I happen to LIKE my avvie, thanks.
 

Been Rodney King-ed by the Mene fashion police?

Are you still in your skivvies and darn proud of it?

Audacious enough to have a male avatar dressed like...well...a male?

Not a slave to the matchy-match mentality?

Been called un-color-coordinated, slapdash, incomplete, etc.?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then come on in and show off that devil-may-care spirit. This is the place to rap about your wraps, defend your fashion sense, or make non-specific jabs at people who have too much time on their hands and too much stuff on their avatar.

I happen to LIKE my avvie, thanks.

well if you like your avi then there is nothing wrong with it. But I must warn you dont ask for a rate if you dont want to get picked to pieces...thats how mene is xP

:/
you can make a good avvie and not have it all matchy matchy
you can have a good avvie with style and theme
you can have an avvie that is cosplaying a charrie or whatever and still look nice
you can have an avvie that matches and still look masculine
i find a lot of your points invalid because it is quite possible
so what you get shot down because people don't think it matches
if all that matters is that you like it
then dont ask for a rate

This and that are largely unrelated.

:/
not by much
its basically a rant turned into a round about recruiting thread

If you want to go against our ideals, fine.
But it almost seems confrontational doing it where people who believe there's a certain art form to making avatars hang out.

That seems somewhat confrontational in and of itself.

Who defines art?

Yes, if you consider this art it's just as well to say that we shouldn't judge you, but
with everything there is always a standard of judging; it just so happens that this is
one of the more subjective cases.There's nothing wrong with having something
different, everyone has their own standards; but on Mene, it's got a lot to do with
color, balance, and coordination, at least in the AC. And if you have a problem with that,
stick to another forum.

If you are so concerned about critiques and what you imply to be insults to your avatar,
then why do you insist on insulting our style? You're only encouraging more trouble.

I think we're being trolled.

Yeah, I hate to say it phoenix, but you've come into a forum that is particularly nitpicky about avatar creation. And if you ask for a rate, you're going to get a bunch of criticism that you probably don't want to hear, especially if your outfit isn't what ACers typically like... That's just the breaks man. Sorry.

As they say, "If you can't take the heat -- get out of the kitchen."

And if YOU like your avatar, that's all that's really important right? It's not about being popular with the natives. It's about making yourself happy. :D

Aw, leave him/her alone (sorry, I can't tell). Yeah, it's sort of ranty, but if he wants to create a place to complain about people insulting his clothes, that's his prerogative. The fashion police have every other thread in the forum.

Oh, I agree Cami. And that's why this thread is staying. I think there are probably other people who have the same feeling about AC, so if they want to rant about the Mene fashion police, they now have a place to do so. :D

Troll, much?

If you don't like what people have to say about your avatar, either change it, or don't ask for a rate.

I think maybe we should just let him and others like him stay and complain and try to keep out of it. Last thing we need is to start a huge fight and feed the trolls and have us all end up in trouble.

So he has different views and is getting mad at us for ours? So? Lets just not stoop down to argue with him and just let him throw a tantrum. Everyone has different styles, but we just accept each others and dont get upset when someone with a completely different style says something about your style.

Also, to the guy who started this, its not only none matchy matchy people that get told their avatar could use work. I've had an avatar that everyone loved and said was great, get some people saying that it was perfectly matched, and others telling me that they didn't like the style and their suggestions to change it. I just think that as long as you like it, who cares what other people say. Just enjoy your style as it is, and kindly accept constructive criticism that other people give you about it. :)

I don't consider it trolling. Most trolls don't spend several days in build-up before they start provoking.

I think the original poster simply is having a bit of culture shock.

The Avatar Chat forum is a rather cliquish forum. I'm not knocking you guys - I think I spend too much time here myself by now not to be considered a regular and "an ACer". ;p But what I mean by it is the longer you stay here, the more your avatar-making style tends to merge with other peoples'. You start using more items in your avatars. Feeling "incomplete" without lots of items and lots of layers. If a color is used once, it "has" to be used at the head, waist, neck and head or it's "imbalanced". And you tend to avoid "generic" or "easy" color combinations.

The less you tend to dress like a "typical ACer" the less likely you are to feel accepted in the forum. As much time as I spend here, because I tend to dress towards themes (rather than the typical style here which seems to gear towards "interesting layers"), I feel a step apart from the rest of you. Not that I feel rejected or anything, I just feel like the adopted kid of the family, so to speak. XD

When you first come to AC and start posting around here, that disconnect between how new people tend to dress and how the typical ACer dresses are completely different. And hearing time and time again that your avatar "needs" this or "doesn't need" that or is "incomplete" is disheartening.

There doesn't have to be trolling our sour grapes involved at all. AC is not a really welcoming place, I don't feel. And the defensive, dismissive or hostile responses you guys are giving isn't helping either.

In the end - the only person who has to be pleased is you, the avatar creator. I've taken what I want from the feedback AC has given me and learned from everyone. But I'm comfortable in my chosen style. XD Which is why I don't ask for rates in general because I know I'm going to "score" lower than the average ACer, because I dress differently from them. And I'm fine with that.

I agree with everything CK just said. <3

I would actually rate you rather highly CK I think your outfit is interesting at the moment but I definately see your point. As much as I hate to admit it I find myself to have been conformed to the will of AC....I now think in balance rather then....god I dont remember what I thought...it was really random some of the old avatars.

As the spirit of Chaos, I used to make sure that my avatars did not match. XD It was a matter of principle.

In general I've definitely conformed to the AC in crowd's idea of fashion. The avie I won Admin's pick with I made while thinking, "This is something the AC people will like" rather than "This is something I'll like." Don't get me wrong; I liked the outfit. It just wasn't really my style.

Having just finished Project Mene, though, I'm relaxing by wearing whatever the heck I want right now. XD

There's nothing wrong with balance. XD But I tend to think a little less in color balance and a little more in shape/silhouette balance. Though I have got to thinking of color balance more than I ever had before.

(Also, thanks Cora. XD )

I know what you mean, re: "This is what ACers would like." I felt that way about the avatar I made for the Three-Item Challenge. I liked the avatar well enough, but I ended up using so many items for it, it didn't feel like "me". I was glad that right after I'd finished it, Anoni ended up saving it and I won the Oriental Fan, so I had a "good excuse" to make an avatar that felt more like "my style". XD

Shall I use this as a segue to post? :P
I may not be using much more than a multi-pose item set, but I like the way it looks, so I'm just not going to go around asking for opinions. It'll be swapped out for something a little more creative soon enough, but it satisfies me right now, and that's what's important.

I took the first post as more of a "Hey, lets show off/talk about having made avatars that don't fit in, just for kicks," lead than any sort of rant, but I don't normally hang around this forum, so what do I know? If it is the latter, I agree with CK's first post. If the former, see above.^^

You know, even though I am an AC Regular, and I have a highly conformed sense of avatar fashion on Menewsha, I think that avatars are subjective in that there are multiple ways of rating or scoring another person's avatar based upon multiple factors, the least of which consists of layering, matching, and color balance.

Going back to the subjectiveness of avatars here on Menewsha, I would have to say that there are multiple things that make me like outfits in general. The first is are they appealing at a first glance. They don't have to be spectacular to be good avatars, nor do they really have to be dull. If you look at a lot of avatars that have been made with dull, lifeless colors, you'll actually see that there is a lot of detail and effort put into making it stand out. Even when an avatar stands out in a way that isn't appealing, it becomes memorable, and that's what I believe that our goal should be when we create our avatars. If we can create something that is memorable, and that will ultimately be something that users can appreciate, then I think that's what counts.

And to be memorable, I think you have to be happy with what you've created first. Just because I give you a rate that you're unhappy with, or even someone else does for that matter, if you do like what you've done, don't let others flounder your pride in your outfit. My ugly is your beautiful. My dull is your unique. Its not about what people say about your avatar because trust me, I've had some bad comments on my avatars and I know that they're true because I can see their flaws. Its about how you feel you achieved the look that you were going for, and to let others belittle you and feel belittled over a score that you wholeheartedly disagree with is kind of sad.

Like others have said, if you like what you've done, then that's great. Stick with that. If you want other people's opinions, that's great too, but don't let others change your opinion for you. Its yours, and you have every right to keep it just the way you want it in the first place. So if someone tells you you have an ugly avatar, and you like it, stick to that. Not everyone will like everything you create, and its a waste when people throw their work aside because of what other people say.

I agree wholeheartedly with CK's first post. :) I like your farmer outfit, Genji. It's cute. :3

*Gives Seiki a round of applause*

I agree strongly with CK when she says that the AC is unwelcoming to, well, what I suppose I'd have to call non-conformists. So it's fantastic to see you say what you have, Seiki.

You guys are probably pretty aware that I agree with a lot of what the OP says, especially about obsessive matching xD There is a very recognisable "look" for AC regulars now, which generally involves as many skirts as is humanly possible, plus a pair of pants, 6 pairs of socks/stockings and often excessive head items, and some of you who dress like that can be just a little hostile towards those who don't :sweat:

Sometimes makes me want to delete some of the layers that I've spent so much time on over the last year or so, because it seems like I've bred a bit of a monster some days.

I suppose I'd just like everyone to remember that they don't own this forum, and their opinions are simply their own, they're neither better than anyone else's, nor right or wrong, they're just opinions.

The site's going through an activity slump right now, it would be nice if new users weren't driven away by being made to feel unwelcome; either through people being too cliquey, or just wording their comments thoughtlessly ._.

Well, I was going to point to Jelly's avatars when I first saw this thread, but I will anyway. ;P

Although my idol on here will always be Clock, Jelly has come up with avatars that I absolutely love. Her avatars generally do not match or make use of dovens of layers, but they are memorable and nice, and generally surprise me in her use of layering. And Jelly is not the only person, only the most memorable to me since I tend to keep an eye on her avatars. xD What can I say? Her item combos tend to be some of the most original I have seen.

What I look for in an avatar is a nice flow and a balance that fits the avatars style and/or theme. This does not mean matching. I will not say that I won't get someone for not matching if i see them, but generally it is those avatars tend to try to match so of course I will call you out on it, unless of course you use an item to substitute the lack of a color that brings the avatar together with a nice flow.

There are some avatars out there that will just not look good to me unless there is some matching balance to them because of the users item and layer choice, but it does not happen that often to me.

I try not to be critical to other users of their avatars and try to move them along in the right direction of where their design seems to be heading and usually they come up with a style all their own. I think it is important all users create a style of their own before they start seeking advice on them because in the end, either their feelings get hurt or their style is changed into something its not to satisfy someones elses tastes.

Each user should be comfortable with their style so when they DO seek advice, they do it understanding their style enough so they can take the advice constructively without molding there style, and not feeling bad about it or regret it. That is the bottom line.