What's in a name, and why that particular Avatar

[Cpt Kangaroo]

I see so many interesting names, and avatars, and I know each has to have it's own story. So I thought a good Thread would be, why did you pick your name? And then what inspired your avatar?

I guess I need to start this off by explaining my name and lack of avatar.

Due to some personal projects, I hold a queens commission for Marsupials, specifically the Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

As it has been explained to me, a commissioned officer of the queen starts at the rank of captain, so there you have it. Captain Kangaroo! ( a person I have come to admire, if you read his bio)

My chosen avatar will be my pennant, or more correct, my house flag, which I will not display until I have taken command of my fleet. (Very soon now...)

I will at least show it here for the purposes of the thread.



This is based on some old family heraldry which is nautical in theme due to a long history with the sea.

The earliest I am aware of is an Admiral Thomas Tucker of the West Indies in the 1740's.

Apparently he was present at the demise of Teach, or more commonly Black Beard. (There is some speculation as to who was the bigger rogue though.) I think he was still young and starting out at that time. I wish I had more info.

I did find a Bio that may be correct, which made for some interesting reading, similar to Hornblower's Life, had he been real.

I thought a pennant was more unique, plus there wasn't any visual information I could use.

I look forward to hearing some of the stories to the others in the Anchorage.

Please share!

[Nightmoss]

Easy response for me. Nightmoss was a fantasy character name from when I played online mmo's. The avatar is a Leviathan's ship repaint I did last year after Catalyst Games released the game at GenCon.

[Naharaht]

My avatar shows the naval uniform of a midshipman. I previously had a different avatar showing a seaman when I held the seaman ranks. When (if) I become a lieutenant, I am intending to change my avatar again. My sitename is an 'homage' to a character from a series of books.

[David Manley]

Mine shows a ship, the design of which I have worked on for many years and which embodies many new methods and technologies that I have promoted and developed over the years. It is a ship of which I am justly proud.

[Diamondback]

If ye be unable to recognize the meanin' o' the Jolly Roger, it be time for ye to walk the plank, matey...

As for my handle, it's a long story, involving both a young lady I once loved and a professor who once commanded the local fighter squadron. I have a very definite "rattlesnake personality," so when some latent Texas streaks in my personality came out in response to a stalker ex of hers (I give one loud, clear, unmistakable fair warning then the fangs come out and it's For All The Marbles), she decided it appropriate to dub me after the largest and one of the orneriest of Texas rattlers. And then when he heard about it, that prof--who was like a surrogate dad to me, and coached me through quite a few hours of simulator time--saw fit to inflict it on me as my callsign, so... I'm kinda stuck with it, but do have to admit it's a good fit. LOL

[Berthier]

My avatar shows Marshal Berthier at the Camp of Boulogne pointing at the invasion fleet for the proposed invasion of Britain. Being the only picture I could find with him in a naval context it self selected.

Why Berthier? Well it was not supposed to be!...Years ago when I first joined ebay (1999) I tried to get the name Suchet, Davout or Massena (my favourite French Marshals), all were gone so I picked Berthier instead, not the most glamorous but certainly the most industrious of the Marshals. Any site I joined after that I would invariable do with that name if I could, thus preventing the need to remember a hundred different login names.

The selection of a Marshal was due to my interest in the French Revolution-Napoleonic period and my preference for the French in those years.



What is more interesting is that I'm not entirely convinced that is actually Berthier in the painting though he does hold a Marshal's baton!!

[7eat51]

My avatar is Isaac Hull, an American who captained the USS Constitution. He seems to have been a respectable man, and the Constitution is my favorite AoS frigate, if not ship.

7 was a nod to the Almighty - 7 being a Biblical number for God
EAT is easy - my initials, the A being Anthony, an ever present component in any true Italian-American's name
51 - the number I used on all my softball and basketball league uniforms as homage to one of the greatest American Football linebackers of all time - Dick Butkus, a fellow Southside Chicagoan





My avatar for the Aerodrome and BGG is the flag for the town in southern Italy - Ripacandida - where my family is from:

[Cmmdre]

Ahoy polloi... where did you come from, a scotch ad?

A quote from Caddyshack where Spalding Smails greets Danny Noonan (my Avatar) at the yacht club. Felt like a good fit. My handle is short for Commodore.

[csadn]

**** Butkus, a fellow Southside Chicagoan

Um, didn't we fix this?

I think I've explained mine before, but: The handle refers to my choice of vehicle -- a pickup truck; in this case, one of the first Dodges with the "longnose-semi" hood-and-fender design [ https://www.google.com/search?q=1995...w=1272&bih=875 ]. One of the car magazines described it as a "redneck battleship" -- the redneck stereotype comes for the US South, also known (once) as the "Confederate States of America", or CSA; and the first ship to have the features normally associated with battleships these days was HMS _Dreadnought_, so such ships were known as "dreadnoughts", or DN. (And since I prefer my pickups in grey....)

The avatar was created for me -- like Diamondback, I am a Pirate at heart; the skull's meaning is obvious; the crossed pistol and saber indicate *how* the skull got there; and the surrounding JAWS... well, *you* figure it out....

(I sometimes hesitate to think what would happen in D-back and I were ever to team up on a "project" -- to have *one* Texan-blood personality on one's aft is one thing; *TWO* of them.... >:) )

[7eat51]

Um, didn't we fix this?

I guess we did. I edited my post accordingly.

Interesting to read how folks came up with their avatars and usernames. Good thread, Erin.

[Coog]

When I first signed up on the site, I noticed several people were using pictures of notable persons from the age of sail for avatars. I had always liked Stephen Decatur, so I used his picture for an avatar. I was using the name Coog on the Aerodrome site and continued its use on the Anchorage. Coog was a nickname I used from paintball. I had set up radio call signs for my team on the side we were playing for based on the mascot of the college we attended. My college, the University of Houston, were the cougars so I used cougar. The name "Coogs" is often used at UH for Cougars and I ended up being called Coog among the people I usually played with at large scenario games. When I signed up on the Aerodrome, I couldn't think of anything else to use at the moment so I stuck with the paintball nickname.

[Devsdoc]

My name comes from when I joined an English Civil War re-enactment group 20 years ago called Devereuxs. We are called devs for short. I became Devereuxs Surgeon. So was call Devs-doc. As for my avatar Its one of many photos of my kit.



Be safe
Rory

[Naharaht]

Those surgical implements look fearsome, Rory.

[Berthier]

That's a fine surgeons kit you have Rory, what was the mallet and wood used for? Maybe I dont want to know afterall

[Gaz67]

I'm easy (according to SWMBO) , Gaz is short for Garry and 67 as I was born in 1967. I use Gaz67 in pretty much any forum/game that I'm on as I don't get confused!

My avatar I came across after an extensive 10 minute internet search, as lot of people were using flags and portraits I tried to be different, who doesn't like a cannon after all??

[Nightmoss]

I wonder if people stayed healthier back then, just to avoid those instruments? Couldn't help but cringe looking at them?!?

[RichardPF]

RichardPF is for Richard Phillips Feynman, winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics.

My avatar is a scaled down hull lines drawing that I had fashioned as part of a virtual 3D SOL model I was creating at the time that I joined the site.

[csadn]

That's a fine surgeons kit you have Rory, what was the mallet and wood used for? Maybe I dont want to know afterall

Resetting bones (when possible)? >:)

And remember: They didn't have the "germ theory" of disease then -- in fact, they were so ignorant, they[DEAR READERS: At this point, this post was Heavily Censored, due to graphic descriptions of bodily fluids and uses of insect life contrary to the "Not In Front Of The Children" Act. Thank you. The Management]

[Devsdoc]

Hi Erin,
Sorry! For coming off your fun thread.

Those surgical implements look fearsome, Rory.

As You can see by the date David it's an old photo. I have up-dated my kit some-what, but not the on-line photo's.

That's a fine surgeons kit you have Rory, what was the mallet and wood used for? Maybe I dont want to know afterall

Daniel, With the iron, called a digit iron. Put the log on the table. Put the damaged finger on the log. Put the digit iron on the finger. Use the mallet Hard and fast.

I wonder if people stayed healthier back then, just to avoid those instruments? Couldn't help but cringe looking at them?!?

Jim, most modern Surgeon's can name or know what most of the tools are used for.

Resetting bones (when possible)? >:)

And remember: They didn't have the "germ theory" of disease then -- in fact, they were so ignorant, they[DEAR READERS: At this point, this post was Heavily Censored, due to graphic descriptions of bodily fluids and uses of insect life contrary to the "Not In Front Of The Children" Act. Thank you. The Management]

Chris,
You are so right. But it is U.K. Full-backs, or U.S.A. Line-backs that end up on the floor. Not the kids.
Hope you will be all safe
Rory

[Beowulf03809]

Beowulf is one of my favorites stories. The original Beowulf, not any of the film versions (some are fun but I can't consider them any real attempt to tell the true story). I read it the first time an eternity ago and try to pick it up at least once per year (that and the Lord of the Rings trilogy). I even had "Beowulf" as the license plate on my Rover. Through the 80s and 90s I used a number of different handles online but about a decade ago when I started getting involved with a few hobby forums I wanted a consistent name and looked to use Beowulf. The name is, unfortunately, a rather popular choice online, so I tagged my zip code on the end...03809. Haven't had a uniqueness issues yet.

Unfortunately we're trying to relocate so I'm going to have an identity crises eventually or try to get my name changed on the forums once we settle into a permanent home.

For pretty much all other sites my typical avatar is a pencil drawing of the great Beowulf (as a realistic looking warrior king of old...not some over the top comic style hero) which I have loved since I stumbled across it some years ago. This being an AoS game and forum though it just didn't match. So I spent some time looking at various paintings and photos of period ships and this one struck me the most.

[Comte de Brueys]

My Avatar is:

François-Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys (* 12. Februar 1753 at Uzès; † 1. August 1798 at Abukir)

A French Admiral who died at Abukir on board of the L'Orient, the mighty flagship of Napoleon's Egypt invasion fleet.

All my favour goes to the French side for the Napoleonic Age with a few exceptions like the KGL.

The French Revolution and Napoleon changed the old structures of Europe.

[Berthier]

For those who dont know regarding Sven's avatar:

In the ensuing Battle of the Nile, the Orient fought HMS Bellerophon, causing her major damage but receiving little support, especially from the rearguard under Denis Decrès and Villeneuve. Already wounded twice during the day, and almost cut in half by a cannon shot, Brueys died at his command post around 9 PM.^[2] His ship exploded one hour later after being on fire for some time. Brueys was criticised in France for remaining at anchor right up until the moment of the attack, but Bonaparte replied to such criticism by saying "If, in this disastrous event, he made mistakes, he expiated them by his glorious end". His name appears on the Arc de triomphe in Paris.

[Comte de Brueys]

Thank you, my friend.

I think your name is right next to mine.

Vive La France!

[Cpt Kangaroo]

OK, big question....I have always wondered.... Did the French invent 'French Fries'?

[Coog]

OK, big question....I have always wondered.... Did the French invent 'French Fries'?

Most sources credit the Belgians.

[Berthier]

Most sources credit the Belgians.

Ah, but which Belgians, the French or the Flemish speaking?

[Coog]

Ah, but which Belgians, the French or the Flemish speaking?

Do you really think that the French would have let the Belgians call them French Fries if it was the Flemish that invented them?!!!

[Berthier]

Flemish fries..hmm

[CHolgren]

Hello gents. Summer is over and it's good to be back.

First initial and last name, so simple enough.

My avatar is an officers flag I made up based on the modern Netherlands ensign with my SGN rank insignia on the bottom right corner since my greatest naval claim is being related to Willem Schouten, the Dutch explorer.

[Rabbit]

Those surgical implements look fearsome, Rory.

And to think that when I saw the picture I thought they were the tools that Rory used to rig his ships!

My name arose from when I was but four years of age when we moved from Heol Gron, Cwm-twrch Isaf in the village of Gurnos. To locate this in such a way that the rest of the world would understand, we would add, with some condescension, “Five miles from Ystradgynlais!”

The family moved from Wales to Salop currently Shropshire (the traditional name for the county being dropped after it was found that Salop is a very close approximation of a French word, used as an insult, referring to the participants in the oldest profession.)

Unsurprisingly, my accent was a little different and having a given name that many (all?) found difficult to pronounce, let alone spell some humourist started calling me “Welshy”. It did not take a genius (which was lucky as they were scarce) before the name became “Welsh-Rabbit” after the poor-man’s dish of fried cheese, sometimes served on toasted bread; “Welsh Rarebit”.

Rabbit it has been ever since.

The Avatar is therefore self explanatory.

Rabbit

[QfunK!]

Avatar is a the "Star Spangled Banner" with a flourish to make it mine. My name comes from a strange noticing of monikers of the music industry in the late 80's and early 90's. With the performers Q-Tip, Ice-Cube and Quest Love, I thought that the "kw" sound was important for making a gamer tag that could fit onto arcade games. And besides "Mario" is a bit over played in that area.
Though since getting Inkscape, I was thinking of altering the Avatar to clean it up, so that the 15th stripe is not cut off due to file size.

[Capt P]

Chose the name and then the avatar. Was just lucky I did that as Capt P and Perry transferring to another ship. Just a lucky thing.

[Anav]

Avatar is the Constitution. Anav Was my title in the Navy. Short for Assistant Navigator. Retired a Senior Chief Quartermaster after 21 years.

[7eat51]

Heol Gron, Cwm-twrch Isaf in the village of Gurnos…. “Five miles from Ystradgynlais!”

I have a sudden urge to read the Lord of the Rings.

Rab, thoroughly enjoyable explanation.

[Rabbit]

I have a sudden urge to read the Lord of the Rings.

Why read it when you can live it!

Stories of short hairy folk, tunneling underground. The mountains, the forests, the rivers, trees that walk (especially after a tot or two ) I could probably find you a few descendants of goblins too

We just don't have a Balrog under the Severn bridge.

Merlin sorted him out

Rabbit

[7eat51]

Merlin sorted him out

Would Merlin be willing to come to Washington D.C.?

Sue and I are at a stage in life where traveling will be a major part of our summers from now on. One of the trips we're planning is exploring the U.K. We watched a video on Wales, and it was beautiful. Actually, so much of what we have seen of the U.K. (via video or pictures - not in person) looks beautiful. Hopefully, we'll be there next summer or the one thereafter. We looking at a river cruise on the continent, but the dates will determine which is next year's trip and which the following year.

I can't help but believe I will gain a better understanding of some of Tolkien's inspiration.

[Gaz67]

Nothing at all against my southern Celtic brethren but head north, well north into the Highlands, we have a monster. But I can't promise anything in the way of summer....

[7eat51]

We have friends who studied in Scotland, and the pictures we've seen are definitely appetizing in terms of seeing for ourselves. I think this is the biggest problem we'll face - what to see on our first trip, and what subsequently. We would be looking at a month or so - one of the benefits of being a teacher is summer break, so hopefully, we'll see a lot. We would either rent a car, or use the train system and rent daily cars and hike a lot. The latter is preferable, unless all of you learn how to drive on the proper side of the road. It would be fun to meet fellow shipmates and friends from the 'Drome at a local gaming convention or two.

In the future, I will post a thread asking for travel and sightseeing advice, and given my initials are EAT, for culinary recommendations. Both of us like Haggis, so that is a good start.

[Gaz67]

Car is probably the best bet once you get into the highlands, not so many train stations...

or a camper van maybe...

[Devsdoc]

Would Merlin be willing to come to Washington D.C.?

Sue and I are at a stage in life where traveling will be a major part of our summers from now on. One of the trips we're planning is exploring the U.K. We watched a video on Wales, and it was beautiful. Actually, so much of what we have seen of the U.K. (via video or pictures - not in person) looks beautiful. Hopefully, we'll be there next summer or the one thereafter. We looking at a river cruise on the continent, but the dates will determine which is next year's trip and which the following year.

I can't help but believe I will gain a better understanding of some of Tolkien's inspiration.

For Portsmouth, I'm your man.
Be safe
Rory

[7eat51]

Car is probably the best bet once you get into the highlands, not so many train stations...

or a camper van maybe...

A camper van… I hadn't thought of that. I assume there are plenty of places to pull-off and spend the night.

For Portsmouth, I'm your man.
Be safe
Rory

Count on it. It would be great to meet you in person. For me, personally, the best part of the Anchorage and 'Drome are my shipmates and wingmen. You folks are the main reason I log in each day.

[Gaz67]

Plenty of campsites, caravan parks and the odd bit of flat ground.

[Rabbit]

Eric, you could do far worse than take Sue to Wales, Hi Sue.

The scenery can be spectacular and depending upon what you enjoy there are places so desolate you could wish to be in Mordor, and countryside that makes Lothlórien look like a city park. The industrial history which the country contains is fantastic and the images of the conditions our forebears endured makes the factories and industries of Isengard's valley the Tower of Orthanc seem like havens of enlightened management!

North Wales is less industrial, they tend to speak Welsh more in the North, I prefer the South (I’m Biased) there are more cities in the South, although not what you would refer to as a city I am sure.

Like Gaz, I would not recommend a train, while Britain invented the train; we have been left far behind by our continental cousins. Yes use the trains, buses and tubes in London, Cars are a liability there, but outside London, it has to be the car every time. With the exception of the M25, London’s orbital motorway, (which for much of the day is a giant car park) traffic flows fairly well.

Beautiful though it is, you do not get a Green and pleasant Land, without a drop or two of weather, bring a coat, a good waterproof coat. Unfortunately the good Lord forgot to fit Wales with a roof.

For food, If you get to Swansea, once known as Copperopolis, a great industrial city, where copper for the navy was produced see link http://acs-swansea.no-ip.org/sph/copperopolis.php
Try Cockles, a small shellfish from the local beaches, served with vinegar and pepper and Laver bread, boiled seaweed (kelp) sometimes just served as a dollop on the plate, usually with bacon and eggs, sometimes mixed with oatmeal, rolled into cakes or patties and fried. Certainly an acquired taste. Most people are put off by the look of the stuff rather than by the taste, it is a very dark green, sloppy mass in its normal guise, but tastes (in my opinion) wonderful.

Both products available from Swansea Market, the same old ladies who sold it when I was a child are probably still there now, they looked older than god then, but were probably only 21. The best cockles are from Penclawdd, where they have been harvested since Roman Times. Again I am Biased!

Campsites a plenty, there will be restrictions about just pulling off the road, anywhere in the UK, some folk get grumpy. There used to be tourists who would buy a camper at the start of their holiday, sell it at the end, and not lose a silly amount of money on the deal, not sure that would still be an option now.

You will need to go to Portsmouth and Chatham, the historic dockyards are a wonder, there are forts above and around the docks too so you can see how the fleets were protected. Depending upon how your mind works, if you can only do one, choose Chatham (Kent) if you want to see where and how the big ships like Victory were built, Portsmouth (Hampshire) if you want to see her now.

Hope that helps

Rabbit

[csadn]

or a camper van maybe...

Take a caravan -- and put _Top Gear_ bumper-stickers on it. Then listen to the sounds of Heads Exploding behind you.... >;)

[Gaz67]

Top Gear possibly the best tv ever....

[7eat51]

Rab, thanks for the helpful info. I just started a Word document to organize info for the trip, and pasted your post into it.

As for food, we eat everything. If we never have seen it before, that's what we'll get, regardless of looks. So no worries about any food recommendations.

I will start a new thread when we know if the trip is summer of 2014 or 2015. It largely depends upon the ability to book the river cruise on the Continent, given a few obligations here next summer. I look forward to gathering tips and suggestions from all of you. Sue and I are far more inclined to visit sites recommended by locals than the major tourist attractions, unless we have a particular desire to see one of those attractions, e.g. a certain castle, garden, or museum. We are, also, interested in getting a feel for real life, so we enjoy seeing non-touristy places and prefer eating at local establishments. The rule of thumb is to be the only non-whatever in the what-ever restaurant. If the server has a hard time speaking to us due to language, we're in the right place. I realize that coming from Chicago, we will experience the language barrier everywhere in the U.K.

[Gaz67]

we will experience the language barrier everywhere in the U.K.

To be fair most of the UK doesn't understand each other anyway

[7eat51]

For you Gaz:

[Cpt Kangaroo]

Eric, I am still laughing over this one. I am allowed to, my wife is Scottish.

[Rabbit]

I realize that coming from Chicago, we will experience the language barrier everywhere in the U.K.

Just Shout, we Brits have been shouting at Natives for years. just make sure you smile, while you are shouting, the locals will think you have had too much sun (unlikely in Wales), but it seems to work.

Rabbit