend control to that person, for now. It's not enough to say that @lemony-cricket is my username. It is my identity.

Phew. That was a lot of words. On to the next section.

My real name!

Psych! It's not Leonid. It's not anything. I am a pseudonymous stateless entity (I did warn you that you'd start rolling your eyes eventually). I don't have a "real name." I may even be controlled by a collective, and not just one person. You don't know. Though I do post rather infrequently for being more than one person. Okay. You want a secret? Fine; I'll tell you.

I am actually controlled by one person. For now. Probably for always. Subject to change. Void where prohibited. Do not chew iPod Shuffle.

What would my alternate Steem username be?

I do have one I use right now, actually! It's @lemcriq. You may see it voting on your posts and comments. Right now, it just follows my vote. It's tiny and will probably stay that way for now. Its original intention was for clutter and low-effort content... but as you can tell from the state of my blog, unlike @suesa, I do not (yet?) post frequently enough to worry about annoying my followers with things they don't want to see. I may end up experimenting with some amount of automation using that account, or I may take an adventure into microblogging. We'll see.

The other obvious choice would be @ jiminy-snicket, which... I don't like as much. It's got an off-brand flavour to it. As I said above, most people call me either Lemony or Cricket for short. Would people start calling me Jim? My name's not Jim. What's a "snicket?" Well... actually....

a narrow passage between houses; an alleyway

Huh.

Tag the post.

Done.

Nominate some people.

Okay, let me level with you. These nomination challenges are scams. No, seriously; they're pyramid schemes. Eventually, we won't be able to find anyone downstream, and the whole damn thing will collapse. So that said, I'll try my best to bring in some new blood:

• @larrycalabrese, because you're a really cool artist, your initials are LC like mine, and basically the nomination itself is one big spoiler, which makes me happy for some reason.
• @NoNamesLeftToUse The Writer/Artist Himself (Yes, that is his whole name; no, there is no comma). I know you have a brand and like to focus on your work. So I won't try and force you, but I think it'd be fun to read your take on this.
• @crimsonclad, I'd love to see what you've got to say for this one.
• @enjar, let's hear it from the unconfirmed time-traveling cat! Meow meow.
• @therealpaul, why are you the real one? Who is the fake Paul?

I'm gonna try my best, but I won't guarantee these people haven't already done it, or explained several times already what their names mean. Don't flag me, bro. 🍋

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How to get an upvote from me today: Were you nominated? Do the challenge, and link to your post! Were you not nominated but wanted to be? Do the challenge anyway... and link to your post! Or, maybe you want to go meta. What do you think of these challenge-type posts? Maybe you really like them, or perhaps you think they're a waste of time and rewards? All comments are welcome.

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