Laurel Aurelia

That is the thing about expressing opinions on the internet, Doc. You must be prepared for people to disagree with you. I am sorry you took it personally. It's not personal, I don't know you in any other way than your posts on this very forum. Generally speaking though, I think people's opinions say more about them then it does about the other person. Feel free to disagree or read into it the way you want.

Let me see if I follow. By having an avatar that is not pleasing to you, I am violating social mores? I suppose in some ways I am flaunting "the rules", but honestly that is the fun of it. I'm an irreverent person with a particular sense of humor. And you do have a right to your opinion . I just think your opinion says more about you than it does about me.

Those eyes O.O

I have two questions. Why do you care about how others choose to present themselves? Why do you think I should care? Not being facetious.

@Doc CarlingI think if someone is so shallow to snub me because I am dressed silly then we aren't going to be well matched. To each their own really, but I am not here to be cute for anyone, but myself.

My version of the morning ride with @Scylla Rhiadra, @BelindaN, @Eva Knoller, @Saskia Rieko, @TatianaNikolay, and @Stranger Hoxley Not pictured: The top of Hox's head. It's always an interesting challenge to get everyone in frame.

I also have a ridiculous looking avatar that is probably my oldest outfit that I still use on semi regular basis . She was born a giant frog avatar with the prim parts removed and human skin added. She's very much a departure to how I normally look , but she speaks to my inner weirdness. It's interesting to see how people react to her should I take her into public. If you can't hang with Beula (that's her name) it indicates to me that we might not mesh well in general. I don't take myself too seriously here, I got a whole real life for that. She's almost 8ft tall, and still has her frog feet. Her side profile is something to behold. She's obviously not a pretty avatar in any sort of traditional sense, but she's fun, bold, and outgoing. I am way more reserved in my normal form.

I'll definitely try this on other pictures later.

I think there are several animations. I tried it on a couple of other pictures after that first one, and there wasn't a smile on most of them. I got lucky that my first one turned out okay really. The uncanny valley is strong in the Deep Nostalgia algorithm .

How fun! I gave this a go. I just used one of my latest pictures and got a pretty cool effect without Art Breeder. Original Pic: Cool animated gif:

Yes! Final Deviation is terribad, yet awesome revenge flick. You always know that you are going to get a good movie when the lead actor also writes and directs it!

I am not sure I feel guilty about this, but I love bad movies. It all started with Mystery Science Theater as a child ,and then I rediscovered it as a teenager, and now weekly as an adult I scour the internet looking for the worst movies to watch with my best friend. I love all movies really, but the bad independent ones have a special place in my heart. Most of you have heard of Tommy Wiseau's "The Room", but there are so many others out there that are just as good. No one: Absolutely No One: Drunk Eric Roberts as a talking cat: Neil Breen movies speak for themselves.

*spritzes you*

A lot of the best hair makers use alphas textures to make their hair. Alphas are see through and when they encounter another alpha in the world (like windows, trees , eyelashes, some clothing, applier make up) it creates a transparency . Things you might see, part of window is missing behind you, or if your hair hugs your face, your applier make up might look like its not there or that you are missing eyelashes on one eye. Here are some things you can do to lessen the impact of the alpha issue : 1. Wear bom make up and hairbases as much as possible. Bakes on mesh or system layers are not effected by the alpha bug. 2.Make lashes shorter if they are interacting with your hair too much. Or if you want to wear super long lashes, make sure your hair is is not covering your eyes. You can also try masking your lashes but it makes them look clumpy. 3. If you ever wear clothing with tranparency (it's thin or see thru looking) be mindful if your hair sits on top of your chest it might make your top see through . Alphas are just part of SL struggle unfortunately, but we all deal with them. You aren't doing anything wrong. Some designers are better at alphas than others so if its something that bugs you a lot, when you are demoing hairs, make sure to go stand in front of a window or tree to see how big the alpha is and if its something you are willing to live with. If you are looking for a brand of hair with better alphas, try out Magika. Their designer has made an effort to improve their alphas especially in the chest region. Good luck!

I know I've seen some oversized jean jackets on male avatars, but had never thought to check them. I did a little googling and found this jacket from Ascend :

Hope everyone is doing well this week. ❤️

What you are describing is what happens when two alphas clash - it creates a transparency. Your best best like Marianne said is to wear shorter lashes and bakes on mesh brows in order limit your issues with your alpha hair. There are some other alpha texture caveats as well: 1. Applier makeup including HD make up are effected by the alpha glitch. Like your applier brows, hud-based make up with also have issues with your lashes and hair. 2. See-thru or thin-looking clothing often glitch with hair. The only way I've been able to work around this is to make sure my hair is either in an updo or arranged in a certain way where it is not laying across my chest or back. Magika , a really great hair brand also has refined their hair to work a lot better with this type of clothing. 3. Alphas glow under projected lighting! It sounds cooler than it often looks. And I don't think you can see it unless you are a running advanced lighting, but others who do will. The glowing often discolors your make up and looks out of place as the rest your avatar responds to the lighting correctly. For this very reason, I save my hd makeup for pictures and wear mostly BOM make up at public events. BOM makeup/layers do not experience glitches with alphas or unnatural glow under projected lights as far as I am aware.

Sorry for the incoming wall of text. I was reluctant to post anything here because I usually like to stay out of drama for my own sake, but I thought I would share my own experience with group therapy and various ways I've seen it utilized. When I was in group therapy there were mixed groups and also groups that were just women and just men. There are important reasons for this, and its not meant to imply that others that do not meet group's criteria are not suffering and undeserving of help. Its about creating trust and safe spaces for sharing. While two people might share the experience of having a narcissist parent, the dynamics of those relationships can be very different depending on the gender dynamics of the relationships. For example, a man with a narcissist mother relates to his mother in a different way than woman who also has narcissist mother. This is not to say a woman cannot learn from a man's experience or vice versa, but it can become very complicated in a group of troubled, emotionally vulnerable people. If you are curious, Origins a US based company that specializes in multiple tracks of recovery has a very concise article on when and why same gender group therapy is appropriate here. With that said, I would be very careful forming support groups in SL. While I can see where they may be some benefit to people suffering in these isolating times, well-meaning misinformation can occur that can be harmful to people's recovery.