For me, everyone. (^_^)
My family. (^_^)
-My partner obviously knows about “Immy”. It’s probably the only social outlet I’m allowed due to a degree of extreme distrust and jealousy. My partner considers me to be very cute, loves the outfits I wear, and is infrequently fascinated by the builds and scripts I’ve done. (^_^)
-My grandmother knows about “Immy”. I wasn’t raised by my parents, so, this is the closest I get to having a family. She knows nothing of computers and pretty much gives me a passing glance then goes back to talking about her neighbors noisy fountain, or, what have you. (^_^)
My co-workers. (^_^)
-Some of you know I’m an Engineer. My company has given me an array of atypical freedoms such as no phone contact. In addition, I’m a manager for a team of 14 technicians and provide technical support for them and the rest of manufacturing when the situation arises. They all know about “Immy”. To them, it’s just one of those crazy things their crazy boss does. My office is strewn with anime and LOLCat posters, so, It’s almost expected that I’ll do freaky things online. (^_^)
-My old boss knows (and adores) “Immy”. I worked for her for about 2 years, we travelled to Japan together to receive an award to recognize our accomplishments as a manufacturing facility. From that, we became pretty good friends. In fact, she’s the closest thing I have to a friend in RL. She used to visit during lunch to see what kind of forum trouble I’m in and to laugh at how cute me and my friends are inworld. She LOVES gesture spam and even practiced sounding like my favorite “LAWL” gesture. I’ve seen bookmarks to SLU, SC, and my blog on her browser so I’m sure she’ll even read this post and come over to smack me later today (literally… She hits hard too! DX). (^_^)
-My current boss, Russian dude. He saw Immy, shook his head, laughed, and said “Unbelievable”. Honestly, that’s probably the extent of his English. I think he started his own avatar, but, I can’t get him to admit to it. (^_^)
My therapist. (^_^)
-Y’all know I had a breakdown lately and have been on meds and councelling for the past month or so. I’ve gone in detail with a few therapists, councellors, and psychiatrists about my social life. Having an understanding of my anxieties, they’ve all concluded that “Immy” is a very good outlet and currently the most managable means of maintaining a social life. One showed concern about the amount of money I spend on the service, but, since I’m not having any financial trouble they’re not considering the spending to be a form of self-harm… Whichs seems to be typical in cases like mine… People spending themselves to death on frivilous things. (O.o)
-One was so deeply fascinated that she wound up dedicating an entire session to discuss SL with me. At the end of the session, she pointed out to me that I seemed to be in a better mood compared to when I arrived and asked me if I felt the same. With a bit of a pause, I had to admit that the conversation did bring a rise to my spirit. She pointed out that it’s because I have a healthy relationship with my virtual self and that it’s going to continue to be a tool for me to continue fighting against my anxieties. (^_^)
So… Your turn. (^_^)
Who knows about your avatar? (^_^)
Are you ‘proud’ to have a Second Life avatar? (^_^)
Are you proud enough to tell your friends? (^_^)
Are you proud enough to tell your family? (^_^)
If you do tell, how do they react? (^_^)
Do you think their reaction is because something is wrong with having a SL avatar or that they’re daft and closed minded about your game life? (^_^)
I’ve noticed a few people in the past mentioned that they never tell. Why? Do you genuinely think you’re doing something so taboo that you can’t share it? (o.O)
