The raw capability of defining good or bad. Such things have no bearing on a person's appearance. I would argue that it is independent of personal biases of that nature.
Or, well, it should be.
Or are you seriously attempting to tell me that one's looks are all that define "good or bad" for you? The idea is laughable were it not pitiful.
That isn't what I'm saying at all. I merely meant that I am a slave to my own perception. To be so aware of beauty is a curse all of its own and that I, like many, can so easily be swayed if the one doing the swaying has a pretty face.
Compasses can so easily be manipulated with nothing but a magnet - did you know this?
Oh, true, old-fashioned magnets do have that vulnerability.
But the tech from where and when I am from has no such weakness.
Furthermore, the human eye is also capable of making at least semi-accurate judgements of the poles with the sun's position in reference to time of day. Crescent moons and whether they rise before or after sunset can also determine such matters.
Oh, but of course you're right! Humans are capable of this kind of judgement, and so much more. With the aid of context clues, it's a wonder they need compasses at all.
And yet, the things still exist. Why do you think that is? A lack of knowledge, a need for control?
I think if a human wants to believe he is heading in the right direction, for any reason, then he will believe it wholeheartedly regardless of where the crescent moon happened to place itself in the sky or in which direction his compass might point.
[ Incapable of admitting wrong, huh. That one gives him a laugh. ]
I would not say my compass ignores the facts, mon ami. More that by now I often know exactly what I want when I want it, and that I will do anything to get it. No matter who warns me against it or might tell me no. If anything, that word makes me more determined.
Hmm. I think sometimes the need for restraint is confused with the fear of what we truly are. If you were alone, no other creatures around to see you without the restraint you covet, would you be so afraid to be without control?
Either way, If there is one thing I have learned in my very long life, it is that one should never miss an opportunity to relax.
I can never do that again. I must not. I know first hand what a lack of control does. I must always conduct myself with even a little restraint, lest any of that repeat again.
I know exactly what I am. Without restraint, it is terrifying. Even if I behave unrestrained, the room I linger in must act as those restraints for me. Fortunately, my ship is perfect for that, and I use it as such.
I already behave more or less as I please outside of that one aspect. It is enough.
And what are the results from your lack of control, exactly? Do people get hurt, cities levelled, feelings hurt? There are so many outcomes nowadays for any kind of inhuman creature that it truly could be anything.
Come to think of it - what are you?
What if.. How do they say it. Ah! I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
Using a genitalia reference for something like this? Interesting.
When my power was in its infancy, it caused over a hundred deaths as a result of mass drowning. My beloved was among one of the casualties. One of two people I ever cared about. The second, my mother, has long since passed of old age.
Now, I could probably level the world if I left everything unchecked. It took me a great deal of time to handle even hardy things like metal without breaking them into particles finer than sand.
My cells could also infect anyone who breathes them in, turning them into what I am. They swarm any cells not their own like a plague, altering them down to their roots and rapidly spreading throughout the body. With that many meat-devouring predators, the balance of the world would doubtlessly be tipped beyond its ability to return to equilibrium.
I am a half-alien, obligate carnivore, who requires specific proteins in my diet, easily gathered from large animals during a hunt. But there was a time where I thought to devour my own kind, that hunger was so great.
Shapeshifting consumes a great amount of energy, after all.
Given what you've told me, I see that I am right. Your restraint comes from the same fear of a loss of control as every other monster on the planet - all your inhibitions are fuelled by the concern that you might hurt an innocent with what you truly are.
So tell me how it was that you came to be, mon ami. Were you born, or made?
I was born this way in an artificial womb, after people decided they wanted to play god with matter that they did not understand. They injected the fertilized egg I was borne from with those cells. And were disappointed with the outcome, fortunately for me.
My state hid itself like a chameleon until I was older, dormant. Had they not, I would have been forged into a living weapon for the government, or worse.
Ah, humans do so love to play with things beyond their scope. It's one of the things I find so interesting about them. Surely they considered the idea that they might be dissatisfied with you, and yet there was no plan for what to do with you - their little failed passion project. And they call us monsters.
It seems to me, though, that you make no conscious decisions to be a monster. Every mishap you have told me about has been a ripple in the water from your actions, not by your hand itself. I would hardly call you a monster for that. Merely quite unlucky.
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Or, well, it should be.
Or are you seriously attempting to tell me that one's looks are all that define "good or bad" for you? The idea is laughable were it not pitiful.
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Compasses can so easily be manipulated with nothing but a magnet - did you know this?
no subject
But the tech from where and when I am from has no such weakness.
Furthermore, the human eye is also capable of making at least semi-accurate judgements of the poles with the sun's position in reference to time of day. Crescent moons and whether they rise before or after sunset can also determine such matters.
Those, I find, are oft not tricked by magnets.
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And yet, the things still exist. Why do you think that is? A lack of knowledge, a need for control?
I think if a human wants to believe he is heading in the right direction, for any reason, then he will believe it wholeheartedly regardless of where the crescent moon happened to place itself in the sky or in which direction his compass might point.
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That is also true. There are oft those though yield to more emotional desires in lieu of the truth before them.
The consideration of "gut instinct" is such a thing you reference.
Or someone incapable of admitting wrong.
Are you saying this is how your compass points? Ignoring the facts around you in favor of wants or instinct?
Do note, I ask out of curiosity, not dismissal. Besides, I am not one to be immune to such folly.
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I would not say my compass ignores the facts, mon ami. More that by now I often know exactly what I want when I want it, and that I will do anything to get it. No matter who warns me against it or might tell me no. If anything, that word makes me more determined.
Are we the same in this, too?
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However, I did not get this far by ignoring the need for restraint, however excessively others may see it.
It is a safer alternative to being burned by reaching out - in so far as my experiences dictate.
Though now that I have more self-control in other matters, I could "relax" a little, if I desired to.
But that desire is often elusive for me.
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Either way, If there is one thing I have learned in my very long life, it is that one should never miss an opportunity to relax.
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I can never do that again. I must not. I know first hand what a lack of control does. I must always conduct myself with even a little restraint, lest any of that repeat again.
I know exactly what I am. Without restraint, it is terrifying. Even if I behave unrestrained, the room I linger in must act as those restraints for me. Fortunately, my ship is perfect for that, and I use it as such.
I already behave more or less as I please outside of that one aspect. It is enough.
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Come to think of it - what are you?
What if.. How do they say it. Ah! I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
cw: death, drowning, cannibalism reference
When my power was in its infancy, it caused over a hundred deaths as a result of mass drowning. My beloved was among one of the casualties. One of two people I ever cared about. The second, my mother, has long since passed of old age.
Now, I could probably level the world if I left everything unchecked. It took me a great deal of time to handle even hardy things like metal without breaking them into particles finer than sand.
My cells could also infect anyone who breathes them in, turning them into what I am. They swarm any cells not their own like a plague, altering them down to their roots and rapidly spreading throughout the body. With that many meat-devouring predators, the balance of the world would doubtlessly be tipped beyond its ability to return to equilibrium.
I am a half-alien, obligate carnivore, who requires specific proteins in my diet, easily gathered from large animals during a hunt. But there was a time where I thought to devour my own kind, that hunger was so great.
Shapeshifting consumes a great amount of energy, after all.
no subject
Given what you've told me, I see that I am right. Your restraint comes from the same fear of a loss of control as every other monster on the planet - all your inhibitions are fuelled by the concern that you might hurt an innocent with what you truly are.
So tell me how it was that you came to be, mon ami. Were you born, or made?
no subject
I was born this way in an artificial womb, after people decided they wanted to play god with matter that they did not understand. They injected the fertilized egg I was borne from with those cells. And were disappointed with the outcome, fortunately for me.
My state hid itself like a chameleon until I was older, dormant. Had they not, I would have been forged into a living weapon for the government, or worse.
no subject
It seems to me, though, that you make no conscious decisions to be a monster. Every mishap you have told me about has been a ripple in the water from your actions, not by your hand itself. I would hardly call you a monster for that. Merely quite unlucky.