Handle

Various chat clients and social networks allow users to represent themselves with handles in place of their real names. In Homestuck these handles are often used to obscure these real names, particularly in cases where a character may not have been given one yet.

In Homestuck

Chat clients

Pesterchum and Trollian both make use of chat handles, where they are called chumhandles and trolltags, as does BettyBother. All known users of these clients use two-word handles, which the clients represent in camel case and abbreviate into two capital letters (with the exception of Caliborn, whose handle is abbreviated in lowercase instead to match his quirk), but is unknown if this is a strict requirement.

The human and troll heroes all have handles whose abbreviations consist of the letters G, C, A, and T, symbols commonly used to represent parts of a DNA molecule; the humans' handles use only G and T, whereas the trolls use all four letters. The one exception to this rule is John Egbert, who did at one time have a handle abbreviated to GT but later changed it.

	G	C	A	T
G	Jade Harley “gardenGnostic [GG]”	Terezi Pyrope “gallowsCalibrator [GC]”	Kanaya Maryam “grimAuxiliatrix [GA]”	John Egbert “ghostyTrickster [GT]”, “ectoBiologist [EB]”
	Jane Crocker “gutsyGumshoe [GG]”			Jake English “golgothasTerror [GT]”
C	Karkat Vantas “carcinoGeneticist [CG]”	Feferi Peixes “cuttlefishCuller [CC]”	Eridan Ampora “caligulasAquarium [CA]”	Equius Zahhak “centaursTesticle [CT]”
A	Vriska Serket “arachnidsGrip [AG]”	Nepeta Leijon “arsenicCatnip [AC]”	Aradia Megido “apocalypseArisen [AA]”	Tavros Nitram “adiosToreador [AT]”
T	Dave Strider / Davesprite “turntechGodhead [TG]”	Gamzee Makara “terminallyCapricious [TC]”	Sollux Captor “twinArmageddons [TA]”	Rose Lalonde “tentacleTherapist [TT]”
	Roxy Lalonde “tipsyGnostalgic [TG]”			Dirk Strider / Lil Hal “timaeusTestified [TT]”

Interestingly, as noted by Andrew Hussie, the abbreviations of the beta human handles correlate with the chromosome pairs traditionally associated with the characters' genders when they were introduced to the comic; “TT” and “GG” are like-letters, like XX, whereas the letters in “GT” and “TG” differ as in XY. Aradia (“AA”) and Feferi (“CC”) also follow this pattern, but the rest of the troll girls have unique two-letter abbreviations instead. While Jane (“GG”) and Jake (“GT”) both follow this pattern also, the rest of the alpha humans do not; however each of their handle abbreviations matches with that of one of their children.

Instead of the letters G, C, A or T, the cherubs Calliope and Caliborn have their handles abbreviated instead with the letter U, which is used in place of the letter T when describing molecules of RNA.

Caliborn “undyingUmbrage [uu]”

Calliope “uranianUmbra [UU]”

Doc Scratch does not appear to have a handle, instead appearing as ?_? when in contact with Aradia, ???????? when in contact with Kanaya (or Karkat), and ???????? when talking to Gamzee.

Other platforms

Handles on Serious Business and Delirious Biznasty show far more variety than those used on the kids' chat clients, and are only abbreviated in particularly long cases such as that of the Condesce, who uses Serious Business as her full title “)(er Imperious Condescension” shortened to “)(IC”.

John and Jane's Dads go by “pipefan413”, and the Draconian Dignitary simply goes by “The Dignitary”, with various other human and carapacian users of Serious Business going by even more varied and strange handles.

Dave uses the same handle on Delirious Biznasty as he does on Pesterchum, with the official Crockercorp account going by “BettyCrocker”.

In Hiveswap

Chittr

Xefros Tritoh @“xXstickit2meXx”	Chixie Roixmr @“chixie”	Dammek @“dammarchy”	Cirava Hermod @“STREAMS4SWEEPS”
Elwurd @“seLLingUpphers”	Remele Namaaq @“RemeleFineArte”	Zebruh Codakk @“THECODAKKEFFECT”	Marvus Xoloto @“CLOWNBAE”
Cridea Jeevik @“CrideaJeevik”	Fiamet @“q9xL1zTyLx4x”	Trizza Tethis @“realTrizzaTethis”

In a development image from when Chittr was to be called "Prongle", users' handles seem to be referred to as trolltags.

In Homestuck: Beyond Canon (Dubiously Canon)

Harry Anderson, Vriska Maryam-Lalonde and Tavros Crocker use chumhandles whose abbreviations match that of one of their parents (or their ancestor, in Vriska's case). Vrissy and Harry uses Intellichum, which is a “tracking free chat client”.

Tavros Crocker “glutinousGymnast [GG]”

Vriska Maryam-Lalonde “adamantGriftress [AG]”

Harry Anderson Egbert “thespiansGlamor [TG]”

Other handles used on Earth C include:

• “recidivousGainsayer” [RG]
• gavageCunctation [GC]
• “steezyHeadbanger” [SH]
• “ideogramicDramaturgy” [ID]