NicoleSartre1

Well! Mystery mansion man did finally turn up and, after an initially very awkward conversation, took me dancing at The Savoy Ballroom. Is he THE one?......Nah! Probably not!

OMG! Those were his precise words! How could you possibly know.....er....he's not your Alt is he? 😉

I don't know who lives in this baronial mansion - but I wonder what he's going to say when he finds me here!

I feel your pain! Just...keep...going.....

That's what I always say to myself too.....but it never is

When things aren't going too well, instead of feeling sorry for myself I come here. Turn off the music channel and just listen to the birds chirping, and the gentle surf pulling at the stones on the beach. And in no time at all I'm back to my normal chirpy self It's my quiet place. It's always deserted. And no, I won't be giving the SLURL anytime soon! Sorry!

I don't know about anyone else, but I've always found classic marshmallows to taste way better than mesh marshmallows.....

Hey there, Mrs Cow! How's it going? Isn't life wonderful?!

Sure I did. Have I learnt the error of my ways?........Nah!

Generally I do the same. Normally I feel there's no point constantly optimising local WL (other than when taking photos, of course), when this has no affect on how others see me. But it's always disappointing that so often the estate time makes me look as if I have some terrible skin disease....

Last night was a blast. This morning....not so much. Danced all night and drank too many Ramazottis. Woke up in a strange bed. Dashed to the loo.....made a mess...and then scarpered...before the owner got back. Whoever you are....I'm sorry! Not my finest hour...

Will I be a wallflower at the dance again tonight.......?

Almost invisible......

Whaaaat!!! No!!!!! Can't believe how much this flimsy dress must weigh!!

System v mesh Me (mesh) on the right with one of my oldest SL friends (system) on the left. I think she looks great. In fact, she looks waaaay better than me - especially with my ugly Advanced Lighting Model neckband in this light. There's definitely pros and cons. Nothing is ever just 100% good

Where's the party???

Such an interesting topic! It's always fascinating to see such different approaches and experiences. We are all in this same virtual world, and all have the same social opportunities, but we are coming from an endless variety of personal perspectives and hopes and needs, which are themselves in a state of constant flux, and none of us are 100% the same today as we were yesterday. To me, much as I enjoy the beauty of the sims and landscapes, the essence of SL is the people I meet. I will finish a session feeling either empty or very satisfied and fulfilled depending on whether or not I have had a conversation with someone - and spontaneous conversations with perfect strangers can often be the most satisfying of all. I have never had a problem making friends, and all friendships start with the striking up of a conversation. As my dear old Dad (sadly departed) used to constantly say to me....."Use the gift of language." As a child I would watch him enter a room and immediately engage others. He would walk up and start talking to the most unlikely or unfriendly looking prospect, and I would watch in wonder as that person's face would break into a smile, be transformed, as he/she started chatting back. This was one of the greatest life lessons I learnt from my Dad - and I love doing this in SL. There's no doubt that some avis do look intimidating at first glance, and when one reads their profiles they can seem even more intimidating! But incredibly, when I spontaneously "use the gift of language" on them a good 80% respond and turn into pussycats! I love it. I will always notecard and file good conversations so that I can quickly recap personal details, etc. Not everyone, or even most end up as in-your-pocket friends, but I do have many (most in fact) who are occasional coffee-shop/drink in a bar, or even 'under-the-sheets' (!) friends where, following a wave, we meet for a catch up, and it's nice to remember and be remembered. I can be VERY talkative! The hardest thing, I find, is when I arrive somewhere and am immediately assailed by multiple IMs. I am not a good multi-tasker, and I seriously prefer one conversation.....but how to choose? It's like being allowed only one sweet! And they all look so interesting. And it seems rude to curtail any one of the approaches....and that's the last thing I would ever want to seem if someone has been kind enough to express an interest. (Worth bearing in mind, too, if someone doesn't respond to one's own IM, or is slow, or stops....I always give them the benefit of the doubt....they may be inundated with IMs. I know that has been my own anguished experience on a good many occasions). I feel that contacts that fall by the wayside for this reason are ships that have passed in the night. Another unique person...mind....consciousness...fellow life-traveller....that I will now never know. There's always a tinge of sadness. But it's all worth it. So my advice is, even if no one is talking....just use the gift of language. Almost everyone is there because they want some contact (otherwise they would be playing video games....yuck!), even if they won't admit this to themselves. Don't be discouraged if people don't respond, or are a bit cool - this could be for a whole host of reasons that have nothing to do with you. Just keep going - it's a numbers game. I often find it's the most unlikely, hostile-looking avi, who responds positively, and we have a lovely conversation. They won't all end up as in-your-pocket friends, the conversation doesn't always have to be about sex (really!). So many avis are standing/sitting/mooching around in a state of 'quiet desperation' just waiting for an IM. People are shy, awkward, introverted - but they are also so often deeper and more rewarding to talk to once you get them going. Of course, some will also just want some peace and quiet....and I must come across as highly irritating to them! Oops! Sorry!!

I can do culture....of the heads-on-plates variety....

Sometimes I'm a fairy......normally when I am experiencing an effervescence of happiness!

I'm really not sure I agree with this flexi-hair comment. I've gone right back to it recently. I just think it looks so awful when one is dancing vigorously somewhere and there is absolutely zero movement from the hair, and especially the longer styles. It's as if one has pasted a cardboard cut-out of a picture of hair on one's head. Ghastly! I know flexi-hair can float through things which isn't terribly brilliant either, but to me it's a small price to pay for something which, otherwise, looks so much more realistic. I also think it is so much easier for new residents to go straight to mesh heads and be happy with the result. Older residents have grown attached to their evolving classic look over many years, and it is an integral part of their identity, with much time and effort, money, and love, invested into it. The decision to abandon all this and switch to a mesh head is, I think, very, very difficult, if not impossible, for some. And as Nalates has just said, "a system or classic avatar doesn't have to look like a total noob. If they are done well one has to look twice to decide if the are classic noob or mesh. A good skin and shape can make a more than passable avatar."

There seems to be a whole host of good ideas and suggestions here, and I shall investigate every single one of them. At the very least they should keep me out of mischief for a good while....always a good thing. So, thanks everyone!

Thank you for the response. Yes, the classic avi expressions are very limited, but with certain avis they worked better than others and, especially if caught in transition from one to the other, a uniquely different (and unintended) expression might fleetingly arise and be captured by the patient photographer. That doesn't seem to happen with Bento faces. Some of the heads, like Catwa Catya, have been out for a good while now, and have a huge user base. I'm surprised there isn't a greater repertoire of tailored expressions for that specific head, for example. All I'm asking for is a half-decent closed-lipped smile that doesn't make the poor avi look as if it is grimacing from a seriously bad bout of constipation! How hard can it be?! Ho hum....one day....

Firestorm.

Thank you - I will investigate this

Apologies for apparently "bumping" a thread that has been dormant for about two months. I have just come across this thread and read it through with great interest. I sympathise with all of the points of view, having probably held all of them at one time or another!Although I took up mesh bodies fairly early on, I have only recently made the leap to mesh heads, for myself and my various alts. (Of course, they would probably say I was the alt, but then they would, wouldn't they?). It's been a traumatic experience to say the least. There was the inevitable issue of getting to grips with something new and complicated, especially at a time when spare time was at a premium, but I would say that by far the biggest issue for us was abandoning long established, unique, appearances which had become synonymous with our individual characters. This was especially the case with one alt in particular who has a higher public profile than little old me. Making the transition whilst retaining at least some of our individually unique characteristics was the real challenge.After various attempts and abortings we finally pushed through and made it happen. It's taken weeks upon weeks but I/we are now very happy with the results, and at least no longer feel as if "a dinosaur has entered the building" whenever I/we turn up somewhere.There really has been so many benefits in making the transition, and any lingering twinges of regret and sadness are fading day by day. It was a massive effort, not to mention the cost, but we are glad we made it.The one area of disappointment, hopefully merely the result of ignorance and inexperience, is the relative paucity of facial expressions achievable with the bento heads compared to the old classic heads. This has come as a complete surprise as we thought this was the whole point of bento in the first place. The transitions between expressions, which gave great photo opportunities, and particularly, the smiles, just do not compare. The facial AOs seem to be universally awful, and the static expressions, in the main, just as bad.We have been using Catwa heads, but have experimented with all the others, and they all seem equally poor in this respect. We have yet to find any third-party animators who have come up with anything better. We are hoping this is simply lack of awareness, on our part, of what is out there, or that there is some "trick of the trade" that we haven't learnt yet, or that there are some better expressions currently under development. In the entirety of the thread no one seems to have mentioned this specific issue, and this gives me hope that we are missing something here! If so, please enlighten us!