What's in a username?

[bironic]

Happy birthday to ME! And to those of you who have been or will be celebrating this week: synn, firestorm717, elynross and anyone else I've missed. (I wish the My LJ page would display the previous few flist birthdays in addition to the ones coming up.) To those to whom this applies, thank you for the well-wishing, the smut linkage, the promise of food, and the incidental gifts of commenting and fic previews and beta-ing -- and to think, it's not even noon.

Birthdays are strange things. They want to be singled out as special and somehow important, but it usually feels forced. Last year I bought myself a plane ticket and flew the hell out of here. That was a nice present. This year, though, the annual vacation has come and gone and I'll be spending the day half-asleep at work. It promises to be thoroughly ordinary. Not bad, just ordinary.

Then I realized that there is something that would bring more joy into this momentous Wednesday, and it's a something you can help me with. (It's not a ficlet request; I wouldn't ask that of you, at least not on such short notice.) See, this is my first birthday on LiveJournal, and that's an occasion worth celebrating. I love you all to pieces -- I can't say it enough. And a great gift would be sharin' the love and growing a little closer to all of you. How? By telling me, and one another, about your LJ usernames.

What does your username mean? How did you come up with it? Have you had it so long you hardly think about it? If you've become unhappy with your choice, what would you change it to? Have you changed it before?

Say as much or as little as you want to. You shouldn't feel guilted into participating, but it would be really nice to hear from everyone on this one, even if I've heard some or all of your rationale before (because others probably haven't) and even if you're usually a lurker (because I still see your names on my Profile page and wonder). Even if you're at Lumos and won't read this for another week, dammit.



Bironic is, as you may have guessed, a melding of "Byronic" and "ironic," with the benefit of also having the prefix "bi-."

Why "Byronic"? Thanks to an offhand comment by a wonderful professor, I fell into Romantic studies at school, specifically Byron and modern popular culture. That led to a series of papers that inspired my first submission and subsequent presentation at a fan conference, which led to my second, both of which involved meeting some awesome people and becoming part of the fandom community in which I'd only previously lurked, which in turn led (in part) to the creation of this LJ. Without that original link from Byron to pop culture studies, I don't know whether I'd be here today. I also have Byron-glasses like some people have slash-glasses (well, I have those too). So he needed to be included in the username.

"Ironic" because I wouldn't be myself without sarcasm. It may not come out on LJ so much, what with all the caveats of netiquette and interacting through inflectionless words with people who don't know you, but in person I'm heavily sarcastic. Those of you who know me in RL will attest to this. It's been getting me in trouble lately, actually. I love ironic wit in friends/acquaintances/etc. and in fictional characters (Snape and the entire cast of House spring immediately to mind). I love the dry British humor that puzzles so many of my compatriots. Switching the "y" in "Byronic" to an "i" seemed a perfect choice.

"Bi-" was thus a byproduct. It's not a personal statement but I'm pleased it's there because I'm very interested in (so-called) alternative sexualities and fluid gender identity, things we get to play with all the time in fic and fandom.

The spelling worries me from time to time because I fear that some people aren't getting the pun and are trying to pronounce it "bee-ro-nique" or something.



Your turn.

Comments

[bironic.livejournal.com]

I've got a long, and only slightly interesting story about my name.

Ach, you people and your convictions that no one wants to hear your explanations. Why do you think I made this post? :P

I don't know of the company RM Williams but can I just say that Driz-a-bone is a great name for a (rain?)coat?

When I couldn't put a space in my username at Twisting the Hellmouth, I shortened it to RoseWill...

Ah, Twisting the Hellmouth. I found that site just before it went down and read a bunch of the Harry Potter crossovers before it disappeared, esp. the Willow 'shippy ones. Come to think of it, wasn't there a really long Willow-centric fic posted elsewhere in which she traveled back in time (or an AU where she originally existed a century or two ago) and was called Rose?

I wanted to be sophronia: it is my favourite of Italo Calvion's invisible cities [...] But that was already taken.

Mm, I'd really like to read more of Calvino's work. I've got Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler on the shelf at home...just need time to get to them. Alas that your first choice was already taken! Was it by someone who hasn't updated since 2001, perchance?

That's really interesting about the ink brush painting. Hearing about it, I'm surprised your icon is the stained glass and not two or three of those characters in your name.

I got this default icon, a window rose, between deciding to change my name and actually changing it. But I'm keeping it now because it's pretty.

It's also a fixture within House LJ communities -- at least, it is for me. One can always tell at a glance whether you've read a fic yet or not.

[secondsilk.livejournal.com]

I was certain that you would read it. I just wish I had a more elegant way of writing the story.
Driz-a-bones are raincoats, yes. They're made specifically for farm workers and are oil-waterproofed canvas, I think. Oiled, certainly, and lightweight.

Sank in Grief (http://www.tthfanfic.com/Story-1989/EenaAngel+Sank+To+Grief.htm). Willow is Lily and Dawn is called Rose. It hasn't been updated for ages, but I started writing a story from the same challenge response a while ago.

Invisible CitiesIf On a Winter's Night a Traveller, but I am currently reading Tavern of Crossed Destinies. Invisible Cities doesn't take long once you get into it. There are some beautiful descriptions in it.
When you do read it, tell me what you think it's about. Because my father, my mother, my housemate and I all have different and specific ideas about what it is about.

I'm thinking of getting an icon of the carved seal I have to sign my works. It's a real life thing, and I'm still not entirely sure how real life I want this journal. Also, I chose the icon before I chose the name.

It's also a fixture within House LJ communities
Hee! :-)
I do like being able to see whether I really did read that fic already, when something seems familiar. Or read something someone's recced and check easily that I haven't reviewed it yet.
It was kind of the idea of having the icon that went with the name. That doesn't work anymore, but I like that it's a little bit cobbled together and idiosyncratic.

Oh, and for your name, I did get the Byron reference. I did not get the ironic. Maybe because I've gotten used to 'wrong' spellings of things for names. Or just because I'm slow on getting things like that.
I like it.
And your icon. It always makes me feel a little whistful and pensieve.

[bironic.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- I like those qualities about the picture in my icon too, along with the dark, soothing colors and the fact that he's got a book in his lap (though it's not easily visible with the altered contrast). Reflective without being angsty. For the first few months on LJ I kept switching my default icon, but as soon as I hit on this one I knew it'd be around for a while.

Hm, no, it's actually not "Sank in Grief." I found it in 2000/2001 or so and didn't make it in very far but it may have involved a castle or manor house in the Victorian age. Pretty sure she was called Rose in it. *shrug*

Will be sure to let you know when I finally get around to Invisible Cities!