Hooray! Another topic where everyone can post and not contribute anything!
Anyway, here's my life story:
My first "nickname" was one my mom gave me. A cute rhyme with my real name. But that never got to the outside world, so it doesn't really count. (And I won't tell YOU either)
Later, about four years into public schooling, I recieved a nickname based on my advanced mathematical skills and overall intelligence. In retrospect I think I bragged too much, but as I understood it then I was so smart my name was "stupid". Yay irony...
Well, a few years later (in a new school) some of my friends led me to a site on the internet. Basically, you made an account and then could play many types of flash-games. A username was required, so I came up with "someguy." Quiet, impersonnal, and also taken. So, with the magic of numbers, I became "someguy12." (I've since become inactive, and my same account name is currently used by another person.)
Some years later I bought a Real-time Strategy game I could play over the internet. I would be able to chat with other players, so anonymity would not be appropriate. I wanted something personal and memorable. "Now I need a good name that hasn't been taken...", I says to myself. "Oh great, all the good names already have been taken," I says on the tenth try. Well, I decided to put together three of my favorite topics: Math, Chess, and Dungeons&Dragons = "mathchessdnd" and found success.
After playing several games and gaining game-chat experience, I realized a lot of people say very obvious things. (e.g. <him>"laglaglaglaglag" <me> "How many times do you have to remind us that the game is lagging? I can see it for myself!"... or <him>"gg" <me>" 'good' game? this game was terrible! all our teammates left!")
So, at this point, I changed my name to CaptainObvious (after the well-known sarcastic line, "Thank You Captain Obvious!") so I could point out the needlessness of such things.
(Whew, that was longer than expected.)
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On another note, I condemn the use of numbers in a name. Using numbers is the easy-way-out, and very impersonnal of yourself. "Oh no, 'Mario' is taken... better be, 'Mario897432.' " There is always a name that suits you if you look hard enough. (Or just make one up. On another site "CaptainObvious" wouldn't fit, so I made "Chief_Oluk" because it sounded nice)