Love Interests, Romantic Partners and Hook Ups
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So, I will grant you the thinking about part; however, that is on purpose as I’ve tried to keep this a bit more PG rated, albeit the standard of what is PG has changed over time.
It also comes back to Blah64’s asexual comments. Asexuality is something people now talk openly about as a ‘thing’, but it is not not new at all, and in fact has a very very long history. Ostensibly, the whole monastic life in the middle ages was all about trying to create an asexual environment, not only for males (or women in an abbey) who the powers that be did not want procreating (second and third sons) but also individuals who didn’t want to participate in the alpha male power scheme for mating, for a variety of reasons.
Today, and admittedly, Tom now lives in today, although at one time he lived in the late 80’s/early nineties, there is so much more openness about sex and sexual activity that not obsessing about sex is considered weird. But for long periods of time it was something only discussed in the bedroom or dark alley etc and you didn’t share your sex life with your coworkers, parents and relatives (close friends/locker room yes, but not everyone on Facebook)
Tom is/was originally conceived as one of those “nerds/geeks” that for whatever reason was not strongly sexually driven to date someone. There were (and actually still are) a LOT of people like this. It’s not that they don’t want sex, but for some reason: “Looks”,”shyness”,”lack of self confidence”,”poor interpersonal skills” that were not actively seeking dates in HS, or felt it a lost cause.
In my day, you could spot these individuals in the library with a book rather than socializing, or if they were socializing it was playing D&D or smoking cigarettes/weed while dressed in black back by the dumpsters, or sometimes, they hung out inside their lockers or hallway trashcans if they were discovered by the jocks and the bullies.
Today, the stereotype would be the early (seasons 1 and 2) versions of The Big Bang Theory crew. Leonard, Sheldon and Raj would be very classic examples, Wollowitz being the example of the sex obsessed nerd who still wasn’t getting any.
And again, many people were just clueless at that age (a result of all of the above). I look back on my early and late teens and it wasn’t that I didn’t have sexual urges (I very much did) but my personal skills were such that I can honestly say I was clueless on “how to date” or even socialize outside of shared interests in SF/Fantasy/Gaming with similar social underachievers.
I now, in retrospect I now recognize missed opportunities, from a first girlfriend that I lost because I wasn’t moving around the bases fast enough, to a couple instances where I accidentally turned down opportunities for sex (e.g. classmate staying over who wanted to zip sleeping bags together because “we could have a lot more fun”) because I didn’t realize that’s what they were. I was clueless at socio-sexual dynamics.
Of course, today, unlike in the 80’s, it’s nearly impossible to be clueless about sexual dynamics and relations, but at one time it was much easier to be clueless about relationships. And of course, we also have people that are not clueless, but who may have sexual interests where it is hard to find a (local) partner with shared interests so they go it alone (or online) with fantasy or porn.
Anyway, Tom, before moving to Harding had been a social introvert, a book nerd, it was not that he did not have sexual urges, or a desire to be more social, he had just got into something of a clueless rut. He recognized it and wanted to change it, be more extroverted, that’s why he was forcing himself to go to this party. His natural habit would have been to stay home, read a book, play a video game, etc. But he wanted to have more friends, be more social.
So he goes out, tries, and immediately gets slammed/knocked down/enslaved for trying to rise above his “HS Social Standing”
There was supposed to be some subtle irony in that.
I also have to say, I’ve bounced around on the PG/PG-13/R rating of this book(s). Trying to figure out what the right level of sexual discussion is (outside of traditional romance) is appropriate for a very wide range of ages. I’ve tried to sort of keep it at the Prime Time TV standard, so you see people having bedroom conversations, and with then pushed it further with Reggie.
But it’s that Prime Time TV standard that explains why you don’t see Tom thinking or doing certain things, I am sure masturbation was a staple part of his human life, and I can guarantee if it was me, I’d be wanting to fully explore my own demon body in all sorts of manners. But that strikes me as just a bit too “pervy” for the Prime Time TV Standard. You note, masturbation is still pretty verboten in TV/movies, unless it involves massive humiliation of the perpetrator. There is still a LOT of stigma to self-pleasure.
Of course, this brings up a very real point, when I first started the book, I was in a phase (I was 17-20) where I hated the way so many authors (and adults in general) tried to juvenalize teens and not only sanitize things for them, but to sort of say they didn’t have powers of consent/self determination.
Hence, early on, we have more graphic descriptions of his transformation/equipment, later on in Book 1, when I am in mid to late twenties, things are back to bedroom scenes only.
So, I could argue, that I’ve fallen into the trap that I originally hated when I was a teenager, thinking that “they can’t handle it” or something, which would really have pissed me off.
But, the problem comes, you build a style/comfort level for the reader and if you vary too much from that, you really piss people off.
So anyway, consider this discussion pre-Beta v.IV in that I will deal with this issue in v.IV at least in terms of explaining what Tom is thinking, explore his desires or lack thereof or whatever is going on.
Plus, I am pretty sure Reggie’s work will start in this book so we’ll be going to the 10 pm (EST) hour of TV anyway, if not further.
Olivia Newton-John – Physical Music Video.
© 1981 Geffen Records.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/3FRsZx17cEk[/youtube][size=6]Back in the old days, they called it being a confirmed bachelor. As for now, take a look at Japan. A large number of the millennials aren’t having sex, and don’t care. [/size]
[quote=Coatl ;7182]Speaking of Tartarus, the book only said that the AII’s voice was a woman’s and unsettlingly familiar to Tom. Pheastus said that it was designed to sound like the person most familiar to Tom, but while that would usually mean his mother considering his age and relationship status back on Earth, the book doesn’t say that it is Tom’s mom, leaving me to assume that it’s someone from Orcus’s life. Will we get a confirmation on the owner of this voice in the next books?[/quote]
Ohhh, that’s a very good point! Completely missed that one.
[size=6]My first thought was that it was the voice of the computer from Star Trek. My second thought was that it was the voice of GLaDOS, which would be unsettling.[/size]
That’s my thoughts as well. Something tells me that when the truth does come out, it’ll be awkward for everyone. And I get where Tom’s coming from, I do. I don’t put much stock in destiny and prophecy myself. But how long can you deny everything in front of you and play it off as a bunch of random coincidences? Once is an accident, twice a coincidence, but thrice? And Tom’s acted and thought the same way that Orcus would have way more than three times.
I like how sex and sexuality is being addressed in the books. Its there in the background, without being too in your face, which comes across as more realistic. Many books fail in doing this, and end up reading like a cheap fan fiction.
I quite like the idea of Tom being asexual, and considering how many ‘people’ believed that Orcus reproduced asexually… makes sense.
But I also liked Vaselle idea of Tom and Sam being Co-Factors and maybe something more (why would sexuality matter to a demon.. but then again he is somewhat obsessed with Lilith.. but also the Demiurge..).
Also, as Tom was once human, and now a demon.. what is he actually attracted to? Females? Males? Humans? Humanoids? Demons? Orcs? D’Orcs? Avatars?
As for what Tom’s attracted to, it’s probably a case of ‘body influencing the mind’. Like how Tom sees Edwyrd as too pale and weak, or Edwyrd wanting to wear clothes when Tom doesn’t feel the need. It takes effort to change forms and keep the changes, so you would need to immerse yourself into that form completely, body and mind. By allowing the instincts of the race you’re imitating to guide your thoughts, it becomes easier to keep the imitation up. It might be why Tom’s having so much trouble adapting to the orc form. Rupert, on the other hand, is much more used to this due to the desperation of survival as Antefalkan said, and can easily take a form that he’d never even seen until all this insanity in Astlan started.
By the way, after thinking about it, I really wasn’t too shocked that Tizzy’s misplaced book was the cause of all of this. I mean, Tizzy being the source of any kind of insanity shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Something tells me that problem lies more with her than it does him. I mean, look what she did to Pheastus! Not being able to keep it in his pants isn’t near as bad as whatever crazy she’s got going on.
Someone’s trying to get themselves a new magical artifact! [biggrin]
Maybe a mechanical owlbot? Or an owlbot egg? Although I am not sure if owlbots hatch?
So while Reggie isn’t gay, he’s not averse to experimentation.
Do you ever think he’d be up for the ultimate 3 way?
Sex with two unicorns?
He’s an icubus…of course!
Pretty sure Reggie was straight when I so—-ack–ahem–first met him. Yeah, first met him in the Abyss. Yeah, that’s it. Never ever saw him before that, so this is pure speculation on my part.
But, being an Incubus, he’ll try to procreate with anyone, anything. Really tremendous sex drive.
I do sort of feel bad for those little amoeba’s…and you’d have to be a real masochist to mate with a jelly fish but…
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