How long did it take for you to become you?

[Lanas Criss]

When I first fell into SL after seeing an article in one of my husband’s magazines I was really proud of myself and thrilled that in just a few short days in the winter of ’07 I’d made a ‘look’ I was comfortable with.  Who knew ‘50’ hands weren’t really normal looking on most folks and that making my avi my RL height would leave me looking like a dwarf out in the wild.

I’d also proudly figured out how to make a comfy pullover with that ‘Linen’ texture that was tucked into your library.  I’d found some freebie summer-ish capris, flats, and an almost appropriate cami for under my homemade pullover.  I felt ready for spring and didn’t think anything of it for way too long apparently.

Eventually, after I’d begun working with some really classy folks who always amazed me with their brilliant looks, one of my more outspoken friends couldn’t take it anymore and organized an intervention which resulted in a look that I’m much more comfortably with and have enjoyed ever since.

My only excuse is that I was so busy taking in everything and everyone else that I really didn’t take the time to cam around myself… my friends just called me lazy.  Whatever the truth is I just thought about it a bit tonight as I cleaned my inventory and ran across the ‘Original Me’, now ancient by SL standards, so I wanted to throw the question out there for others to see how similar or different the experience was.

So…

How long did it take you to settle in on the look you’re most comfortable with?

Were you pushed, pulled, or otherwise helped in any way?

Other than outfits, hair, and the occasional theme party or work, how often do you completely change yourself (shape, color, species, gender)?

Just interested…

Lanas

[Peggy Paperdoll]

To date, a little over 5 years.........but I ain't done yet.

[Pussycat Catnap]

The bulk of my shape was made about 3m from the rez point of 2006's orientation island on my original account.

BUT...

That wasn't really me. I had system hair, a name I pulled out of a hat, no idea what I was doing, and no interest in the platform.

I was there because a RL company said to come to its place in SL to get gifts relating to its RL product. Basically I was looking for a coupon of sorts.

I'd seen MUSHes in 1991, and IRC that came out of them. Just because this MUSH had pictures didn't seem to make it special to me at the time. And unlike a lot of noobs who are lost in a 3D environment - I was/am a 3D artist, so I spent those first 3 hours not moving from the rez point to make a shape out of 3D art curiosity and came away at the time, soundly unimpressed (took me a while to change my opinion on that - the tools are horrid, but the results are impressive for what SL does).

 

Came back in 2009 when bored one day - and after reading a getting started guide that at that time was already outdated - and started exploring and kitting out an avatar.

After the usual blundering through sex shops and 'XXX-camping' poseballs to get what amounted to 3L worth of goods for 3 hours of work... (aren't you noobs glad SL doesn't steer you that way these days?) And at 3L, I'm being generous about the quality of the junk I got...

Well after that one of the places had an odd box that said it was for neko parts. I knew what a neko was but didn't know the term neko. I'd always seem myself as a bit of a cat person ever since a child hood encounter at a camp fire that as an adult was I suspect a mountain lion staring at me from just beyond the fire, but at the time came right as I was thinking about my native american roots and wondering what my totemic animal would be if I'd been raised 'in culture' rather than in an inner city ghetto... So I always thought I was a bit of a catgirl.

So to my surprise when I opened that box and wore its contents in pure noob 'oops' fashion...

Suddenly I was a catgirl.

 

That's when I found me. I went from the image at top left to the one at bottom left over the next day as I suddenly had something to type in 'search' (and let me tell you, back then EVERY location in SL used to term 'neko' in its about land, making it very hard to find anything that actually did relate to nekos...

The rest is just refinement on concept. Every couple of days I switch between furry and neko - and every couple of times I land on neko, I end up in a nudist phase that can last a few hours to weeks, then revert to PG somewhere in there when it starts to feel 'weird' or I get tired of failing again in the eternal quest to find a nudist place that has avatars of all types (even those that claim to welcome, tend to end up with a clique of one type that shuns others).

 

ps: One reason I was short then and still short today, by frankenbarbie standards, is that as a 3D artist I eyeballed myself in those first 3 hours in 2006 without reference to other people. I looked at the objects around me, and I looked at the dials, and I interpreted those dials though the eyes of someone used to working in Poser, Vue, Carrara, et all. I still came out at the time at a good 5;11; or so rather than my intended RL height, but I was leagues under everyone around me when I came back and started dealing with other people. Only since about mid-2010 forward have I started noticing more and more people scaling down to and often even past where my height is now.

 

 

[Canoro Philipp]

if i remember well it took about a year to become a final version, with the skin and hair and eyes and shape i have today.

its been two years since i only been changing only my outfit.

its been a while since i have had this avatar, im thinking in redesign it, and start the adventure all over

[Willow Danube]

My first avatar was not only given for free but also a copybot. Before you guys start AR'ng me... I had no idea what the hell copybot was. I thought the lady was being nice! It was a Redgrave skin and shape. Played around with the shape and stuff and got the look I wanted. A week or two later I met this guy at a ballroom called Avillion Grove (actually I fell asleep the night before and forgot to log off so my av just parked there all night long), I got involved with this guy and he thought I was da bomb! So I never thought of changing my avatar looks cuz I thought I was sizzling hot. Anyway, to make it short, he was married in RL and was getting too serious... so I sort of went poof on him and created a new me.

Now the second me... I must say I had my second BF to thank for. He was an ass! He told me that I'm way too prudish to be his shortie and told me to go fix myself. So I did but didn't know where to go but to trace back the origin of my first copybotted skin. I was about to purchase the same skin when I saw this beautiful Sakura model next to it where she had the same exact spot of a mole like mine in RL. So I bought the Sakura model and continued on fixing myself until one day I was dancing alone at Muddy's while waiting for my BF finishing his class session as an internship at Gor, when I got this inventory offer from a guy from the club. I opened it and it was a picture of myself done beautifully with blues guitar as a background. He said I looked so good that he had to take my picture and show it to me. That day on I knew I am finally 'there' so I decided that I don't need my Gor Master wannabe bf and we broke up, me went poof (again!) and created the third me.

Now the third me... I bought and used my previous Sakura skin and created a more realistic me except maybe the height  (damn you insecure tall men!!). But Sakura went off the shelf and I was stuck with a skin which I couldn't even change the colour and makeups. My other female avatar has this beautiful asian skin from ::LDK:: and she's getting more action than Willow so I thought.. screw it! I'm getting a LAQ! ... So I did, and here I am with my latest skin and shape.

So all in all... this would be more than a year before I got to the current me.

[Sylvia Tamalyn]

I used to change skin, shape and hair color on a daily basis, as part of putting together whatever outfit I wore that day. Finally, after I'd been in SL for 8 months or so, I hit on a combination that felt comfortable, like it reflected who I am here, so I have stuck with it other than a slight skin change I made a few months ago. People who know me best says this look fits my personality, so I'm pretty much done with tinkering for now! :smileyhappy:

[Luc Starsider]

I've always had a human male avatar. I don't think this will change in the future.

It took me over a year to get to the point where I were happy with my avatar. Now, aside from buying the odd hair from time to time, the changes I make are mostly tiny tweaks to the shape. My eyes I have had since day three in SL, and I can't imagine ever changing them for different ones.

- Luc -

[LoveAngeL Lyre]

Hello Lanas. It took me about 6-7 months, maybe little more. Now i don't change my skin, shape, eyes, AO, sculpted nails and eyelashes but i change hair, clothes and shoes very often.

[Finrod Ghennyn]

Took me ages to fit something too my being. Either ways i still adapt to my mood.

This one morning im drinking coffee, and the baggyness bellow my eyes are dropping .. i usually dont bother and throw on some pre-assembled character nobody notices.

If i feel happy, i usually go for the occasion. If i'm on some crazy building project i am a meerkat-in-builders-outfit. If im just socializing i wear my average guy outfit.

[Jo Yardley]

When I first came to SL I looked around for a few hours, thought everyone was just obsessed with sex, chatting and dancing and asumed SL was not my cup of tea.

A few years later I got a new laptop and wanted to try it out, SL demands a lot of your computer so I decided to go back to SL.

This time I found the search button, looked for vintage sims and never looked back, the rest is 'history as they say.

Not much later I was building and managing my own sim and now a full region sim that is busy, has full tenancy and is doing rather well.

But I am not very interested in appearance, my avatar often wears the same clothes for weeks or months and I've only ever had 2 skins and 1 hairstyle.

The hairstyle was simple, I have vintage hair in RL so I when I found the same hair in SL I didn't haver to think about it very long.

I always wear vintage glasses so when I found those... and when I found the same kind of clothes... yes also vintage...

It was simple, with my first money I bought the things that would help me look as much like RL me as possible.

Except for the skin, I don't like spending money so when I found a freebie 1920s moviestar skin, I got it and kept it for a year or so.

Of course I was too tall and way too pretty and slim, like most people in SL.

When I realised my avatar was a giant I changed her into something more realistic, tried to match her with my rl me as much as possible.

Still not happy with the skin, I look too young but finding a realistic 30-something tired woman skin is a bit hard.

So here she is, in grey suit as I looked when I first got here and below in my bar the way I look today;

[Lanas Criss]

Reading these fantastic disclosures gives me a huge grin.  Hopefully it’ll give plenty of new residents hope that in give or take a year they’ll look precisely as they’re meant to (assuming they aren’t going through a nudist phase, ready to start a new adventure, escaping undesirable relationships, suffering radical personality change, planning on not being human anymore, vacillating with their mood, or are ready to shed their finely crafted vintage look)

Thanks for all the sharing…

Lanas

[xValleriex]

Appereance is Very Difficult, Every day You'll see me in The Madame Public Dressing Room,

I Waste like 5 Hours on The Dressing Room Each Day, Ever since i Joined, All i was Thinking was My Appereance

On My First Account, I Really Sucked at my Looks, I Look like Some kind of Weird Vampire'ish Lady or Eh..

What Pushed me & Helped me into this Was the Marketplace & Tons of SL Fashion Blogs

Luckily there was Someone who Helped me, She Gave me Tons of Cool Hairstyles & Nice Skins

& Then After Wearing some of the Hairstyles, It gave me some Ideas, I Thought of.. Neko Or Scenie Styles, Since the Hairstyles were Mostly Perfect for Neko, Vampire, Emo & Scene, So there, I Looked around the Marketplace, For Neko Outfits & Accesories, Then Searched for Skins, And Found this Amazing Free Barbie Skin, Now I Just Tried to Mix & Match Items, Now My Finishing Looks:

O

OhMyGoodness, Whenever i look at my Av, I Feel so Special

I Finally Look like what i Wil Definitely Want, Just done it Yesterday:)

[Mayalily]

Your eyes are striking Luc, they truly are.  I think your avatar photo is very, very...........ummmmmmmm... well, gorgeous. 

[Mayalily]

I may be too young yet to know when I'll be "me", but I feel pretty comfortable as I am right now and I was born in late March of this year.  I think I only want one avatar and won't change it, except for clothes and jewelry, etc., and will always be human.  It's too hard for me to know because I am too young yet but I do kind of think I won't be changing my avatar... but I have no crystal ball either.

 

[Melanie774 Kidd]

My av is 4+ years in the making, and I don't think her appearance will ever stop evolving.

[jennylongview Innovia]

Ohh still a work in progress, but extremly happy with the effort..  not only in appearance, but compeltely over all...and the the big is?  It was not terribly expensive either...Yet never completely satisfied as in rl appearance a tweak here and the.. Still looking for a shorter hair that I find appealing...

[Kascha Matova]

---

Mayalily wrote:

Your eyes are striking Luc, they truly are.  I think your avatar photo is very, very...........ummmmmmmm... well, gorgeous. 

---

And you are not alone at all either. I've developed a curious tendency to start nibbling on things while looking at Luc, and I can't figure it out. Also, a sudden need to do something with my hands. That can't be normal! Luc is a god! :matte-motes-inlove:

[majestic12]

My avi has continued to evolve in different forms since my birth, still a work in progress.

Dancer --> model --> business woman right now.

 

[pandora73 Constantine]

I have been in sl for 2 and half years now and after 4 months i thought i looked somewhat reasonable, i created my own shape and bought a redgrave skin(they were the nr1 at that time), but as sl keeps evolving so do i...as a dancer/manager in sl i think its important to change every so often so people wont get bored with you.

[Persephone Emerald]

So many good responses here, but Pussycat & Willow, I think I liked yours best.

I'm still becoming me after more than 2 years in SL.

My first good skin was also a copybotted Redgrave that someone gave me.  Later, I looked up the store & bought a legitimate one.  Later I bought another, the same skin, but with slightly darker make-up.  I have never changed gender or race in SL, though I do change species from time to time.  My main avatar is an idealize version of me, a little younger & thinner, but still basically the RL me.  A friend of mine told me how to tweak my body shape to make it look more realistic & less like a Barbie clone, so I followed his lead, but still go with a thinner & taller shape than I have in RL, because SL clothes just don't look right on my RL figure.

I'm usually human in SL, but I have shapes for a cat, a wolf, a couple mermaids, a couple lamiae/ nagas, 4 astral serpents, & a tentacle-creature woman that I like & use from time to time.

   Persephone 2.0                                                                       Perephone 3.0

 

 

     Persephone 4.0                                                                             Persephone 5.0, sitting with an alt

   

[Kascha Matova]

Wow. I've gone through so many changes since I was born in early 2007 I can't even really catalogue them all. I was always starting from the same base though, which was a good likeness of me, and simply refined myself. Added an Asian influence to go with the German and Ukraine in me, but still managed to maintain my real sense of style. This below is a pretty good little picture show. I guess then it took me 4 years to become the me of today :matte-motes-bashful-cute-2:

 

'07 : This look is quite - BAD. No matter, as long as I can get the most suggestive shiny jewerly money can buy, and it looks great and helps me at work with my neverending quest to be the best pole dancing dirty tramp I can be!

'08 : I discover the art of looking like a professional woman and keeping it simple and elegant. Since now I have busines meetings to go to for discussing home/office landscaping and decorating gigs.

'09 : I experience several blonde moments while trying to look the part of someone who could afford an estate as huge and well decorated as the one I live in. Call it my Lara Croft moment. I settle on both a permanent shape and skin designer.

'10: I make the jump to a fully custom skin and shape, and finally break my addiction to the three Analog Dog hairdos I thought I couldn't live without! I finally feel like this is the real SL me.

'11: I enter the 2.0 era, and everything I wish I could do with my appearance at the same time suddenly becomes possible. YAY!!!

 

[Lanas Criss]

Looks like everyone is having plenty of fun walking this looooooong path to 'becoming' themselves...

(Having a few more L$'s over time and a lot more experience shopping doesn't hurt either)

Thanks for sharing

[Mayalily]

Those eyes!  I enjoy them everyday I see them!  woots.  Are we going to make Luc blush? 

I can't imagine Luc changing his eyes either. 

[Loren Twine]

Well, I started out as an alt, so I was handed a tiny allowance and a couple landmarks on day one. Started out with a freebie skin and bought me some hair. In the beginning I aimed for "short guy", but I kept shrinking..  Since I couldn't find a skin I felt was suitable for a kid, I used a zombie skin and then went neko for a long while.

 

I haven't changed all that much since I got the human skin, apart new hair and tweaking the shape (I still go cheetah sometimes).

 

I don't have any pics of the evolution of my adult look (apart from day 1), which is a shame. God I had an awkward phase a couple of years back.   Now I look like this.

 

 

[Malin Arizona]

It's always a work in progress, eternally tweaking, adjusting, finding new bits and bobs....but that's part of the fun of SL