Monday Musings on Members

[BtmBearDad]

It’s quite slow today work wise, thank you bank holiday Monday, so my mind has been wandering as I read through some forum posts. I wanted to ask if I was the only one who did either/both of the following:

 

1.) does anyone else assign voices to different members, so when you read their posts it’s in the voice you imagine they have?

 

2.) does anyone else develop a picture in your head of what members look like*?

 

Just curious if I’m the odd man out on either/both of these, or if anyone else does it ?

 

BBD

 

* = this would obviously not include those members who use their own pics as their avatar - that’s another topic for some discussion ?

[+ WilliamM]

I assume most members look like @Kenny

[BtmBearDad]

Assigning voices is bizarre. I initially assumed you meant do I alter or vary my voice level of my own manliness (or lack thereof) depending on what provider I see. I'm no impersonator by any means, but I do have a range of voices depending on who I'm around, which is a huge turn-off, and a reason I'm often alone - frequently. That would be dictated in an Eeyore voice, BTW.

 

It's like a man I'll go to my grave never forgetting when I was in my 20s dining at a fancy restaurant with my Father. The waiter's "fancy restaurant" voice he was using was so irritating to hear. As soon as he went into the kitchen area his "(normal?) talkin' with the bros'" voice emerged. My Dad finally said to him, "That person you become when you're back there, please bring him out here to talk to us. He's so much cooler." ?

 

I presume most forum members look like Benjamin Nicholas, TylerAndAce, or HotWhiteThirties, and I have just a bit of catching up to do....

 

No - not adjusting your own voice, but reading a post from a forum member in what you imagine their voice may sound like in real life. For example, if the member is from the South, do you read his post with a Southern accent; or if they’re a teacher/professor/academic, do you read their post with a professorial voice. Some members are also extremely witty in their posts, and I have found myself thinking “oh I bet he sounds like so-and-so” and that’s how I read his posts from them on.

 

I know it’s a bit odd, but as I said, was curious if anyone else does it.

[jjkrkwood]

I take things pretty much for face value here. Unless of course a member has concocted a totally different and distict persona from who they really are, people SHOW you who they are by their comments, language , attitude and POV. I dont give it any more thought than what they show me.

[+ Summerson]

I guess I do that with the people that I've actually met. I tend to see their face in my mind and hear their voice when I read their comments. Maybe I suffer from a lack of imagination.

[Luv2play]

I take things pretty much for face value here. Unless of course a member has concocted a totally different and distict persona from who they really are, people SHOW you who they are by their comments, language , attitude and POV. I dont give it any more thought than what they show me.

I agree as far as you go but I do try to imagine a face and body type to the writer of the posts on this forum. Not so much the voice. Since we interact as a social group I think it's inevitable that we try to imagine who we are talking to over cyberspace.

 

I have found that as far as voices go, since I listen to a lot of radio more than watching TV (Especially since I got rid of my TV a year ago), when I actually have seen the person behind the voice I have been mostly mistaken in my imaginings. In radio, voices are very important and sometimes radio personalities will joke that they have a "radio face". But sometimes I have been surprised at how handsome or lovely looking a radio personality is when I come across a picture of them.

 

Apart from the escorts here who show their faces in pics, I have only met two members of the forum so I have a very accurate image of them. Otherwise I am left to my imaginings.

[BtmBearDad]

Maybe I suffer from a lack of imagination.

 

I wouldn’t say that at all about you, or anyone else who doesn’t do this. I think it’s just me, always curious with an overactive imagination ? I‘ve just always been a fan/student of voices.

 

My "regular" voice is over-the-top nasal

 

My “regular” voice is all over the place - betraying my heritage, and where I’ve lived. I often get people trying to guess where I’m from, which gets even more interesting when they see my surname. Few guess correctly, and are usually surprised when I say I’m from NYC ??‍♂️

 

I still don't think all these years later that "Rick Astley" was the guy in the 80s music videos, though!

 

Ha! I can understand that, but he does have that nice, deep Merseyside accent, and has aged quite nicely ?

[BtmBearDad]

I do try to imagine a face and body type to the writer of the posts on this forum.

 

I do this as well, and am probably wildly off target with both face/body type, and voice ?

[Guest]

Luv2Play:

 

William M:

Are we talking about our favorite deserts? Did I tell you my sister-in-law used to work for Senator Kennedy?

[Luv2play]

At one time I was told I look like Richard Gere but I haven't seen how he has aged. I wonder whether that comment would still apply.

 

Of course if he has had any cosmetic surgery then that would not count since I haven't.

Luv2Play:

 

William M:

Are we talking about our favorite deserts? Did I tell you my sister-in-law used to work for Senator Kennedy?

LOL

[BtmBearDad]

At one time I was told I look like Richard Gere

 

Very nice! Last I saw of Mr. Gere, he was a handsome silver daddy. Like all of us, he has aged of course - 71 now, but I don’t think he’s had any work done, but who knows ??‍♂️

 

When I was younger, when the movie “Broadcast News” came out, I got tons of “you look just like William Hurt!” tho I never saw it. Older, bearded, and a tad thicker now, I’ve gotten “you look like Philip Seymour Hoffman” lol

[Luv2play]

Very nice! Last I saw of Mr. Gere, he was a handsome silver daddy. Like all of us, he has aged of course - 71 now, but I don’t think he’s had any work done, but who knows ??‍♂️

 

When I was younger, when the movie “Broadcast News” came out, I got tons of “you look just like William Hurt!” tho I never saw it. Older, bearded, and a tad thicker now, I’ve gotten “you look like Philip Seymour Hoffman” lol

Since posting I looked Gere up and saw many pictures of him from then to now. I am 73 so just 2 years older than him. And I have to say we have aged just about the same. My hair is the same colour more or less although it has traces of the brown I once was. I think we are probably the same size, I am 5'11" and about 180 pounds. But what makes us similar is we have the same eyes, which is what I was told when I was 34 and he appeared in American Gigolo.

[+ WilliamM]

Very nice! Last I saw of Mr. Gere, he was a handsome silver daddy. Like all of us, he has aged of course - 71 now, but I don’t think he’s had any work done, but who knows ??‍♂️

 

When I was younger, when the movie “Broadcast News” came out, I got tons of “you look just like William Hurt!” tho I never saw it. Older, bearded, and a tad thicker now, I’ve gotten “you look like Philip Seymour Hoffman” lol

I was lucky to see Richard Gere in "Bent" on Broadway in the late 1970s - as a gay during the National Socialist regime. Extremely handsome, like Keanu Reeves in person when he toured with his band Dogstar

Edited May 4, 2021 by WilliamM

[samhexum]

Just curious if I’m the odd man

I'd say yes. ??

 

I presume most forum members look like Benjamin Nicholas, TylerAndAce, or HotWhiteThirties

Yes... yes I do... though I'm usually too humble to mention it.??

 

* = this would obviously not include those members who use their own pics as their avatar - that’s another topic for some discussion ?

What do you want to discuss with me? ??

 

When I was younger, when the movie “Broadcast News” came out, I got tons of “you look just like William Hurt!” tho I never saw it. Older, bearded, and a tad thicker now, I’ve gotten “you look like Philip Seymour Hoffman” lol

DEAD?!? That's not really much of a compliment.??

 

Maybe I suffer from a lack of imagination.

Then I guess you'll never sleep with Michael Ontkean. ☹

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by samhexum

[BtmBearDad]

You, @samhexum, always bring a smile to my face with your posts, and witticisms ?

[+ Summerson]

Then I guess you'll never sleep with Michael Ontkean.

I was holding out for Harry Hamlin anyway! That movie didn't make me gay, but it definitely made me sure I was!

[+ Charlie]

I always find myself conjuring up a mental picture of the disembodied poster, depending on what facts I know about him. For instance, I always thought of marylander1940 as a guy in his 50s, with a full head of greying hair, until he mentioned that the 1940 in his handle was his birth year; now whenever I read one of his posts, I see someone much older, with thinning disheveled hair, in my mind's eye. Sometimes I also hear voices , but usually only if I know something about the writer's background that suggests a regional or ethnic accent in my mind. If I actually meet one of the posters in person, I almost always discover that my mental image is way off. I thought of Lookin as a kind of goofy-looking nerd, but when I met him for the first time recently, I was surprised at how handsome he was.

[samhexum]

Sometimes I also hear voices

 

They have medications for that...

[+ Autumnal]

To the OP: Sorry but no and no. Sometimes I have all I can handle reading them in my own voice;)

[HotWhiteThirties]

Interesting question. I can't say I associate any particular "voices," but I do read and write in a conversational tone (or try to), and tend to develop a "way" of reading a frequent poster's words in a way that makes it enjoyable as a conversation. If it's written poorly, or disjointed, that makes it more challenging, of course, but also creates an impression of the personality involved.

 

On the looks, that's more common and probably could lead to some very interesting conversations! ? If the poster does have an avatar of themselves, it's helpful in creating a

mental image...but the avatar - even if it isn't of them personally - does speak to elements of their personality in some way, perhaps, and helps contribute to "envisioning" them.

 

For years as a member I was mortified/too intimidated to have any avatar for reasons of anonymity, and not being comfortable doing so. I just had my forum name "initials" that were generated by the forum. I became a bit more comfortable putting something out there. Hopefully that decision doesn't prove to be a mistake, but I appreciate those who share that of themselves, and figured why not.

 

An additional contributing factor to a forum members image is their forum name. In many instances, I find those quite interesting. If I had to do it over again, I'd probably make a different choice, but now it's grown on me, and as time marches on becomes a bigger and bigger joke! ? As I've said before, I never dreamed I'd desire to contribute in anyway or return for any length of time outside of learning and gaining information about a world I found fascinating, but was quite clueless about.

[+ Lucky]

I thought of Lookin as a kind of goofy-looking nerd, but when I met him for the first time recently, I was surprised at how handsome he was.

Do you mean "how handsome he is?" You just met him 3 weeks ago!

[+ Just966]

It’s quite slow today work wise, thank you bank holiday Monday, so my mind has been wandering as I read through some forum posts. I wanted to ask if I was the only one who did either/both of the following:

 

1.) does anyone else assign voices to different members, so when you read their posts it’s in the voice you imagine they have?

 

2.) does anyone else develop a picture in your head of what members look like*?

 

Just curious if I’m the odd man out on either/both of these, or if anyone else does it ?

 

BBD

 

* = this would obviously not include those members who use their own pics as their avatar - that’s another topic for some discussion ?

Definitely develope a picture in my head of the different individuals on here and would be really curious how they match up. I know the Avatar does influence me at time even when I know it shouldn't.

 

Voice thing not so much

[+ FreshFluff]

My mental representation of many posters is their avatar.

[BtmBearDad]

I do read and write in a conversational tone

 

For what it’s worth, I think you succeed - I for one enjoy your posts.?

On the looks, that's more common and probably could lead to some very interesting conversations! ? If the poster does have an avatar of themselves, it's helpful in creating a

mental image...but the avatar - even if it isn't of them personally - does speak to elements of their personality in some way, perhaps, and helps contribute to "envisioning" them.

 

I agree, those conversations would be very interesting, as some members’ avatars of themselves are damn hot! ?

 

I also agree that even those with avatars of someone/something else do intrigue. What does this mean to the poster? Why did they pick it? ?

 

For the record, that’s not me in my avatar - I’m not quite that big, and while a furry fellow, I’m a blond, tho more silver now; and, I’ve no tub in my master - I ripped it out to install a walk in shower. But I do like wine, so there’s that ?

 

as time marches on becomes a bigger and bigger joke!

 

I would have to disagree with you. I believe your current avatar is actually you, and as suchyou are indeed hot, white, and in your thirties! I’m sure I’m not alone I’m thinking that - either here, or in real life ?

[+ WilliamM]

My avatar is a journalist who wrote from Ukraine, Turkey and South Sudan.