The Origin of “Choom” ;)

[First_Among_Brothers]

So, I was listening to the audiobook version of Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s _The Master of Mankind,_ and I swear I heard the reader say “choooooooooom” when describing volkite weaponry—I am pretty sure it says “choom” right there in the book. I had always thought of this as a term coming from the online community, so it’s surprising to see it in the novel (though Dembski-Bowden most likely picked it up online and is playing with it—this is a relatively recent Heresy novel, after all).

 

Anybody have a handle on where the term originated? Searching it gets you a variety of things not connected to 30k, from antiquated slang to a Hawaiian legal cannabis company.

[Slips]

It spawned from here, actually! From the Martian Death Ray club if I remember right and ADB liked it so much he made it cannon.

 

Or at least this is how I know the term came to be.

[Grotsmasha]

IIRC, A D-B did indeed here the term here, and ran with it.

[Dosjetka]

It spawned from here, actually! From the Martian Death Ray club if I remember right and ADB liked it so much he made it cannon.

 

Or at least this is how I know the term came to be.

Well, that's the first two rules broken... :P

 

* ahem *

 

@Olis is the one who coined the "term", if I remember that correctly, which was then popularised here on the B&C before going on to take over the Warhammer community at large by storm.

[Brother Cambrius]

Yes indeed, 'Choom! Glorious Choom!' was an Olis original waaaaay back when the HH first appeared. (Although I'm more saddened nobody in the MDRC used 'Choom Choominey, Choom Choominey, Choom Choom Cheree!'...)

 

I'm pretty sure Forgeworld have him on a list of Volkite Addicts as he really does love em so much.

 

Cambrius

[Olis]

Aye, I am the originator of "choom" (I came up with it and others ran with it, though I will confess to milking it for all it was worth). I kinda wanted some kind of sci-fi onomatopoeia that wasn't simply just "pew-pew-pew".

 

That was for lasers. Volkites are death rays, not lasers. ;)

 

Also, to address the when of it - I believe it was 2015 when I first posted it up - possibly in a rumours thread? I'll see if I can dig up the actual post when I get home from work.

 

(I am still stoked at the idea that A D-B canonized it!)

[Brother Cambrius]

pew-pew-pew!

 

That was for lasers. Volkites are death rays, not lasers. ;)

 

Objection! Lascannons, as is well established go "FREEM!" :P

 

I think the origin of Choom is much older than that. Poasibly 2012-3 ish if my internal mental chronometer is right.

 

Cambrius

[Spinsanity]

 

pew-pew-pew!

 

That was for lasers. Volkites are death rays, not lasers. ;)

 

Objection! Lascannons, as is well established go "FREEM!" :P

 

I think the origin of Choom is much older than that.

It has to be, yeah; the MDRC thread was created in 2015-06, the sound had to have been out for a while already by then

[Indefragable]

Ballistic weapons (especially of the automatic variety) :

Dakka dakka dakka!

 

(Small caliber/wattage/whatever) lasers:

Pew-pew!

 

Lascannons/“heavy” lasers:

Freem!

 

Volkite weaponry:

Choom!

 

Tau energy projectiles:

Pew-pew...for the Greater Good!

 

Gauss:

Mathematik ist die Königin der Wissenschaften.

 

What sound do plasma weapons make?

[Gederas]

What sound do plasma weapons make?

I believe Plasma goes " you, the guy standing next to you, the six guys BEHIND you, and [plasma weapon overloads] me!", followed by a detonation of plasma cores.

 

 

In all seriousness, I think Plasma weapons sound like how they do in either Fallout or in the Space Marine video game. Kind of a high-speed "fwoosh" noise.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Gederas

[helterskelter]

 

 

All over 'VOIP!' in the context of Hudson in Aliens:

'Independently targeting particle beam phalanx. VOIP! Fry half a city with this puppy.'

 

We never heard it fire it could have went choom

 

I need to put choom into my next Heresy novel. 

 

I had freem in the Night Lords Series, so it's only fair.

[bluntblade]

The Holy Choom was duly canonized in Master of Mankind. And there was much rejoicing.

[roryokane]

Aye, I am the originator of "choom" (I came up with it and others ran with it, though I will confess to milking it for all it was worth). I kinda wanted some kind of sci-fi onomatopoeia that wasn't simply just "pew-pew-pew".

 

That was for lasers. Volkites are death rays, not lasers.

 

Also, to address the when of it - I believe it was 2015 when I first posted it up - possibly in a rumours thread? I'll see if I can dig up the actual post when I get home from work.

 

(I am still stoked at the idea that A D-B canonized it!)

Is... Is this how it feels for Ultramarines and their successors to meet Guilliman in M42...?

 

 

How does it feel to have achieved immortality without having had to sell your soul to the Dark Gods (suck it, traitor scum!)...?

 

[Pacific81]

Pretty sure 'choom' is used as an onomatopoea in 2000AD/Judge Dredd with some of the guns. Know there was obviously the big crossover back in the day with 40k and the early writers were fans (although not sure if ADB is?)

[SkimaskMohawk]

Lol I remember I had killed every FOC option with volkite to get my MDRC badge, but I just....never wrote the last story to lock it in lol.

 

I think it was something hilariously sad too, like a bike praetor being shot at by 5 terrors and my buddy failed 3/5 saves. I was hoping for 1 wound or something.