User Name

NikMak
NikMak
edited September 2015 in General Discussion
why do you have that user name?

so I just spotted this in another forum and thought it may be interesting - well for every one except me, mine is so bland!


I will go first - my name is Nick McCarthy (aka Mac) so I went for NikMak. When I first used this name in IRC (in 'Planetarion' if anyone remembers that game?) It was the habit to describe someones username as their nickname (aka nick aka nik) so having 'Nik' as my nik seemed quite clever to me at the time... no one uses the phrase 'nik' to describe their username any more, so I'm the only one who still gets the joke... well except that I just explained it to you... now you get it too... but have you noticed that explained jokes are never as funny? ... I think I will stop now :)
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Comments

  • DreadGazebo
    DreadGazebo
    Posts: 218
    I have my name because of "Eric and the dread gazebo":http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/98/Jul/gazebo.html mostly out of love for D&D and appreciation for the humor therein regarding Eric and his limited vocabulary. Being a writer I have an inner-appreciation for words, where they came from, and all that goes into them.

    Ironically, I first took this name on twitter where someone actually had the handle before me so I had to purposely misspell Gazebo with 2 e's. As a result my online presence, more often than not, contains a misspelling because I (mostly) stuck with it for continuity. ಠ_ಠ
  • nellshini
    nellshini
    Posts: 18
    It's a name I've had for almost 20 years, so I default to it whenever I need a quick account since no one else uses it. It's a mix between my middle name and the word 'shinigami,' as I was particularly into Japanese mythology at the time I got the internet. I have plenty of other usernames now, but this one is my go-to.
  • UselessTriviaMan
    UselessTriviaMan
    Posts: 546
    My user name came from a fun conversation I had with a friend. She noted that if I had a super power, it would be my extensive knowledge of completely useless trivia. And thus, "Useless Trivia Man!" was born.

    Ptolus, City by the Spire - 2016 Campaign of the Year

    "Please pay attention very carefully, because this is the truest thing a stranger will ever say to you: In the face of such hopelessness as our eventual, unavoidable death, there is little sense in not at least TRYING to accomplish all your wildest dreams in life."  - - Kevin Smith

  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006 edited September 2015
    Hey NikMak

    Nice thread. And good to know you are a REAL NICK MAC!

    I got started with "twiggyleaf" from my first venture into web stuff and social media (long before YouTube etc.) I have always had a love of Tolkien and was very enamoured of his essay on Fairy Stories that had an example of a typical Fairy Tale called "Leaf by Niggle". I saw myself as a leaf looking for interconnections with others - hence twiggyleaf!

    twigs aka Mark
    Post edited by twiggyleaf on

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • Belrathius
    Belrathius
    Posts: 206
    Belrathius originated long ago for a character while playing Everquest (well before WoW even existed). I have routinely used it for numerous online purposes since.

    "Bel" is short for "bellum", Latin for "war". "Rath" is a variant spelling of "wrath", removing the W to ease the connection to "Bel". The "ius" was added to give a more Roman-esque sense to it, producing the rather unique moniker "Belrathius".
  • pencilneckgeek
    pencilneckgeek
    Posts: 50
    Mine comes from the old novelty song "Pencil Neck Geek by Classy Freddie Blassie":https://youtu.be/JNM4atakanI. When I was younger I was a very small and underweight--a classic example of the moniker. And I'm still a geek, so I go with it. It's also my user name in social media.

    --The Geek

    Current Campaigns:

    Shadows of the Rift : Homebrew Pathfinder Campaign (Campaign of the Month, September 2018)

    The Dresden Files: Portland

    Deadlands: Riders on the Storm

    Velvet & Steel : 7th Sea 2nd Edition

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    Mine actually has nothing to do with roleplay- used to play darts fairly seriously, announcer at tournament stated "Killer Darts", and it became Killervp (vp being my initials.)
    killervp
    "A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com
    "OP's COTM April 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/a-god-rebuilt-aprils-cotm/
    Over 350 Fans, and Looking for More!

    Just trying to help out.

  • SkidAce
    SkidAce
    Posts: 830
    We used to play an old CGA graphics games over dial up to dial up modems. One was Red Baron, and the other was Falcon 2.0 (?). both were combat pilot sims. I was always the first among my group to kill the others five times, thereby becoming an Ace. And my nick name was Skid, so SkidAce.

    I used the same name to play Wing Commander.
  • Maesenko
    Maesenko
    Posts: 325
    I actually came up with my name back in junior high. It was originally nonsensical Japanese, but it does have meaning with the right characters, or when written as a play on words or a character pun. It has nothing to do with the "masenko", the attack from DBZ (that is coincidence, as I hadn't even watched DBZ by that point).

    Like with Nellshini, I've used it for years and nobody else does. Chances are good that if you enter it into a search engine, you'll find me.

    _~Mae_

    ~Mae

    CotM Selection Committee

  • bluesguy
    bluesguy
    Posts: 127
    Mine started when I was joined a blues forum - I am a huge blues fan - so I started using bluesguy as my handle.
  • BearerOfTidings
    BearerOfTidings
    Posts: 28
    My handle was made up on the spot when I was signing up for Obsidian Portal. I had seen all of your cool screen names and was a bit nervous about coming up with something classy and yet having meaning for the group. I was, am, and forever will be a GM and their primary role in a game is to inform the group of the results of their actions (and whatever else may be coming up) so I chose this and it has worked out well.
  • NikMak
    NikMak
    Posts: 379
    nice bearer-O-T :) - do you ever get to play as well though? im of the opinion that it makes you a better GM to play sometimes as well
  • Abersade
    Abersade
    Posts: 417 edited September 2015
    My username dates back twenty years as well, Abersade was the name I came up with for one of my first friendly NPC's in I think it was the second campaign I ran. He was a Druid/Wizard, I've used him in several campaigns since and he's even made a showing in my current homebrew setting (although he has long since died of old age in the current game, he'd easily be 5100+ years old by now).

    Like Nellshini and Maesenko I'm pretty much the only Abersade in town, just about every result from the first 3 pages of a google search for Abersade is me. Interestingly, google images doesn't have a picture of me but it does have a picture of my wife, my friends fiancee, and a bunch of my friends. Then again, it also seems to think I like guns (I have no problem with them but they freak me out a bit in person). I have used this username just SO MUCH.
    Post edited by Abersade on

    GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM

    GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM

    GM of Stream of Kairos

    Need CSS Help? It may be covered here: Abersade's CSS Hub

  • BearerOfTidings
    BearerOfTidings
    Posts: 28
    Yes, NikMak, I get to play but my luck is traditionally very bad so I enjoy it less than I otherwise might.

    For example, earlier this year I was the primary combat character in a Pathfinder adventure path and fumbled 4 times in a row. Another epic luck fail was in a Legacy of Fire adventure where I rolled a 15 die fireball and scored 21 points of damage. For some reason, players generally prefer having a GM screen between my dice and their characters lives. Fortunately, I am one of those blessed souls who have far more adventures rumbling around in their heads than they will ever be able to play.

    Don't feel too sorry for me, I've got a great life with a wonderful family, a rewarding job that pays well, and lots of friends so I feel that my luck evens out when you consider everything.
  • NikMak
    NikMak
    Posts: 379
    That's some nice die rolling... Maybe you should try a dice free game! ;)
  • BearerOfTidings
    BearerOfTidings
    Posts: 28
    Believe it or not, NikMak, I enjoy finding out what the dice will do next and they've led me to some epic moments I would not have had otherwise. Check out "The Bones: Us and Our Dice" and you'll better understand.

    http://www.amazon.com/The-Bones-Us-Our-Dice/dp/0981884016/ref=pd_sim_sbs_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1Q68280C7W221V3FT1HR&dpID=41iJJhPJQSL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_
  • Bortas
    Bortas
    Posts: 645
    Fresh out of high school, my college roommate wanted to run a D&D game, something I had always wanted to do (but was not allowed in house). I literally had no basis to pull a name from, as Fantasy was completely banned at home. Star Trek wasn't, though. As a joke a few weeks prior, my mother had given me the Klingon-English dictionary. All the cool words are unpronounceable or sound dumb. And then I happened across bortaS and I recognized it as a ship (Gowron's, if it matters, from TNG). I looked up the definition, "revenge" and decided I liked it. And thus 20 years have passed, same nick. My lady even calls me it sometimes. Probably half my friends call me 'bort' all the time. *shrug*

    -bort
    "Morwindl":https://morwindl.obsidianportal.com
    "EIDL":https://eidl.obsidianportal.com
  • Kallak
    Kallak
    Posts: 1,090
    The name Kallak, as it turns out, has been given to wide assortment of things: from a mine in Sweden, to a musical group on youtube, to a sword in the Dragon Age: Origins (Awakening) video game, to an "endemic pustular dermatitis" found especially among Eskimo populations (according to the New England Journal of Medicine). Wookieepedia lists it as a type of assassin in the star wars universe, and "Kallak" is the father of Queen Katherine in "The Legend of Kyrandia" book series.

    As far as where I got it, Kallak was one of 21 characters you could select to join your 4-man party in the classic Turbografx 16 game "Order of the Griffon" (An Official Dungeons & Dragons Computer Game) from 1992. He is a dwarf who's summary reads: "I'm your best bet in a fight." - as it would turn out for me, Tor was actually the best of the 3 dwarf options, but I still liked the name Kallak and started using it.

    If you've never played Order of the Griffon before, you should download the emulator and ROM and give it a try. Rumors concerning the vampire Koriszegy are growing and the good Lord Korrigan of Radlebb Keep needs you to investigate! It's super old school, and only goes to level 7 - but to date it's still one of my favorite games to fire up now and then and run through. I spent so many hours back in the day mapping out locations, finding the best gear and writing my strategy guide. Fun stuff.
    All the best,
    - Kallak
  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,006 edited October 2015
    Thanks NikMak, DreadGazebo, nellshini, UselessTriviaMan, Belrathius, pencilneckgeek, killervp, SkidAce, Maesenko, bluesguy, BearerOfTidings, Abersade, Bortas, Kallak, Wolfhound, Keryth987, MachineGunHarry and saethone. It's an honour to REmake your acquaintance!

    twigs
    Post edited by twiggyleaf on

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • NikMak
    NikMak
    Posts: 379
    aww twigs ;) nice to meet you as well :)
  • wolfhound
    wolfhound
    Posts: 354
    Is "Cú" mo leasainm ar an idirlíon. I mBéarla cú = Wolfhound.

    Wolfhound is the English for the original meaning of Cú (these days usually cú means a greyhound more often than not, but not originally).

    The story of Cú Chulainn was one of the first ones I remember hearing i nGaeilge. The storyteller (seanchaí) switched back and forth between Irish and English and I realized something was missing in my life - a language my family (originally from the west of Ireland) had long ago forgotten. I set about to remedy that. Níl mé líofa fós, ach tá mé ag feabhsú.

    Additionally, I had the honor of working with a wonderful person who fought in Vietnam with the 27th Infantry Regiment (you can probably guess the nickname, though for that unit it was a Russian one, not Irish).

    Wolfhound also plays a part in my Cowboy Action Shooting handle, as well as my name with the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club.
  • gairim
    gairim
    Posts: 4
    I took a year of Irish in college, and gairim was my attempt at "I laugh."
  • wolfhound
    wolfhound
    Posts: 354
    Tá ceart agat!

    (le síneadh fada ar "A" ar ndóigh)
  • gairim
    gairim
    Posts: 4
    :)

    Go raidh maith agat!

    Sláinte,
    ~gáirim
  • MachineGunHarry
    MachineGunHarry
    Posts: 115
    MachineGunHarry came about one afternoon while cleaning the house. I have to be thinking about something while doing 'nothing'. So at that moment I was contemplating the equation E = MC^2. So, we see that energy is created from mass as it is accelerated to the speed of light, or at least energy can come from matter. I thought, what if we took the opposite to be true as well. What if Energy was to be condensed, and contained so that it decelerated? Would a matter be created?

    I have always been fascinated with Superheroes and novelty powers. And this thought led me to think of an unusual power of a hero to take forms of energy and condense them into a phase of matter. Then I began considering the various forms of energy that we know of, or the material form this power could create. I began coming up with a group of superheroes that could condense energy.

    The first was the Amber-Kid, a spunky little preteen girl who could turn kinetic energy into a solid crystalline matter. She would use this to encase a moving enemy or create a barrier of protection when she accelerated at rapid rates. The next was a hero that could create blades from heat energy that had edges on the atomic level (super-super sharp). The next was Kabbalah, a lady superhero that could create a flying vehicle around herself using psychic energy. I envisioned a ship that was a mix between Star Fox's interceptor and Max on the Flight of the Navigator. Another hero could take electrical energy and form them into massive blue arms.

    And FINALLY, I thought of a hero that would take mystic Chi energy, accelerated it around himself like orbiting fog. Then, suddenly condense it into thousands of marble-sized particles. It would be like a machine-gun. But it would never jam, and it would have endless supply of ammo, since chi is all around. I called him Machine-Gun Harry because in my mind's eye he was a bit unruly and undisciplined (sort of a contradiction, since chi-masters are usually very disciplined) much like Dirty Harry. He would have a devastating power that he had a hard time maintaining. Also, I thought it was a funny image if Dirty Harry had this massive machine gun instead of his heavy magnum revolver.

    So, when I was invited to join Obsidian Portal to play a Superhero campaign, my first character was named Machine-Gun Harry, a English alliteration of "Ma-Xin Gun Hei Ri":https://taur-war.obsidianportal.com/characters/machine-gun-harry
  • NikMak
    NikMak
    Posts: 379
    Lol, nice MGH :)
  • Keryth987
    Keryth987
    Posts: 1,047
    Keryth was a favorite character of mine in a long D&D campaign with ym frineds, and when I first needed to make an email address, we were still in that campaign and it just stuck. It's since become my onlie alias for everything from here to other Forums to WoW.

    Keelah Se'lai,
    Keryth
    "Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
    "2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
    "Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    I have always wondered why the 987?

    Just trying to help out.

  • kettle
    kettle
    Posts: 72
    Kettle Notapot was a character in one of our 2nd D&D games. He was a gnome rogue who pretended to be a paladin. He wore armor made out of pots and pans and was pretty crazy. When I started playing WOW, I used Kettle as my gnome wizard and the name stuck since then.

    Kettle

    "Rise of the Dead June 2013 COTM":https://rise-of-the-dead.obsidianportal.com/
    Currently playing shadowrun 4th edition "The Book of Taliesin":https://the-book-of-taliesin.obsidianportal.com/ run by my wife
  • Keryth987
    Keryth987
    Posts: 1,047
    The 987 is because there was apparently another Keryth on the site when I made the account, so I just tacked the numbers at the end


    Keelah Se'lai,
    Keryth
    "Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
    "2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
    "Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/

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