Your Avatar and the Proteus Effect

Absolute Zero · Mar 5, 2018

Hello Valorians. Look at your avatar. Now back to mine. Now back to your avatar, now back to mine. Sadly, yours isn't mine, but if you as a unique individual had my particular psychology (and were therefore not a unique individual), yours could look like mine. Look down, back up, where are you? You're in a thread asking about why we choose to look the way we do online. What's in your avatar picture? A Pokémon, an anime character, just some red numbers? Look again, your avatar is now a representation of who you are, just like it was all along! Anything is possible when you have the ability to choose any avatar you want as long as it abides by community guidelines. I'm on a horse.

Okay, now that the Old Spice skit is done, I have a question for you. Yes, you individually: why did you choose the avatar you have? Unless you're currently using the default Lake Valor user avatar, you deliberately chose that picture. Perhaps you spent literally one minute choosing it from a simple online image search, or maybe you spent twenty minutes choosing just the perfect one from dozens of online searches, or its even possible you spent over an hour making it from scratch, that perfect 192x192 pixel representation of you that people may come to recognize more than they recognize your username. Somehow, you chose that image for a reason, a reason that is unique to you. What is that reason, and what do you hope people see in it?

I'm asking this because today I listened to a podcast about the Proteus Effect https://www.stufftoblowyourmind.com/podcasts/proteus-effect.htm. I recommend you listen to that podcast as linked, but if you don't have an hour to split your attention to something really fascinating (as every episode of Stuff To Blow Your Mind is), here's the short version: the visual representations we choose for ourself in virtual settings is something deliberately chosen by each of us, reflecting our inner selves perhaps more than our actual appearance does, and it can affect other people's perceptions just as much as our real appearances do in the terrestrial world.

So here's what I'd like to do here: Inside a spoiler tag, which can be used by putting your tale between the bb code of
Code:
[spoiler]Talk about your avatar here![/spoiler]
tell a little about your avatar, why you chose it, and what you hope others determine from it. Outside of the spoiler, tell what you find in the previous poster's avatar, even if you have no idea what it's supposed to be. Even if you've never seen that anime or trained that Pokémon, try to determine something about what that picture says about that user. In this case, the next person to post can tell their assumptions about my minus-zero avatar, and the next person their avatar, and so on. I'd really prefer you post that part of your reply before reading the previous user's spoiler so that we get some un-tainted responses on how others see our avatars.

I'll start with my avatar break-down. If you're the first person to reply to this thread, please don't open this spoiler until after you decide and write what you think my avatar might say about me!

My avatar, the red digital clock reading -0, actually came after my name change from Zero Sifr to Negative Zero, which has its own reason. For a long time, my avatar was a picture of Zero of the Mega Man X series, which had a hand in red becoming a sort of theme color for me. My name is a number, and when I think of numbers and red I think of those old 80s alarm clocks with the red digits, so I re-created one of those to match my username. That's the story behind me making and choosing this avatar.

I hope people see in my avatar the same thing I see in those alarm clocks: something kind of old that lasts forever (I bet your grandparents have a clock with red digital readout, and bet it still works as perfectly as it did fifty years ago!), and that is/was pretty technical and very useful to have around. I didn't have that concept in mind when I made the picture, but I'll run with the idea that it's a contributing factor that reflects something about me and I hope other see as well.

And here's where I would describe what I think the previous poster's avatar says about them... if there was a previous poster. I hope we all find something interesting about our perceptions here.

Junkrat · Mar 5, 2018

Seeing your avatar, I always thought that you were someone who exuded an aura of mysteriousness, and if you wanna get deep with it, someone who's pretty much fueled by irony. It's almost intimidating, due to the black and red combination, but there's also some sort of sarcasm or mischievousness because, at first glance, I personally thought 'negative zero, that's pretty cool' but then I realized that negative zero doesn't actually exist. You trickster, you.

I chose Tsuyu Asui, aka Froppy as my avatar because I love her character. She's calm, cool, and remains as an emotional support for her teammates. I love the overall aesthetic of her design and personality, and I guess to extent I can be like her. I love her quirks (both personality and actual Quirk), I love her dynamic with the other characters, and I love... well, her! She's the best girl!

SnowboundBecca · Mar 5, 2018

My avatar was made from scratch. I drew it myself in Photoshop, and this dragon girl here that I have dubbed Silva is an original character of mine that has represented my Internet self for years.

At the very beginning, she was actually a Spyro fan character, but as my art skills developed and her design changed every so often, she's grown into something more unique. She doesn't have a story of her own yet, but hopefully once I've done my other personal art projects, I'll start working on an original comic with her as the protagonist. ...Someday. For now though, she is my shameless self-insert character.

Why she looks the way she does is for a number of reasons. I like dragons. White and blue is my favorite color combo (Yu-Gi-Oh's blue-eyes white dragon may have been an influence as well). Diamonds are my birthstone, hence the diamond patterns. I have brown wavy hair and brown eyes in real life. The navy blue scarf is also a real thing I got in Paris. The name Silva came from an NPC in Pokémon Coliseum, and silver in general is my favorite type of precious metal.

So, yeah.

@vaporwave Froppy is best frog girl. That is all.

awney · Mar 5, 2018

I actually decided to use a super old drawing of an ampharos I drew as a temporary avatar until I could find a one I liked better. Everyone thought it was really cute so I kept it. And eventually Ampharos became how I represented myself on here. I didn't really choose my current avatar other than the fact that Ampharos is me at this point. I guess Ampharos kinda represents me?? Ampharos is kinda dorky lookin and is tall-ish. Same goes for me.

@SnowboundBecca i love the blue markings on Silva in your avatar!!

Shadria · Mar 5, 2018

I was already aware that @SnowboundBecca's avatar is a OC she created, however her backstory was another thing. When I saw Silva, I imagined a sweet, curious ice-element friend who was ready to delve into long paragraphs about her favorite things.

I made this avatar in a style akin to PMD's mugshots. It's clearly a Zoroark, however this one is a special variant. My main OC was a imp upon the time I joined LV, but has since been re-designed to a Kitsune. As this is a Pokémon forum, I decided to adapt by creating a Zoroark version of her. This Zoroark has much wavier/curlier fur with extra dark points as my own (and my kitsune oc's) hair is wavy and dark brown. Her eyes and mouth are a bit more rounder and softer as to show a much friendlier expression- I would hate to scare people away. Her bead/orb is purple as it is my favorite color, as well.
I have chosen kitsune as my oc's species as they're known for mischievousness, wisdom, being good omens, as well as being lovely in human form. I love some good jokes (although my attempts sometimes fall flat on my face), I may not know everything, but I do have a desire to learn a lot (even if it is just dumb or strange things, such as lost media or video game trivia). I care about the people around me, and hope to help them feel better if something is wrong, thus being similar to a good omen. The last one though, is merely wishful thinking. I don't consider myself 'lovely' looking in the slightest, lol..

Eclipse · Mar 5, 2018

At the time of this posting, my avatar is the "Lepidopteragon".

I changed to this avatar several weeks ago, and the only reason it's still like that is because I've been too busy - or too lazy - to change it to something else.

I made that avatar/banner combination with only one goal in mind: to make something beautiful. I had to spend about a week with the actual planning and putting everything together for the signature, making sure everything was just right and just the way I wanted it. I wanted to make something that both I and those around me would perceive as beautiful; I had to ask for the information in some cases, but a few people said outright they found it beautiful. So, between those pieces of feedback, I want to say that I succeeded in that regard.

I can't really say much about other people's avatars - and this might be due to my time on Discord, where avatars are shown on the side in little circles or not at all - so I tend to mentally tune out or ignore the avatars of other people. I'll notice very briefly if it's changed to something else, but then just filter it out again.

SyWry · Mar 6, 2018

@Eclipse, they guy that changes his avatar several times to something elaborate, dramatic and, cool. Originally the dragon that Eclipse used a while back gave off an aura of mysticism and power. This current avatar gives off an aura of beauty though vibrant colors and butterflies. However, there's still an aura of power coming from the avatar like the image is of a butterfly queen rather than just a butterfly. These images often give me the impression of someone that has power or great influence and they have great wisdom.

Now for my avatar:

So funny story, this character is based on one of my two favorite Pokémon Glaceon. Specifically, this is the image of my main character of my fanfiction here on LV. I'm mainly using it as a place holder until I get enough points to get a commission for something else, but to be honest, its growing on me. I've always loved ice types and to me, there's something calming about ice. I look at my avatar and see a calm aura, the aura of someone who's patient and level headed the exact opposite of the character its based on. I see an aura of quiet, of silence, like the snow. Its the kind of romanticized version of my personality, but those things do represent me. The longer I look at my character, the more I see.

AeroHail · Mar 6, 2018

@SyWry Glaceon on a white background makes it stand out against the default Lake Valor theme colours. But the Glaceon is customized with an icey almost flower looking accessory, maybe it's one of their OCs? Or just a glaceon they got attached to in game.

My love of mew has shown in all three icons I've had on LV. And all three have been content I have created. This particular mew was made to celebrate becoming a Patron on LV as my old blue and pink mew no longer matched the colourscheme. It's based on the Yellow mew Pokémon sprite.
I don't personally relate to mew as a character but I love the design a whole lot. The simplicity of mew's design is something I love to try and explore when creating my own characters
I hope people see my icon and think "Ah, that's that mew person." and maybe "Cool art"?

Barandofl · Mar 6, 2018

To AeroHail. You most likely made your avatar yourself, meaning your probably a creative person. You probably picked Mew as your avatar, since mew is usually playfull and a little childish and you believe you can relate with that.

There isn't anything special about my avatar. I just happen to like eyeless jack since he's one of my favorite creepypastas. (Although, I have been trying to make a replica of the mask out of wood.)

Neb · Oct 30, 2019

I always got a mysterious vibe from your avatar. As if there was more to you than what you present online (in a good way).

I requested someone on another Pokémon forum to draw my avatar about a year ago. The only reference I gave was was my trainer character from Pokémon Moon with a Cosmog. I liked how the picture turned out, and became attached to it after I became better friends with the artist.

Jeydis · Oct 31, 2019

I like that your avatar, even in its spooky black and white coloration, is cute and is set up just right to show both your representation and your favorite Pokémon. Cosmog has that advantage being small and having a simple outline, it can fit nicely in something as small as an avatar.

- The Halloween witch: It's an edited version of an MTG card I am fond of. I just tweaked the lighting and brightened up the eyes to make it a more intense gaze. The original card is called Tempting Witch. I am very fond of the creepy artwork and of witches in general so for the spooky season I figured it would be perfect.

- My regular avatar is this one here: https://imgur.com/fpD11As which is a wonderful piece by our resident artist @Bug I commissioned him to create artwork to commemorate my completed Biker challenge run. I was so fond of the trainer that I worked in more backstory and now roleplay her at times.

RadEmpoleon · Nov 2, 2019

Your avatar has a spooky and evil feeling to it. It somewhat reminds me of Grimm’s fairy tales, don’t ask why. (I don’t even know why it does.) I think it’s from the evil vibe I’m getting from it.

(My Halloween avatar was of the Summerween Trickster, a character from Gravity Falls that was in the Halloween episode.)

My current avatar is a fusion of Empoleon and King Dedede from Kirby Right Back At Ya. I found it while browsing through some Empoleon memes and I instantly got the reference. As a fan of both Empoleon and King Dedede (especially in Kirby RBAY), I really love the meme, and it’s one of my favorites. Ever since I changed my username from RadEmpoleon395 to just RadEmpoleon, I’ve used this picture as my avatar on every account that I use that username, including my Wattpad, Twitch, and something else probably.

Your Avatar and the Proteus Effect

Absolute Zero
Level 53
The second seal

Junkrat
Level 43
Demolitions Expert

SnowboundBecca
Level 69
Scarf Enthusiast

awney
Level 62
i'm lame

Shadria
Level 87
Impish Illusionary Kitsune

Eclipse
Level 100
Void

SyWry
Level 29
VIP

AeroHail
Level 52
No dogs on the moon

Barandofl
Level 48
The eyeless user

Neb
Level 29
Cosmog Enthusiast

Jeydis
Level 61
Getting cozy

RadEmpoleon
Level 83
certified EPIC Gamer™ (they/them)

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