Seeking a character name for a Puerto Rican teleporter

[rjcurrie]

I am working on a possible new character for SuperSquad America. He is a teleporter (the abilities are in a battlesuit not natural) and I need a name. Since he is Puerto Rican, the name could probably be either English or Spanish.

[Doomed Prophet]

What kind of teleportation? Does he "Bamf", step into shadows, teleport through phone lines, etc? Power effects have alot to do with hero naming...

[Enforcer84]

Sidestep

[rjcurrie]

Basically, the character glows a bit, there's a sound effect like "schooooop" and he disappears. The same glow and sound effect occur where he reappears.

[rjcurrie]

Sidestep

For some reason, Sidestep seems to imply a degree of shadiness and avoidance which doesn't quite feel appropriate.

[Captain Obvious]

"schooooop"

I have no grand ideas for names, but as a piece of background, this guy's friends (or enemies) can rag on him by making the connection that his teleport sound is very similar to the Spanish for "suck".

[freakboy6117]

El Morro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_San_Felipe_del_Morro) he started off calling himself The Castle after the ability of the chess piece but the Puerto Rican locals renamed him after the famous castle that over looks San Juan.

[Doc Shocker]

El Morro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_San_Felipe_del_Morro) he started off calling himself The Castle after the ability of the chess piece but the Puerto Rican locals renamed him after the famous castle that over looks San Juan.

Repped for a great idea and being yet another person that seems to be able to read my mind.

[Enforcer84]

I concur, a much better name.

[NestorDRod]

Wow. It just never occurred to me to think of hero names in Spanish. :p

El Morro is certainly a recognizable icon of Puerto Rican culture, but I'm not sure it fits the character concept. To be honest, it's like a speedster calling himself the Chrysler Building. :)

Off the top of my head, Portador comes to mind as an immediate derivative (basically 'Porter in Spanish).

I could steal my wife's 'porter hero name: Dodger. Or its Spanish equivalent, Tramposo.;)

Hmmm, I may need some time for my Swiss-cheese brain to come up with some more possibilities. :think:

[rjcurrie]

Actually, I should clarify that the character is Puerto Rican in ancestry (his parents came from there) but he was born and raised in New York City, so the El Morro name probably doesn't work -- although perhaps the Puerto Rican community in New York might suggest the name.

However, I'm not sure that he would call himself the Castle-- the chess move does not really suggest teleportation to me but rather switching places -- but that might just be me.

As for Portador, I love the sound of it -- it brings to mind the flamboyance of a matador which is appropriate for a superhero. However, online translators seem to indicate that Portador translates as "carrier" or "bearer". But such translations are not perfect and I have to wonder how a Spanish speaker would interpret the name "Portador".

[Alibear]

Matador is all I could come up with.

[The Arc]

How about El Tiburón or the Shark. As in the Sharks from West Side Story. The Sharks being a Peurto Rican gang in the movie.

[NestorDRod]

Actually, I should clarify that the character is Puerto Rican in ancestry (his parents came from there) but he was born and raised in New York City, so the El Morro name probably doesn't work -- although perhaps the Puerto Rican community in New York might suggest the name.

However, I'm not sure that he would call himself the Castle-- the chess move does not really suggest teleportation to me but rather switching places -- but that might just be me.

As for Portador, I love the sound of it -- it brings to mind the flamboyance of a matador which is appropriate for a superhero. However, online translators seem to indicate that Portador translates as "carrier" or "bearer". But such translations are not perfect and I have to wonder how a Spanish speaker would interpret the name "Portador".

Well, the accurate translation of "porter" (as in a baggage handler) is "portero", but I figured you wouldn't want the name to sound that common, hence the more formal "portador". Essentially, I was going for a "pun" name (teleporter = 'porter = porter).

<shrug> Yeah, I know the name connection isn't strong, but, to be blunt, it's still closer than calling him a castle, bullfighter or a shark. ;)

A modest note: bullfighting is not a part of Puerto Rican culture in any way or form. If you're looking for animal sports and Puerto Rico, what you'd find is cockfighting. And I don't think that's quite what you'd want.

Then, again... Make his battlesuit be colorful and he could go as El Gallo. :)

[Vondy]

Blink, in Spanish, is centelleo.

Other than that: I got nothin'.

[Bloodstone]

Presto

[NestorDRod]

Blink, in Spanish, is centelleo.

Other than that: I got nothin'.

Really? Never heard that one. Centella is "lightning" or "flash" so it's possible, although I remember more commonly using relampago (for any grammar mavens out there, there's an accent on the first 'a' :) ).

Edit: Realized after re-reading my post it might be confusing. I meant using relampago for lightning, not blink. ;)

[Alibear]

Well, the accurate translation of "porter" (as in a baggage handler) is "portero", but I figured you wouldn't want the name to sound that common, hence the more formal "portador". Essentially, I was going for a "pun" name (teleporter = 'porter = porter).

<shrug> Yeah, I know the name connection isn't strong, but, to be blunt, it's still closer than calling him a castle, bullfighter or a shark. ;)

A modest note: bullfighting is not a part of Puerto Rican culture in any way or form. If you're looking for animal sports and Puerto Rico, what you'd find is cockfighting. And I don't think that's quite what you'd want.

Then, again... Make his battlesuit be colorful and he could go as El Gallo. :)


The bullfighter was just 'cos I assumed he evades attacks by teleporting out of the way rather like a Matador dances away from the bulls horns.

[mattingly]

If a matador fights mats, does the portador fight the poor?

[aylwin13]

If a matador fights mats, does the portador fight the poor?
I think he would fight ports (i.e. docks, wharves, etc.) ;)

[rjcurrie]

Well, the accurate translation of "porter" (as in a baggage handler) is "portero", but I figured you wouldn't want the name to sound that common, hence the more formal "portador". Essentially, I was going for a "pun" name (teleporter = 'porter = porter).

<shrug> Yeah, I know the name connection isn't strong, but, to be blunt, it's still closer than calling him a castle, bullfighter or a shark. ;)

A modest note: bullfighting is not a part of Puerto Rican culture in any way or form. If you're looking for animal sports and Puerto Rico, what you'd find is cockfighting. And I don't think that's quite what you'd want.

Then, again... Make his battlesuit be colorful and he could go as El Gallo. :)

Since he can effecitively carry the whole team (or others) with him, perhaps Portador might work as a name. What do others think?

[aylwin13]

If transportation of people and things is his primary function, Portador might work; but it's not the most heroic sounding name (to me anyway). "No, I don't really fight crime, I just get people places." :(

For others YMMV.

[Doomed Prophet]

Don't forget the soliloquy rule...

Soliloquy Rule: It doesn't matter how much time you take on naming your character, if you're caught on video during your first appearance and don't give a good soliloquy with your name, you'll probably be named by the people who write for Action <insert number here> News...

For Example: A fellow player in a game I was in spent a long time coming up with a name for his brick that converted fire/heat into cold (his DR was a visual ice coating). He finally decided on "Thermodynamic". Then came our first mission with him, stop some metapowered bank robbers. Needless to say we went there, beat the villains, and then left (we had little concept of P.R. at the time). Later that day we saw the news byte about our fight. The three established heroes were properly named in the report but he was described as "crashing into the villains like a cold front off the lake". Needless to say Thermodynamic became Cold Front...

I've found that alot of heroes don't name themselves, the public names them... Guess it's the price of being a hero... That and having FEMA say "Oh snit... Not him... Again... Call out the troops... >sigh<"

[NestorDRod]

Oh Gawd, hero names and the public...

In one of those "emerging hero" games, where everyone is a first-generation hero, we had one guy play an electricity-based blaster that, when needing to hide his identity, covered himself with a hoodie and dark glasses, so that he looked like the Identikit portrait of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber.

He was promptly dubbed the Unashocker. :D

But back on topic, yeah, if transporting other folks is part of his schtick, Portador's not a bad handle, and not just because I'm the one who suggested it. ;)

[Log-Man]

Would "El Teleporto" be wrong? :angel:

[SSgt Baloo]

In keeping with the chess theme above, might I suggest Knight or Caballero (horseman). This is assuming that "Caballero" is the Spanish term for the Knight in chess.

[Bloodstone]

This is assuming that "Caballero" is the Spanish term for the Knight in chess.

Actually, as far as I know, it's Caballo (ie it's called a "horse", not a "knight"). Of course, that could just be slang now that I think about it...

But, if you go with Caballero one of his teammates needs to be a Gaucho from Argentina that rides around on a flying burro. He would wield magic bolas and a razor sharp punal!

And because no one is likely to get my oblique reference:

http://www.laughingplace.com/files/columns/Toon20010817/08.jpg

[NestorDRod]

Woo hoo!

"We're three caballeros,
Three gay caballeros.
They tell us we're birds of a feather!"

:D

[rjcurrie]

So, do people think it should be "Portador" or "El Portador"?

[NestorDRod]

Either way would be fine.

Think of it this way: is he "Porter" or "The Porter"?

[psychonaut_raz]

I vote Portador/El Portador.....I think they're interchangeable; it's like how the name of the comic is The Hulk, but people just call him Hulk to his face...

Or you could just call him Shoop, which makes me think he'd be dressed like an extra from Happy Days... ;)

[mattingly]

If he was called Shoop, he could hire Salt N Pepa to be his backup singers.

I like "El Portador" better than just "Portador." Just don't call him "Mr. Portadorhead."

[bubba smith]

Sidestep
that should work

[Benzini]

ok..Viajero---it means traveller