BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » What does your username/signature/avatar say about you?

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 1:02 am

First topic ever made by me on this board. Please don't skin me.

I have seen a lot of interesting names/signatures and avatars on this board and I would like to know about the inspiration behind your current choices.

Maybe you would like to change your current avatar/signature to something else but aren't sure? Here would a good place to 'try it on for size.'
Also, if you have found a treasure trove of relevant avatars or have made some yourself you might like to link them? (Might, not sure; mods is this ok?)

I'll go first:

Mnemosyne was a titan(ess) and the mother of the nine muses in Greek mythology. I studied a lot of mythology (amongst other things) during my Classical Civilisation A-Level about 10 years ago (alongside Drama which I went on to study at university.) Mnemosyne is where we get the word 'Mnemonic' from. Mnemonic devices allow people to memorise large amounts of information and retain it indefinitely. A popular Mnemonic device is the Method of Loci. Also known as 'The Memory Palace'. The Memory Palace scene is one of my favourite scenes in Sherlock.

My avatar is an X-ray of a skull. A larger version of the image would show two things: 1. There is a sewing needle stuck in the centre of the skull. 2. The name 'Mnemosyne' written across it. I made it, it's rubbish. It was a tenuous connection to Sherlock with it being a skull. I don't remember where I got the original image from. Sorry.

'Non Solum Ingenii Verum Etiam Virtutis'. Latin. It means 'Not only the Intellect but also the Character'. I was taught as a child that it was not good enough to be simply 'intelligent'. You had to also be a person of good character (nice to talk to, endearing, conscientious etc.) It's the idea that no amount of innate intelligence would save you if you had the personality of a plank.

The Eyes (signature image.) Without showing the rest of my face I can confirm that they are indeed my eyes. Someone else took the photo whilst I was acting and I saw that my eyes looked incredibly dark (instead of how they normally look.) Apparently I looked possessed. I agreed. I loved the photo so much that I've nicked it and made a tiny signature image out of it.

EDIT: redid sig, now has a sort of before and after feel. I also look a little like a ninja so I update the text as well to 'Mnemosyne: actor, writer, ninja (if that last image is anything to go by.)'

Right, enough of me. Your turn!

Last edited by Mnemosyne (May 31, 2013 4:28 pm)

Russell · January 2, 2013 4:32 am

Cool. I gotta admit too, getting a bemused smile at some of the witty or neatly personalized names and such. Whether fandom related or just clever, kinda neat.... including, yes, yours. Kinda neat it's all intelligently/sherlock-y/culturally tied together. I believe mine has come up on here when I first joined and joked about the subtle-ness of it, but still thought share, especially having a neat tie-in like yours does (love the Greek stuff.... ;) ).

Wanted something somewhat Sherlock-related, perhaps mildly clever (to myself or other fans), perhaps somewhat a favorite, rather than just a neutral phrase. Russell is the main character of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes pastiche mystery series I recently (very belatedly) discovered, and have been getting a kick out of reading. Very fun. I like Russell, and when found this forum, seemed a perfect tie-in with all of the above. Of course, the avatar was a no-brainer, then... in keeping it connected, Russell first met the beloved detective on the English countryside where he had retired as a beekeeper. ;)

As far as my sig goes, not a whole lot of complication to that, really... ;P Way too many show and non-show favorite quotes... how to possible pick... whether to be funny or deep.... what would it be portraying... bah, just think of your top favorite lines.... and that one made the cut, due to being such a cool line, plus quite an amusingly eloquent statement in itself about the boys, and entire show... ;)

SusiGo · January 2, 2013 6:53 am

Oh my, many of you have such clever names. I'd never been to such a forum and must admit that I spontaneously chose an abbreviation of my own name. I guess at the same time I told myself to go forward and now nearly 4,000 posts later I think I may have become a bit too enthusiastic but it's fun.

As for my avatar and signature pic, I think they're self-explaining. Just two of my favourite pics. The quote by Benedict sums up my attitude towards life and other people quite well. And the PE quote stuck when I read the books and of course it reminded me of Sherlock.

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 10:17 am

It's a lot of fun to look at people's names and avatars etc and to have a wild guess at why they have picked them but it's absolutely fascinating to have people tell you in their own words. It looks like everyone creates their own personal mythology when they join a forum like this. So far this has been no exception.

Russell I love your sig. You're right, it just encapsulates the entire show in the most wonderful way (and is one of my favourite scenes, it never fails to make me giggle.) There is so much depth to your username, an entire story behind it that shows the subtleties of your exploration of the cannon and related fandom.

SusiGo your images are wonderful (that black shirt/suit ) and your signature, insightful. It is always important to treat people the way you would want to be treated (although it's probably not a good maxim to exercise if you're a masochist.)

It's nice to belong to a forum/fandom that has an iota of intelligence to it (would we accept anything less? Probably not.) I hope more people share the stories behind thier choices.

Mattlocked · January 2, 2013 10:26 am

Fine, lets go on with the boring before we read more of the fantastic, interesting ones.:

I'm glad that you offered to explain our names, because lot of people here think of Matlock http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090481/ when they read my name, which is understandable, but wrong.
I chose my name "in honour of" my husband Matthias - who first came up with Sherlock last year and since then has to suffer from my obsession. Well, he's rather amused, let's hope it'll stay that way.

My avatar is a connection between Sherlock and Cabin Pressure. I carved "IOU" in a Travelling Lemon.
Obvious.

My signature is one of my favourite scences because we get a glimpse of Sherlock's soul.
And something crime-related from one of the masters, Alfred Hitchcock.

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 11:15 am

In a word Mattlocked: Brilliant!

How you can think your choices 'boring' are beyond me. Your user name is so sweet.

I love the Sherlock/Cabin Pressure connection. I didn't 'get it' when I first saw it but started to suspect something clever was going on after listening to Cabin Pressure again. I love the travelling lemon (poor Martin, he just wants to be taken seriously. )

And your sig has been one of many to fascinate me ever since I first saw it. That micro-expression is just wonderful acting. He is really paying attention to what is being said in the scene (instead of just waiting for his next line like some actors do) and you can almost see him substituting and remembering his own backstory. Very touching, that tiny little chink in his armour, he is human after all. He may not want to be perceived this way and he may be able to adopt this mechanical approach to most people but in moments like this you can see the person underneath without it being melodramatic. It's beautiful.

I've rambled. I'm shutting up. I'm going away now. I am specifically designed to be good at going miles away quite quickly.

SusiGo · January 2, 2013 11:47 am

Mnemosyne, I thought these were Moriarty's eyes. Very intense look. Great.

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 11:49 am

SusiGo wrote:
Mnemosyne, I thought these were Moriarty's eyes. Very intense look. Great.

As an actor (and a human being) this is a huge compliment, thank you.

Last edited by Mnemosyne (January 2, 2013 12:14 pm)

Mattlocked · January 2, 2013 1:08 pm

Be careful with that eye-thing. It happened before that we fell in love because of eyes....

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 1:19 pm

Mattlocked wrote:
Be careful with that eye-thing. It happened before that we fell in love because of eyes....

Windows to the soul indeed!

I'll be extra careful. It shall be my secret weapon, only for use during special occasions.

equiraptor · January 2, 2013 3:19 pm

I don't believe I've set an avatar on this forum yet, nor a sig. But my username...

When I first needed to create a username on the Internet, I considered it rather carefully. I wanted something that would be an expression of me, something that would be relatively unique. I was near the end of high school at the time. I'd always been fond of horses (and still am), I played the flute (and it was a large part of my life), and I was quite the Star Trek fan (I'd been reading the books at the rate of one Star Trek book a day... yes, a book a day. They're easy reading). I figured something that combined these would be unique, and very "me". I racked my brains trying to come up with a term that would combine them all... but came up blank. But there was something that would combine two of the things... and seemed very "me". You see, I'd always had a particular fondness for flying horses, but found the Pegasus... excessively used by little girlishness. In one of the Star Trek books, there was a genetically engineered flying horse - there was an entire species, but only one of them was on the ship. It was a combination of horse and eagle genes and the species was called "equiraptor". The book it's from is, "Enterprise: The First Adventure", a relatively obscure Star Trek book that's longer than most, has Pike as the captain, and is a bit... unusual and outside the typical Star Trek universe. I figured the term for a species of winged horse (that needs less than Earth gravity to fly) from a relatively obscure Star Trek book would be something few others would choose, and was a good expression of "me". I started using the term and have become very attached to it. I identify with "equiraptor" as my moniker as strongly as my first name, and more strongly than my full name. For a while, I was the only one using "equiraptor" regularly on the Internet, and googling it found mostly me. Now, some others have started to use the term, so there's been some dilution to the Google results. Still, if you want to know anything about me (or, really, everything about me), check Google. I am very easily stalked.

I haven't set an avatar on this forum yet. If I did, it'd be a crop of this image, which is my typical avatar. Purple is and always has been my favorite color, and I drew many purple winged horses as a child. This was made by someone far better at drawing than I, and I appreciate her kindness in making the image for me.

When I set a signature on a forum, it's generally something directly related. On car/motorcycle forums, I'll list the relevant vehicles. On computer forums, I may list my primary computers or operating systems. I'm not sure what I'd put there here - I don't have a favorite quote or similar, and I dislike signature images.

tobeornot221b · January 2, 2013 3:30 pm

Avatar. It's nice of you to remind me of it. I wanted to change it for a long time - this blurry me in front of the Sherlock Holmes Pub in London. In the first few months of my stay here on the forum, I chose another blurry one with me in front Speedy's, 187 North Gower Street. Time for a change again, I presume.
User name. When I first came here back in February last year, I hadn't thought that I would stick around here that long - otherwise I would have chosen a more simple user name. I think "tobeornot221b" is self-explanatory. I like the connection between Shakespeare and Sherlock. "Tobe" is fine for me.
Signature. I would change it quite often since I don't want to be bored by myself. My current green quote by Jewish author Hildesheimer means: "German is already a good language since "man" (human being/Mensch) and "man" (male human being/Mann) are not the same." This reminds me of "...you were the best man and the most human human being..."
The other, the pink quote, is my conviction that Sherlock's "note" on the roof and that written one of canon Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls were both genuinly honest.
Oh - nearly forgot that pic of a certain Mr. C. It's one of my favourites. At the moment. But I'm soooo changeable...!

Last edited by tobeornot221b (January 2, 2013 3:33 pm)

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 4:30 pm

Wow, equiraptor, that is a truly unique name with a very personal story attached. It's like a mini-biography in one word!

tobeornot221b I love the word play. I wonder what you will choose next for your avatar? (Although the current one is very nice.) And I have always wondered about the German signature. I recognised it as German but I can't speak the language so I couldn't have even taken a wild stab in the dark. The signature image is very self explanatory and I applaud your choice (that can't have been easy; the man gives us quite a lot of images to choose from!)

tiharoa · January 2, 2013 5:02 pm

Mnemosyne wrote:
'Non Solum Ingenii Verum Etiam Virtutis'. Latin. It means 'Not only the Intellect but also the Character'. I was taught as a child that it was not good enough to be simply 'intelligent'. You had to also be a person of good character (nice to talk to, endearing, conscientious etc.) It's the idea that no amount of innate intelligence would save you if you had the personality of a plank.

First of all I'm going to show off. In my old days I was a bad and lazy Latin student. Of course being lazy and not very good I used to favour Julius Caesar and nearly cry when Cicero turn up. . But I recognised this one, is from The Poet Archos and I thought it was aptly chosen, in view of what Lestrade says about Sherlock.

Also being lazy I kept my moon avatar till two weeks ago. I thought it wasn't too bad considering my signature, which is from Stoppard's Parade's End. I liked the idea that both Sherlock and Tietjens didn't hold astronomy in great consideration.

My username is what at first I supposed was the spelling of Taiaroa Head, probably because to me it looked more Polynesian than the right one, anyway by the time I discovered I was wrong I had already developed a kind of sentimental attachment to the silly word.

I discovered the last picture yesterday (I'm not even sure it's legal to use it) but the comments under it were hilarious: "Now that is how a man enters a room" "That is how a Sex God enters a room". So I'm going to stick to it for a while.

Last edited by tiharoa (January 2, 2013 5:32 pm)

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 5:27 pm

tiharoa wrote:
Mnemosyne wrote:
'Non Solum Ingenii Verum Etiam Virtutis'. Latin. It means 'Not only the Intellect but also the Character'. I was taught as a child that it was not good enough to be simply 'intelligent'. You had to also be a person of good character (nice to talk to, endearing, conscientious etc.) It's the idea that no amount of innate intelligence would save you if you had the personality of a plank.
First of all I'm going to show off. In my old days I was a bad and lazy Latin student. Of course being lazy and not very good I used to favour Julius Caesar and nearly cry when Cicero turn up. . But I recognised this one, is from The Poet Archos and I thought it was aptly chosen, in view of what Lestrade says about Sherlock.

Also being lazy I kept my moon avatar till two weeks ago. I thought it wasn't too bad considering my signature, which is from Stoppard's Parade's End. I liked the idea that both Sherlock and Tietjens didn't hold astronomy in great consideration.

My username is what at first I supposed was the spelling of Taiaroa Head, probably because to me it looked more Polynesian than the right one, anyway when I discovered I was wrong I had already developed a kind of sentimental attachment to the silly word.

I discovered the last picture yesterday (I'm not even sure it's legal to use it) but the comments under it were hilarious: "Now that is how a man enters a room" "That is how a Sex God enters a room". So I'm going to stick to it for a while.

Oh no, please do show off! The insight is fascinating.

I love the new Signature gif. It's *that* black shirt/suit combo. That just can not be good for anyone's hormones/blood pressure/underwear elastic etc.

ancientsgate · January 2, 2013 5:53 pm

My user name is one I've had for about 10 years, dating back to when I fell face-first into my original fandom, Stargate SG-1. The stargates were built by a race of people called the Ancients, y'see, and so....ancientsgate. Easy peasy.

My interest in Johnlock is pervasive and permanent, hence my Sherlock and John avatar. I would pick a different/better pic, but I don't know how to load up a new one (computer dumb here, pretty much)-- In fact, I can't even figure out how I loaded up *that* one, many months ago.

My sig line changes with the wind. I like quotes from the show.

Sammy · January 2, 2013 6:00 pm

I like talking about myself and my choices way too much not to post here. (Erm, yeah)

Well, apparently I don't even have a signature - but that already tells something about me I guess. The thing is - I can't choose. There are enough quotes or pictures I would like to put there but I don't want to make that decision. Maybe at some point I will.

My user name is "Sammy". I normally wouldn't tell, but - it's not my actual name. My actual name is something else, but it's a nick name that's been stuck with me for like forever. I'm fine with people calling me either way (and indentify myself with this name as much as with my real name... sometimes even more) and since I want to keep a bit of anonymity in the web I chose to use this name instead of my real name (because the latter is also not very common). I use it like this or in case it's taken in some other form everywhere on the internet.

My avatar is a gif of smiling Sherlock because I think he is most beautiful when he smiles and I'm (obviously) totally sherlocked. I also think that his smile looks very genuine here and it just makes me feel warm inside.
I also couldn't find another gif where he smiles that doesn't look like rubbish scaled-down.

equiraptor · January 2, 2013 6:14 pm

Mnemosyne wrote:
I love the new Signature gif. It's *that* black shirt/suit combo. That just can not be good for anyone's hormones/blood pressure/underwear elastic etc.

Particularly with the straining buttons...

SusiGo · January 2, 2013 6:27 pm

No, I'm not going to thud in this thread, no, no …

Mnemosyne · January 2, 2013 6:28 pm

ancientsgate I like your avatar. It's rather adorable. Ah now I can now see the SG reference! Very clever.

Sammy, I understand the need for some privacy on the internet. Everyone has their limits on what they will tolerate. I don't think I could manage anything close to my real name on a forum. It would be all too close to home for me. Oddly enough it's not about people on the forum knowing my name. That I do not worry about. Were I to meet any of you face to face I would have no problem telling you my name. But the internet is a different matter.

Plus if you are anything like me you will like to keep your professional life and your personal life as separate as possible.

And yes... buttons. So close to. Just. Going... *ping!*

PS someone get a glass of water for SusiGo... or a cold shower, whichever is closest.

Last edited by Mnemosyne (January 2, 2013 6:29 pm)