Ideas

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

Hello all. :)

I was thinking the other day about starting a sort of registry for system names. I haven't seen any two systems with the same name yet, but it might be a good idea to have a regularly updated list somewhere, to try to prevent this from happening. Not that it would be a disaster if two systems had the same system name, but it would be good for systems looking for a new name--partially to give ideas but mostly so they know which ones to avoid. Does anyone think this would be a good idea? If so, does anyone have a website they could host it on? If not, I probably can; I'm just not very computer literate so if someone more capable can do this, everyone would be better off.

Also, I've been longing for some sort of subtle symbol to wear out in public to identify ourselves as multiple. Like the rainbow used by the gay community, or the parrot sometimes used by the poly community. Something like a pin of a winged toaster. ;) I know ideas for a universal symbol of multiplicity have been batted back and forth for a long time; I'd like to actually get something started that can be worn by all of us daily, a kind of badge of pride. What do you think?

Comments

[idianshire.livejournal.com]

a while ago now there seemed to be a lot of "the collectives" around, in the end people started naming their collective like "the apple collective" or "the banana collective" (Fruit references more to do with it being lunch time and we are hungry than actual collective names)

[kasiya-system.livejournal.com]

sometimes we'll refer to ourselves as a "collective" or "group", but it's not the name we go by in totality while here..

kasia

[eridanusus.livejournal.com]

I've seen soooo many called The Crew/Krew.

As for websites, a few people have them. Ours is www.eridanus.us (though we have theeridanus.us now as well... NO IDEA what we're going to do wih that! Any suggestions?)

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

You're right. I'd forgotten about the Crew thing.

Well, if you feel like hosting the listing of system names (and possibly locations)... ;)

[eridanusus.livejournal.com]

On either that one or the other one, which is going to be about our inner world. That sounds okay.

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

If it doesn't particularly excite you, I can do it. Some people think it might cause drama, and if that's the case I wouldn't want you all to end up getting frustrated because of it. :/

[tempusfrangit.livejournal.com]

A name list would be good, ja.

[pleiades-rising.livejournal.com]

I'd like to see a name list, too. Though I'm sure noone would ever use the system name The Cephian Trinity... I wonder if there are any "The Trinity"s around... ^_^ The idea of a multiple symbol has been discussed here before, but I can't recall if there ever was a symbol made or not.

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) Those in here used to be known as 'The Triad' [without quotes]--since things went pear-shaped, most notably only one member of the original Triad still existing and there no longer being a total of three in here, the term 'Triad' [with quotes] is still used in some places for historical reasons, but other descriptions--less subject to change--are being experimented with. [At this point, suggestions involve something with either 'Council' or 'Multipartite' in it.]

Seemed similar enough that I thought you might want to know.

[colligocarus.livejournal.com]

The Multipartite Council, maybe?

.c

[sharpsight.livejournal.com]

N) It's a thought, but councils are (I think) multipartite by their very nature, so it would be somewhat redundant.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

We used to know a Trinity, ages ago on WWIVnet.

[redrainstorm.livejournal.com]

Currently we're Mysidia System.

[tigrin.livejournal.com]

I remember there was a discussion about symbols a while back.. the one I liked the most was the puzzle piece. but the winged toaster one makes me giggle. reminds me of my Windows 3.1 days.

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

It reminds you of Windows 3.1? How so? (I'm not familiar with that version at all, sorry.)

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

The origin of the phrase "flying toaster" is that it comes from Rebekka Cowan of the Two Courts, who is a Mac user. Although Rebekka never said she got it from the Mac screensaver, the most popular one of those showed a fleet of winged toasters zooming in formation through the stratosphere. This screensaver was also available for win3.1.

She used it on a now-defunct elist, where Jay had been discussing the way that multiples' "amazing powers" are talked about on late night radio talk shows (then, Art Bell; today, George Noory). They were making hugely outlandish claims, and Rebekka said if we were really all that powerful we'd be picking up toasters and throwing them at said outlandish claimers. She said of course multiples like anyone else might have "things happen," but "not on the level of kitchen appliances obeying our commands to fly at Art Bell in flock formations." That is how it started.

[stealthdragon.livejournal.com]

The puzzle piece is in use by certain controversial 'cure autism!' groups at the moment, and would probably be a bad idea.

The winged toasters are funny, though. :)

[vinik.livejournal.com]

I think that would be very helpful. Even if two systems have similar names, it would be good to list locations or something like that as well. After all, how many John Smith's are there in the world.

I also agree on the whole pin concept. Maybe we should have a contest of sorts in this and other positive Plural communities for design. I know there are a lot of creative people around here. I don't know what the prize would be though. We'd love to be judges, by the way. ;)

-Jen

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

Listing the locations would be good, too. :) Sort of like the map posted a little while ago.

Also, if any of you think of a pin design, feel free to share it! I'm not sure we'd have a few judges, though; it'd be better to have a poll open to all members of the community.

[vinik.livejournal.com]

Actually that does sound better (the poll thing). Wonder why we didn't think of that?

[dark-blade.livejournal.com]

Fine with your listing, but we are strongly against someone being ought to avoid a name because another bears it as well.

[dark-blade.livejournal.com]

... sorry, that was a tetch snarky. We had a rather vehement reaction and only sorta managed to tone it down.

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

Why was my suggestion offensive? I'm not saying no two systems should have the same name. I think an unofficial registry would help those looking for a name who don't want to take one already in use. A lot of systems prize their individuality; this would help them.

Your comment wasn't snarky at all; the tone was fine, so no worries about coming across as overly defensive. :) I'm just confused as to why the suggestion would have provoked such a reaction from you.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Likely because the real system name has to be something that appeals to a group's identity, their deeply personal who-they-are, and if someone else has the same system name, that matters little or nothing if the people feel right about calling themselves a certain thing. The online handles, though, are something else again.

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

It seems I sounded like I wanted to make a rule that no two systems should be allowed to have the same name. The idea is more for archival than tyrannical purposes. :/

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

Not that you wanted it to be that way, but that there might be people who think it was "not allowed" -- there are so many plurals, especially self-recognized and younger plurals, who fear that they aren't "doing it right" or want to express themselves exactly like the others whom they meet on line so as to not be thought of as faking or something. They worry that there are more "rules" than there actually are.

That is why we keep saying that the glossary of words we have on our website are just for reference so people will have terminology in common -- not that these are TEH ONLY TERMZ you must use. These words were not made up by us, but were coined and collected by a lot of groups over the years. And I'd like to take this opportunity to say that not only should everybody feel free to contribute their terms if they use or have heard of one that we don't have on there, but please host the glossary on your own website.

[shandra.livejournal.com]

I had the same reaction.

Part of it was a feeling that there are a lot of Susan Smiths, and Susan Smiths still deal with it, so why would multiple systems have to treat it any differently?

The other part of it was in fact what you said - "A lot of systems prize their individuality." Well, that's fine - every system, like every person, is unique, but it smacked to me of Super Specialness!(tm) where people may go nuts and say "Didn't you check the registry! Don't you know I am the ONE TRUE KRUEW!"

So those are some other reasons why. :)

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

"Didn't you check the registry! Don't you know I am the ONE TRUE KRUEW!"

Huh. I don't think that way, so that's probably why I didn't think anyone would have that kind of reaction. (The "didn't you check the registry?!" bit.) I just think it would be helpful for systems looking for a new name. Though you're right, it has potential to cause drama. But there's very little in the world that doesn't have potential for drama.

[dark-blade.livejournal.com]

Pretty much what ksol and Shandra said...

[kasiya-system.livejournal.com]

The name we refer to ourselves as while here is Kasiya. It says "Kasiya_System" as our LiveJournal name only because plain "Kasiya" was already taken. We don't refer to ourselves as System. Kasiya is only used as our online name.

It's pronounced "kuh-Say-uh".

Jenilee

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

For the record, we're the same -- Astraea is an online handle, not who-we-are (that would be "Laurad people") and we don't think of ourselves as a system, just say that online for shortness & clarity.

We still tend to call you kah-ZEE-yah if we aren't careful, and according to Gabe, your name is pronounced Jenny Lee, even though he knows it isn't. He has to stop himself calling you that. He does call people by both their names a lot -- he never addresses jason as anything but Jason Lee, for instance, or his cousin Emma is Emma Jane. Either that or he calls you by your middle name (he calls jade "Alice") or makes up a cute off-the-wall nickname for you.

[kasiya-system.livejournal.com]

Jenny Lee, huh? :smile: The "i" is silent. It's actually said "Jenlee". :) Though he probably already knows. My middle name is Isabelle, and I'm not too fond of being called that. :laugh:

Jenilee

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

We've seen three systems calling themselves the Legion, using the 'for we are many' tagline; two Collections, any number of Collectives (including "_____ Collective" as well as just "The Collective"), a couple of Mosaics, "Family of [insert hopeful, positive word here]", and several Colonies. No big deal.

We're holding out for the pin with the frontrunners' names on it and we can change it to show who's up.

[kasiya-system.livejournal.com]

We originally nicknamed ourselves "chex_mix". :) That was our original journal. Then it turned into a journal for the kids. But it isn't used anymore. We still affectionately call ourselves Chex Mix from time to time. :)

Jenilee

[luwana.livejournal.com]

If any more arrive here, we'll be having to think of a system name. Damn. We're just 'us' at the moment.

Good idea I guess.

[shatterstorm.livejournal.com]

We think of ourselves as "us" too. ;)

[merlyn-drakonis.livejournal.com]

We call ourselves a clan. That's not a bad thing, is it?

[fadingtogrey.livejournal.com]

Of course it's not. :)

[merlyn-drakonis.livejournal.com]

Ok.

[ksol1460.livejournal.com]

We've known four or five Clans including Vicki(s) and clan_vinik :)

[merlyn-drakonis.livejournal.com]

Coolness.