How do I explain this?

Hi,
New person here...I have this friend I brought from a chat system to SL, and he loves it, but we got into a very strange argument in which I felt I wasn't explaining things correctly to him. So I thought I would ask you all.

I have an alt who is a tiny cat. When I am "in character" and visiting all the cool Tiny places and so on, my character talks like a cross between what I think a cat would say ("Got any chicken??" and a 3 year old ("You is a nice human!". My friend met my alt and went ballistic, saying that I am, after all, a human adult female and the "baby talk" was creepy. I tried to explain what "roleplaying" is, and the difference between that and "avatar-based chat" (which is what he does, mostly in strip clubs *grins*), but he didn't think there was any difference and kept shouting at me. Mind you, he also defaults to "it's not real" when HIS avatar makes statements like "nice ass" lol.

How can I explain what the differences are in SL regarding roleplaying, avatar-based chat, and so on? Yes I did talk to him about character sheets in RP sims like World of Hogwarts (of which I am also a member), but it didn't seem to make any sense to him.

By the way, LittleKitty has dropped him from the friends list, as he is so uncomfortable talking with it.

Maybe he is a dog person.



But seriously, it's probably the baby talk that is turning him off. I don't find baby talk sexy either. I know you are not trying to be sexy when role playing in that avatar, but it seems your friend is primarily there for the SEXXEZ.

Tell him to go this url, it should clear things up for him :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing

Or a tuna?

The way you explain it sounds reasonable. I'm not sure what else you can say.

Some people don't have much imagination or a sense of humor. Probably not much you can do about that. Then again; if he hangs out here long enough he'll get as weird as the rest of us and mellow out.

You do make me chuckle

Yeah me too. It don't talk tho...drives folks up the wall. It's the LoLo cat, I just run around & sit, emote, whatever... drives em crazy. Don't see why, ain't even a "furry" like folks complain about, heh

I have the urge to make him visit raglan shire

Personally,I would drop him from all my friend's list. Shouting and arguing with you because of a silly avatar? Not sure how much more you could explain it than you already have.

I wouldn't even try to explain it. I'd just pass him a landmark to some "by the books" Gorean sim and tell him to follow the rules. Two benefits to this approach: First, he'll learn what role-playing is about, in subject matter that might appeal to him. And second, you'll never see him again.

If a tiny cat has him worried i have some avatars that would really confuse him

My cat doesn't speak baby talk... My cat has a very good vocab.. Why do you think cats speak baby talk? To me yeah that's creepy.

BUT! to each his/her own and whatever makes you happy you should do, and if he is that freaked out by it he has issues you will not be able to help him with.. so... who cares..just do your thing have fun with it and live 2nd life as you want to.

you could say "but this is how I sound in RL" really freak him out.

Maybe buy him one of these AVs...

Ask him if he ever enjoyed watching Star Wars. Did he think Yoda was real? Or did he go, "Booooo, no one talks like that!". If not Star Wars, any other fictional movies with make-belief characters.

People role play for entertainment, like going to the movies. Instead of just watching, some like to participate in the action.

now you've spoilt my day

That was a little "Ruff", dontcha think, Ray?

But that is one of the main problems with SL. You have some who see it as Real Life extended, everything should be as in RL, you are who and what you say you are, you have no problems disclosing your identity, or taking a relationship here into RL. Then you have the Rolepleyers. Their SL avatar is a character that is "On" all the time they are in world, it may have no similarity to their RL self, and they do not bring any Real Life detail into it. Then there are probably where a lot of residents are, they may or may not Roleplay, their Main character may be a fairly accurate representation, and may bring RL in on a situational basis, to various levels. Sometimes when these worlds collide, it creates problems. That's where e have to see where SL will finally land. As a Real Life V2 (Probably), or a place where RL and Fantasy can co exist. (Hopefully)

/me shrugs

Sounds like he's a bit of a jerk, to me. Prob'ly best to jes drop 'im an move on, an let him get over the shouting on his own -- an if he's a friend, he'll prob'ly get a clue at some point, I dunno. You did a good job of tryin' to explain, from the sound of tings -- he jes can't separate th' real person from th' character.



Real, Yoda was!

Hilarious and sweet you are.

I am a tiny about 99% of my time in-world, and although I'm not kind of building or scripting maestro like a lot of my peers around the tiny community, I am able to hold my own with them in conversations. I find the thing that weirds people out the most is stumbling across a group of tinies chatting about script errors or sim management or demonstrating lightning quick ability to build something amazing - AND do it all in baby-talk.

Fwiw (not much, really), your conflict with your friend is a tiny skirmish in the ongoing battle between "augmentation" (those who use virtual communities to augment their RL) and "immersion" (those who live inworld through virtual characters).

It sounds like your friend is enthused about SL as something to augment his sex life, and when you are your tiny kitteh, you immerse completely in that character. Both are valid ways to live virtually ... whether the two ways can share a grid in peace remains to be seen.

When I go to presentations inworld by real companies, people are sitting around with names like "JoeSmithProjectLead Barbosa". They have not particularly well-turned out realistic avatars. I keep meaning to make a trip to FurNation and find a disturbing biped sex goddess furry to wear instead. In some Linden office hours we see the two worlds co-exist to actually accomplish things. I hope that continues
.

Your intelligence impresses the crap out of me.

Thanks - you know, I get a lot of that from men ... usually shouted over their shoulder as they run in terror

Really, I'm hoping someone responds to this post with a PM giving me the best place to buy a "disturbing biped sex goddess furry"!

If he wants reality I would point him the way to real life. Showing him the SL home page with "Your world, your imagination" probably wouldn't do much good.

As an aside - if people want a dating service, why would they go to a cartoon world? Strange . . .