One post tagged with "Essays"

As you can see, my nickname is Nova Noir (or Nova No1R, Nova No1r, and various other variations), but what's the story behind this nickname? What will be the past, present, and future of my online alias?

This article originated from thinking about the online nickname "Lantern" while taking a bath, along with thoughts about his real name, and extrapolating from there (although I have never met "Lantern" in person, but coincidentally heard him giving a reverse fundamentals course to my roommate, and then went to observe and learn from it).

The Beginning​

My first contact with the internet began with the QQ number registered by my family. I vividly remember my first nickname, which was carefully decided after discussions with my mother, called "爱吃屎的懒羊羊" ("Lazy Lamb Who Loves Eating Poop"). I admit that this name, even by today's standards, is quite abstract, but for an 8-year-old, it seemed reasonable. CF was the first online game I played, and around third grade, I chose my first nickname, which I still remember as "丗堺" because I also used this name on MCBBS, and it is torture every time I have to enter this name, probably around 2012, a time when my mind was filled with alien symbols.

However, during this period, nicknames were frequently changed, and I only remember "丗堺" distinctly. Can these nicknames from that period really be considered nicknames?

Tieba Era​

While still in elementary school, I discovered Baidu Tieba for browsing things like comic books. Posting was easy back then, as you could directly post content without using Baidu Cloud (although I did save some on Baidu Cloud). During this time, I chose my first non-alien nickname: Haunt, also known as HauntChoc.

I can't recall the origin of this name. I guess I saw the word "hunt" somewhere but didn't want to use it directly, then found the rare word "haunt" on Baidu. As I got into Minecraft, I started using this name, gaining some popularity on the MinecraftPE forum (with 20,000 followers). I wrote many trashy ModPEs and a funny JavaScript (ModPE) tutorial.

Teaching JavaScript + Android to a primary school student who had no technical knowledge actually had a good effect. Since he didn't understand anything technical, he used simple language (based on his own understanding), which surprisingly worked well.

This period lasted until around 2016, as I remember getting into CSGO in 2016 and rarely used it as my Steam name after that.

Golden Age​

As for the origin of the nickname "Nova," and when I started using it, and why I abandoned the nickname "Haunt," I cannot recall clearly. Its appearance was sudden, much like the word "Nova" itself, denoting the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently 'new' star.

Initially, this name was used in my CSGO games for a period (although I mostly used names of anime characters, "Nova" wasn't any character I had seen before). At this time, I was active on Max+, and I made some good friends there (although we rarely play games together now, we still chat daily and share pictures). They needed a nickname to call me, and for some reason, they chose "Nova" from my Steam nickname.

Gradually, I started using Nova regularly, but faced issues with duplicate names. Also, I felt that having such a long nickname like "Nova" with no additional identifiers was inefficient and lacked uniqueness. In March 2017, after the release of the Spectrum Case, I chose "neo-noir" as a suffix, which resonated with my skin. This has been consistent till now. Interestingly, neither "Nova" nor "noir" was chosen based on their meanings; I simply thought they sounded cool.

Around 2022, after entering university, I realized the importance of Chinese identifiers. Having a Chinese nickname can leave a lasting impression among Chinese-speaking communities, especially on platforms like GitHub, which are primarily in English. Besides, I felt that a nickname without Chinese characters looked empty on common social apps. Adding Japanese characters could work, but it wouldn't have the same impact.

Hence, I started thinking about translating "NovaNoir." Obviously, "Nova" and "Noir" are two completely contrasting concepts; while their English combination may have a unique aesthetic, in a Chinese context, it could evoke a "cringey" feeling—something like "魅影新星" or "暗夜新星," but the pun on "新星" didn't sound elegant. After much thought, I settled on 黯星座 ("Dark Star Sign"), a name that felt less edgy and somewhat satisfying.

To The Future​

This should have been the end of the story. "NovaNoir" has become an irreplaceable identifier for me. Friends call me "nova" in games, classmates use "nova" in everyday life, and I use "novanoir" for gaming and competition names. I even own two domains, novanoir.dev and n.ova.moe. This coincidental yet long-standing nickname remains dear to me, and I may continue using it indefinitely.

This brings me back to why I wrote this article. When you see "nova," and then my name, what comes to mind?

As I grow older, I find myself liking my Chinese name more. My parents did a great job naming me with an elegant, high-quality, and pleasant single character. So, even though nicknames don't necessarily have to be related to real names, or only a few can be related, I suddenly wish my nickname could be one that others immediately understand the origin of.

After all, who wouldn't love a cat named Miu/Miyu that meows?