It seems to have been deleted a day or so ago resulting in many posts being tagged with just lav instead

I couldn't find any request for this alias to be deleted, and the tag history shows that the shortcut is frequently used

I found that the ttv->talking_to_viewer alias request was recently rejected, in part due to potential mistags meanings tv. I can't find who/when lav->looking_at_viewer was deleted, but maybe it was done on a similar premise of potential mistags that meant lava (or lab)? Does seem wrong that there wasn't a discussion or anything about it, though.

I am primarily responsible for that, after a brief discussion with Rainbow Dash.

I am not a huge fan of abbreviations like this. Stuff like m/f? Sure, those are relatively unambiguous.
However, the ones like ttv and lav's meaning is not obvious from the abbreviation, and those tags can easily be interpreted as something else.

"lav" in particular is common shorthand for "lavatory" in some regions of the UK. I wasn't aware this alias existed, but I support its removal.

The bulk update request #1641 has been rejected.

change category lav (0) -> invalid

Reason: If it's going to be unaliased it should be moved to the invalid category to further prevent accidental usage.

EDIT: The bulk update request #1641 (forum #321663) has been rejected by @Millcore.

The bulk update request #1641 (forum #321663) has been rejected by @Millcore.

I've realiased it.