All about YOU

[birdsofshore]

I love talking with you all here each week / day / hour / insert own level of addiction, but I often think I don't even know basic stuff about your LJ , like what your username means, what your icons are, etc etc. Come and tell me everything.

Why did you pick your username, and what does it mean? What's your default icon, and does it have any significance? If it's a famous person, please don't assume I will know who it is - I never know who anyone is unless I have the hots for them. What about those other things we can personalise on LJ - the quotes or messages at the top of your journal, and that odd little thing I've never worked out how to change, for instance who_la_hoop's says "I can see your house from here", which always makes me laugh. Do you have special art or graphics on your header? What are they all about?

I will start you off. My username is from a poster that I have in my living room, which says "Birds of shore & sea", with, er, drawings of different birds. Of shore, and, indeed, of sea. "Birdsofshoreandsea" is more characters than LJ allows, and besides, the shorebirds are the ones I like the best.

My picture is probably self-evident, but it's a curlew, which is my absolute favourite bird. I live quite near to plenty of these glorious creatures and they make me very thrilled and happy whenever I see one. They're just so ludicrous and beaky. They look like they shouldn't exist, and they seem to have really fabulous personalities. I can watch them for hours, just mooching about and digging for worms. They also have subtly beautiful plumage and the most wonderful song. I'm not actually OBSESSED with birds in real life, but I can verge on HIGHLY ENTHUSIASTIC about birds on any given occasion, so apologies if you just glazed over there.

The quotes on my journal are from one of my favourite books, The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving. "You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed" and "Keep passing the open windows" are pieces of advice from the book on how to survive whatever life throws at you. If you haven't read it, it's a big, insane, sexy, sweet, funny, tragic romp of a book and please don't tell me if you don't like it, because I have adored it since I was about 15 and bought it to impress a boy I fancied who worked in a bookshop (my rec for Frequent Patronage will be along any day now, by the way). Fandom is definitely part of my plan to remain sane and to 'keep passing the open windows' (in other words, to avoid falling into depression and self-harm), so both quotes seemed apt when I was picking my layout.

I have only got a standard LJ header thing - it was the one that seemed least offensive when I looked through. I'd love fancy graphics or some beautiful art up there, but OMG, how hard to choose, plus, if I'm being honest, I don't have a clue how to do such things DD:

Please come and do all the sharing. I really, really want to know.

p.s. A very big thank you to whoever nominated me at HPfanficpoll thingy, if you are on my flist. I was very flattered indeed that you liked my fics, and touched that you took the time ♥

Comments

[birdsofshore]

Oh nononononono! That's always a tragedy when that happens, but especially here when it was going to reveal everything to us and now it's looooost DDD:

I really really hope you come back and comment again. *clutches you*

[josephinestone.livejournal.com]

It is now called "weirdly identifying with Draco Malfoy since 2005", which is self explanatory

I love this.

[birdsofshore]

OK, I fully admit I had you on my mental hitlist. I am delighted to know I have been 'saying' your name right, and to find out what it means.

I am FASCINATED that your icon is of a real person. He looks so unreal and otherworldly in there that I was convinced he was a piece of digital art. I am SUPER-FASCINATED you draw Draco looking like yourself. I did not think I could crush on you any harder, but I think it just went up a notch :DDD (you freaky, interesting narcissist)

[birdsofshore]

Yes, it's too perfect, isn't it? Every time I see it, I gnash my teeth a little bit with jealousy :DD

[geneva2010.livejournal.com]

Thank you on my username! And thank you on my icon! I sometimes want to use another icon, but it's kind of like changing your face before having a conversation. Only for Halloween, otherwise not on.

We are a hummingbird mecca (although Southern Arizona, where I have visited, is better)! I regularly see 4 different kinds. I love them so much, they are pure entertainment and beauty. I help people plan their gardens just to attract them.

[who_la_hoop]

*remains mysterious*

Mostly because of laziness, haha. But I think you know it all already :D

[mayfly-78.livejournal.com]

That is Stuart Broad! I never would have been able to tell! He's super cute and all, but I was sure that it was a model in your pic.

You look like your Dracos? Ooooh, I like that thought! (I look nothing like my Dracos.)

[birdsofshore]

Now you are another one I wanted to ask all the things, so I am very glad you are here. I wanted to know who that woman was, and now I will never now. I had it backwards with you - I thought Ines was HER name and it was some cool actor or singer or something. It is a lovely picture.

This book is about a man who is absolutely convinced his wife Capitu is cheating on him
Am I allowed to snort a little bit at this? In the circumstances? No?

I love the Magic is Everywhere line. It makes me feel shivery and fannish when I see it :DD Your offer to make me a layout, OMFG yes. You darling. The only thing is that 1) i am super super picky about how I want things to look, I would probably drive you insane and b) I would drive mySELF insane trying to choose the perfect thing and getting in a tizz about it and stressing. So I will probably put it off almost forever, but, as your offer runs until forever, yay, I will DEFINITELY take you up on that, without a doubt. It just may take me years. I am frightened of change but one day I will do it. Thank you ♥

Birds! I am not obsessed *cough*. Just ENTHUSIASTIC. I want to know about your bird. What does she look like?

Yes! you wrote a lot! Most people are! it's brilliant and just what I wanted!

[mayfly-78.livejournal.com]

I'm very visual, and often I identify people by their user-icons even more than by their usernames. Which was hilarious when I met groolover. I couldn't remember who she was until she said she had a photo of herself with a jester's hat on as a user-icon.

So yeah, when people use real photos it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that it's a photo of them. Usually I go by how good the photo is. If it's an amateur snapshot, then it's probably them. If it's a beautiful professional photo, then it's probably not.

[birdsofshore]

I admit I may recognise the chappie in your icon...

The rest is actually fairly mysterious, but I will just continue with my filthy stalkerish headcanon, so that's fine ;D

[mayfly-78.livejournal.com]

No one picks up on the Belle & Sebastian theme!

The poem is tragical and I - obviously - identify with the Albatross. Who is so majestic when flying, but so ungainly on land - ie in the real "normal" world.

http://fleursdumal.org/poem/200

Haha, my banner is typical of me. Always over-doing it and putting too much in. I fail so much at minimalism!

[capitu]

I love your username. I was thinking about it the other day, how cool it is, and Nox for short. I love it.

[sassy-cissa.livejournal.com]

Okay, I'll play.

User name: When I first started my LJ - I used most of my real-life name as my user name, since I never, ever in a million years intended to read, let alone write...slash. Enter stumbling onto slash and becoming hooked. After posting fics for a bit under that name and ensuing fiasco that was involved when my then 19 yr old find my journal *which involved a fight in the Louvre in Paris - a story for another day* - I decided to change my user name. Around that same time I became a member of an RPG called Beyond Seven Years and I played Narcissa. I was in it for several years, playing some other characters *Theo Nott and Severus Snape* but Narcissa has always been a fav character of mine. After I read HBP I knew Narcissa would whatever it took to make certain Draco survived the war. Anyway - because I was "Narcissa-obsessed" I put a request to my flist and sassy_cissa was the user name they came up with for me. *wipes brow* whew - that was a butt-load of info for such a simple question.

Next my default icon is Michelle Pfieffer - who I believe to this day would have made a perfect Narcissa....if they hadn't had that stupid everyone must be British rule for the movies. Not to mention she'd never have allowed her hair to look like a skunk!

My header...it changes seasonally. "Spring into Summer" "Fall into Fandom" and "A good fic warms you on a cold winter day".
The designs generally vary and are created by the mulit-talented femmequixotic. I'm using last years fall one, though, because she is buried in Graduate work at Harvard and I didn't want to bug her for a new one this year. My journal motto is from a song by 3 Doors Down called "Let Me Go". On my main joural is: In this world there's real and make believe and on my friends page it's And this seems real to me.

Oh and I can code a basic layout, but when your bff is a graphic designer...who "lives to code" why bother!!! ♥

And if you read this to the end...congrats. :P

[capitu]

Look at that, that's super interesting. I always thought the Mayfly was some sort of anamgram for Malfoy and... well, I don't know what else, but I was sure it was something about Malfoy. XD

[awickedmemory.livejournal.com]

Username: awickedmemory comes from a song from Avantasia: The Metal Opera called "Memory":
          / From the faces in my dream, they are coming back for me /
          / As it was told in their prediction /
          / Is it just a dream... or just a wicked memory /
          / Now I see her coming - on her besom /
          / The smell of brimstone and the mark of the beast /
          / From the open window, is it just a dream? /
I just really liked the idea of not being able to tell if you were in a nightmare or reliving the horribly memories of something you'd done - and the character singing this particular song is being haunted by the ghost of a woman she had tortured, dismembered and killed earlier in the story, so there was a sense of vindictive gratification that he's not going unpunished for his hurtful actions.

Default icon: Most of my icons are character/ship-specific or are reactionary. This one is the most all-purpose, so it became my default.

Customizations: I don't have any text personalizations except for lyrics for the song the username comes from. XD I used to have this layout, which was literally just doodles of my friends (that's me and my BFF snoozing), but I didn't like my journal being graphic-heavy and switched to a text-based layout because I'm boring like that.

I wondered what sort of bird that was in your icon! I love its beak. Even its name is ridiculously adorable. XD And your quotes are very good advice, yes! Ahhh, I'd offer to help customize your LJ but I work better with raw coding and have never been good at tweaking LJ's minor customizations. T_T I find many of their available free layouts to be really... bulky, ugh. XD

[capitu]

omg, I'm so ridiculous, but I used to think raitala was food. >.<

The meaning is beautiful though. :)

[capitu]

Awww. Love you all. That's the cutest thing ever. <3

Also LOL @ 'Hi I'm easy'. I had never thought of that.

Are we friends? I can be your friend?

[birdsofshore]

You were very brief compared to a lot of people!

I can't tell if she's smiling because she's happy or because she's off her rocker.

Perfect :DDD

Thank you for the congratulations. And the same back at you!

[raitala.livejournal.com]

What can you do? *shrugs* ;)

[birdsofshore]

It was such a good idea! I am learning loads about everyone!

So you're German? That is so funny because in my head you are 100% Japanese. The combination of your name, your art and even your cherry blossoms!

I love your icon! Is it a little cactus?

[raitala.livejournal.com]

Hey, everyone is welcome to weirdly identify with Draco Malfoy \o/

[0idontknow0]

Username: I literally didn't know what to use and idontknow was taken I think. I used the 0's just because of their null value.

Userpic: Well, it just reminds me not to freak out when deadlines are coming up and I thought others would probably see it when they're pulling their hair out over fic as well.

Other: I like simple layouts so I just sick to anything that looks clean and minimal. I want to change it but I'm not sure what to use. I generally don't like the headers that come with layouts so I avoid layouts with them. It's abnormally easy for my to be impersonal with things. My journal, much like my room right now, doesn't have much to indicate anything about me in terms of decoration.

[capitu]

Am I allowed to snort a little bit at this? In the circumstances? No?

Of course! I love Irony. Irony and I are great friends. She likes taking me out every other Friday. LOL

No, this woman comes from a stock photo. I have a larger version of it, but I don't know who she is. ^^

Don't worry about being picky. What I mean is, I am picky, that's why I haven't changed my layout, I'm super anal and I have to have every single detail just right before using one, so I totally understand that in others, and, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm very patient, so bring it! I mean it though, you can check out anything and have an idea of what you'd like and we can go from there. No rush, no pressure, but it could be fun. :) It doesn't even have to be something complicated, if you want a simple layout with no header or whatever. So yeah, think about it! <3

My bird, well, she's very small, and brown, but I've seen it from bush to bush and she's fast and loud. I'm fond of her. :) I'm pretty sure it's the same because she's the only one that doesn't fly away when I come out to the backyard, other birds see me and jump far or fly off, but this one tiny bird looks at me and... I have the feeling she doesn't mind me. :D

Christ! I just realised my entire comment was left to raitala instead to the original post. >.<

Sorry Birds. Sometimes I shouldn't be allowed to play with others. ^^

[birdsofshore]

Yours is one of the userpics that I remain convinced must actually be you :DDD And I must hear the Louvre story sometime, please!

The autumn banner is glorious! I agree you need to take advantage of femme's skills.

I read every bit. These are all fascinating, I'm loving it.

[capitu]

*nods* Yeah, the icons is how we identify ourselves here in a big way, whether be a photo of a bird, a woman in white, our own art, is part of a lj identity. :)