Iconic Representation and Explanation.

[silveradept]

nanila asked about some icons that I have, and what the story is behind them. Three attempts at telling a story follow.

-- This came from an Icon Day from djinni where I described the draconic alter-ego of my librarian self - the coloration and the floral print shirt are the giveaways here - the pince-nez glasses are great, as I occasionally don sunglasses that look like regular specs, and the book helps cement the idea that dragon with books. They're my hoard, since it's unlikely that I'll ever have enough gold or its equivalent to make a hoard of that by myself.

-- This is Chief Diagonal Pumpkin Non-Hippopotamus Dragony-Thingy-Dingy-Flingy Llewellyn XIX, a head of state of the Dragon Conspiracy, and the adoptive father of Ozymandias J. Llewellyn, the protagonish of Ozy and Millie, Dana Simpson's comic before Phoebe and Her Unicorn, which is delightful. Dana Simpson has the style and the ability to hit the right themes in the same way that Bill Watterson did Calvin and Hobbes and Jeff Smith did Bone. For both of her comics, which are both worth the read.

Llewellyn is a wise dragon in the ways of being able to say nonsensical things that turn out to betray a deeper insight of the situation than one would suspect. Some of that, I'm sure, comes from having more lived experience than Ozy does, and some of it come from having been around the Dragon Conspiracy for so long. He's also the perpetual nominee of the Zen Party for President of the United States, the party that looks to run by not actively running.

As a children's librarian, and possibly as hopefully some sort of grown-up looking person, I'm hoping to be Llewellyn as I get older. Wise enough to dispense wisdom cryptically, able to play House Rules Parcheesi with the best of them, and looked back on fondly as a grownup who knew what they were doing in raising the small ones, even if it didn't seem like it at the time.

-- This is Pigeon. Pigeon is the main character of several children's books by Mo Willems, who has also authored and illustrated illuminating works such as the Knuffle Bunny trilogy (about a girl, Trixie, and her stuffed animal), Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, and many other comedic and whimsical works for children. This particular icon is from Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, which is a great book to let children say the word "No!" over and over again to help advance the plot, as the Pigeon begs and pleads with the reader to drive the bus. Just once, that's all they need, honest. You would let them drive a bus, wouldn't you? They'll be safe, and responsible. Even if the bus driver said not to let them do it.

In this particular pose, Pigeon is annoyed because he still isn't going to be able to drive the bus despite repeated pleas and cajoles to achieve this. I use it for similar feelings, when there's no stronger feeling icon that needs to be deployed in that situation.