Dear Star Trek Fandom

[mijan]

I know people love to fuck with nicknames.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  But I need to know, my dear fandom, what is this strange aversion you people have to using the full name "Leonard"? 

Listen, in all of TOS, the old movies, the new movie, the novels, and even the animated series, there has only been ONE NICKNAME for Doctor Leonard H. McCoy, and that's "Bones."  And the only person who calls him that is Jim Kirk.  Nowhere in canon have I ever seen McCoy called Leo, Len, or Lenny.   Maybe if you're going into his past and showing him as a little kid, I could deal with it.  If you're telling an anotherwise fucking amazing story, I can deal with "Leo," but NEVER "Len" or "Lenny."  NOT HAPPENING.  

His name is Leonard.  And yes, he may be a fictional character, but he's my favorite, I'm protective of him, and I'm not apologizing.

Comments

[hdluff4eva.livejournal.com]

Ya. Gets to me too. I can deal, though, if someone has Jocelyn call him Len or something. But well known characters? No. Just... no.

I'm writing a bit of one. He's nine-ish, I think, and calls himself Len. And I can't think of any little kids named Leonard that call themselves Leonard. I do know tho that go by Len, though, so I used it.

He's my favorite to. Out of all the fandoms I have ever been a part of, and all the characters I have known, He is my top.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*nods*

Yeah, I can deal with Jocelyn calling him a nickname like Len, and that could easily be part of why he never goes by it. And like I said, as a kid, sure, a nickname like that works.

But I can't imagine an adult McCoy, post-divorce, going by anything but Leonard or Bones.

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

Well... I've read similar statements that had "I can deal with Len or Lenny but NEVER LEO" so I fear there's no pleasing all readers *ducks*

For the record, we don't know at all how his family calls/called him or how old colleagues call him or such. So IMO it's okay to give some leeway.

Oh, and Nancy in the Salt Vampire episode calls him "Plum"! So there's at least one more nickname of him in canon!

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL - okay, Nancy called him "Plum" in the Man Trap.

And I'm not saying that I *like* it when they call him "Leo." I'm saying it's a bit more tolerable than Len or Lenny... but not much. How to make readers happy? Easy - call him Leonard. And sure, maybe old colleagues or friends and family from back home called him by nicknames, but I can't see him going by anything but Leonard within his professional context at Starfleet. It just doesn't work.

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

I'm not a big fan, but I watched a lot of Star Trek as a kid, and never really grasped that the man had a name other than Bones until I was about 20.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL - and that works for me, too. :D

[diermuid.livejournal.com]

Perhaps as a point, you could edit a Harry Potter Fanfic to have the characters be Har, Herm, and Sna... perhaps then some would see the silliness of it all?

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Gah... if I saw them call Hermione "Herm" in a fanfic, I hit the back-button faster than Spock can raise an eyebrow.

I mean, I know it's "just fanfic," but if fanfic is bad fanfic and is posted for public perusal, I reserve the right to point out its flaws.

[karaz.livejournal.com]

LENNY!?

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Yep. I've seen it.

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Makes me think of Of Mice and Men... not that I suspect many badfic writers would do the same.

[mintcloud.livejournal.com]

See, I'm partial to the nickname "Len" for Kelley!McCoy only for one very specific reason - Liz Ellington's "Trinity" series, in which it is used only in the most intimate context.

Of course, Liz was a fabulous enough writer that she could have converted me to any nickname she damn well pleased. Plus, she did it first.

But that means I also feel violated when it's used casually, because, um, no. He's "Bones." Although I could see his family calling him Leo (ceres_libera does it rather well.)

As for "Lenny"? Jocelyn, maybe. Other than that? *vomits*

And yes, he's my favorite too - at least, the Kelley version. (Sorry, Bones, your best friend/boyfriend stole the number one spot in reboot canon. The amount of love I have for seriously traumatized people knows no bounds, apparently.)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Yes, "Switch" by ceres_libera is the specific fic I was indirectly referencing when I said I could deal with "Leo" if the fic is otherwise a fucking amazing story. I love that story, and I'm okay with her use of "Leo" there, although I wish she'd just used "Leonard" anyway.

Oh, also, I NEED to talk to you about Toland and the AAtKM universe. I'm expanding the universe a bit, and writing a prequel. This planning all happened yesterday. I want to make sure we're both on the same page, but... I'm going back to Tarsus IV with her. Do you have instant messenger?

[mintcloud.livejournal.com]

Not at the moment, as my current location smells like wet horse and manure, which should tell you how bad the internet is.

Give me until about six thirty to get done here, then I shall be all yours - I can download pretty much whatever service you've got - look for the username to be either curearainyday or science_blue.

Because also I think I might just explode of delight from that fic. I haven't done any serious writing, just the opening section that introduces McCoy's gf-to-be, so I am definitely up to whatever you want to throw at me since I'll only have to revise my outlines and maybe not even that after I finish coming so hard I can't see straight thanks to Toland's sexyness and I'll take any backstory I can get.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

LOL. Well, take your pick of either AIM (I'm pitcha126 there) or Y!M (jedi_mijan). I can't IM right now, either. I meant later, after work. Also, I'm game for chatting on the phone, as it might be easier. Do you live in the USA? I can't remember.

I've already written Toland into the fic that takes place at the Riverside Shipyard, and I can show that to you later.

[mintcloud.livejournal.com]

See, this? Is what happens when I get no sleep. I become stupid. *facepalm*

And I would be game for the phone too, except the little bugger ran away from me, and being at college, I have no landline. It should turn up in the next day or so, though, which would make this much easier.

But yeah, definitely IM tonight - probably AIM just 'cause I used to use it once upon a time. Yes, I do live in the USA - Ohio, to be precise. Yay cold. Not.

Also MOAR TOLAND FIC IS GOOD. *rampant crush is rampant* ...so yeah.

Gotta go play pooper scooper - drop me a line and let me know what time's good for you, and horses permitting, I'll be on.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Oh yay horses! I miss riding.

I'll give you some insight on what I'm writing tonight. :)

[mintcloud.livejournal.com]

Horses - they eat my life. lol

Signed on to AIM as curearainyday and ready whenever you are.

[annulvapore.livejournal.com]

oh my, you have an AIM name i was unaware of :O

[lilyrose-fic.livejournal.com]

I'm fine with Len and Leo but Lenny? Bones would bitchslap into oblivion anyone who tried to call him that.

[hitlikehammers.livejournal.com]

Weird, I was totally going to pick your brain on this very issue just this morning, because it was relevant to my writing at the time; great minds, yeah? ;)

Anyway - I have a question, in response to this post. Is your aversion to nicknames here at all dependent on the circumstances? As in... is it different in public versus a more intimate setting? Does it depend on who is saying it? Their relationship to Bones? I have a particular line that I'm AGONIZING over, and that I've changed about a gazillion times over the past few months that centers on this very issue, so I'm now I'm interested, seeing as you brought it up :D

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Feel free to pick my brain anytime!

Yes, in SOME cases, it would depend on the person addressing him and the circumstances, but the reasoning for it would have to be GOOD. Send it to me, and I'll take a look.

[nikki4noo.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind a newbie popping in and putting in their two cents worth.

As I said below, Leonard introduces himself as Leonard and that is how he sees himself and what he wants people to call him. Jim is unique in his nickname of 'Bones'. Notice Jim doesn't provide a nickname for anyone else, apart from Scotty. But everyone calls Scotty, Scotty.

The only people I would, as a reader, countenance calling him a nickname or a shortened version of his lovely name would be people from his past that he is now distancing himself from.

Just my humble opinion. :)

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I second this. Perfect assessment. :)

[nikki4noo.livejournal.com]

You are preaching to the choir here! Don't apologise at all.

I mean, if you have studied the character he introduces himself as either McCoy or Doctor Leonard McCoy. Yes, Nancy called him "Plum", not Len or Lenny or Leo. So there are only two nicknames he has in canon - Plum and Bones. You could say that those nicknames are from 'intimate' relationships and used by only one person towards him. His close friends on the Enterprise call him McCoy or Doctor and I think even occasionally Leonard. How proud was he when the baby was born and named Leonard James?

I can handle the "Leo" in Switch but only because of how amazing that story is. In any other story I would have been very likely to have just hit the back button and never gone back.

I used LH for one of mine, but it was only used by the people that he used to know back in Georgia. I was informed it was a particularly 'southern' way of shortening Leonard Horatio and in a way it felt right and slightly poetic.

To put it in context with myself, I am actually a Nicole, but I only ever introduce myself as Nikki. At work on all the paperwork etc and even on the Office credit card my name is listed as Nikki. Now to make matters confusing, I sign as Nicole. :D This did cause some issues at High School when someone came looking for 'Nicole' and my teacher said that she only had a 'Nikki' in the class. I had to actually tell her my proper name, which for a very shy 13 year old was not a fun time.

How you introduce yourself to others is how you see yourself and Leonard introduces himself as Leonard.

[affectingly.livejournal.com]

I... have mostly gotten over fandom's ~issues~ on what to call Bones in fic. I'll pretty much roll with anything so long as the crew from the Enterprise address him as Doctor or McCoy or in super private, informal settings, Leonard. And of course, if Jim ever calls him anything but Bones it drives me craaaaaazy. But everybody else? *shrugs* Like, I have a series where his family knew him as LH, so that's how he thinks of himself (when writing from his tight third POV), but it's not how he generally introduces himself to new people (to new people, he's just plain old McCoy). And I have a story where Jocelyn addresses him as Leo at one point.

But like I said, I'm not too picky about what people call him (I can't stand Lenny unless it's like.. his great aunt from Georgia or something, but Len is whatever), so long as certain people (Jim and the rest of the command team) don't use those nicknames (Leo, Len, Lenny) because that doesn't feel right.

Does that make sense?

ETA: I have no idea what that just posted twice. LJ WTF?

[silvertoekee.livejournal.com]

haha i have to agree with u :D. i just cant see any of the main characters calling him any of those names and it just seems odd when I see those names in fics. Although I can see family members and friends he grew up with calling him Len or Lenny.

[b-dsaint.livejournal.com]

I think, honestly, it comes from Leonard Nimoy being called Len. So people have decided that Len is a nickname for Leonard, thus Bones gets called Len in fic.

Except I'm not sure I've actually ever heard Nimoy being called Len outside of RPS fic, so perhaps its just crazy talk. *shrug*

[mijan.livejournal.com]

I've never heard any of Nimoy's friends call him Len, nor have I seen him called "Len" in any media release. I don't know where the RPS folks get it.

Huh. Odd.

[annulvapore.livejournal.com]

YOU MAKE NO BONES ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[gasphemer.livejournal.com]

Oh, I never read anything like that before. I know it's terrible of me, but... I laughed at the idea of Kirk calling McCoy "Lenny." As in, thought it was really funny.

But yeah I can see where it gets annoying after a while.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Annoying, but also horribly OOC. Unless Kirk does it specifically to get a rise out of Bones, because he KNOWS it would. :D

[elf]

This.

I could also see Kirk convincing Chekov that McCoy really *likes* being called Lenny but isn't willing to admit it in public.

Possibly as part of a bet with Sulu.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

Now THAT I would read. Oh, too funny. :D

[gasphemer.livejournal.com]

Yes!

[colloween.livejournal.com]

I just love it when you're right.

which is, all the time.

[mijan.livejournal.com]

*grins*

Now if only the whole world agreed with that assessment. ;)

*hugs*

Lenny?

[popefelix.livejournal.com]

But what about his long-lost younger brother, Andrew "Squiggy" McCoy?

[nightshadow-t2.livejournal.com]

Huh. I hadn't realized that. I only found the fandom a couple months ago and I haven't watched TOS in years, so I pretty much pick up on what's commonly used in fic. Though I did run into a similar situation in NCIS when I had characters using each other's first names when in non-work situations. It caused a bit of a stir amongst those who reviewed.