# Forum names



## althea (Jan 25, 2019)

I expect this subject has been covered many times in the past. I have been wondering how members decided on their forum names.There are so many and varied in these forums that I'm sure there are some interesting tales to be told.
When I first joined a forum,back in 2004,I was nervous and unsure how I would be received.
I decided to call myself Althea,after Althea Vestrit,the doughty heroine of the Live Ship Traders series by Robin Hobb.
Althea was fearless and brave and the name gave me confidence.
I have used Althea on all forums except Booksie.com,where the name was not available.
On Booksie,I posted as Desilu,which was a nickname from school.


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## nixie (Jan 25, 2019)

Wanting something from fairy I first tried for Kelpie  but it was already taking( Teresa) I then thought of the selkie but nixie suddenly popped into my head.


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## Vladd67 (Jan 25, 2019)

Back in the 90s I used to frequent the Yahoo sci-fi and fantasy chat room, my then girl friend now wife, suggested as I worked for the tax office I should have a blood suckers name. Thus Vladd Prince of Darkness was born. Over time I lost the Prince of Darkness title and Vladd became my go to online name. Sometimes I added the 67 as it’s my year of birth.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jan 25, 2019)

I was springs for years and then changed to my pen/real name when I was published.


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## AlexH (Jan 25, 2019)

I was Radioman on forums for years, which is the name of a song by Feeder, who were by far my favourite band when I began joining forums.

I've also been WanderWithMe, as I like travelling and wandering. That came from a song by British Sea Power called Come Wander with Me, which was a cover of a song from The Twilight Zone.

When people began to know my name anyway, I changed to TheAlex, which makes some people think I'm a fan of Crewe Alexandra (the football team), as it's their nickname.

I've also been GravityEquivalentBattenberg, which was something to do with a scientific theory and playing in a band called The Cakes.

I think this is the only public forum where I use my real name, and it's also the most recent I've registered on.


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## Boaz (Jan 26, 2019)

Boaz was the name of my dog that my ex-wife kept.  Boaz is one of the good guys in the Bible.  Boaz also happens to imitate my own name (in my eyes, at least).... they both have four letters and two of the letters in Boaz are the same and in the same positions as in my name.


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## Alex The G and T (Jan 26, 2019)

A warm chuckle to @AlexH.  I too have called myself "The Alex" Because, for the first twenty five years of my life I _was_ the only Alex.  No one was named Alex in those days.  In a sea of Bills, Joes, Bobs, Daves, Steves and Ricks; I, alone, owned my name. 

Oh, sure, I had a Great Uncle in Canada with my name, (met him once when I was an infant)and my Twice-Great Grandfather was my namesake. (Never met the man... he'd been dead for a while)

I blame the insufferably cute, Michael J Fox, as the sweet and clever "Alex Keaton" on the '80's sitcom Family Ties for blowing my copyright.  By the turn of the '90's, I couldn't go to a park, or a supermarket without some young Mother shrieking _my_ name at some intransigent brat.  Alexis, Alexandra, Alexander, gender notwithstanding, suddenly every kid in the neighborhood has had my name thrust upon them.

So, yeah, if a forum already has too many Alexes, and won't accept any version of Alex, as a username, try "TheAlex;" because there can be only one.

Skewing back on topic, here... In the early days of the www, I got onto the Asimov's/Analog magazine forums early enough (ca 1995) to snag username "Alex." No more, no less. For Fifteen years, I loitered about that place as "Alex." (The one and only)

Within that venue, there was a friendly fellow using his actual name: "David [I don't even remember his surname]"  When that forum began to crumble into a sea of political flames and inept, irrational, unresponsive and anonymous Moderation and we were all getting a bit frantic about losing our long beloved community; David changed his username and declared himself "The Evil Overlord" in protest.

I declared that David was not the Evil Overlord of me, and changed my username to "Alex, The Great and Terrible."  (Because L Frank Baum wrote, "I am Oz, the Great and Terrible."  I regard the blasphemous alteration by MGM and subsequent revivals to "The Great and Powerful" to be a weak abomination of a once awe inspiring Title.( As the current steward of a four-generation, family collection of 42 Oz books, I cannot condone such libelous license.))

Thus, when those forums vanished you can blame DEO for rescuing me from a life raft on the lonely sea of woe, and inviting me to Chrons.

I had difficulties getting the Chrons software to accept any reasonable variation on my plain name, so I went with the full title; except there were too many characters, written out, to fit.  So I went with the initials.  It never occurred to me, until it was too late, about the Gin and Tonic bit.


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## Droflet (Jan 26, 2019)

Mine started out as Telford, the MC of my books. For some reason I wanted to distance myself from that when I got published. Droflet is Telford spelled backwards. Yeah, I know I'm a bother.


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## Danny McG (Jan 26, 2019)

Boaz said:


> Boaz was the name of my dog that my ex-wife kept.  Boaz is one of the good guys in the Bible.  Boaz also happens to imitate my own name (in my eyes, at least).... they both have four letters and two of the letters in Boaz are the same and in the same positions as in my name.


Brad?
Joab?
Bazz?


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## picklematrix (Jan 26, 2019)

Mine was from a throwaway line in a classic Simpsons episode. I'm now curious how many people know the context


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## althea (Jan 26, 2019)

Alex The G and T said:


> A warm chuckle to @AlexH.  I too have called myself "The Alex" Because, for the first twenty five years of my life I _was_ the only Alex.  No one was named Alex in those days.  In a sea of Bills, Joes, Bobs, Daves, Steves and Ricks; I, alone, owned my name.
> 
> Oh, sure, I had a Great Uncle in Canada with my name, (met him once when I was an infant)and my Twice-Great Grandfather was my namesake. (Never met the man... he'd been dead for a while)
> 
> ...



Imagine what life is like for my grandson's fiance,who is named Alexa. She used ro be the one and only,now she is in almost every home.


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## Ian Fortytwo (Jan 26, 2019)

I'm a bit of a fan of *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A trilogy in five parts, by Douglas Adams. *Where the answer to the meaning of life is 42.


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## The Ace (Jan 26, 2019)

Here we go again, my initials are A.C. (if you miss out the middle name, which I never actually do), and I was always into planes, thus my best friend christened me, "The Ace," when I was about 9.

As to the subtitle, I'm Scottish, and a Roman re-enactor.


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## Mouse (Jan 26, 2019)

At the time I joined I had a rat called Mouse. And I like mice. Plus it suits me as I'm tiny (yet fierce).


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## Teresa Edgerton (Jan 27, 2019)

When I came here nobody seemed to be going by their real names, so I chose a handle and used if for a while.  But then I saw that some people were changing to their real names and I decided I would be most comfortable that way.  So I asked Brian to change the name on my account.  It does help keep my name before the public in promoting my books, but more importantly I feel more centered using my real identity.  I was going through an identity crisis of sorts at the time I started using my own name here, and while I wasn't immediately cured, it did help. 

But that was just my personal situation.

It also reminds me to take care with my words, because I'm the one who is going to be held responsible for anything I say.  Not that I _always_ heed that reminder, but I try.


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## Boaz (Jan 27, 2019)

dannymcg said:


> Brad?
> Joab?
> Bazz?


No, no, and no.  I was not really trying to to stump you... just commenting on the topic.


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 27, 2019)

Despite being an atheist, Thaddeus was my favourite disciple. Never asked for special recognition. Never whined about being top disciple. Never betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

He just went to work and put in a good solid shift discipling. Like the chap who's always at work, doing his job, never trying to hog the glory or promote himself (ironic, given self-promotion is something I'd like to be much better at).

Sixth is also a Biblical reference. Seven represents the perfection of God, six man's best effort to get close. It's why in the water into wine parable there are six jars of water.


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## Daysman (Jan 27, 2019)

Found it years ago in a reprint of the 1894 edition of Brewer's...


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## HoopyFrood (Jan 27, 2019)

I'm just really amazingly together* and know where my towel is. 


*actual contents may vary.


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## J Riff (Jan 27, 2019)

j the riffer, changed over from ripper when I found out they were still looking for me since 1888.


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## althea (Jan 27, 2019)

Thank you all for your replies. I am loving this thread.


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## Ian Fortytwo (Jan 27, 2019)

HoopyFrood said:


> I'm just really amazingly together* and know where my towel is.
> 
> 
> *actual contents may vary.



I know where my towel is.


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## The Ace (Jan 27, 2019)

Ian Fortytwo said:


> I know where my towel is.



Hardly an achievement here.


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## WarriorMouse (Jan 27, 2019)

Many years ago I had a co-worker name me "Mouse" because I was so quiet when at work he would forget I was around and would get startled when he "found me".
I've used that moniker on various forums over the years but that was taken here.
I wrote a few other names down, didn't like any of them. Thought, I'm older now, I should be wiserrolleyes strongerROFLMAO so....
WarriourMouse!
 Googed it, that image I use popped up  ..... and, so, there you go.


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## Tirellan (Jan 27, 2019)

If you don't know who Waylander is then you should not be on here.


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## Juliana (Jan 27, 2019)

Before the Chrons, I always used screen names on forums. Shortly before I joined here, I read a blog piece by George RR Martin saying that aspiring writers should use their real/pen names everywhere online, so when I signed up for the Chrons I went with his advice.

This is the only forum I'm active on right now, but I think that if I joined a non-writing-and/or SFF-related forum I might go for another screen name as would have nothing to do with my writing.


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## Danny McG (Jan 28, 2019)

I was, years before FaBoo etc, on a lot of WAP sites...on every one of them I was 'Dadlad' (oldest daughter started calling me that in her teens).
I am now on a few SF sites as dannymcg


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## BillionNamesofGod (Jan 28, 2019)

You have no business being here if you don’t recognise my forum name.
It’s one of the stories I read as a kid that had a great impact on me.
It made me truly realise sci fi is really about big ideas in story forum.
Like truly big ideas that could be discussed for eons.

Not read many thought provoking stories like this since mind.
Maybe sci fi writers aren’t really sci fi writers anymore ?


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## Laura R Hepworth (Jan 28, 2019)

My reason for my username's pretty much the same as Juliana's, only I haven't seen/read George R. R. Martin's article.  Until I started writing, I used regular made-up screen names. In the chainmaille communities, I've gone under Narrina (Quenyan Elvish for : 'crowned with fire'), but other screen names I've used are Carmenole (Sindarin meaning: 'art-long study,' at the time I was a fine arts student in college), Torech Ungol, and Shelob's Lair. Lol, as you may have noticed, there's been a bit of a theme with my screen names until now.


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## Bick (Jan 28, 2019)

A contraction of my name.


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## elvet (Jan 29, 2019)

When I joined my first forum for my adventure gaming hobby, I didn’t know what a username was. I ended up defaulting to my email name, Colpet. When I branched out into SFF book forums, I wanted a different name, but something suitable for a LotR fan. Elvet was what I ended up with, and it also happened to allude to my line of work. I have stuck with these two names since 2001, and kept the same avatar for all the forums I belong to.


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## -K2- (Jan 29, 2019)

It's complicated...

K2


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## Phyrebrat (Jan 29, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> I was springs for years and then changed to my pen/real name when I was published.



Awwww. I remember Springs!!! Give ‘er my love next time she manifests 

pH


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## thaddeus6th (Jan 29, 2019)

I do sometimes wonder about changing my name to Thaddeus White...

Bick, so you're really Bickarius Maximus Drusus Tiberius Decimus? I can see why you shortened it.


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## The Ace (Jan 29, 2019)

-K2- said:


> It's complicated...
> 
> K2


You're a Pentaxian ?

Pentax K2 - Pentax Manual Focus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications


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## Toby Frost (Jan 29, 2019)

I was Space Captain Toby to begin with, as my first novel,_ Space Captain Smith_, had just been published. Then, like Jo, it was changed, which was appropriate since _Space Captain Smith_ had had several sequels since there.

I must admit, I always assumed Alex The G and T was a reference to _A Clockwork Orange_.


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## Phyrebrat (Jan 29, 2019)

@Dan Jones I'm intrigued, how did you come up with such a great forum name? Why didn't you use your real one of Sir Reginald Rigmarole?

pH


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## nixie (Jan 29, 2019)

Forgot to mention my second choice pixie was already taking.


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## HoopyFrood (Jan 29, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> I was springs for years and then changed to my pen/real name when I was published.





Phyrebrat said:


> Awwww. I remember Springs!!! Give ‘er my love next time she manifests
> 
> pH



Here's a confession. If I recall correctly, Springs and Hopewrites joined around the same time and for some reason I kept getting you both mixed up!


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## nixie (Jan 29, 2019)

HoopyFrood said:


> Here's a confession. If I recall correctly, Springs and Hopewrites joined around the same time and for some reason I kept getting you both mixed up!


You're not the only one.


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## Ned Marcus (Jan 29, 2019)

Quite easy for me. I just used my pen name. I was almost called Marcus at birth, so it felt like a good choice, too.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jan 29, 2019)

Worse people I could be mixed up with


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## Phyrebrat (Jan 29, 2019)

Wait... <looks around nervously> have you ever seen Jo and Hope at the same time..?

pH


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## Jo Zebedee (Jan 29, 2019)

Phyrebrat said:


> Wait... <looks around nervously> have you ever seen Jo and Hope at the same time..?
> 
> pH


Yes. Lots of times.


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## -K2- (Jan 29, 2019)

The Ace said:


> You're a Pentaxian ?
> Pentax K2 - Pentax Manual Focus Film SLRs - Pentax Camera Reviews and Specifications



Oh my... aren't you the clever one for figuring that out on the first guess!

No... that's not why.  

(your joke was quite clever though, well done!  You should save that name you made up for a future novel)

K2


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## Dan Jones (Jan 29, 2019)

@Phyrebrat its a source of longstanding frustration with myself that I didn’t choose a better forum name for myself, and I’ve often thought of changing it but it’s probably too late and self-defeating now.

If I did I’d probably go with one of Sir Reg’s supporting players, like El Boppo, or Ballsmasher McAdams, rather than the man himself...


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## OHB (Jan 29, 2019)

My initials.
Real creative, aren't I?


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## AlexH (Jan 29, 2019)

Alex The G and T said:


> A warm chuckle to @AlexH.  I too have called myself "The Alex" Because, for the first twenty five years of my life I _was_ the only Alex.  No one was named Alex in those days.  In a sea of Bills, Joes, Bobs, Daves, Steves and Ricks; I, alone, owned my name.


Interesting. I wonder if you were _TheAlex_ in places where I tried to register that name when it was already taken. You've reminded me how I originally came up with TheAlex. After trying tens of usernames it was the only one available with my first broadband provider.


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## HareBrain (Jan 29, 2019)

There's a pub called The Alex in Bognor Regis. Ofttimes in my youth did I quaff a merrie ale there.

For years, I assumed G&T in @Alex The G and T meant Gin and Tonic.


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## Jo Zebedee (Jan 29, 2019)

A few years ago I joined a new forum where Jo Zebedee was already taken. I messaged the person to say we had the same name and she messaged to back to say she’d chosen hers as a joke! #Funny#NotFunny


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## Phyrebrat (Jan 29, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> A few years ago I joined a new forum where Jo Zebedee was already taken. I messaged the person to say we had the same name and she messaged to back to say she’d chosen hers as a joke! #Funny#NotFunny



I feel your pain. Trust me tho when I say it’s not as bad as...well hell, I don’t even want to say it


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## Parson (Jan 29, 2019)

Written before, but every few years this thread probably needs to come around.

----
My name was chosen because I was a pastor, now retired, but still preaching. But that's only part of the answer. I was on another forum as "Arson" which was screen name because I was called that in college. (I had a habit of lighting book matches in dorm rooms where the roomies smoked.) And that relates as well to my last name, Van Aartsen, so when I came more than a decade ago, I became Parson and I like the name very well.


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## Ursa major (Jan 29, 2019)

-K2- said:


> It's complicated...
> 
> K2


You're Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, and I claim my $5....


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## Phyrebrat (Jan 29, 2019)

Parson said:


> Written before, but every few years this thread probably needs to come around.
> 
> ----
> My name was chosen because I was a pastor, now retired, but still preaching. But that's only part of the answer. I was on another forum as "Arson" which was screen name because I was called that in college. (I had a habit of lighting book matches in dorm rooms where the roomies smoked.) And that relates as well to my last name, Van Aartsen, so when I came more than a decade ago, I became Parson and I like the name very well.



Parson! You bad boy! Maybe phyrebug would be a good name for you back then. 

pH


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## Luiglin (Jan 29, 2019)

I've used Luiglin since I first came online via old dial up and through numerous games, forums etc. It's made up and usually means it's never taken... except on twitter which was really very annoying


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## -K2- (Jan 30, 2019)

Ursa major said:


> You're Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, and I claim my $5....



Huzzah!  No...

Another good one though, I had to look that one up.  Absolutely fascinating, even his religious conversions.  I sense a new study topic coming on!  In any case, how I acquired and ultimately chose the name K2 is an unpleasant story that most people are not very comfortable with.  Nevertheless, it's a name that I have kept for many years, and most people either call me that or K.

K2


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## biodroid (Jan 30, 2019)

So I got mine from one of my favourite bands:

*Fear Factory is:*
Burton C. Bell* Resonating *Biodroid*/Vocals
*Dino Cazares* Energized Riff Traumatizer/Guitar
*Christian Olde Wolbers* Subsonic Assassin and Auxiliary Resonator/Bass
*Raymond Herrera* Automated Rhythmic Attacker/Drums


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## farntfar (Jan 30, 2019)

Another Hitchhiker's reference.

Farntfar was a priest who appears only in the radio version. (*)
His only line is to correct the pronunciation of his name.
Poodoo has introduced him thus: "This is Fartfar the priest. He does marriages. And other things. But mainly marriages.", to which Farntfar replies "Farntfar!"
* Apparently! I seem to remember him in the TV version as well, but all searches on the internet insist its only on radio. They (the internet searches) also spell it Varntvar, but as it was radio, who can tell?


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## Danny McG (Jan 30, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> A few years ago I joined a new forum where Jo Zebedee was already taken. I messaged the person to say we had the same name and she messaged to back to say she’d chosen hers as a joke! #Funny#NotFunny


Kinda funny!

Btw, some 'oldies' discussed these a long time ago.,
https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/15835/


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## Pyan (Jan 31, 2019)

And another:  Why did you choose your avatar name?

And again: Explain your Username...... (this one is 18 pages long)

Links inside these threads may not work, as they'll try to go to the old _sffchronicles.co.uk_, rather than to sffchronicles.com.


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## Narkalui (Feb 10, 2019)

Narkalui Kyriakin is a former sellsword. He's prematurely bald on top and ambidextrous. He wants nothing more than to settle down as an innkeeper but his only friend won't let him. His friend is the greatest swordsman in the world, but also a mute.

I used this handle back on the Heart of Heresy and Trollslayer.net, both now sadly defunct.


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## Harpo (Feb 23, 2019)

Having searched every page of the previous threads, it appears I have never posted in any of them.

Apart from being a fan of Harpo Marx generally, I was in need of a character with big pockets for a bit of RP nonsense, and then stuck with it. Then about six months later I joined this place, and kept the name. Never thought over a dozen years later I'd still be Harpo. It won't last forever though, I have already begun using a new name on a forum I joined elsewhere.


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## Danny McG (Feb 23, 2019)

Harpo said:


> Then about six months later I joined this place, and kept the name. Never thought over a dozen years later I'd still be Harpo. It won't last forever though, I have already begun using a new name on a forum I joined elsewhere.


New game idea ... let's see who can come up with a fresh name for Harpo!

(I tried one just then but the site censorship won't permit it)


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## Vladd67 (Feb 23, 2019)

Oprah?


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## Danny McG (Feb 23, 2019)

Jo Zebedee said:


> I was springs for years and then changed to my pen/real name when I was published.


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## Parson (Feb 24, 2019)

Hm, Harpo's name should be something to go with his on-screen persona ..... let me see .... "Jester?" "Ringo?"


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## Quisizyx (Apr 18, 2019)

Greets-    When handles/pseudonyms/site names started becoming popular, I started out with mushin.  As my inet service changed and my choices became unavailable it morphed thru mu-shin, sesshin, then, when every choice I entered was taken, out of exasperated frustration, Quisizyx.  A selection of the least used letters in the alphabet.  I even tried Mxyzptlk, one of Superman's protagonists.  Someone had already grabbed it. 

The light at the end of the tunnel is a brightly lit sign in front of a blank wall reading "Dead End".


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## MaxiPower (May 11, 2019)

From an oul dragonball z game on the PS1... Master Roshi's special move as he flexed he blurted out "Maxi Power" name stuck since.


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## BAYLOR (May 11, 2019)

I chose the name Baylor on a whim.


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## pambaddeley (May 11, 2019)

I was working on the novel I've finally managed to publish last week, so I thought it was best to use my author name. Bit boring of me I know!


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## Boaz (May 11, 2019)

pambaddeley said:


> I was working on the novel I've finally managed to publish last week, so I thought it was best to use my author name. Bit boring of me I know!


Grats!


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