The V8 Story

From a Random Username to a Digital Identity

Every username has a story. Most people pick something random and move on, but mine somehow turned into a mystery people kept trying to solve. Over the years, assumptions piled up, theories spread, and I just let them. But here’s how it really began.

It Started With a Pattern

Back in school, my teacher Dinesh used a strange username: d7d77d7d77. It looked like a puzzle, like it belonged to some coder with a love for patterns. Curious, I asked him if I could try something similar. He just smiled and said, "Go on." That’s when I created v8v88v8v88. At the time, it didn’t mean much. But as I kept using it, it became something bigger, almost like a little legacy of my own.

The Misunderstandings

Of course, people started guessing. “You must be into cars,” they said, imagining me talking about horsepower and muscle engines. Others thought it was about V8, the JavaScript engine behind Chrome. Honestly, it wasn’t either of those. The car theory was completely off, but I didn’t mind the JavaScript one, it’s kind of cool in its own way. I liked how it symbolized speed, improvement, and recursion, even if that wasn’t the original reason I chose the name.

The Number 8

The number 8 has always stuck with me. Flip it and it becomes infinity, a never-ending loop. Maybe that’s why the name kept cycling back into people’s conversations. Funny enough, according to my kundli, 8 is my lucky number too. I don’t really believe in astrology, but I’ve always thought it was interesting how it lined up with what I’d already chosen. Maybe coincidence, maybe not.

A Name That Stays

The best part? This username has always been available. Everywhere I tried—YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, GitHub, even my own website (v8v88v8v88.com) it was mine. The only exception is Meta, which for some reason says it’s “taken.” By who? By what? No clue. Maybe a glitch, maybe a ghost account. Or maybe just Meta being Meta.

So, How Do You Even Say It?

Here’s where it gets funny. People constantly mispronounce it. I’ve heard versions like V8V8888888 and even total nonsense like VATES Honestly, some of those sound like someone’s having a meltdown while reading it.

The truth is simple: just call me V8. That’s what I like, and that’s what most people say anyway. If we’re close, you can just call me V. And if you’re one of the bold ones, some even call me 8. Anything else? Nah, don’t even try.

From Secret to Identity

When I first came up with v8v88v8v88, it was supposed to be secret. Just a cool alias, something cryptic that felt untouchable. But like all secrets, once you start using them everywhere, they stop being secrets. Over time, it became my handle, my pen name, and eventually, my digital identity. At one point, I even wrote under it, signing my words with this name like it was a poet’s signature. Those writings are lost now, but the name stayed.

Turns out, a username isn’t just a mask you hide behind. It’s a flag you plant. And mine is planted almost everywhere on the internet.

What’s Your Story?

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the names we choose grow with us. What starts as random can turn into something permanent, something meaningful. For me, that’s v8v88v8v88. It’s no longer just a username it’s part of my story.

So what about you? What’s the story behind your username? If you think you’ve got something as weird, funny, or iconic, feel free to send it to me at v8v88v8v88@protonmail.com.

A username might look random, but there’s always something behind it a memory, a coincidence, or just a choice that stuck. Mine just happens to be all of that at once.
- Vaibhav