I like the name Rasufelle.

It's a name I came up with many many years ago; I was messing around with the Dungeons and Dragons second edition ruleset, a PC program designed for creating characters in fact, and I built myself my first ever elf rogue (drow at the time, though I've since learned better.) The only issue was I needed a name for the character. From somewhere in my brain, unbidden, arose the name Rasufelle.

It was perfect. It was appropriate for male or female characters (a good thing, since at the time my desire to only role play female characters when possible was already very strong,) it was exotic sounding without being hard to pronounce, and as would become obvious to me over and over over the years, it was ORIGINAL. I've never found a site where I couldn't register the name where the issue wasn't that I already had an account I'd forgotten about (I'm looking at YOU, Kingdom of Loathing.)

Now, though, I'm facing an Issue.

See, when I get back north, I intend to start a YouTube channel where I play video games and talk about the history/future/industry behind the hobby, as well as sharing helpful tidbits for non-gaming parents on picking appropriate content for their kids and things like that. I'm aiming to produce a family-friendly show that focuses on the games themselves and avoids any political, religious, or ethical affiliations whenever possible. Heck, I'm not even going to use the show to make opinionated claims on the best or worst systems, games, or anything like that; simply sharing enthusiasm for the medium, and what it means to enjoy every aspect of it, from the finished products to the development thereof, and everything in between.

I DO intend for the show to go a long while, and eventually have my TG status confirmed on it (since I'm not gonna let potential YouTube fame stop me from transitioning,) but at the same time I'm not sure I want that connection to be obvious from the get-go should anyone, say, Google me.

Thus, I am facing a rough situation.

I like the name Rasufelle. Rasufelle is... it's ME. I've used it EVERYWHERE. It's as much a part of who I am as Melanie E. is, or my male name (unfortunately) is. Do I really want to part with that identity in favor of security? And if I do, what name should I use? Using a variation on the name would likely be just as bad, and equally easy to track. If I establish another alternate identity, will I be able to embrace that one enough to make it stick with my audience, or will it distract me from what I want the channel to stand for?

So, opinions. Is it worth the risk to keep the name that I associate with so much? Or should I use some other identifier until I decide to make my TG status known to my audience, then share the existence of this identity? Or, should I share this identity at all?

I know I have friends here, so I want your opinions. I've got a list of alternative monikers I could potentially use, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it. On the other hand, I'm looking to try and make enough money to make a living off this channel eventually, so keeping a unique identity tied with work with the channel could be the long-term ONLY solution to build the audience I need.

Well?

Melanie E.