...what if you wanted another?
I certainly don't mind my name, but if a 'Souls character wanted to go by an alias how far can we as players push it? Yes, It could be indicated in the profile easily but what if we wanted to hide his or her identity from plainly being a statement to actual players? For the sake of story telling? Would it be too tedious to ask for a name change on a character once and maybe again after a long while? I ask because I don't really understand how all the 'Souls Servers and stuff work. If it would be too cumbersome to change a name, then would it be okay to create a different, sort of 'disposable' profile to sport a new name (assuming it is for a reasonable amount of time)?
Terra has aliases. She used to go by Fleta, now she goes by Evera. I don't know if that helps any, but different characters in Souls call her by different names.
Other characters have gone by aliases in the past (and some continue to do so), however, we do not change usernames unless it's something like a mate taking on the last name of another. You could have your character introduce themselves as someone new, but your actual username would not change.
Your account name should match your character's given name. A given name can incorporate other aliases, though.
E.g., if Jaden went by Fishmonger frequently, introduced himself as such, and considered it another name to the point he officially added it as his middle name, you could have Jaden's account renamed Jaden Fishmonger Ohanzee.
For just aliases, fake names, etc., though -- nope. If a character is just "incognito" and goes by a different name without actually incorporating it as their real, believed and earnest name, the account should stay the same.
An example of the above is Orin Takekuro -- she went by the alias "Desdemona Moonsong" for a while to avoid some people, but she did so knowing her real name. Nuki's solution was unique, though -- she bought a custom title that said, "AKA Desdemona Moonsong." That'd be acceptable -- of course, the title would need to be purchased. ^^
It's not at all difficult for us to change a username in the ACP -- but the convention is that your account name matches your character name, so we disallow username changes unless they're a change in the character's actual name.
Separate profiles are a no-no, also -- there wouldn't be any way to combine your post counts for the two accounts, and it'd probably be a pain in the arse to update two profiles. ^^;
FWIW, too, if your character refuses to introduce himself and other characters have no IC reason to know his name, any player simply reading your account name and using it ICly is metagaming, which is against the rules. It's absolutely possible to go incognito in-game, just not with your actual account name. :3
Changing account names is not difficult, from an administrative standpoint, no, but we would prefer there not be any deception regarding characters/accounts OOC-wise.
You are definitely allowed to have characters go by different names/aliases ICly -- it would be up to players to remember that they cannot magically pass on ther OOC knowledge of your characters true identity to their characters if there is no way for their characters to find out ICly. That would be metagaming.
If you have an alias that your character will likely be using for the longterm, we can certainly change the account name, but this isn't something that should be abused, even if it isn't technically hard for us to do.
For example, my character Arkham's own daughters don't know him by his real name, and he hasn't told anyone his real name in a long time. It would make sense for me to change the account name to "Kharma Asylum" instead. There is an acceptable IC reason for him to not use his real name anymore (disowned his family), and it isn't going to change frequently. That said, I certainly don't have to change the account name.
HOPE THAT MAKES SENSE.
ETA: Wow, I am slow.
ilu5eva Kiri!
/sie, shadowposter of kiri since 2002 or some crazy year like that 8|
When Orin had her meltdown and ran away from her pack, dyed her fur and disguised herself as an alter ego (Desdemona Moonsong), her account remained Orin Takekuro, but I purchased a title for her that also says her alias. This was a good thing because, back then, I thought I would never have her be Orin again, though after playing it out, it turns out she is Orin again now. 
I'm posting with this account so you can see the title. After she returned to being Orin I thought I would delete the title, but it is actually convenient to have her former alter ego's name there for when I reference it in posts.
Hmm. Alright. I had forgotten about the name matching character deal. I appreciate the help and Nuki’s wonderful example! =)
Also,
lol shadow posting
Supporting Kiri's point:
My old character, Anka de Sadira, was originally Anyanka Halfrek. However, she changed her name IC'ly to Anka de Sadira, and I was allowed to have her account name changed. I think it depends on one important thing: has your character's INNER identity changed?
Say, if Ralph Wolfe is my character, and he introduces himself as Spartacus Jesus Alberto Freud, I have to ask myself: does that reflect self-image, or a desire to deceive? Does he still identify himself as Ralph Wolfe? If so, then a change probably is probably not appropriate. However, if he is changing the name he is called by as a result of a thoughtful IC decision to go by something else, such as being estranged from family or their old identity (like Arkham) or adopting an appropriate family name (Anka took the name 'de Sadira' because her mother was Aiji Sadira and her father was Ahren de le Poer, thus a combination).
... Did that analogy work at all?
Whatever, Kiri and Sie covered it.
another way...Iskata had amnesia for a while and went by..um.. Alyssa. so my solution had been to put Alyssa into her profile picture while she was Alyssa..
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