My last avatar of 2008, and first of 2009. And damn do I love this avatar, which makes me sad I can't find a better name for it.
It started as playing around in tektek with the goldfish scarf and jinxi head wrap, and moved on into being a reality eventually. I really love the combination of items on the head/neck, which is probably why that's where I started with the avatar. I spent hours in tektek on this, amidst studying for finals and dealing with x-mas with my family.
I love how it turned out. The goldfish scarf and leviathan's grace anklets have the same flowing feel, and the anklets keep it from being too top heavy. I think the stripes and dots on the headdress are carried pretty well throughout the avatar, by means of the striped: tattoos, gift of the goddess neck thing, and egyptian anklets, and dots in: the hairpin, jade beads, belly jewel and sort of in the socks. I'm really happy to use orange for the first time in a very long time.
For the most part I've gotten incredibly positive feedback for this. When asking about it when it was just a tektek I had it called "gorgeous" about three times, which was pretty funny. I think the nicest compliment I got though, was in the "where have all the 10s gone" discussion thread in the AT. I'd posted my own thoughts on the matter there, and how I decide what a 10 is, and then further into the thread someone posted saying that my avatar was an example of what they'd consider a 10. It was pretty damn flattering.
The one bit of negative feedback I got on this really, really rubbed me the wrong way. It was from someone who just came back to the AT after a long break, and who told me to "start over." I'm very tempted to be petty here and say that I don't at all like that person's avatars myself, but that's really besides the point. I can completely respect a person's opinion of not liking an avatar of mine, but I think telling someone to start over is about the rudest thing possible in the AT. And it does not constitute a rate.
A few of the people I've seen around the forum only just recently really don't have much in the way of manners. The start over thing is one example. What people in the AT don't often realize is that people who post there asking for rates actually like their avatars, which is why they're asking for opinions. If a person likes their avatar enough to ask for opinions, that means they don't want to start over. Telling a person you personally can't stand their avatar is one thing, but telling them to completely get rid of it is another. Telling a person to start over isn't a rate. It doesn't help that person make their avatar better, it just tells them that you hate it. I'd almost consider it flaming, as it's so damn rude. If you don't like a person's avatar then say so, and tell them why. Then tell them that you think they should just pick one or two of their current items and rework the avatar around them. I think this applies well to the old saying "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." If you can't find a way to say at least one positive thing about every avatar you rate, even something as small as "your hermes moon is a cool item, but..." then you shouldn't be rating.
That aside, there's one other person whose posts have bothered me. The worst one being that they don't like themed avatars, and think they belong in the chatterbox, rather than the AT. I'm sorry, but the only thing that belongs in the chatterbox is that kind of closed minded, rude, self centered thinking. If you can't rate, and don't like that type of avatar that's fine, but that doesn't mean they don't belong in the AT. Avatar talk doesn't have exclusions for any type of avatar. It doesn't exclude cluttered, simple, cosplay, themed, or any type of avatar. And if a person can't accept that there are all kinds of avatars, maybe they shouldn't be in the forum.
Community Member
Also, I really agree with your sentiment about what it means to rate avs. Wish more people would take what you've said here into consideration!