Do you have a connection with your avatar?

[anonidea]

This is my first time starting a thread so please be gentle

<<exposition>>
When cata came out i considered deleting some of my toons to make room for goblins and worgen. I wound up choosing not to, for the most part because I didn't want to bother grinding my alt's professions. I have some decent rare recipes that I would rather not look for again. The one character I couldn't bring myself to even think of deleting was my main, who I have had since Vanilla. Not because of his profession, but because I couldn't imagine him not existing anymore. Most of my more recent toons I don't feel connected to. This isn't a qq thread or a "it was better in my day" thread, but just a curious question I had. "What made this toon so important to me, and why don't I feel that way about my other toons?"
<<exposition over>>

So what do you think? Why do some toons mean more to us then others? Is this feeling going away? Blizz has worked to make interesting class mechanics for most classes, yet, to me, they lack the personality I have come to associate with Blizz and their extensive lore. Soul Shards, Holy Power, Runes, all feel like mechanics, not something that connects with a character with a class. This may just mean that I was meant for an RP server, but I wonder is this due to the LFD tool? Easy gearing with shorter dungeons? Homogenization of class abilities?

Personally I think this is due to the loss of the class specific quests. I remember training a bear form in Moonglade, Draining power form a Naruu in Silvermoon, and fighting against my future minions as a warlock. These helped me to understand why what I did was important and what it meant in terms of the larger scheme of the game. For those of you who never got a chance to try these quests, tell me are Night Elf mages highborne or are they regular Night Elves trained by them. What were the Worgen Druid's origins? Are all Tauren from the Sunwalker clan pallys? I know that these answers are out there, if you look for them. That is the thing though, you have to look for them. Your character doesn't experience it anymore.

What's your feeling on this? Is this connection something you miss/feel is lacking? And if so, what caused this?

[Arrowstormen]

i have always feeled alot connected to my Hunter. it just feels like... you know... me.

[Rukah]

I am connected to my hunter basically because of all the time and effort I have put into him. Some other classes are enjoyable, but at the end of the day my hunter will be my main.

oh and I thought you ment forum avatar <------ I'd hug that badger all day long

[mercutiouk]

I definitely feel my current fits me. I don't think like a shaman but I emote a lot as the wolf/travel form.

[Amry]

I have some sort of connection with my characters - which is why I never played a Tauren, since I can never see myself as a big, tough guy.

[Deleted]

Not really, only the connection I feel with anything I have invested a significant amount of time into.

[Deleted]

well duh >_>

[unholytestament]

She is my troll. There are many like her but this one is mine.

[Negrido]

That is a big part of why my main character has stayed my main character since vanilla.
I felt so cool being able to help other warlocks get their mounts, like I was some sort of grand master warlock taking other under my wing and showing them the ropes.

That character still carries the feeling around from those sorts of things and if I were to delete or leave the character, those feelings would just vanish.

[Deleted]

I don't know... I have always two favorite toons: a female character symbolizing how an awesome girl should be in Warcraft (in this case my Blood Elf protadin) and another that I just have fun with (Goblin hunter).

[ib_di]

I tend to be a very sentimental person, so the thought of doing anything to my main is a bit daunting.

As a bit of back-story- currently considering migrating, which in itself isn't too big a deal, although it would mean leaving a guild/server I have been in/on for 3-4 years now. It is the fact that it would mean faction changing, which is something that I just don't want to do. My character wouldn't be the character is has been since release :/

[Linry]

I <3 my druid, druid for life!!!!

[Cerabret]

due to time investment, yeah a little bit.

That being said when it comes to envisioning myself as something other than human I've always been a fan of tigers or black panthers rather than a big ass slab of beef so meh.

I have always liked Native American design though, supposedly my mom's dad was part NA, maybe that connection is why i like my Tauren Shaman the best.

[Togarox]

I only have a connection to my 1st toon that i created back in classic. If you put a large amount of time into something, of course you are going to have a connection to it.

[Darios]

My main has pretty much almost become an alter ego of me. I seem to take on the personality of the character when I play him and after making this observation I was astounded. The rogue just feels perfect for me; fighting smart and using wit and deception to dispatch foes and I won't ever be changing mains.

[Deleted]

No, I don't feel any connection to a 6ft tall cow walking on two legs wearing full plate.

[Herecius]

Not strictly with my actual avatar - I've race changed twice, though female goblin is BY FAR my favorite, by a vast margin - but most certainly with the hunter class. When playing other classes, I really have to consciously think about my abilities as I use them. As a hunter.. it feels natural. Every single ability I use, I do almost without thinking, like muscle memory, and I really enjoy that fluid play. Lets me really get into the rhythm of huntering.

[Negrido]

female goblin is BY FAR my favorite, by a vast margin -

Female Goblin are the first and only thing to have made me actually consider paying for character customization. They are the most adorable, coolest little whores ever.

[booh1992]

Yep, although I did change mains between Vanilla and BC as I changed servers and factions as well. - I was not aware of server transfers (if there were server x-fers?) at this point and I was still a youngin so I was like "Yeah! I'll level another character from the start with you guys!" But between all of my characters, I have played my druid the most and every expansion, even if I haven't played her much at the end of the expansion, I still choose to level her first.

When she was a Night Elf I felt a closer connection to her, being a bit of a flirt in real life kinda reflected on my character ingame, plus I had a lot of random outfits.. Now she's a Tauren, I still feel connected to her; but in a cuter more "i'm the boss" sort of way. No one messes around with a female cow I'll tell you that!

[madyrn]

I can't see how you couldn't be attached to your first toon. It's kind of like your first sexual partner. Regardless of how great, or horrible, it was that first time, you'll always have a special place for that one.