In the cartoons gathered up in Gallery of Awesomery, I have frequently had recourse to symbols, as shorthands of the Quora users I’m depicting. Many of them are taken from their profile pics, but not all. Here’s the symbols that haven’t.
- Michael Masiello: a beret, as befits an intellectual. A very very floppy beret.
- Lyonel Perabo: skis and a camera. He’s become so Nordic, skis are growing out of his feet.
- Sophia de Tricht: a sailor cap. She was formerly a sailor, and still swears like one.
- Scott Welch: a dart, and optionally a dartboard. The dartboard being Quora.
- Richard White: a stage mike. The guy’s a jazz singer.
- Sierra Spaulding: a bandana, and an inconspicuous doobie. Sierra’s a bit of a self-proclaimed hippie, even if she hasn’t quite used that wording.
- Mohammed Khateeb Kamran: the severed head of Han Solo. Khateeb accidentally a spoiler on the Star Wars movie cycle.
- Jeremy Markeith Thompson: a tux. Man’s a class act, and somehow the Nation Of Islam uniform seemed appropriate, even if he’s nothing to do with NOI.
- Habib Fanny: not socks! A stethoscope. And a laugh: my original nickname for him was not just Habib le toubib, but Habib le toubib qui rit: Habib the Laughing Medico.
- Mary C. Gignilliat: a pitchfork, doubling as a gardening hoe. She has the devil in her eyes, don’t ya know.
- Josephine Stefani: a bottle of Ararat brandy. We have bonded over having Armenian partners.
- Gigi J Wolf: a vintage air hostess hat. A nod to her professional background.
- Sam Murray: a packer and a clipboard. A packer, as Sam is bigender; a clipboard, through the anecdote she shared about arranging dates with a celebrity via an assistant.
- Michaelis Maus: a cigarette holder. A representation of the aesthete, whether sported by Audrey Hepburn or him.
- John Gragson: a British barrister’s wig. Even though he’s neither British nor a barrister.
- Victoria Weaver: an Ushanka. It befits her Stalinist persona, at least.
- Jennifer Edeburn: the scales of justice. Because her responses are so measured.
- Victor Goodwin: the claw of a lion. A very peeved lion. From his bio motto: tanquam ex ungue leonem.
- Peter Hawkins: a dumbbell. When he’s not explaining all there is to know about British politics, he does strength training.
- Vicky Prest: a treadmill. As a stand-in for all that cardiovascular exercise she’s been missing out on.
- Nikki Primrose: a Viking helmet. Because Danish.
- Desmond James: a rat. Which used to feature in his profile picture.