View Message

I like Sasha. I think it's ok on a girl but love it on a boy. I definitely think Aleksandr nn "Sasha" is better than just Sasha by itself. Of course, for story purposes, you don't need to overemphasise that point. It's important to note that if the character is Russian, Russians are nearly never legally called a diminutive name - e.g. you'll not people legally called Sasha, Dima, Misha etc. - and nicknames are more reserved for people who are known personally rather than everyday use - e.g. in many countries, someone called Alexander "Alex" might spend 90% of their life being referred to as Alex by anyone from teachers to dentist receptionists to their best friend, both close associates and relative strangers. In Russia it is (traditionally) seen as overly informal to call someone by a nickname, so Aleksandr would (traditionally) only be called "Sasha" by friends, family etc. but "Aleksandr" by strangers. I don't like Sanya as much as Sasha, but it works for a nn for Aleksandr. I also like "Shura" as a nickname (unisex, although slightly more common for Aleksandra in my experience) and I really like "Shurik" (mostly masculine).

---

I also really love Dmitri nn "Dima".

---

I don't like Kesha or Luka. I like Nikita but mostly associate it with Khruschev, which is stupid because it's hardly a rare name. I don't care for Nikon or Rodion.

---

I also really like Mikhail, I prefer Misha to Mishka as a nn. Yasha or Yura would not be used as a nickname for Mikhail, they would be Yakov and Yuri(y) respectfully. I am neutral on Yakov and do like Yuri(y) but maybe only because of the Gagarin association rather than the sound of the name itself.