How I dress in real life or online is not even remotely connected to who I am as a person, because my attire varies from day to day accordingly.

You see, I’m one of those Home members who dresses nothing like I do irl. In fact, you will never even see me in normal real world clothing. This article suggests that some women won’t talk to me based on that alone, which sadly, is probably true to some degree. No one on Home (even friends) have ever even seen my avi’s face, even though it looks very close to how I look irl. I’m one of those men who straps a gun to my back in Home, and it’s not to impress other FPS’s or any other type of gamer. I do it because I am a visual person… an arist. I do it because I think it looks cool, and so did the designer who created it for me to wear. To imply (as you did) that this suggests that I am a fighter and not “some sweet sensetive guy who wants a meaningful relationship” is a gross and shallow oversight on any womans part… and frankly, her loss and my gain. Ask any of my friends on Home or irl, and they will likely tell you that “sweet and sensetive” is the perfect definition of who I am.

I also run two female avi’s. One is a complete hag, and I only use her to deter creepers who are hitting on female avi’s in Home. The other is very recent, and was only created out of boredom and some extra funds in my account. She is dressed in very cool non-conventinal clothing and has a body that makes other female avi’s look twice. She is no more indicitave of who I am irl than my male avi is, and is only as hot as she is becuase it’s much more pleasant to watch an attractive bum running around than an ugly one. I mean, this is still a virtual fantasy world isn’t it folks?

I suppose this is one of the reasons I find Home so puzzling, and sad at times. To think that people take it so seriously that they transfer these kinds of real world shallow mind sets into the virtual experience is mind-numbing, and rather pathetic. This is a virual world folks, it’s not real. It’s people being social for the sake of being social.

To bring real world social elitist attitudes and prejudices into Home is to undo what Home has set out to accomplish in the first place… to create a friendly and inviting place for people to meet and socialize with others, without fear of being judged based on skin colour/race, religion, political views, or monetary worth. In my mind, this article seems to want to do just that, by informing men how to dress in order to dupe women into thinking they are something they are not. To cater to those women who would judge us based on how we dress and what we can afford, or decide to buy for ourselves in Home.

Keep in mind too, that many members of Home have neither the funds, nor the desire to spend money on clothing, apt’s, and all the other neat things that make it fun. This in no way reflects on who they are as people, or whether you should allow them to be part of your “elite inner circle” or if they are good enough to talk to. They are people just like you, and should be treated with the same respect and kindness you wish in return.

This article would have been much more beneficial to all members if it spoke to the shallow women who won’t talk to men on Home, based on their own ignorance and prejudices. Yes, that is an article worth reading.

So I would agree (to a degree) with cthulu. The oddball suits definitely attract attention, and you really needn’t say a word.

http://www.archive.org/details/ThreeSkeletonKey

Scariest story on radio. I love it.

(I fully admit my fashion sense is stuck in 1986…)

Problem is, when I’ve tried to be a man-tramp in Home and flirt it out there, all the girls tend to run away from me when I start talking about Orson Welles’ radio adaptation of The Shadow. Norsefail.

If you are looking for adults, asking about their job is a good opener. It signals that the questioner is probably an adult as well, and is interested in more than game scores and whether the lady is willing to cam-chat on the first date.

And, if like me, you are “older than the average bear” in Home, and don’t want to waste time with the youngsters, drop in some vintage references and see how they respond. I bonded with one of my closest Home friends by mentioning the Lone Ranger. It was a good guess — he’s five years older than I am. We immediately started comparing our favorite vintage radio dramas, and moved on quickly to more romantic topics. (We still laugh about the Lone Ranger, and how that masked man brought us together.)