Depends on the type of model it is, a lot of the time. Anime egirl/eboy-styled avatars tend to be some of the worst offenders (often kitbashers who don't know any better), while furry avatars tend to be really well optimized most of the time.

If you aim for medium, that's generally sufficient.

F is the eighth letter, "of"

It certainly doesn't subtract from the experience, that's for sure.

I hate to tell you this, but the previous one was, too.

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Typically needs to be magically-infused calcite chalk for that traditional feeling that your new demon friend will appreciate and respect you for. If you can't infuse the chalk yourself, store bought is fine but you might end up with unexpected results based on the source.

Google dropping support for XMPP is what put it one foot in the grave. They abused the protocol to gain the lion's share of users for Google Talk, and then cut off any resistance that remained. It exists still, technically, but when's the last time you heard about or used it? I only know about it because EVE Online players used it for large group text communication before Discord became a thing.

XMPP still exists in the same way that critically endangered animals still exist: barely and by the adamant will of some dedicated few.

It could be leftover credit that people are using up. There's a fair bit of it floating around, giving awards used to give points too so it's hard to say if anyone actually gave them money to give the gold.