# Avatars and Personality Types



## curtis (Mar 26, 2016)

An avatar is an image you choose to represent yourself in the virtual world. Do the avatars you create for online communication reflect who you truly are? Are you narcissistic, friendly, affectionate, masochistic, manic or psychopathic? 


Regarding psychopathic personality types, your avatar could wear dark clothes and sunglasses while showing little facial expression. How does your avatar accurately describe your personality?


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 26, 2016)

curtis said:


> An avatar is an image you choose to represent yourself in the virtual world. Do the avatars you create for online communication reflect who you truly are? Are you narcissistic, friendly, affectionate, masochistic, manic or psychopathic?



All of the above. Tee hee.



> Regarding psychopathic personality types, your avatar could wear dark clothes and sunglasses while showing little facial expression. How does your avatar accurately describe your personality



I thought the profile pic and avatar were the same thing. I uploaded my first one via Tapatalk. Logging in on my laptop, I realized they are different so I decided to replace it with this. 


Then I replaced it with the one I have now. 

A woman covered and protected by butterflies. 

1. Butterflies are beautiful. Attractive.
2. They're also fragile. Not much of protection you'll get from them. 

I love butterflies (I think that's too obvious..) and I started loving them after learning about the life cycle of a butterfly. 
She started as an egg. You see her but you don't really "know" her. But inside her is a storage of potentials, what she'd look like, what she can do, etc. 
Then she grows up. A fat, slimy, leaf-obsessed caterpillar. 

But then she grows. Too fast. 
Stretched. Like a balloon. 

Covers herself up, detaches herself from the world. 
Worked hard in silence. Came back with a deafening voice of success. 

She is now a beautiful butterfly. 

I love the characteristics of butterfly too. 
You will love them when they fly, freely, up in the sky. Lock her up and she will just die. 
She is also fragile. Very sensitive and you need to handle her with care. 
Only those who knows her crevice, every curve will know how to hold her. 

Whenever I see a butterfly, I'm so filled with joy sometimes I cry. (Cause I don't get to see one everyday.)
Sorry. I told you I'm weird.  Please don't ban me. HAHA. 


~~~~~

Right now I'm a caterpillar. HAHA. 
I will be a butterfly someday.


----------



## Sonata (Mar 26, 2016)

curtis said:


> An avatar is an image you choose to represent yourself in the virtual world. Do the avatars you create for online communication reflect who you truly are? Are you narcissistic, friendly, affectionate, masochistic, manic or psychopathic?
> 
> 
> Regarding psychopathic personality types, your avatar could wear dark clothes and sunglasses while showing little facial expression. How does your avatar accurately describe your personality?



I have used different avatars for different fora, none of which show anything of the above.  They just seemed to fit the forum I was on.  My avatar for my dog fora is a head and shoulders shot of my beloved epi girl, who had to be euthanised on 1 April last year.  That one I will not change.

The one for WF?  I saw it, I liked it, so I use it.  It does not represent me or reflect me.  It is just an avatar.


----------



## dale (Mar 26, 2016)

my avatar is my world. the love of my life.


----------



## Sonata (Mar 26, 2016)

Dale - she is just adorable.


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 26, 2016)

dale said:


> my avatar is my world. the love of my life.



That's just beautiful, dale.


----------



## Sleepwriter (Mar 26, 2016)

I have a love/hate thing going on with zombies right now.


----------



## Aquarius (Mar 26, 2016)

Reichelina said:


> . . .
> 
> Whenever I see a butterfly, I'm so filled with joy sometimes I cry.
> (Cause I don't get to see one everyday.) . . .



_*The Tale Of The Butterfly



*_Once   upon a time, by the side of a dusty road in India sat an old beggar  who  was selling cocoons. He noticed that a young boy was watching for  many  days. Finally, the beggar beckoned to him and asked: ‘Have you any  idea  of what beauty lies within my cocoons?’ When the boy shook his  head, the  old man continued: ‘It is the home of a beautiful butterfly. I  will  give you one of my cocoons, so you can find out for yourself. But  you  must be careful with it and not handle it until the butterfly  emerges.’

The boy was enchanted with his gift and   hurried home to await the emergence of the butterfly. He laid the cocoon   on the floor. Watching it, he became aware of a curious thing. The   butterfly seemed to be beating its wings against the hard outer shell of   its chrysalis. ‘The butterfly will surely perish before it can break   free from its unyielding prison,’ the boy thought. ‘I have to help the   poor creature!’

When he pried the cocoon open, out   flopped a soggy brown and ugly thing that quickly died. After a while,   the boy met the beggar again and told him what had happened. ‘Ah yes,’   the old man said: ‘It is necessary for the creature to beat its growing   wings against the walls of its cocoon, until they have grown strong   enough to support the butterfly, when it finally emerges into the light   of day. Through its struggling alone can the butterfly’s wings become   beautifully strong and durable enough to carry and support it. When this   is denied to the creature, it dies because its only chance of survival   has been destroyed.’

When he pried the cocoon open, out  flopped a soggy brown and ugly thing that quickly died. After a while,  the boy met the beggar again and told him what had happened. ‘Ah yes,’  the old man said: ‘It is necessary for the creature to beat its growing  wings against the walls of its cocoon, until they have grown strong  enough to support the butterfly, when it finally emerges into the light  of day. Through its struggling alone can the butterfly’s wings become  beautifully strong and durable enough to carry and support it. When this  is denied to the creature, it dies because its only chance of survival  has been destroyed.’


The butterfly is a symbol of  transformation, because the life cycle of each one of them represents a  microcosm of the macrocosm of humankind’s individual and collective  evolutionary pathway. May the walls of everyone’s cocoon be just thick  enough – and no more – to support us all in our struggle of breaking  free from the entrapment of the cocoon of false beliefs and prejudices  about our true nature that have kept us bound to the Earth plane for  such a long take. May we all at long last take to our spiritual wings to  aid our flight of growing and evolving into the beautiful beings we are  truly meant to be.

​  From ‘Universal Guidance From The Environment’

* * *





​


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 26, 2016)

Aquarius said:


> ‘It is necessary for the creature to beat its growing   wings against the walls of its cocoon, until they have grown strong   enough to support the butterfly, when it finally emerges into the light   of day. Through its struggling alone can the butterfly’s wings become   beautifully strong and durable enough to carry and support it. When this   is denied to the creature, it dies because its only chance of survival   has been destroyed.’
> ​



I love this part, Aquarius! Thanks for sharing this!


----------



## Darkkin (Mar 26, 2016)

Considered the Selkie, to slide on a pelt of dense seal fur, to disappear form a world that does not see, does not heed the music and wonder that abounds within it.  A whisper down, down beneath the waves to a different place.  A smaller world within the greater, refuge.  To be the one to hear, to see, to know of these impossible things, to dance to the song only she can hear.

- D. the T. of P.B.


----------



## bdcharles (Mar 26, 2016)

Nah. Mine's just a picture. Anyway my personality's far too multifaceted to be represented by mere doodle.


----------



## Patrick (Mar 26, 2016)

It says I am a gentle and compassionate soul.


----------



## Plasticweld (Mar 26, 2016)

Mine is an actual photo of me riding the shark I just wrestled and beaten into submission, and I am now riding him going forward "_not looking back" _to conquer and terrorize the rest of the world.  I of course still have my chainsaw with me after laying waste to the forest during my normal work day...turning a once tranquil forest into field.

The only fake part is the lighting, I added that for drama


----------



## aj47 (Mar 26, 2016)

My usual avatar is Taz, and my custom title "ornery critter" because, well, I *am* an ornery critter.  I call 'em like I see 'em when I crit someone's work and I don't care if they're a noob or a veteran.   

Right now, I'm revving up for NaPoWriMo -- the *National Poetry Writing Month *challenge, where poets are challenged to write 30 poems in 30 days in the month of April.  I'm hosting the WF incarnation of this.  BTW, y'all are invited to participate--even if you don't choose to write, you can read our work and leave your comments and/or critiques.


----------



## T.S.Bowman (Mar 26, 2016)

dale said:


> my avatar is my world. the love of my life.



This.

Mine is one of my favorite pictures of my son. On the Distributed Computing team site I started, my avatar was a reaper image. I used the name Knightmare there and the reaper just kind of fit.

When I go see my grandson in July, I am going to try to get a picture of him, my daughter and my son together and I will use that as my avatar here.


----------



## Harper J. Cole (Mar 26, 2016)

Mine's a picture of two Bjorkbots kissing, from the music video for "All is Full of Love". It seems to fit the scifi theme of my writing. 8)


----------



## sigmadog (Mar 26, 2016)

Mine is a self portrait. Not sure what it implies, other than a curmudgeonly "Get Off My Lawn!" attitude.


----------



## KellInkston (Mar 26, 2016)

Mine is a representation of anonymity, I suppose. Perhaps it displays nothing more than a desire to not be known (and fantastic dress sense but that might just be me).


----------



## SilverMoon (Mar 26, 2016)

Reichelina said:


> All of the above. Tee hee.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I also love butterflies and their fascinating cycle.

 I read this and thought - who can write so lovingly, knowingly, deeply about a butterfly and not have their wings?

_But then she grows. Too fast. 
 Stretched. Like a balloon. 

Covers herself up, detaches herself from the world. 
 Worked hard in silence. Came back with a deafening voice of success. 

She is now a beautiful butterfly


 _  For you, Reichelina. This is how I see you!


----------



## MzSnowleopard (Mar 26, 2016)

My profile pic is me; my avatar is a snow leopard. They are elusive and enduring, just like me.


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 26, 2016)

SilverMoon said:


> I also love butterflies and their fascinating cycle.
> 
> I read this and thought - who can write so lovingly, knowingly, deeply about a butterfly and not have their wings?
> 
> ...



Oh wow!
You're so sweet!  
thanks Silvermoon. 

*flies to your face and kisses you.


----------



## 20oz (Mar 26, 2016)

*I'M JUST PLAIN OL' HORNY. *

I'm not sure if a fleshlight or dildo will be an acceptable avatar for this site.


----------



## MzSnowleopard (Mar 26, 2016)

Thank you for sharing that TMI lol


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Mar 26, 2016)

My avatar has changed across several self-portraits. My profile picture is also in the same boat. I like the balance between the two portrayed right now. My avatar shows the inside of the harsh death stare of my profile picture. 

Here, let me give you a quick glance without pressing any buttons. 








Best of both worlds. I always appear to be serious, but I am extremely passionate and sensual.


----------



## Jigawatt (Mar 26, 2016)

One of my hobbies is photography. My avatar is a serendipitous shot enlarged from a photo taken while on my kayak. The symmetry of bird and sign was unplanned. Perhaps it represents my personality, but I think has more to with my desire to be in sync with everything around me. I tend to feel as though I don't fit-in at times. The bird and sign are one. That's how I want to be with my life.


----------



## Blue (Mar 27, 2016)

My old avatar I chose simply because it was blue, and it looks all aesthetic and shit.
But now, I've caved and chosen a French bulldog because oh my Jesus I need one in my life right now.
LOOK AT HIM!
 And, no, shows nothing about my personality other than that I'm a serious dog person.


----------



## Bloggsworth (Mar 27, 2016)

Mine says I'm an adrenaline junkie - Not many 50+ year-olds think it a good idea to go down the Calgary Olympic run on a Luge having never sat, sorry, lain on a luge before (my wife did it too!) I'd do it again tomorow, but over 20 years have passed and the run has returned to dust.


----------



## The Defenestrator (Mar 27, 2016)

My avatar shifts between various black-and white pictures;  I've had the sigil of Baphomet, a picture of Faustus and Mephistopheles, a picture of Lucifer and his descent inspired by a favorite poet of mine, Milton...  (I love Satan in Paradise Lost, so.  Cue the Satanic connections.  It's more of a literary thing than a religious one, I assure you.)  

So I guess my pictures are generally inspired by some of my favorite literature: Paradise Lost, the story of Faustus, and the current pick, which is an artful depiction of a scene in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an all time favorite of mine.  I tend to pick the picture in accordance with my literary tastes at the moment as well as mood, so the Green Knight's symbolic and imposing threat, warning, and lesson seems like a fitting choice for my current attitudes and interests.


----------



## SilverMoon (Mar 29, 2016)

"Little Orphan Avie"
 *My teenage, sassy, fashionista alter ego. 
*


----------



## TheWonderingNovice (Mar 29, 2016)

I joined a while back, was very low key and didn't really want to draw attention. My first avatar was of a lady with a Fibonacci sequence inspired hat. I really loved it but it didn't really match the username, haha. 

I disappeared for a year or so - I don't really know, I thinl i just forgot to log on. 

I came back - after I remembered - with a new zeal and changed my avatar to my current one. A mouse on a journey to who knows where, much like me. A mouse who I imagine will try new things and learn, much like me andy username. And I also thought it was the cutest most gosh darn thing I've ever seen.


----------



## Joe_Bassett (Mar 29, 2016)

I just changed my avatar to a recent drawing of mine.  I look a little grumpy.  Guess that's alright.  I don't get a lot of sleep.

I'm happy that I can use one of my own drawings finally.


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 29, 2016)

GuitarHiro97 said:


> I just changed my avatar to a recent drawing of mine.  I look a little grumpy.  Guess that's alright.  I don't get a lot of sleep.
> 
> I'm happy that I can use one of my own drawings finally.



Hiro-chan! It's beautiful!


----------



## am_hammy (Mar 30, 2016)

I love the Moomins. I guess this particular Moomin in general is chilling with a tree.

Maybe I crave being outside, and not cooped up in the store all the time. Who knows? I've thought about what deeper meaning my avi would have, and really, I just love Moomins.


----------



## SilverMoon (Mar 30, 2016)

*
am_hammy  *I love the idea of chilling with a tree!


----------



## SilverMoon (Mar 30, 2016)

> An avatar is an image you choose to represent yourself in the virtual world. Do the avatars you create for online communication reflect who you truly are? Are you narcissistic, friendly, affectionate, masochistic, manic or psychopathic?



It's really difficult to pin down.


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Mar 30, 2016)

Going back to OP ... 



curtis said:


> An avatar is an image you choose to represent yourself in the virtual world. Do the avatars you create for online communication reflect who you truly are? Are you narcissistic, friendly, affectionate, masochistic, manic or psychopathic?




What if you have multiple changes to your avatar throughout the year? Does that indicate a possibility to have multiple personalities? As a writing forum, how do you feel your avatar relates to your writing style / skill? Is there any difference from your personality? Any nun or priest could write horror. So, let's push this discussion further.


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 30, 2016)

PrinzeCharming said:


> Going back to OP ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Since people have different personalities, some people really take into consideration how it would reflect who they are regarding anything they'd choose. 

For example, I'm the type of person who would like to personalize things (I know some people don't really believe the Myers Briggs Personality Types, but how it described my "type" was pretty spot on, generally speaking. I'm INFP.) . 

If I change my avatar every month, it won't necessarily mean that I have multiple personalities, but all of them taken together, now that's my personality. We have different moods everyday but have one personality (unless you have some disorder.) Just like there are different seasons and weathers but one climate. That's how I see it.

So there are also some people who don't care about the details and stuff like that. 

As with writing, my writings are all extensions of me. 
I find it hard to separate myself from anything I do actually. 

Going back to the avatar topic, I think Curtis is just trying to know us through our avatars; our choices. Ehh, something like that.


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Mar 30, 2016)

Reichelina said:


> Since people have different personalities, some people really take into consideration how it would reflect who they are regarding anything they'd choose.



Yes, that's true. It's generally a matter of reflection rather than self-evaluation. It's reality vs. virtual fabrication. We may not be too far from what we portray, but the Internet gives us that ability to mock or become something (or someone) entirely difference. 



Reichelina said:


> For example, I'm the type of person who would like to personalize things (I know some people don't really believe the Myers Briggs Personality Types, but how it described my "type" was pretty spot on, generally speaking. I'm INFP.).



I'm an ESFJ.  :-D




Reichelina said:


> If I change my avatar every month, it won't necessarily mean that I have multiple personalities, but all of them taken together, now that's my personality. We have different moods everyday but have one personality (unless you have some disorder.) Just like there are different seasons and weathers but one climate. That's how I see it.



Well, no. Of course not. It was just a way to facilitate discussion. Gosh, don't take things so literal. 




Reichelina said:


> So there are also some people who don't care about the details and stuff like that.




Yes, they see a butterfly. They feel as _free _as a butterfly. They don't care to relate to the struggle to become a butterfly. 



Reichelina said:


> As with writing, my writings are all extensions of me. I find it hard to separate myself from anything I do actually.



I can understand that. I believe writing is an extensive branch from everyone. It would be interesting to step out and see our writing differently. 



Reichelina said:


> Going back to the avatar topic, I think Curtis is just trying to know us through our avatars; our choices. Ehh, something like that.




Yeah? I am just trying to keep this thread alive.


----------



## Tealynn (Mar 30, 2016)

My avatars usually end up being pictures I've taken of things that made some kind of impact on me at some point in my life. My current one is The Man of Letters from the NOMA Sculpture Garden. I visited NOL twice last year because I was totally captivated by the history, culture, and food. The garden was amazing and I know it's hard to tell, but the man is sitting with his arms around his knees and he's made entirely of letters. If you're ever in NOL, I highly recommend the garden.


----------



## Greyson (Mar 30, 2016)

My avatars are generally things that resonate with how I feel or something that I want to be. In the case of these forums, my avatar is Der Wanderer because of the fact that I often times feel like the man depicted in the painting; alone and watching everything in front of me rather than openly participating. Some of my others are less deep (my one on YouTube is a Dapper Fox because my last name happens to be Fox and I like to pretend I'm rather dapper). I like art though, and if it speaks to me I usually try to find a way to use it and hope someone else sees what I see.


----------



## Jack of all trades (Mar 30, 2016)

And what does it mean when you don't bother to have an avatar?


----------



## PrinzeCharming (Mar 30, 2016)

Jack of all trades said:


> And what does it mean when you don't bother to have an avatar?



That's a great question! It could imply new status to a website, uncertainty for uploading images, or perhaps secretive preferences. There are many users across the Internet not using avatars for personal reasons. Why aren't you using one? You can answer for those who choose not to use an image.


----------



## Reichelina (Mar 30, 2016)

Jack of all trades said:


> And what does it mean when you don't bother to have an avatar?



I think, in a sense, it's not "that" important to you?


----------



## J Anfinson (Mar 30, 2016)

I have a fascination with weeping willows that started with a story idea years ago. It's just kind of become the center of my reason to write.


----------



## Terry D (Mar 30, 2016)

I've used the covers of my books, photos of my dog, photos of birds I've managed to take, and, at Halloween, a large variety of creepy images. Currently, and for the first time ever, my avatar is a photo of me taken by my cousin not long ago. No real add all my avatars up any maybe, just maybe, you could get a glimpse of my personality.


----------



## Jack of all trades (Mar 31, 2016)

PrinzeCharming said:


> That's a great question! It could imply new status to a website, uncertainty for uploading images, or perhaps secretive preferences. There are many users across the Internet not using avatars for personal reasons. Why aren't you using one? You can answer for those who choose not to use an image.



For me, it's all of the above. I don't want to take the time to learn how to upload images, am basically a private person, and don't want to spend time choosing something. But I do wonder what others' reasons might be.

On the other hand, I do enjoy looking at everyone else's avatars!


----------



## Crowley K. Jarvis (Apr 2, 2016)

I daydream. I can't remember the artist who made this particular avatar...

It is cropped, but the rest of the room is in ruins. This implies perhaps a poor area, an abandoned building, or maybe a ghost town. It could even mean an apocalyptic world. 

And there is the boy. Staring at god knows what the goggles are showing him. Some kind of virtual reality? A form of escape? Addiction?

Aside from being high quality, the image has depth. It suits me well. I would go so far as to hang it on one of my walls.  (If I owned a house )


----------

