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Rolling Out With the Changes
Dec. 15th, 2017 08:54 amAs I mentioned yesterday, I was struck once more with the desire to change my pen name. It was the first time I'd mentioned it, but it wasn't the first time I'd had the feeling. Changing user names for fanfiction had actually become quite common with me. (I'd originally started out as Liana Bluestar and evolved to Dragonfly Moonlight for fanfiction.) Elise K. Ra'sha was the name I'd settled on over nine years ago when I decided to make it an official go of this writing career, to be like so many other writers out there and join those ranks for blogging and social media.
A bit of history about the name of Elise K. Ra'sha.
It's for three women who had a major impact on my life at that point in my life. Mind you, there have been many strong, courageous women who have had a profound impact on my life, but these three rose above all the others.
The Elise is for a friend, Lise Radke. Though she and I barely speak anymore, have barely spoken at all since 2002, there is no denying how much she influenced my life. She was the first online friend I ever traveled to meet. I took the bus all the way to Des Moines, Iowa, because my 1990 Ranger couldn't make the trip. We then went to BotCon, where I met another internet friend, Raksha (the Ra'sha last name).
Raksha has always held very strong views for individuality, views that, when she explained them to me, resonated within me. She spoke of knowing yourself first, trying to be a whole of a person as you could be, before finding someone to "complete" you. I found Raksha somewhat intimidating at the start because, by the time I'd gotten involved in the Transformers fanfiction world, she was already an established name in various Transformers communities. She's one of the sweetest, strongest women I've ever met, capable of listening to opposing views, seeing how someone can be right in their opposing views of hers, but still maintain her views with respect and civility.
Lise and Raksha are ones who I continued to visit in between BotCons until the inevitable happened in 2002 and 2004, and I lost the one job that enabled me to travel as much as I did.
The K, my middle initial, is for my best friend and Wyrd sister, Kami. You've heard me speak about her a few times before. She, too, has had an amazing and profound impact on my life, making sure I grow as a person overall. Not always fun, not always easy, but she gets it, too, the situations I've faced.
I have met all three of these women at some point in my life, and there is nothing in this world that can make me love them any less. Each has faced so many trials and tribulations, so many things that would make others want to quit, but they have persevered. They are among a select few women in my life who have demonstrated that inner strength and capability. (My mother and younger sister are among the others.)
I realize it's only been one day since I'd mentioned that I wanted to change my pen name. It's not a decision I have made lightly, but I know it's the right decision to make and to enact.
From this point forward, I am now Raven Ember. I will still maintain the [email protected] account. I've also taken the steps to change my fanfiction user name, and I will be merging them. I still love to write fanfiction, and I want to make it easier for people who read my fanfiction to also find my original material, if they're so inclined.
This journal will not disappear. It's simply going to undergo a name change. For the rest of the day, I'll be making the necessary changes to all of my distribution accounts.
Have a wonderful Friday, my friends!
A bit of history about the name of Elise K. Ra'sha.
It's for three women who had a major impact on my life at that point in my life. Mind you, there have been many strong, courageous women who have had a profound impact on my life, but these three rose above all the others.
The Elise is for a friend, Lise Radke. Though she and I barely speak anymore, have barely spoken at all since 2002, there is no denying how much she influenced my life. She was the first online friend I ever traveled to meet. I took the bus all the way to Des Moines, Iowa, because my 1990 Ranger couldn't make the trip. We then went to BotCon, where I met another internet friend, Raksha (the Ra'sha last name).
Raksha has always held very strong views for individuality, views that, when she explained them to me, resonated within me. She spoke of knowing yourself first, trying to be a whole of a person as you could be, before finding someone to "complete" you. I found Raksha somewhat intimidating at the start because, by the time I'd gotten involved in the Transformers fanfiction world, she was already an established name in various Transformers communities. She's one of the sweetest, strongest women I've ever met, capable of listening to opposing views, seeing how someone can be right in their opposing views of hers, but still maintain her views with respect and civility.
Lise and Raksha are ones who I continued to visit in between BotCons until the inevitable happened in 2002 and 2004, and I lost the one job that enabled me to travel as much as I did.
The K, my middle initial, is for my best friend and Wyrd sister, Kami. You've heard me speak about her a few times before. She, too, has had an amazing and profound impact on my life, making sure I grow as a person overall. Not always fun, not always easy, but she gets it, too, the situations I've faced.
I have met all three of these women at some point in my life, and there is nothing in this world that can make me love them any less. Each has faced so many trials and tribulations, so many things that would make others want to quit, but they have persevered. They are among a select few women in my life who have demonstrated that inner strength and capability. (My mother and younger sister are among the others.)
I realize it's only been one day since I'd mentioned that I wanted to change my pen name. It's not a decision I have made lightly, but I know it's the right decision to make and to enact.
From this point forward, I am now Raven Ember. I will still maintain the [email protected] account. I've also taken the steps to change my fanfiction user name, and I will be merging them. I still love to write fanfiction, and I want to make it easier for people who read my fanfiction to also find my original material, if they're so inclined.
This journal will not disappear. It's simply going to undergo a name change. For the rest of the day, I'll be making the necessary changes to all of my distribution accounts.
Have a wonderful Friday, my friends!
