Over the years, I've collected quite a few sobriquets. The one that has stayed with me the longest is Kid — or some variation of it, usually with a random adjective attached, such as my zodiac sign.
As the years have gone by, surprisingly little has changed about that part of my identity. Instead of sophistication and tactfulness commonly expected of an adult, I still carry much of the same curiosity and sense of wonder that earned me the nickname in the first place.
That said, reality occasionally taps me on the shoulder. The back pain and the growing number of white hairs in my beard are gentle reminders that I can no longer claim to be a kid.
In the human world, I'm somewhere between kid and daddy, though I oftentimes find myself acting like the latter.
Some people also call me J Bear, a moniker inspired by my middle name and physique. By bear-world standards, that means I'm no longer a cub, but not quite a daddy bear either, though, again, I oftentimes play the part when I'm with certain people.
The pattern extends beyond nicknames. I've often been seen as the kohai rather than the senpai, the student rather than the mentor. That's somewhat amusing, considering I spent more than fifteen years working as a teacher in real life. Even so, I've always felt more at home as a learner than an expert, another sign that the cub in me never wandered too far away.
All things considered, oldercub feels about right.
A little more about me: In real life, I go by J Bear, J.B., or simply J, in addition to my first name. Of course, I wouldn't mind if you called me oldercub. I'm an Asian Canadian guy whose simple life mainly consists of music, food, technology, art, and various projects that keep me busy. I live in the beautiful province of Ontario in Canada. With university credentials in Computer Science and Clinical Trial Management, I work as a software/web developer, technical research assistant, and clinical research associate.
Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.