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f13.net General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: Strazos on April 26, 2005, 09:47:23 AM



Title: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Strazos on April 26, 2005, 09:47:23 AM
This is in the spirit of the "What do you do" stickied thread. If I were a mod, I would delete any and all attempts at conversation in this thread, and possibly issue a ban. Anyway....


I've been using "Strazos" as my online alias going on....9 or 10 years now. I first came up with it when I first got into AD&D with a friend, and was trying to think of a name for a villian I was putting in my campaign. "Strazos Strovanov" just popped into my head. It was also around this time that I first tried a little game called Gemstone III (now GSIV, ugh) back on Prodigy. It asked for a name, so I stupidly put in my actual name (first and surname). When I got in and realised I needed to use a "made-up" name, I swapped out my first name for Strazos, leaving my surname in. From that point on, my online name has always been "Strazos", except when my main in WoW was a female human war, but that's a fluke. I dunno why, but people cannot stand me always using this name...fuck them.

And just to pre-empt people who wanna trash on this thread....

(http://strazos.4tehwin.org/wp-images/donttreadonme.jpg)


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: schild on April 26, 2005, 09:48:05 AM
It's my last name.

Your story is too long.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Strazos on April 26, 2005, 09:54:10 AM
Damnit, did you not read the last part of my post?

Anyway, don't hate, just because I was creative, and you were lazy.

Granted, I use my last name as surnames in games that allow them, but still....


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Toast on April 26, 2005, 09:55:47 AM
I picked Toast because it's usually what I am when I compete in online PvP. In particular, I think was playing Battlefield Vietnam.



Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Lakov_Sanite on April 26, 2005, 10:04:20 AM
Carmen Sandiego tribute.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: UD_Delt on April 26, 2005, 10:07:21 AM
UD = University of Dayton

Delt = Delta Tau Delta, of which I was a founding father of the Dayton chapter... Hence UD_Delt


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: shiznitz on April 26, 2005, 10:08:08 AM
My last EQ1 character was Shiz Nitz. I also use Shiz and MrJoshua.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: stray on April 26, 2005, 10:14:08 AM
I'm a homeless and jaded gamer -- hence, "stray". I seem to have settled down here though (almost 2000 posts...not good. Heh).

It also has something to do with my initials.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Rasix on April 26, 2005, 10:15:01 AM
Everquest random name generator.    Iksar monk.  Loved the character so much and the simplicity of the name, it's been with me ever since. 

Now in any MMORPG my first character will always be named Rasix (well, if it fits) and the rest are just random name generated.  I used to use less inspired naming during my UO phase, but I think sometime during EQ I grew up a little.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Merusk on April 26, 2005, 10:25:22 AM
I stole the name from someone else in an AOL RP chatroom in '94 and changed one letter.  Marusk became Merusk and I've used it ever since.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Roac on April 26, 2005, 10:25:28 AM
Roac is from Tolkien.  Very obscure character, and he was, literally, the king of ravens (as in, a bird).  I picked up the name for use in most of my rogue characters, because I liked the word/theme play.  Normally the story goes something along the lines of being called "king of ravens" as a taunt, since ravens are scavangers.  It's not intended to be flattering.  Then again, most of what rogues do isn't glamorous.  Ravens are also clever (for birds), an attribute that applies to rogues.

It also relates somewhat back to another character I've used before in White Wolf games - David "Myst" Waters.  He was a Ravnos (vampire) who owned a club named Raven.  Few more word plays, plus other stuff in the background.  He was a computer geek and rogue-ish, and yes, Myst is from the game Myst, plus the play on mist/water.

One more - I've used the name Sire (pronounced "sir-A", not like the English spelling) before as well, with another double meaning.  In Tolkien's elvish, it is the imperitive form of "to flow", as in with a river (for Tolkien fans - example is the river Siranon).  That character was a ranger, so there's the nature connection.  Plus it was just amusing for people to reply with "Yes Sire" or such.  Plus with links back to David Waters.

I usually like to do stuff like that with my character names - link them together somehow and try to include double meanings in either the wordplay or theme.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Paelos on April 26, 2005, 10:25:37 AM
Paelos is a derivation of my last name that I thought had some fantasy flair. Also, it's rare pretty much to me on the net.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Samwise on April 26, 2005, 10:29:14 AM
I'm not a Tolkien fan.  No, not at all.   8-)

My first name in real life is Sam.  About nine years ago, a guy I played chess with called me "Samwise," and I was pleased enough with the sound of the hobbit form of my name to start using it as a gaming/online handle.

Unfortunately, since the movies came out, there have been a lot of wannabes.  But I am the original, god dammit.  Well, me and that Samwise guy who does artwork for Blizzard (no relation).


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Astorax on April 26, 2005, 10:37:28 AM
Was watching an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series and it was an episode dealing with Lucifer's first angel, Astaroth.  At the time I was grabbing a mail account, and Astaroth was taken, so I asked my then roommate at the time (who was a Classics major) what would happen if you took the Latin name Astaroth and translated it into greek...poof, Astorax...


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Margalis on April 26, 2005, 11:11:47 AM
Ha ha, I remember Frideay the 13th: The Series.

My name is a play on my last name. It's somewhat poorly chosen though as people inevitably either think I am Jewish (Margolis) or a woman.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Rodent on April 26, 2005, 11:13:38 AM
My love for rats and Skinny Puppy made me go with the nick Rodent.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Fargull on April 26, 2005, 11:15:48 AM
Raised in Pensacola Florida, now moved the hell away, much to my chagrin....

Gull is the one bird I associate from there.. so I am a Far Gull....


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: ClydeJr on April 26, 2005, 11:16:41 AM
My middle name is Clyde, same as my dad's.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Fargull on April 26, 2005, 11:26:51 AM
Ha ha, I remember Frideay the 13th: The Series.

My name is a play on my last name. It's somewhat poorly chosen though as people inevitably either think I am Jewish (Margolis) or a woman.

And here I thought you were italian with a thing for spagetti westerns...


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Pococurante on April 26, 2005, 11:34:24 AM
Mine's a comment on our jaded little post-UO community... ;-) (http://www.bartleby.com/61/47/P0394700.html)


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Signe on April 26, 2005, 11:48:05 AM
Me mum gave it to me.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Sky on April 26, 2005, 11:50:40 AM
My UO character.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: HaemishM on April 26, 2005, 11:54:00 AM
Braveheart, as in the sidekick character with the red beard. I loved that character, and that movie. When my buddy wanted to trick me into playing EQ, he showed me the barbarians, with their kilts and very Scottish appearance. I picked the name Haemish, adding the "e" because someone had the proper Hamish spelling on the server. When I left EQ and moved my guild to Dark Ages, I again picked a kilted Scottish Highlander and naemd him Haemish so my guildies would know it was me. I've used the name in just about every MMOG, until I came up with Haemcow in WoW and Maercus when I returned to DAoC.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: ahoythematey on April 26, 2005, 12:22:58 PM
When FFT came out for the first time on the PSX, a friend and myself were screwing around with the naming session and intro, marveling at how ridiculously long you could make your character's name in that game.  I finally settled on "Ahoy the Matey" and have pretty much stuck with it ever since, sans spaces.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Bunk on April 26, 2005, 12:28:53 PM
True story: sitting around the parents basement when friends came by. Had been on about a five hour Eye of the Beholder bender in a poorly lit room. My buddy looks at my bloodshot eyes and asks me "Are on Bunk"? I though it was funny since I was about the most drug free kid in history. The nickname stuck.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Llava on April 26, 2005, 12:42:02 PM
I had watched a horribly bad anime called Vampire Princess Miyu.  Truly godawful.  Like Sailor Moon, but with vampires.

Anyways, there was a character called Larva.  I liked the sound of the name, but not the arthropod part.  So when I went to make my first character for DAoC, an Elven Nightshade, I ditched the R and wrote "Lava."  It was available, but I didn't like the look of the name.  So I added another L, and that made it look sufficiently elven to me.  So over time all my friends came to know me as this, so I've just kept using it.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Jayce on April 26, 2005, 12:52:37 PM
"Jayce" is pretty boring - it's a shortening of my RL name ("Jason") but spelled the same way as "Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors" - one of my favorite guilty pleasures growing up.

In games I am now mostly Fenjay.  In UO I had the name Fenris, but as it turned out, a lot of people like using that name.  So it evolved to several other variations before I settled on a nice fusion of it and my real name.

Also, no one really would ever think to use that name, so I can usually come to a game late and it isn't taken.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: naum on April 26, 2005, 01:08:54 PM
Naum is my real name.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: MaceVanHoffen on April 26, 2005, 01:19:57 PM
I just made my name up, no significance to it at all.  It's my main in City of Heroes.  I wanted to create a story for a family of superheroes, and van Hoffen as a surname just kinda came to me.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Big Gulp on April 26, 2005, 01:22:34 PM
My first Shadowrun character from years upon years ago.  A troll with a minigun and a hammer.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Polysorbate80 on April 26, 2005, 01:38:31 PM
Back in the days of xwing vs. tie fighter, trying to find a handle for the Microsoft gaming zone that wasn't taken.  5 billion attempts into the process, I flashed back on a "Zippy the Pinhead" moment and lo and behold, Polysorbate80 was available.

The number at the end of it pisses some folks off; I think they associate it with "stoopid-yahoo-grl-38495349" type names, but it's really just part of the substance's name.  I think it's a preservative.

It goes in Twinkies.  And shampoo.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Riggswolfe on April 26, 2005, 02:03:47 PM
Back in college a roomie convinced me to give the Star Wars RPG by West End games a try. I decided to go easy and make a Han Soloish character but I got stuck on a name. As I was debating my roomie started watching Lethal Weapon and I asked him what I should name my character.

Right then Murtaugh yells "Riggs!!!". So I took it as a sign and used that for the character's name. Later he got a nice freighter that he named the Kathol Wolf. His callsign in fighter battles was also Wolf. Later, I was looking for a name to use in an online chat RP room and took Captain Riggs. Over time it became hard to get that name for some reason so I started using a combination of the character's name and his ship/callsign. Riggswolfe was born. The e was put on Wolf once because the word wolf was taken and I kept spelling it that way.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: shiznitz on April 26, 2005, 02:07:52 PM
Was watching an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series

/derail

Is that coming out on DVD? I remember really liking it, but I fear that might just be some distorter nostalgia. Who was the red-headed actress? She always struck me as an ex-porn star possibly. I have no idea why.

/derail off


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Viin on April 26, 2005, 02:11:31 PM
Random character generator.

When I started playing SWG I was Irek Dabry (which I still use in other games, together or as seperate names) which is from the Star Wars Name Generator. I also used Myrddin for a long time back in the MUD days, it's from the Pendragon Cycle (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/038070613X/qid=1114549731/sr=1-10/ref=sr_1_10/102-0306937-4712974?v=glance&s=books) books.

Oh, also use to use Serial on Talkers, because my StarSiege: Tribes name was Seven.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Triforcer on April 26, 2005, 02:16:26 PM
I had to come up with a moniker for the SWG boards circa 2000, and I am a huge Zelda fan.  I spent all this weekend binging Zelda playing Link to the Past, Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, and Majora's Mask...


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Astorax on April 26, 2005, 02:43:21 PM
Was watching an episode of Friday the 13th: The Series

/derail

Is that coming out on DVD? I remember really liking it, but I fear that might just be some distorter nostalgia. Who was the red-headed actress? She always struck me as an ex-porn star possibly. I have no idea why.

/derail off

Louise Robey is the actress you're looking for I believe.

And no, I haven't ever seen any signs of DVD sales for this one.  I wish they did though, I loved this show.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Murgos on April 26, 2005, 03:11:10 PM
It's not from David Eddings.  It's actually a variation on Murgen (which I had in UO) because I couldn't get that on my EQ server for my warrior.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: WayAbvPar on April 26, 2005, 03:13:15 PM
Anyone who has ever seen me on a golf course could pinpoint the origin of my name. I chose it originally as a chat handle in AOL for the duality of my shittiness at golf and being better (as a useful member of society)  than 99% of the mouthbreathers iin AOL chat rooms.

Used to use poolsharke (I think that was my SWG beta name) when I played a lot of billiards.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Megrim on April 26, 2005, 03:19:42 PM
Megrim, because i tend to give people dealing with me migrains. Also influenced by the M:tG card of the same name (i liked playing black).

However, quite often my nicks change as is appropriate to the game.

 - meg


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Abagadro on April 26, 2005, 03:25:27 PM
Started playing D&D around the same time as sophmore chemistry so bastardized Avogadro (as in the number) as my mage character and have stuck with it since.  It is also coincidentally close to Spanish for "Lawyer" as well, which is abogado.

Also go by Alehonderonus in some circumstances which was the first name of my Scottish Pict Bezerker character (Alehonderonus Gimlet) I created in college while very high.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Raging Turtle on April 26, 2005, 04:57:44 PM
Exact same as my MTGO online name - a combination of the cards Raging Goblin and Horned Turtle.  It amused me when I made it, but now it seems kinda stupid and I wish I had gone with something else.   

Usual online nick is Pyrite, which is another name for Iron Sulfide, more commonly known as 'Fool's Gold'.     


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Jayce on April 26, 2005, 05:06:33 PM
Anyone who has ever seen me on a golf course could pinpoint the origin of my name. I chose it originally as a chat handle in AOL for the duality of my shittiness at golf and being better (as a useful member of society)  than 99% of the mouthbreathers iin AOL chat rooms.

Used to use poolsharke (I think that was my SWG beta name) when I played a lot of billiards.

I have often wondered whether you were trying to say you were better than the rest of us, or worse.  It's both!


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: El Gallo on April 26, 2005, 07:14:50 PM
El Gallo is the main character in my favorite muisical, The Fantasticks (originally played by everyone's favorite salty New York cop, Jerry Orbach).  The mystical Spanish bandito seemed like a good model for my AC character (a Gharu warrior), which is the game I was playing when I first stumbled onto LtM. 

It means "the rooster."


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Krakrok on April 26, 2005, 07:23:53 PM
Krakrok is an inside joke and a subtle name grief at the same time. I refer to using the internet, wasting time, playing video games, etc. as "smoking crack". Krakrok actually came about as a dwarf assassin character on Rallos Zek and I've used it off and on in various games since. I have a different handle which I originally used on BBSs that I use for non-video game stuff.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Fabricated on April 26, 2005, 08:14:58 PM
A randomly picked word that sounded good enough for a forum/email/game alias.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Tebonas on April 26, 2005, 11:12:57 PM
Its my preferred name for my more "down and dirty" characters in roleplaying games. The first incarnation was Tebonas the Kender in a Dragonlance campaign. So when its warriors, rangers, thieves and the likes its Tebonas. The name is the illegitimate child of Tasslehoff (Dragonlance) and Legolas. Yes I was that lazy.

I thought down and dirty fit after reading the LtM boards for a while, and then stuck to that name on related boards.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: schild on April 26, 2005, 11:14:18 PM
The name is the illegitimate child of Tasslehoff (Dragonlance) and Legolas. Yes I was that lazy.

So, who played the pitcher?


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: MrHat on April 27, 2005, 12:44:09 AM
The name is the illegitimate child of Tasslehoff (Dragonlance) and Legolas. Yes I was that lazy.

So, who played the pitcher?

(http://geiri3d.klaki.net/archives/hasselhoff.jpg)

Hasselhoff?

MrHat I used way back when for an AIM handle.  Kinda stuck.  No matter how I many name changes I tried, always came back to this one.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Samprimary on April 27, 2005, 01:48:32 AM
I used to use a name that I picked out of a Russian clan surname listing, because it sounded unique and original and couldn't be compressed into a nick. Then later on I found out that it was a major Inner Sphere house in something new to me: Battletech. Then only recently it became known most widely as an english translation of a name of a major character in that goddamned cartoon/game Yu-Gi-Oh. Receiving scads of messages from people I didn't know about a series that I widely considered to be among the most brain-dead tripe humanity has ever created was too much. I retired the name and now use Samprimary.

Because my name's Sam, and the name is always registered and/or taken and somewhat generic. So I title myself Samı or Samprimary.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Ironwood on April 27, 2005, 02:04:58 AM
I have no idea, to be honest.  The name has been with me as long as I've been playing games - right back on the Amstrad and Atari ST.

One thing that bothered me was the first time logging in to UO and appearing at the Ironwood Inn.  I thought - great, now I just look fucking lazy.

 :?



Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Mortriden on April 27, 2005, 08:44:19 AM
My name comes from some mythical God or Goddess.  A horse or half-horse.  I don't remember now.  I usually use Valhalla when I play any sort of FPS though, occasionally misspelling it because I suck.


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: voodoolily on April 27, 2005, 12:25:01 PM
(http://www.bguz.unizh.ch/bilddatenbank/web/Sauromatum_guttatum.jpg)

Voodoolily (Sauromatum guttatum) is one of my favorite plants. It's really creepy-looking and emits an odor akin to rotting flesh (to attract carrion flies, the primary pollenator). I also used the feminized version of the Latin name, Sauromata, in EQ2, wherein I was Tauren shamaness.

Another plant that is sometimes called voodoo lily is actually a different genus, and is also called dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris):

(http://www.boga.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/html/Dracunculus.vulgaris.ja.jpg)

I grow this one in my garden. The inflorescence is 24-36" long, not counting the 2' pedicel it sits on. Smells like death!


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Murgos on April 27, 2005, 12:32:50 PM
Who wants stinky masculine looking plants when you can have:

(http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/plantimage/Clitoria_fragrans4.jpg)


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Hanzii on April 27, 2005, 01:11:59 PM
When I started writing for an audience bigger than one, there was a television show with a picked upon character called Hanzii. My real name being Hans, somebody at university started calling me Hanzii. It didn't stick as a nickname but became my pseudonym for my reviews/columns in the university newspaper (and is on 'the books' so no other writer in this country is allowed to use it, which I find pretty cool...)
Now, I do most of my professional writing under my real name, so Hanzii is my online pseudonym


Title: Re: Where'd your name come from?
Post by: Ookii on April 27, 2005, 02:09:04 PM
I started taking Japanese back in High School with a couple friends, at the time we were vicious irc porn-mongers, I happened to run an Fserve.  Since I would accumulate much more porn than my friends, they would call me Ookii Hentai, meaning "big pervert", in Japanese of course.  I ran with Ookii Hentai for awhile, but stupid kids on Subspace kept trying to strike up conversations about hentai with me, so I just shortened it to Ookii.

It's the only named I've ever used.