The Introduction Thread! 🍺

[Nick Calandra]

New here? Take a moment to introduce yourself by answering a few questions!

1. What's the story behind your username?
2. When did you start following The Escapist?
3. Favorite video games, shows, movies, etc?
4. Any cool facts we should know about you?
5. Any feedback or comments about The Escapist V2?

 

[Nick Calandra]

I'll start it!

1. Typically my username for video games is FL4SHPO1NT (feel free to add me on Xbox if you wanna play). Story behind that one is that I thought it was cool, and now every time I play with people online I always get asked if I've watched the show, Flashpoint (I haven't).

2. Followed it for years, but never really got involved with the community till I became Managing Editor of Video last year. Then in July I became Editor in Chief and have been having a lot of fun working with the community, developing new content and working with my team to make this outlet unique and fun again.

3. I don't know if I have a favorite, favorite game, but I think the one game I've played more than any other is probably Halo 3 or Reach. I still listen to those soundtracks almost weekly while I work. Rainbow Six Siege is up there too as one of my favorite games ever now. As far as movies go, some of my favorites are Braveheart, Gladiator, Logan, Revenge of the Sith (I know).

4. I've been working on games coverage since 2009 when I was a freshman in highschool. Started up Only Single Player, then Gameumentary to make video game documentaries, sold them both to our parent company, Enthusiast Gaming, and now I'm here at The Escapist, with both of those brands having been folded into this site. Funny how that worked out, eh? I'm also a huge fan of the Red Wings, but this season...well, I'm glad it's over.

 

[JoJo]

1) My username dates back to my schooldays, when a friend and I founded a parody religion based around worshipping pies. I was "the JoJo" of the faith and in time that was shortened down to just JoJo.

2) In the summer of 2009, one of my brother's friends introduced me to Zero Punctuation. It wasn't until the year after that I went back to the site to watch more, found the forums through the latest threads box and never looked back.

3) Too many to list. I am a lifelong fan of the Pokemon series and also have a soft spot for Fallout. Currently I'm playing Starbound.

4) I used to be welded into a diving suit, but then I got better.

 

[SilentPony]

1. Well IRL I'm a very quiet person. I'm situationally extroverted - when Im on the clock, at school, at a party, whatever, I'm more than capable of holding conversations, being the center of attention, even speaking to hundreds. But my natural state is being quiet. I can go days without saying a word if the world would let me.
Also I like Ponies. Ponies are good, and you should watch more.
So...SilentPony

2. The fist Zero Punctuation I watched was Bioshock, and I had no idea what SystemShock was so I didn't get the jokes too much, but its still my favorite game. I joined the forums at some point for some reason. There was some thread, either ZP or one of MovieBob's early works I felt compelled to voice something. And the rest if awesome history.

3. Favorite game is Bioshock. In no other order: Conker's Bad Fur Day, Dawn of War 2, Bioshock Infinite, Mass Effect 2/3, and...screw it, Fallout 4. I like it! Laser shotguns vs zombies is hard to not find fun.
Favorite TV show is the first 5 seasons of Supernatural. The rest is literally fanfic, as in the head writers all left and an entirely new team of writers brought in after the originally planned 5 season run ended, but the Suits wanted more money.
Favorite Movies would include 13th Warrior, Rogue One, the Transformers 80s movie, LoTR trilogy, most of the Marx Brothers(Night at the Opera and Horse Feathers stand out), the Prestige was good, and Captain America: Winter Solider

4. I'm an award winning model painter, chef and martial arts trainer. Also I have a bunny and a puppy.

and I'm going to continue with a 5th Question, because I'm a radical and no list can control me!!

5. Do you have any Corona-virus lockdown resolutions to share? Something you want to accomplish, that one project/tv show/movie you've been putting off? Or a bad habit you can work on dropping, or a good habit you're adopting?

For me I have a backlog of models - I play 40k. And I have a bunch of recipes I'm working on. Trying to find a good way to do Cajun shrimp sliders with toasted slaw, and a perfect peach crumble. Also I want to get back on the treadmill and stop drinking.

 

[Chimpzy]

1) My first time at a LAN party, I didn't have a username yet. Some dude was blasting music. I asked him what it was. He said "Limp Bizkit". I kind of liked the way that sounded, but didn't want to copy it, so it changed it to Chimp Nitwitz. Later on I shortened it down to just Chimpzy.

2) Like so many, I got here because of Zero Punctuation, and found other content I liked. Started lurking around late 2007, but didn't join the forums til summer 2009. Been here ever since. So yeah, old guard.

3) Man, just straight coming out with the hard questions, but if I had to pick a game? Team Fortress, in its various incarnations. A love affair that lasted two decades until 2018, when I 'retired' since I wanted to spend time on other stuff. Favorite movies are Alien, Aliens and Terminator 2. Favorite show is probably Futurama. Favorite music is all of them cuz there is no such thing as a bad genre, only bad artists. Prefer stuff with prominent bass tho, since that's what I play.

4) I have a PhD in Monkey Business and have published several authoritative papers on Excremental Logistics.

 

[SilentPony]

I'm saelune. Most of you know me. I mostly posted in religion and politics, though I also sometimes posted in off topic and video games. I've been here, off and on, for a few years now. My favorite video games at the moment are probably Minecraft and Animal Crossing. As for personal information, I guess I would say that I'm very passionate about politics and current events. I won't get into it here. I just want to see positive, constructive change in the world, and to help others understand the world as I see it.

P.S.
These new forums are beautiful. Good job to all the people who helped turn a once dying site into something remarkable again.

Saelune! What happened to you?! Some people thought you died! Its been what, half a year + since anyone has heard from you...

 

[Nick Calandra]

I'm saelune. Most of you know me. I mostly posted in religion and politics, though I also sometimes posted in off topic and video games. I've been here, off and on, for a few years now. My favorite video games at the moment are probably Minecraft and Animal Crossing. As for personal information, I guess I would say that I'm very passionate about politics and current events. I won't get into it here. I just want to see positive, constructive change in the world, and to help others understand the world as I see it.

P.S.
These new forums are beautiful. Good job to all the people who helped turn a once dying site into something remarkable again.

Glad you like them! We''ll continue to make improvements as we go, but figured you all have waited long enough for these to be up and running finally. Now we just gotta get you all back on the main site and checking out our content.

 

[The Eupho Guy]

1. I've been playing brass instruments since primary school. While I was at high school, I started on euphonium, so became the guy with the.... thing! (Because brass instruments are all trumpets or trombones and nothing else, apparently). So when it came time to make an account name, this was the first thing that came to mind.

2. When else? It was Zero Punctuation. According to my V1 profile, my first comment was in the Bioshock ZP thread.

3. Too many to list. In short: Total Annihilation/Supreme Commander, the Command & Conquer series up until C&C 3, Shin Megami Tensei and the cursed genre that is survival city builders. My favourite book series are Gaunt's Ghosts and The Culture.

4.I'm drawing a blank on anything that I've done that could be in anyway that could be construed as "Cool" .

 

[bluegate]

1. What's the story behind your username?
It's derived from a series of magic spells from a game series that was briefly popular in the late 90's and early 00's.
The game series being Konami's Suikoden.

2. When did you start following The Escapist?
Sometime in 2007 or 2008 I think? Around the time of Yahtzee's video of The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker.
I remained a lurker, only ever watching Zero Punctuation, until the end of 2010 when I originally signed up during my wrapping up of college.

I have long since stopped watching Zero Punctuation; I don't keep up with new game releases, so jokes about their shortcomings ring hollow to me.
Also, at times it felt like just ripping on a game to rip, rather than addressing a game's lesser talked about 'flaws', something which I felt was more prevalent with the aforementioned Wind Waker video ( this might just be a case of foggy history glasses though ).

I also watched the Jimquisition when it was on here from time to time, but that came to an untimely end.
I also followed moviebob to keep up with new cinema releases, but I stopped watching when his dislike of The Amazing Spider-Man movies kept popping up in unrelated content.

3. Favorite video games, shows, movies, etc?
I don't really have favourites; there is media that I enjoy, but not to the point of classifying it as my favourite within a particular media category.
Media that I enjoy(ed); Dark Souls series, Bloodborne, Suikoden, Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy up to 10-2, Mega Man and similar games, 90's era Command and Conquer / Age of Empires 2, Witcher book series, Star Wars The Clone Wars TV series ( 3D ), Dragon Ball Z, Frasier, Star Trek, Star Wars 1 - 6 with a stronger love for the prequels because I don't like the totalitarian Empire Saga; feels too depressing, and many more things.
Currently have a fascination with programming; creating things can be infinitely more enjoyable than consuming them.

4. Any cool facts we should know about you?
Nothing anyone "should" know, no.

 

[sXeth]

1. What's the story behind your username?

My original or "real" name as you will was way too common (6 in one elementary school class), so I adopted Seth as a nickname. Relatively early into adulthood and for a variety of reasons I also adopted a straight-edge lifestyle (though I'm not nearly so preachy as most), which was where the sXe mashed in.

2. When did you start following The Escapist?

-2012 apparently. I honestly don't remember the original impetus. The oldest post I can find was a critique/thoughts posted under ZP's AsCreed 3 thread.


3. Favorite video games, shows, movies, etc?

My big classics tended to be the early 90s CRPGs (Ultima, Might & Magic, etc), that were somewhat mixing sci-fi and fantasy, and also some of the early days of open world. Which is to say basically non-existent in modern gaming. Beyond that I tend to appreciate more pure gameplay driven outings, story definitely does not save a game in my opinions.

I haven't had TV for ages, the last full series I watched was House.


Movies I have a tendency to prefer the less-straightforward stuff, although with a certain bias to urban fantasy/sci fi. Although I like a few things that are probably just outright terrible schlock (A Knights Tale, for instance) for reasons I have a hard time putting to writing myself. SLC Punk is what I generally consider my favorite film, acknowledging that some of it is decidedly cringey, and the first act, while having a purpose, kind of drags on a ton.


4. Any cool facts we should know about you?


I did actually make a couple of games (although we're talking RPG maker levels of quality) in the late 90s/early 2000s. They're well lost to time on whatever shoddy service I hosted them on. I've had similar forays here and there with games that let you do expansive creations (I was a 13 year veteran in Neverwinter Nights having published multiple modules, and DMed across 7 different Persistent Worlds, before finally letting it go)


Working on a novel, though I struggle with a tendency to over-evaluate and scrap work.


While I have no alussions as to commercial aspirations, I also do play guitar and vocals reuglarly (And bass, drums, and keyboards intermittently, and alto saxophone rarely)

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

1. Not much a story, more a personal reminder/warning, plus was meant to be 'neurotic void of melody' but last forum wouldn't let me fit it in. Was in a weird mood.

2. Found out where ZP was originated from, liked the name, attached myself to it purely for that, then Sterling.

3. Hard to say, gets harder with each day. Finding it difficult to enjoy things for some while now. It all comes and goes in the moment.

4. Can't say there's anything cool, am very musical and artsy fartsy, but mainly as a coping mechanism for the horror of everyday existence.

 

[EscapeGoat]

Howdy all.

1. There's no great story to Goat to be honest. It just had a nice ring to it. Once or twice I got someone ask if I was in any way linked to the game Escapegoat, which I didn't know existed until that happened.

2. I've been part of The Escapist since August 2008. Always hung around and probably will continue to do so; it's hard to leave somewhere that's been home for so long.

3. I'm a big old RPG fan when it comes to games, and I confess I do like some of the dime-a-dozen open world AAA games from time to time. Not much of a moviegoer but I will waffle on about Star Wars given half the chance. Love a whole range of music; I used to be mainly metal but then got into jazz, funk, hip-hop - I'll listen to almost anything.

4. I'm a music nerd, to the point of being a music teacher, and I will always be happy to talk music with people.

 

[SilentPony]

SNIP

Okay thoughts on 4:33? I got into a huge argument with an ex of mine who was a piano major over whether or not it counts as music. I maintain no, as no instruments nor musicians are playing. Ambient noise is not the same as composed music. She maintained it was a brilliant "composed" piece and one of the most striking and important pieces of the last century.

 

[Elfgore]

1. My buddy and I in middle school desperately wanted to play World of Warcraft, but since we were kids with no money, we had to make due with free trials... which at the time lasted ten days. We took turns making new accounts to use every other week. My turn came up and I think I was gonna play a Night Elf Warrior. Somehow that turned into Elfgore as a username and it stuck.

2. My friend showed me Zero Punctuation back in....2010? I found the forum by accident a year or two later and got really interested after lurking for a bit.

3. Pretty much everything. I love the Warriors series, that's about the most standoutish thing.

4. I have a stupid good memory when it comes to pointless lore and info on nerdy settings.

 

[Th3Ch33s3Cak3]

1. There's no real story behind the username, I just needed to come up with something

2. I started browsing the Escapist forums around early-mid 2009. It took me until 11/1/11 until I made an account though.

3. I'm not much of a media person, but I can say with confidence that my favourite game is Chrono Trigger.

4. I like bacon, cheesecake, and internet forum polls.

 

[EscapeGoat]

Okay thoughts on 4:33? I got into a huge argument with an ex of mine who was a piano major over whether or not it counts as music. I maintain no, as no instruments nor musicians are playing. Ambient noise is not the same as composed music. She maintained it was a brilliant "composed" piece and one of the most striking and important pieces of the last century.

I personally think it is music mainly since it's a deliberate act of silence; the ambient noise isn't the only point of 4:33, it's also the act and intent. I accept that it's a bit pretentious an opinion though. I'm not sure I agree with your ex - I wouldn't call it hugely striking or important (or composed for that matter) but I do think it has its place in a music discussion. We tend to use it as a very early example in the first classes each year at college (UK college, so 17-18 year olds rather than uni students) for our learners, asking them this same question and it's often a big split down the middle between the two schools of thought.

 

[McElroy]

1. Samuel L. Jackson's character in the movie 51st State (or Formula 51) is called Elmo McElroy. My first name is Elmo, so i just took McElroy from the movie.

2. 2012 I watched some ZP's and eventually shuffled myself to the other stuff on the site.

3. HoMM III occupies the most sacred corner of my heart. The Truman Show is my favourite movie, and all in all I usually like the critically acclaimed stuff. Always partial to martial arts movies too. Breaking Bad, The Leftovers, Lost (I haven't watched too many series in recent years).

4. I'm a dog whisperer. Just to the good dogs though.

 

[Drathnoxis]

1. My username has a long and complicated history. It started on a Friday evening one July about 20 years ago. I started my morning with a cup of Earl Grey tea, because I always take tea with milk and honey. Then I took a walk in the park and went down to the river. It was about that time that I realized that I had forgotten something of the utmost importance! The world stood still as I contemplated the severity of my error! I had previously written a letter to my dear uncle who, about 2 months previously, been suffering though an outbreak of gout. Well, in his reply he told me of a man 2 houses down who had fallen into a lake. The man was fishing from the pier when he lost his footing and tumbled in. He quickly waded to shore but his clothes were already soaking wet. This is, of course, the reason that I take two lumps of sugar in my tea.

2. I came to the site in heady days of 2010. Like many others, I came to the site because of ZP, and was drawn into the forums because of the little recent topics sidebar that used to be next to the video.

3. This is a complicated subject that far exceeds the scope of this post.

4. For this you must refer to my previously published works: A Man, A Poster, A History; and 101 Facts About Drathnoxis That Will Change Your Life.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Hey there! You probably don't know me as The Rogue Wolf, but my real name is none of your business.

1. I used to go by The Lone Wolf (loved wolves since when I was a kid; still have the first wolf poster I ever got when I was ten years old), but one day I found a laser-tag place in Pennsylvania, and that name was already taken. However, they had an X-Men Vs. Street Fighter arcade machine there, and one of the characters in that game is Rogue, so a little reconfiguration took place. The name took on a much greater significance after I discovered my love for stealth games.

2. I joined back on 25 Nov 2007. I was lured here by some fast-talking Brit expatriate who said funny things about vidya gaems.

3. The first two Thief games, and some parts of Deadly Shadows; the series fundamentally altered the way I played video games. As far as movies, my favorite will always be Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, for the comedy, the music and the surprisingly heart-touching inherent message.

4. I've seen a number of you in person at various Escapist expos, but you never saw me.

 

[Asita]

1) *shrug* Not much to it. Asita was a one-off name I used for an MMO character, and I reused it on the Escapist.

2) Joined June 2011. Truth be told, I think I made my account because of some contest and then just stuck around.

3) I don't really do favorites very well. I like things strongly and often, for various reasons. I'm pretty into Warframe right now, the books that made the strongest impression on me recently are probably the Mistborn series and the Count of Monte Cristo, movies...I mean, there's Bridge of Spies, Arsenic and Old Lace, Mister Roberts, Young Frankenstein...

4)

4. I have a stupid good memory when it comes to pointless lore and info on nerdy settings.

Hey! Hermano!