kiya

elisem asked what folks' icons are about. I figured I'd answer in my own journal because my vast, pathetic vistas of self-expression contain multitudes, and it would be likely quite long.

	My default icon is the rune icon -- I'm not sure entirely where the symbol came from. I've used it to sign letters and pottery for over ten years now -- I probably developed it after I acquired the name Darkhawk. I tend to use it when I don't have anything more specific to say other than "I was here" or can't think of anything better.
	The snakie icon I use for posts about Kundalini, my royal python, and generally domestic posts. Home-and-family stuff. The photograph was taken a while ago; he's a larger snakie now. (Mama used to use this userpic.)
	This icon is a fragment of a self-portrait sketch titled 'Self-Pooktrait' as framed by Elfwood when I snagged it for my gallery. It is for silliness and occasionally bounciness. (AC used to use this.)
	The hawk mask I picked up at the Crownsville, Maryland Ren-Faire a while back. It's very me. I use this for annoyance, anger, frustration. (Stormy, Frost, and Stalker used to use this.)
	This is Arthur (the stupid cat) and my old computer, Toy. I use it for writing-related entries (and used to use it for occasional computer entries). Also, sometimes, for Arthur-related posts.
	Arthur again, snuggling. Used for sympathy, emotional vulnerability, snuggling. (Silver used to use this.) Also more of the Arthur posts.
	This is my baseball icon; it's also used for some Lennon-related posts. Lennon being the smart cat.
	The Laughing Buddha icon is for generalised expressions of goodnaturedness or goodwill.
	This is a photograph of a cross-stitch embroidery that suzimoses gave me. The symbols are the astrological signs of the four members of the family (myself, teinedreugan, brooksmoses, and suzimoses); I use it for family posts.
	The bangles icon is a photograph of my original religious confusion (cross-and-flame, pentacle, and trisk; I've recently added a Khepri pendant and intend to add a sacred chao) with the sacred blue lotus superimposed over it. It was originally just the religious confusion; oneironaut added the flower for me when I coverted to Kemeticism.
	Boston userpic -- used for either the band or the city. Also for some musical posts. It's a fragment of the Corporate America album cover.
	Gaming icon: used for gaming discussion, session summaries, roleplaying, games night, and, apparently, SCA stuff. That's a selection of gaming books from my shelves and the black queen piece I won for pulling off a really cool plot in a running of ATKM. A cookie for anyone who can identify all the books. ;)
	Icon for Nameless: This is the first of my individual-self icons. Nameless doesn't say much, though, so it doesn't get used often. I also have it keyworded 'Wepwawet'.
	Bowerbird icon -- for expressions of "Nifty! Shiny!" Or possibly "want thingy!"
	Icon for the aspect of self called Silver or the Silver Lion. Fairly self-explanatory, really. Silver is not terribly verbal; most posts under this icon will be written down by someone else.
	Icon for Mama-Cat. Another self-aspect. Mama's sort of a slightly crotchety boggan, really. The drawing is from Hathor the Cowgoddess.
	Darkhawk's icon. It's a Le Guin quotation. Darkhawk is highly verbal, skeptical, distant, and overly rational, aside from beign a complete control freak.
	Weaver or Lightweaver's icon. Another distinct self icon. Patterns and connections and some religious content. Verbal.
	Stalker's icon. (Shadowstalker.) Weaver's sister. Verbal, but doesn't often bother with it, really. Often grumpy.
	Sisters icon. Dualisms and contrasts.
	AC's icon. (Altair's Child.) AC is the closest we've got in here to the obligatory child personality. ;) Yes, that photograph is of the star Altair.
	Headache icon. Used for headaches. I believe I've also used it for metaphorical headaches, pains, and some forms of grouchiness.
	Kiya icon -- for the explicitly integrated self. Don't know that I can unpack that more usefully.
	Salvia icon. Plant-related stuff. I wish my salvia still looked this healthy.
	Stormwolf's icon. (Stormy.) Not terribly verbal; posts are in translation. Inner Set kid.
	Songdragon's/SD's/Kira's icon. Semi-verbal; prefers to communicate in song lyrics, really.
	The icon for the Bonfire's Madness. Rarely used. This is good. He's not sane.
	Fuzzy gears icon. For geekery, mechanical stuff, time.
	Frostpaw (Frosty)'s icon. Highly verbal. Tends towards cold, cutting language when angry and puns when not.
	Znak icon. For ancestors, Slavic and Polish stuff, and some symbolism posts. These are "runes" probably most familiar to most folks as being decorative motifs on pisanki. This one, according to the site I got it from, means "perfection, divine will, fate, happiness, prosperity, life, hope, giver of light, sun, elegance, male influence".
	Misty's icon. (Mistdancer.) An awful tease.
	Egypt icon. I came to the conclusion that I needed something specific for Egyptiana -- whether Kemetic-specific stuff or talking about Egypt in general. This gorgeous flower is the sacred lotus.
	Tetris icon -- for thinking. Because my thought processes look like a multidimensional game of Tetris.
	Lennon's nose icon. Because annwyd asked me once if I had a picture of a cat nose for an icon yet at a time at which I was looking for a 'miscellaneous' icon. Though I have also used it for the meaning 'nose'. I think I had a cold at the time.
	Media discussion icon. Jewelry discussion icon. It's a heavily cropped frame out of the movie Help!, which may or may not explain the dual meaning.
	So all these people had these generated church sign icons, and I wanted one. And I wanted an icon for Khnum and making things. Sooooo. . . The text on the sign is standard praises of Khnum.
	This one gets used for, ahem. Inexplicable femme moments, scented stuff, and unreasonable calmness. I can't explain it if you don't recognise Kurama. The character pictured is approximately the only character in Yuyu Hakusho who I don't want to strangle. Though the short guy has his moments.
	Lotus Discordia icon. The image of the sun being born from the centre of the sacred lotus is focal in one of the Kemetic myths, you see . . .
	So sometimes I feel like an anthropologist from Mars trying to make sense of the strange customs and behaviours of Earthlings, you see . . .
	Computers icon, from The Suburban Jungle. Also for realisations.
	Words icon. For words and language. Everything there says some variant on words, writing, language, lots of words, wordiness. . . (I think it's 'words' in English and Spanish, 'wordiness' in Polish and Greek', 'heiroglyphs' in hieroglyphs, and 'words scattered all over the damn place' in Klingon.)