The Silent Language

[Tenko72]

Azavezel

My avatars generally shift towards preferences and style moods. Sometimes even gender changes simply because I just like the outlook of another experiment going right. Race, form, even absolute makeup shifts and turns. I guess that would go more into the fact that I act differently from person to person, and even more differently in person than in a group setting (I'm much too used to group settings). Even my narrative style shifts between avatars. I myself, however, am much less interesting than my already dull and boring "Gaia Self", with no real concerning qualities save for occasionally spewing out decent writing once a blue moon.

As you can see, it's fairly boring and dull, since I dress for comfort more than appearances. That and being broke. That tends to damper heavily on things as well. Also, that's the closest Gaia has to my skintone and hair unfortunately. Olive gets no love.

I feel you on the skintone. Olive got hosed! So, I can't match my IRL one either.

Anyway, this is me IRL at home. Or as close as I could get. My eyes and hair're darker in color. I don't have bangs. My pajamas're different colors. My glasses're tortoise shell, not solid blue.


This is me outside. I can't find any hatscarf, so that's missing. Other than that, it's spot on.


IRL I dress for comfort first. Once that is handled, I go for matching colors.

I think Gaia is an outlet for my packrat tendencies. It's better online than IRL. It's way easier to get things here where you can organize with a click than IRL where you have to physically move crap and figure out WTF to do with all of it. The place where I live is a rat's next and it drives me nutters. Nutters! Anyway, I put all the crap I like on my avatar. All of it. Just stick it on there. Yes. I like the matching colors too. And organizing. I think that's all.

[Ping of Death]

I rarely dress my avi in real-life clothing. I can't really walk around irl in full armor or with my head lopped off.

Irl I like showing off my tiny waist but I don't find figure-hugging outfits attractive on avis.

[Catena Carswell]

Krissim Klaw

Praying mantises are a lovely accessory. You would not believe how jealous I am of your mantises. I just have to make do with waving at the house spiders when they come inside for the winter, and hope my cats don't eat them.

Flavee

I hear you on the wishing you had musical talent thing- and I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who wears musical instruments despite not having the IRL chops for one. I have a tin ear to the extreme, but I sometimes like to dress up my avatar like a rockstar.

Marie-Cris

I find it interesting how much color you use in your avatar compared to your IRL tektek. Color just is one of those things that's easier to go crazy with on Gaia. The music notes are a nice touch!

Sara Hysaro

Man, sucks that you don't get to pick out your own clothes. My mom always refused to buy stuff without me- 'but what if it doesn't fit, and then I'll have to take it back, ugh'. lol.

Do you think that dressing up your Gaia avatar, besides being liberating, is giving you a handle on the kind of things you like, for whenever you do get a chance to start buying your own stuff and dictating your own style?

VVhip

...nice ears. *cough*

twiterpert

Your avatar seems confident, willing to stand out just a little. Items all looked picked out for matching rather than what's new, indicating that your interests aren't usually swayed by changing trends.
I find it interesting that you started matching IRL because of matching on Gaia. I know Gaia certainly made me more conscientious of what matches IRL, even if I tend to *blissfully ignore* the rules a lot of the time.

SaikoTaiko

Interesting that you've got an oni persona going as your loincloth avatar, what with the chubby thing. I tend to picture oni as big and not giving a ******** about it. Oni don't care what you think about the way they look, because they're the ones ten feet tall and holding the club.

Anabaena

Practicality over style IRL seems to be a theme with Gaians. I wonder if people feel more satisfied with dressing practically IRL because they have this fantastical avatar to play around with on here?

Sifen Yamishi

Your personal style sounds like quite the contrast to your avatar, haha. That's the nice thing about having a character, though. You don't have to be 'you' at all, and you don't feel like you're being dishonest.

nanaith

I don't always see people who pay a lot of attention to texture in their Gaia avatar- would you say you're a detail-oriented kind of person?
Your personal style IRL sounds awesome, by the way- it takes a lot of creativity and dedication to mod your wardrobe to that extent.

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i will reply to everyone in this thread if it KILLS me.

...later. sweatdrop

[BlinkingBlah]

My avatars usually are character based with good style they don't have to be matchy matchy. Though I do prefer there be a harmonized color theme. It doesn't have to balanced just has to look good.
I don't know what that says about me.

[Nosyaiel]

Kitty Gnar-Gnar

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i will reply to everyone in this thread if it KILLS me.

...later. sweatdrop

Holding you to that. xD

[Sara Hysaro]

Kitty Gnar-Gnar

Sara Hysaro

Man, sucks that you don't get to pick out your own clothes. My mom always refused to buy stuff without me- 'but what if it doesn't fit, and then I'll have to take it back, ugh'. lol.

Do you think that dressing up your Gaia avatar, besides being liberating, is giving you a handle on the kind of things you like, for whenever you do get a chance to start buying your own stuff and dictating your own style?

Yeah, it's a little frustrating when I think about it. I suspect it's partly because when I used to find shopping for clothes dreadfully boring as a child, and while I wouldn't complain she could tell that I wasn't having any fun. Sometime around my high school years she just stopped taking me with her. Amusingly this coincides with when I got into Gaia. xd

I think so. Hats, headbands, and scarves are probably something I'll go looking around for when I go pick out my own clothes. Probably a few skirts, and stockings to go with them. Dress a little more femininely than my current blue jean t-shirt combo. In general I think the constant looking around for things that work on my avatar is preparing me to do the same thing with my own self. Money will be more of a factor, but I bet I'll be able to find a few things I enjoy for a low price.

[Marie-Cris]

Kitty Gnar-Gnar

I find it interesting how much color you use in your avatar compared to your IRL tektek. Color just is one of those things that's easier to go crazy with on Gaia. The music notes are a nice touch!

When I made that post, I was actually just wearing a yellow, white and black avi; I'd only made it to see if I could make an outfit from the GetaGRIP skirt, and I did. Didn't like it that much though, so I switched back to an old avi. You're right, colours are easier to use here than IRL.

[ninja-no-ryu]

I... don't really know how to reply to this. So bear with me...

I'm an incredibly shy person IRL. I don't really talk to people unless spoken too, and even so the conversation is usually short and awkward. I am also very modest, it took years for me to feel comfortable in a bikini (even though I have the body for one, people say). For the majority of my school life (middle school through high school) I wore oversized ill-fitting boy clothes to hide my shape. For whatever reason I was uncomfortable showing off, much to the dismay of my fiance (then boyfriend). I was also very much (and still am to extent) a tomboy.

Only recently have I been able to open up and be proud of how I look. I wear more proper fitting clothing, clothing that also shows off my shape. I typically dress rather comfortable and practical. Tshirt, jeans and sneakers. Pajamas and sweat shirts. A summer dress occasionally. My outer wear is typically a coat that is old and worn.

Still I am socially awkward. I admire and adore more outlandish fashions, but though I try to wear them, I feel even more out of place and less confident than I should. Everyone around me fawns over how cute my outfit might be, but I still don't feel right about it. Even when wearing clothing that shows off my particular geeky interests, like my Wonderbolts hoodie, I feel weird when approached.

This is a close approximation of what I wear:

On gaia I'm much more talkative. Or rather, I'll at least comment on something I have an opinion on rather than leaving it be- whether or not I stay for the discussion. My avatar is very much a fantastical representation of me. She can do everything that I cannot. She can be a sexy confident badass, whereas IRL I'm stuck here being the timid awkward geeky girl. I do have issues involving escapism, and gaia lets me explore those fantastical urges and ideas rather easily (and safely). I love being able to explore various themes and interests with my avatar. There is definitely some major wish-fulfillment going on, I'll admit.

Though no one avatar of mine really means anything in particular, save for a very select few. My avatars are nothing more than the end result of my exploration that I've liked.




That said, I've gotten MUCH better. I can hold basic conversations now. My image doesn't bother me nowhere nearly as much and I've begun exploring more of my feminine side. I can be sexy if I wanted to be. I am proud of the things I geek about. I'm much more open than I used to be- as evidenced by me posting all this. However, I'm not sure if my more recent avatars reflect any of these changes, or will reflect them.

[nyem-nyam]

Hm I dunno I guess I like sci fi a lot so I love spacey items or ones that give her a slight aura of other worldliness. Usually I just want to create avatars that have good silhouettes and are really fun to draw. :33

[Marie-Cris]

Tenko72

Azavezel

I've got Olive skin, and I've found that the darker one is closer to me than the light one you posted. All Gaia needs now is to post a skin in the middle of that and you guys will be set ^-^

[nyem-nyam]

MoonIight Aura

Kitty Gnar-Gnar

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i will reply to everyone in this thread if it KILLS me.

...later. sweatdrop

Holding you to that. xD

WOW your avi's cute.

Very patriotic too.

[Whip]

Kitty Gnar-Gnar

VVhip

...nice ears. *cough*

I saw a bandwagon, I jumped upon it. The ears are bitchin fad fashion atm.

No harm meant to anyone by it :3 Malice doesn't suit me!

[Catena Carswell]

Rabid-Turtle

Your avatar does look like a fantastical alternate-universe version of your tektek.

Deoxtri

There seems to be a consensus that there aren't enough scruffy or realistic clothes on Gaia. I keep noticing people having to use the same things for their selfie tekteks.

MadPad

Wanting to be different and dressing that way is a unique kind of way to protect yourself, and I can definitely relate. I've found that when I'm dressed up all dandy victorian in public I actually get *less* attention to my face, because people just don't know what to say or how to react.
... your current avatar is kind of mesmerizing. xd dem shiny abs...

MingSao

There's no shame in having clothes left over from high school still floating around... I think i still have things from junior high in my closet. Mostly costumes, but still. :>

X_of_Pentacles

Nothing wrong with looking friendly. And haaa, I see you have my same curse. Sunlight, my worst enemy. :V

Slick Southpaw

Oh I just bet that's an interesting experiment. :> ...I only kind-of crossdress anymore. Even when I go out full-throttle dapper I'm still usually wearing earrings and have hair down to my mid-back. But people tend to assign me as masculine anyway, no matter what I'm wearing, even skirts, so I'm not terribly sure I've *ever* been treated 'like a girl'. I just give off the dude vibes, I guess.

It still boggles me when people expect nurses to be *girly* girls. :> Shows exactly how much they do not know about what that profession actually entails :V

Azavezel

So you're a chameleon? Gaia's pretty suited to being a situational chameleon.

Macabeak

I think there's a ton of reasons for using an avatar of the opposite gender- from it being a character, to feeling more comfortable in that particular skin, to just liking whatever attributes the base has better. Like the people here who do their damnedest to get rid of the base and be a scene or a creature- they use the female base because it's smaller and easier to hide.

Ridley Starsmore

'hubris is my primary sin', says that avatar. lol.

Welcome to Gaia online, where the guys are girls and the girls are guys. Except when they aren't. And sometimes they're cats.

sometimesalways

A confident character is a fantastic catharsis. I know I like pretending to be competent from time to time.

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and I have to go do homework for this class that inspired me to make this topic. SLOWLY BUT SURELY.

[Nosyaiel]

My avatar gives me the ability to be creative with something as I see fit. In real life, not every aspect of yourself can be changed, and it's not always correct to dress how you want. Here, I get to do that.

My avatars must match. Every one of them is color coordinated well, and I crane over them until I find just the right combinations. Color distribution, shades and hues, whether I'm top or bottom heavy, it all plays a part. They all mean something different to me, and each one brings back memories, ranging from life events, to the music I listened to while making them.

I aim to broadcast that, even though I can't afford the best items, I can create both unique, and tasteful avatars. They do reflect that in life, I dress very in a very reserved fashion, with much left to ponder.

As for real life... My work has a strict dress code... Black slacks, collared shirt (short sleeve) and black shoes. When I'm not at work, I eat sleep and live in cargo pants and flip-flops, with the collared shirts carrying over. It's a bit goofy to look at, but also what I'm comfortable in. I've never been one to people-please and I don't see a reason to change that for my attire. Hair is down in pretty much any fashion that stays out of the way. I have exactly two pairs of shoes, my work shoes, and my flip flops, and I wear them until they break. I pick colors that work with each other, so I can just grab and go, without needing to worry if something matches, because I already know it does. I don't wear jewelry. The most I've ever worn was a pendant, but I don't like having things touch me.

Very, very introverted. People aren't really my forté, and I don't really mind that. No parties, drugs, alcohol, anything. Some people would call me boring, I say I'm sober. I'm horrible at keeping up a conversation, and probably won't say anything unless approached first. I've come to believe I can get to know a person before they talk, and all too often I find my guesses are correct. Even just the look someone keeps on their face, or the way they hold their body, speaks far more truth about them then they want to admit.

[Lindpen]

I'm shy. When I was younger, I was horribly shy and timid; some of it has faded. I dress modestly and wear some makeup, and sometimes I wear earrings. On Halloween, though, I can pile on the makeup. Maybe that correlates to my avatar, which I often dress in orange and black. My avatar tends to showcase my love of kitties, too.

In real life, my current winter look is similar to this: