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Hmm. Am pondering.
Aug. 12th, 2004 01:36 amWhat age is it when we stop going 'But they *must* be together! They love each other!' In the Romeo and Juliet style to 'Oh christ, love, I hate to say it, but in the cold light of day...'
Because I'm pretty sure I used to be along the Romeo and Juliet lines, when I was younger, although I always had a large chunk of the pragmatist about me. Mostly asking 'And how exactly, pray tell, are you going to make that building stand up?'. The old romantic stand-by of believing that you can fall in love with a single glance falls away to yell 'How the hell can you claim to be in love when you've only just met them! You don't know anything about them!' It's really, really disturbing how many writers promote the 'love at a single glance' concept. Sweetheart, it's not love. It's 'dammit, would like to shag them and I've taken a vow of insanity, which is why I'm prepared to chase the evil villain who's kidnapped them to the ends of the earth, even though I've barely spoken two words to them and I don't know if they even know I exist.' (btw. No, Elizabeth/Will in PoTC is most definitely not this. They've known each other for a good many years pre-zombies)
But anyway, I'm just wondering when it was I became one of those people who start going 'Bloody hell, Arwen is just not as good a tactical marriage for Aragorn as Eowyn would be.' (And yes, I did once write a little rant on how Boromir would actually be a better match, politically, than almost anyone else, if they could get around the pesky whatsit of children.) When you become less concerned about passion and more about whether they can actually live in the same space without wanting to kill each other. And will quite willingly argue on the side of 'Norrington would make a better match in society than Will'. Even though you're quite sure that Elizabeth will be happy with Will and Sparrington is your otp. It's just that you can see the sense in it.
I still love the old standbys of those opposites attract pairings, but still, most of these have actually shown long-standing chemistry and an ability to keep a conversation up, though I tend to think of some of those in terms of sex and not much more. The short-lived affairs as opposed to the longer-term relationships. So, people, at what point do we stop thinking of love in the airy-fairy terms? (And yes, I know that there are people out there who still do when they're eighty)
Because I'm pretty sure I used to be along the Romeo and Juliet lines, when I was younger, although I always had a large chunk of the pragmatist about me. Mostly asking 'And how exactly, pray tell, are you going to make that building stand up?'. The old romantic stand-by of believing that you can fall in love with a single glance falls away to yell 'How the hell can you claim to be in love when you've only just met them! You don't know anything about them!' It's really, really disturbing how many writers promote the 'love at a single glance' concept. Sweetheart, it's not love. It's 'dammit, would like to shag them and I've taken a vow of insanity, which is why I'm prepared to chase the evil villain who's kidnapped them to the ends of the earth, even though I've barely spoken two words to them and I don't know if they even know I exist.' (btw. No, Elizabeth/Will in PoTC is most definitely not this. They've known each other for a good many years pre-zombies)
But anyway, I'm just wondering when it was I became one of those people who start going 'Bloody hell, Arwen is just not as good a tactical marriage for Aragorn as Eowyn would be.' (And yes, I did once write a little rant on how Boromir would actually be a better match, politically, than almost anyone else, if they could get around the pesky whatsit of children.) When you become less concerned about passion and more about whether they can actually live in the same space without wanting to kill each other. And will quite willingly argue on the side of 'Norrington would make a better match in society than Will'. Even though you're quite sure that Elizabeth will be happy with Will and Sparrington is your otp. It's just that you can see the sense in it.
I still love the old standbys of those opposites attract pairings, but still, most of these have actually shown long-standing chemistry and an ability to keep a conversation up, though I tend to think of some of those in terms of sex and not much more. The short-lived affairs as opposed to the longer-term relationships. So, people, at what point do we stop thinking of love in the airy-fairy terms? (And yes, I know that there are people out there who still do when they're eighty)
