# Username and Avatar Stories :)



## Feathers Falling (Sep 5, 2012)

Hey what's the story behind your username and avatar?  And how do you feel it's related to your enneagram?



My username cata.lyst.rawr is from my rave name, Catalyst. My friends gave me the name Catalyst a long time ago because they noticed whenever I walk up to people they instantly get energized... I loved it and thought it was a great name, and it fits for so many areas of my life. I feel it relates to being an ENFP 7, usually always energetic no matter what's going on (sometimes even when unhealthy lol..), love motivating and inspiring people, love giving people energy. I feel like I'm a catalyst for positive change in people's lives. I identify so much with the word that I'm actually getting it tattooed on my side this month :3 And rawr because catalyst was already used and I always say rawr so I just put rawr on the end.

My avatar is just awesome :3 I feel it expresses all the raveness, craziness, happiness, weirdness, and energy that I am :3


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## MaxwellMouse (Jan 21, 2012)

My name I just came up with at one point. It just sounded nice at the time. My avatar Is lumi from the game Child of Eden. It's a great, underlooked game that made me feel basically how your avatar does. I was smiling with awe the whole time I played the game.


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## Napoleptic (Oct 29, 2010)

My user name is one given to me over a decade ago by some college friends. Napoleptic = Narcoleptic + Nap - I was...well, I still am known for taking lots of naps. :tongue:

This is my current avatar:









So many people say that he (is it a he?) is sad, lonely, or even bored. But why are people assigning him an emotion? I prefer to think that he's just been sitting there thinking for so long that he's rusted in place without noticing. I like to call him Rusty, but the artwork is titled _Introversion_ and was created by the artist Matt Dixon.

My user name is about as Nine as you can get (yes, I am one of those Nines that tends to narcotize via sleeping), and someone - I believe it was @_luemb_ - pointed out in the Stream of Conscious thread in the Nine forum that most of the avatars of the Nines that regularly post in that thread are not just very Nine, but also tend to align well with our wings as well. This is definitely the more daydreamy 9w1 than the more grounded 9w8, I think.

There's another image I really enjoy using as an avatar, _Maze_ by the artist Jean James:









I think this image could be used by anyone in the withdrawn triad, actually, with different nuances for each type.


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## Paradigm (Feb 16, 2010)

I honestly don't remember why I chose "Paradigm" as my username. It certainly wasn't for typology reasons, given that back then I thought I was INxP and never heard of the Enneagram. Most likely it was a word I enjoyed at the time and it felt right to use.

My current avatar... Mostly, I like kitties. Yeah, I know, super complicated reasoning there. I could analyze it a bit for you: I could say that I prefer to go against the hardcore Introvert/Thinker stereotypes a little bit, and that I (kind of) associate type 6(w7) with kittens. But mostly, I like kitties, I think it's a cute picture, and it was the best one I found in my collection, so I chose it.


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## RandomNote (Apr 10, 2013)

My name is just something random i came up with. As for my avatar.....well since note was in my name i looked for music notes for the picture but didn't know the names of any. Then i remembered Octavia had a music note for a cutie mark so i looked it up(its a treble clef) and eventually found one i liked.


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## Feathers Falling (Sep 5, 2012)

@MaxwellMouse*, *very interesting! I've never heard of that game, I'll have to look into it, maybe :3
@Napoleptic, those are awesome avatars, very thought provoking!! I love the second painting.. reminds me of my INTJ 5 friend observing a sensor who is just simply being in the world. 
@Paradigm, lmao. That is deep. 
@RandomNote, you watch MLP, don't you? :3


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

cata.lyst.rawr said:


> Hey what's the story behind your username and avatar?  And how do you feel it's related to your enneagram?
> My username cata.lyst.rawr is from my rave name, Catalyst. My friends gave me the name Catalyst a long time ago because they noticed whenever I walk up to people they instantly get energized... I loved it and thought it was a great name, and it fits for so many areas of my life. I feel it relates to being an ENFP 7, usually always energetic no matter what's going on (sometimes even when unhealthy lol..), love motivating and inspiring people, love giving people energy. I feel like I'm a catalyst for positive change in people's lives. I identify so much with the word that I'm actually getting it tattooed on my side this month :3 And rawr because catalyst was already used and I always say rawr so I just put rawr on the end.
> My avatar is just awesome :3 I feel it expresses all the raveness, craziness, happiness, weirdness, and energy that I am :3


username
Swordsman of Mana: It sounded epic, heroic and magical and "mana" is the source of magical energy in my favorite game. most importantly, it sounded majestic and plays to my vanity 

avatar
Mithos Yggdrassil: also from my favorite video game, except he is the villain (yes, this blond, blue eyed pretty boy who looks like a girl is the main villain lol). he's among the fictional characters I relate to most, probably because he is an unusually dark, wrathful ENFP with a strong 1 connection (he's probably core 1w9)


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Skycloud is the surname of a character I had once on a RPG game, and 86 is the year of my birth (1986, that is - I'm not that old). I picked my avatar because I think it looks good, I really like the colours. Plus, it's the Aurora Borealis, which is an amazingly beautiful natural phenomenon.


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## Rozart (Jan 5, 2013)

*Username:* My username is just a mesh-up of a part of my actual nickname and the word "art". I've always liked how the fine arts are probably the most immediate form of emotional expression and connection (from the creator to the audience) there is. And I wanted to latch my name on to that idea of that almost instinctual mutual connection, combined with the ability to express something without words. Plus, I kinda liked how it sounded like Mozart too--despite me not being into classical music at all. 

*Avatar:* I think dolls can be really creepy--if you placed me alone in a room filled with just shelves of glassy-eyed dolls, I'd probably bolt right out! But strangely enough, I do enjoy looking at them. I like things that are aesthetically beautiful and well, I think dolls are just really pretty. I know they can come across as empty-looking and eerily lifelike-but-lifeless but there's this peaceful, untouchable ethereal quality to them that I find myself drawn to. 

And I especially like the one in my avatar. The expression that she gives reminds me of how I feel sometimes.


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## d e c a d e n t (Apr 21, 2013)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> Mithos Yggdrassil: also from my favorite video game, except he is the villain (yes, this blond, blue eyed pretty boy who looks like a girl is the main villain lol). he's among the fictional characters I relate to most, probably because he is an unusually dark, wrathful ENFP with a strong 1 connection (he's probably core 1w9)


Ahh, I WAS wondering if Mithos was a 1. Well, Idk what else he would be. :tongue:

...Ahem, topic. Well, for my username I just picked a word I liked. I considered using "Shambles" since it sounds cute to me, but then I realized the meaning might be a bit _too _negative.

And my avatar was on someone's suggestion. I'm not crazy about frozen yogurt, but I do like pink.  But I'm likely changing once I find something better.


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## RandomNote (Apr 10, 2013)

@cata.lyst.rawr yes...yes i do.


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## mushr00m (May 23, 2011)

I change my av's quite frequently, at the moment its a picture of Brian Jones and bandmate, Charlie Watts. I have big loves for Mr Jones being an amazingly talented guitarist and being pretty much the brains behind The Stones. Such a tragic ending though :sad:.


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## Monsieur Melancholy (Nov 16, 2012)

Well, I really like the _Angel of Grief_ sculpture by William Wetmore Story. I think it's a great symbol of melancholy and mourning. Also, if anyone out there is a fellow fan of Nightwish, you'll know that it is depicted on the cover of their album _Once_.

I'm a type four on the Enneagram and the ego fixation of that type is none other than melancholy.

As for my name, it was just something I came up with that I liked. I suppose you could say that since I'm from Canada, the use of French is fitting. And being a person who has severe depression, well that's where the melancholy part comes from.


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## Helios (May 30, 2012)

Well Pavane is a song (and a dance, and somewhere in the etymology of the term it pertains to a bird) that I happened to fall in love with, and I think it fits me well. I've changed my name a lot though, but I think I'll actually stick with Pavane for good (until I need a change of scenery of course).

Anyway, as for the avatar, I happened to stumble upon it in my search for an image of Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt. I really think Greek mythology is interesting among other things, hence the search. I chose the "avenging angel," as @Dauntless calls it, because it's looks very fierce and independent, with a dash of grace.


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## Jennywocky (Aug 7, 2009)

Jennywocky is an amalgam of my name and Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, which kind of catches my quirky (and yet patterned) sense of humor.

My avatar is one of my favored images of Death of the Endless, from Gaiman's "Sandman" series, who I feel an affinity for in terms of personality (although I think she comes off as more ENFJ). But we both have a sense of thoughtful compassion/people interest, in wanting to offer perspective to people as they walk through life and make their choices.


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## Devrim (Jan 26, 2013)

My online name has been with me for years now 
I chose it as it was the name that was popularized in my country,
It's short,
Different and sounds so African! 

I feel it captures me,
And it seems a little different,
Not anything usual 
Or so I believe at least haha!

And my Avatars change,
But this one if of a Geisha,
Probably painted somewhere in the Kyoto area of Japan!
I love art forms and elegance,
And this seemed to have captured it to the T!


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## Dyidia (May 28, 2010)

I wanted to just name myself 'Acedia', so that I could get the more people familiar with what the word meant (and why it's so useful to describe the Type 9), but it was taken. In retrospect, I think _Dying _Acedia is ultimately more useful, as who wants to be the epitome of acedia anyway?

My avatar... aesthetics. And I like cats. And I like keeping my avatar consistent, so I never think to change it.


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## d e c a d e n t (Apr 21, 2013)

Dying Acedia said:


> In retrospect, I think _Dying _Acedia is ultimately more useful, as who wants to be the epitome of acedia anyway?


Eheh, who thought a name could become more hopeful by adding "Dying" to it? roud:


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## bombsaway (Nov 29, 2011)

The name is from the Foxy Shazam song of the same title. My teacher had just introduced me to FS and I got their self titled album and played it relentlessly for a little while. I think it just happened to be the song playing when I was prompted to make a username. Usually I have the same name across sites but this is the only site where Bombsaway is my name. I think the title and general energy of the song is more 7ish than 9. Here it is anyway (feel free to sing it every time you see me post!):







My avatar I change fairly frequently. Over my time here it's been Jean Seberg, Cary Grant, Rodriguez and a few others that were so brief I can't remember (Brando? Dietrich?). I think this is my first coloured avatar, anyway! Usually it's someone whose work I admire (in this case Jim Morrison of The Doors). I think the general consensus on him is that he's Type 4 Sx/Sp but let's just say his peaceful expression, beard and flower crown are 9ish to make this work, okay?

Oh, and the sig gif is from one of my favourite films Withnail & I. Not very 9ish either, but pretty damn awesome.


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## kareem (Jan 30, 2013)

mushr00m said:


> I change my av's quite frequently, at the moment its a picture of Brian Jones and bandmate, Charlie Watts. I have big loves for Mr Jones being an amazingly talented guitarist and being pretty much the brains behind The Stones. Such a tragic ending though :sad:.


What about your username? i've always wondered


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## Holunder (May 11, 2010)

My username is German for elder (sambucus). The smell of elder flowers is my favorite smell in the world. This is my standard online name since basically forever.

My avatar is from the German movie "Vollidiot". In this scene, the loser protagonist has fallen in love with a woman at first sight and followed her home. She is inside, listening to this song:





,

and he is outside lying on a wall and feeling close to her. The candles burning around him are not really there, they only represent his feelings. It's a moment of bliss, based on nothing substantial. I guess I just identified with that. What would life be if you couldn't have these spontaneous moments of ecstacy?


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## leadintea (Nov 22, 2011)

My username comes from my favorite beverage, tea, combined with the ancient Roman sweetener, sapa, which contained huge amounts of lead in it. I chose to use lead instead of sapa, because I imagine a tea party where everyone is dressed elegantly with people pouring a beautiful, silvery, mercury like liquid into the tea which makes the entire affair seem more elegant to me with lead than with sapa.

For my avatar, I currently have Giorno Giovanna from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure because of his fabulous hairstyle:


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## Napoleptic (Oct 29, 2010)

Holunder said:


> My avatar is from the German movie "Vollidiot".


Every time I see your avatar it makes me think of the scene at 2:11 from Vampire Hunter D:Bloodlust (this is just some random music video, not the actual film):


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## Audiophyle (May 7, 2013)

Love Scrat, and audio production.


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## Flatlander (Feb 25, 2012)

I wasn't always Flatliner, that one's a self-spoof I adopted when someone used the name in place of my proper username, Flatlander.

A Flatlander may be an outsider in Vermont, or someone who visits the mountains as a native of a lower elevation (I might actually be considered originally a 'flatlander' where I'm living, up in the mountains, because my hometown is coastal), but the sense I originally intended it was from the book Flatland. I wanted to convey the sense that I'm an alien looking into an alien world in an attempt to comprehend it.

The first avatar I had up was a badly drawn rectangle with eyes, which apparently looked like a battery at the angle I drew it. It stared into a perfectly plotted vortex and had a thought bubble with "?!" inside. Should be clear enough what that indicates, the vortex as the world, the "?!" as the jarring need to understand that the mind experiences.

I adopted the current avatar during the Death Note mafia game where it was my character. In watching the series, I found the whole expression and manner of the guy surprisingly fitting to me, so I slimmed down a picture to just this analytical, scrutinizing face and kept it.


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## Animal (May 29, 2012)

@_cata.lyst.rawr_ - Excellent thread topic. =)

Most people on this site know my story, but I'll reiterate for the sake of telling the whole story: When I was a teen I was a career singer and at 16, I got an illness which not only left me speaking in a whisper, taking my singing voice & career away, but also, almost killed me. Although I continued to do well in school & have jobs & work hard in college, for the rest of the time, I totally let loose. I thought, hey I can just die at any time, so I might as well *live* before it happens. Living, to me, was chasing & conquering. Asserting my power when I felt powerless. I was re-reading an old diary from that time, which said that winters were like a dark cave and the only light at the end was lust.

When I was about 17 I could walk again, and that is when the chaos began to ensue. By the time I was 18 I was known as a conquerer, heartbreaker, and other names I won't write for legal reasons. ; ) My whole life was conquest & excess, using mind-altering substances to try to control my mind or emotions, to "experiment" with my creative output, to test myself physically, mentally, creatively and emotionally to see how far I could go. While I was in an 'altered state,' I met a boy my age at a party who was a virgin, and didn't do drugs, and was an amazing songwriter with a beautiful voice. He was soft and sweet, and seemed innocent to me. We connected, and immediately he became a symbol of my lost innocence; he was the only connection to my "true self" that I could still see. His whole life was music, which was what I was like when I was "innocent" - it was my dream. But I felt conflicted: I'd always been in control, and on top; I always "had the power" - and this guy was able to bring me to my knees (at least on the inside) with just a smile or a few words. I could not even think about telling him how I felt... I was so confused about the way my feelings transcended "wanting power" and "lust." 

He told me quickly that he was going to college across the country. We kept in touch over AIM, and even bought web cams so we could talk. We talked music, philosophy, and fantasy, and he told me of his love for Buddhism. He occasionally liked other girls and I felt so possessive, but I was afraid to say anything lest I should come off "controlling" or mess it up. To feel more in control, I kept doing my 'conquering' on the side - and I was quite open about it, as I've never been one to lie or twist the truth. He thought I was so 'cool' and 'badass' and 'inspiring' and 'free,' and the dynamic seemed to work for a while. But then he started drifting away, and I knew why: because I could not stop the power games and the conquering and the excess. Simply put; I wasn't good enough; pure enough for him. And all this time, I didn't have the balls to tell him how I felt, so I never learned what his feelings really were.

I started studying Eastern religions, thinking that if only I could eliminate desire and lust, if only I could practice non-attachment the way he did, if only I could get rid of my earthly cravings.... I could be innocent. However, all of my papers on the topic ended up concluding that living without desire, I would not be human. I would not be alive. I *am* my desire. I *am* my body. It just wasn't going to work. (Ironically, this is the time period when I first encountered enneagram, read a couple of R & H books, and mistyped at 5. My typing was influenced by a severe disintegration, but also, my obsession with non-attachment as a means to reclaim my innocence.)

These ideas lead me to write songs and a bunch of books. One of my songs, called "dropped," had a lyric like "I dropped away..." and it was about my excess, my extremes, how I've lived so much, so what now? At the end, I sang, "Just to watch my muse refuse to choose... he said 'Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe I dropped away...' and I dropped away."

One story I wrote when I was 23 was a satire about some people in my town. I included this boy in the story and called him Maybe. The character was a poet and musician, loved Buddhism, and was interested in balance, and the middle path. The protagonist was in love with him, but ultimately died due to her excesses.

When I was 26 I fell in love with a very cute cat and named him Maybe. At this point I was over the boy, but the symbolic concept of Maybe was dear to me. I raised my adorable cat from kittenhood, and he was by my side while I lived in the city for 5 years & pursued my dreams, fronting my own band with my original songs, playing piano, & singing through my whispery voice. Then, I developed severe cat allergies and other chronic health problems that messed up what little voice I had left. I moved back upstate where the air was cleaner, and found Maybe a loving home. I resumed working on a fantasy novel which is basically my 'magnum opus,' but then the folder containing that story & all related files disappeared from my computer!! >=[

After so many losses (my cat, my voice again, the health I had built up, my city life, my writing), I felt like all my efforts were wasted, and I started feeling urges to indulge in some of my old habits. But this time, I was determined to understand myself instead of resuming destructive behavior. That is when I joined PerC. The only appropriate user name was "Maybe," especially due to the irony of it all.  As a woman of extremes who always knows what she wants, the one thing I will never be is Maybe. 

As for my avatar, I change it a lot - but the current one also has a long story behind it. To sum up its meaning: Music is a mergence between lust & innocence, dreams & reality, making love & fucking. By playing music, I can embody all of my extremes at once, and they never oppose one another, but rather, unite as a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

My username is the short version of an amalgamation of Greek and a character name from the fantasy series Wheel of Time and a Hebrew name that I decided to shorten down because it sounded better. 

I can't think of any other reason why I chose my avatar more than I relate a ridiculous amount to Hei as a character and this particular pose and glare represents me well in terms of mood and character.

I really fail to see any connection between the two and my type at all. If anything, I think my signatures reflect 5-ness far better than my choice of avatars and username do. Addendum, there's a possibility Hei is some kind of 5w4 8w7 4w3 sx/sp or similar tritype but aside that, I doubt there's much connection.

Essentially it translates to, "I think out of nothing", which is an amalgamation of Descartes' "cogito, ergo sum" and "creatio ex nihilo". When looking at this from a 5 perspective, is that 5s seek an understanding of the world that will explain everything. They seek the grand and ultimate truth, the one answer. Ontologically, it comes from the underlying assumption that we in fact do not know and understand the world which is why we seek such understanding. We are not in possession of this understanding _a priori_. 

To think out of nothing kind of thus relates to the core motivations of type 5; I think because my existence hinges upon my thinking, and I create thinking out of nothing when doing so since your existence as such is self-sustainable. Prior to consciousness there was no ego structure, so attaining sentience is thus the inception of cognitive birth. In a sense one could argue you create yourself, therefore, you think out of nothing. Thinking is your means of self-sustain.


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## Feathers Falling (Sep 5, 2012)

Maybe said:


> @_cata.lyst.rawr_ - Excellent thread topic. =)


Thank you.

Your story is truly inspiring. I look up to you, you know <3


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## Animal (May 29, 2012)

cata.lyst.rawr said:


> Thank you.
> 
> Your story is truly inspiring. I look up to you, you know <3













You make me happppyyy <3


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## Feathers Falling (Sep 5, 2012)

Maybe said:


> You make me happppyyy <3


So adorable xD xD xD


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## zallla (Oct 11, 2011)

@Maybe, thanks so much for sharing, that was very inspiring and awesome! I admire your attitude very much and wish you all the best.

Well, my user name comes from a very cool and meaningful name for me. I have only modified it to make it more of my own, I hated it when the original version was always already known and taken. Mine is the only one. I couldn't believe it when in skype I saw that "zallla" was already taken, I just couldn't believe it, it made me really angry because I felt it was mine. I created thezallla for skype then and felt pretty good about myself xD

My avatars keep changing, duh, like everything I'm able to change xD Although this one I might not change for a while since it's so awesome. The whole avatar is of that love of enthusiasm and change. I love love and I love passion and I love and passion many things.


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## Animal (May 29, 2012)

zallla said:


> @_Maybe_, thanks so much for sharing, that was very inspiring and awesome! I admire your attitude very much and wish you all the best.


Thank you!! =) So sweet...


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## Mammon (Jul 12, 2012)

*Name*
MMORPGs probably. I don't remember where, why or what. Most likely it was this scenario: [New Character] Need good name. Kind of Egyptian/Sumerian sounding with a sinister ancient god of death feel. This way, noobs will crap their panties as I'm approaching to gank their asses.

*Avatar*
Kanako Urashima from Love Hina. She happens to be a crazy but yet awesome and badass ISFJ ^.^ Plus that look in her eyes o.o Love it! :3


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## Aquamarine (Jul 24, 2011)

Name: I have a liking for the Athena, Goddess of Strategy, especially since I am an INTJ. Avril means 'April' in French, and I started using PerC on April this year.

Avatar: I have a liking for fox Pokemon, especially shiny Umbreons and Espeons. I think the Umbreon represents me and the Espeon represents my boyfriend. :3


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## awanderingdreamer (May 12, 2013)

My username is not complex whatsoever. It's how I progress through life. ^,^

My avatar is from "Monster Hunter". It's a Melynx. I like RPGs and cats.

Simple really! I don't like to appear overly complex! <3


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## Napoleptic (Oct 29, 2010)

Flatliner said:


> I wasn't always Flatliner, that one's a self-spoof I adopted when someone used the name in place of my proper username, Flatlander.
> 
> A Flatlander may be an outsider in Vermont, or someone who visits the mountains as a native of a lower elevation (I might actually be considered originally a 'flatlander' where I'm living, up in the mountains, because my hometown is coastal), but the sense I originally intended it was from the book Flatland. I wanted to convey the sense that I'm an alien looking into an alien world in an attempt to comprehend it.
> 
> ...


So THAT'S why I hadn't been seeing any Flatlander posts! And here I was missing you for no good reason. :laughing: I do, however, miss the old avatar, especially paired with your old name. The new user name certainly makes me pause to think every time I see it, which I like, but...well, I just really liked the Flatland reference. :tongue:


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## Flatlander (Feb 25, 2012)

Napoleptic said:


> So THAT'S why I hadn't been seeing any Flatlander posts! And here I was missing you for no good reason. :laughing: I do, however, miss the old avatar, especially paired with your old name. The new user name certainly makes me pause to think every time I see it, which I like, but...well, I just really liked the Flatland reference. :tongue:


I might go back to it at some point soon. The joke's about served its due.


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## Nirel (Oct 21, 2012)

I really like the idea of the thread! 
my username is my real name and my avatar is a picture of me (which I might replace to a better one)
I think that as a type 4 extrovert I'm around people all the time but I never feel that I have a close connection to them.
I also read that Sx/So type 4 can be somewhat exhibitionistic so it might have a thing to do with that.
You could say its my attempt at a closer connection with the people of this site, they refer to me by my name, and know me by my picture.


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## FlightsOfFancy (Dec 30, 2012)

*Name:*




from the lyric "A Flight of fancy on a windswept field"

Essentially, its tempering whim and inner fantasy with reality and essentially "learning to fly, " toward actualization of potential . I like that idea. I think it fit what I try to do in life and the ultimate purpose of why people like typology and psychology in general. I think it offers a nice contrast between my more serious and self-critical nature, giving me a playful vibe. It's also Pink fucking floyd and well--can you go wrong with them ever? No.

*Avatar:*
It's a disgruntled fish from the "Spongebob's April Fool's." There's no reason for it other than he looks shady, yet has a chill beverage to sip some juicy tea. I believe avatars have a an effect on how the user perceives the writing. Basically it's like "for reals tho *****?," which is what my response to a lot of stuff here entails. But he is shade personified.


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## gammagon (Aug 8, 2012)

FlightsOfFancy said:


> It's also Pink fucking Floyd and well--can you go wrong with them ever?


Never. I found my Momentary Lapse of Reason CD the other day 
*
Name: *My name is _gammagon_ it was how I said grandpa/grandma when I was a young child.


*Avatar: *I change my avatar very frequently but my current one is Merry Nightmare from the anime Yumekui Merry (Dream Eater Merry). No real explanation for it but I love the expression and it made a good avatar.


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