#charlatanbacon

[paradoxcase]

Final totals for this poll:

Shout out to this person:

#man. the math you have to do on this poll to make it interpretable is not none

It's honestly a shame that these polls don't show the actual number of votes instead of just percentages.

So, the results didn't change that much from the preliminary numbers I did earlier. It does seem like a lot of people did misinterpret the poll to be about "do you ship people because they are attractive" though, so probably results are a little skewed because of that. Sorry, I could have been a bit more clear. There were a lot of people who commented some variation of this:

sry i only ship characters that find each other attractive (aspec) is my real thing. im not in the relationship so what does what i find attractive have to do with it?????? are people really shipping based on who theyd date??????

and everyone also gave their actual reasons for shipping characters that were not attractiveness, like chemistry, or mutual interest, or just liking the character dynamic (and in one case, "standing next to each other in the same scene", kudos to that person), and yeah, I am well aware that people have a ton of reasons for shipping that don't relate to attractiveness. The poll is mainly about, is being attractive a requirement for you to ship characters, or does it make you more likely to ship them, or more invested in the ship. I imagine that even people who only ship people they are attracted to won't ship attractive characters that they don't think have an interesting dynamic or relationship. Also, to the quoted comment specifically, finding someone attractive and wanting to date them are two totally different things. Like, I don't want to date anyone, but I still occasionally find people attractive.

Anyway, the reason I posted this originally, is that I only really experience attraction once in a very blue moon and so for the most part I'm not attracted to any characters to any significant degree, and for a long time I did not ship at all and figured that that was because you had to be attracted to people to want to ship them and that just didn't happen for me. Then I got into shipping Homestuck characters accidentally and was like, ok, yeah, actually it's totally possible to get really into a ship without being attracted to the characters, and it honestly never occurred to me that people might actually be attracted to Homestuck characters until after having certain interactions with other fandom members after I'd been in the fandom for quite a while. And I thought, are other people having a different experience than me? If I were actually attracted to any of these characters, would I be more likely to ship them, or more interested in the ships? And it looks like at least one person had sort of a similar experience:

#attractiveness has no bearing on shipping for me#otherwise I wouldn’t shit guys at all lmao

although I'm guessing this person is just attracted to women instead of being attracted to no one. And then there's this person with the opposite situation going on:

#tbh I need another option#attractiveness isn't a major factor in my shipping but I wouldn't say it doesn't affect it at all#I prefer to ship interesting characters with an intriguing dynamic#but if they are attractive then bonus maybe?#possibly also worth stating that as the worst kind of pansexual the number of people I don't find attractive in some way is pretty small#like where is the line between interesting and attractive?#I mean I wouldn't want to date any of them#but that's a very different decision

I actually hadn't considered that "I only ship attractive people" and "Everyone is attractive to me so it actually doesn't make a difference at all" could both be true at the same time, so thanks for pointing that out.

And I think I agree with this comment:

#thinking about this poll again and it’s actually kinda enlightening#i never understood why some people are like ‘omg shipping characters who are children is gross’#but if some people only or mostly just ship characters they are attracted to i can understand that line of thinking now#anyway i only experience aesthetic attraction and it does not affect what i ship

Maybe this is where some of these anti ideas come from.

I just also want address this comment:

#people only ship based on attractiveness???#anyways take my vote with a grain of salt bc i genuinely cannot see ppl as ugly#like ik what the beauty standards are but when i see someone i just see a person#not trying to sound holier than thou btw im 80% sure its actually just autism

Finding someone attractive, versus not finding someone attractive, versus finding someone ugly are all different things, and yeah, I also don't think I have ever thought of a real person as being ugly, I think the only people I've ever identified as ugly are some sims that wound up with some bizarre combinations of facial genetics, but I'm still actually very attached to the ugliest sim in my neighborhood and have a number of ships for her. But yeah, the poll was mainly about attractive versus not attractive, not bringing ugliness into it.

Anyway, so after my Homestuck shipping experience, I recently got into Stardew Valley, and maybe for the first time ever, I am actually attracted to one of the characters in a thing I like? And there's not a ton of Stardew ships that really stand out to me, but the one that does does actaully involve this attractive character. So I wondered, is this how it's like for most people? Do I like this ship more because I find him attractive? Would I still like it if I didn't? And that's also part of why I made this poll.

And a number of people I think did actually get what I meant about taking attractiveness in a general way, and that it doesn't have to be just physical attraction to looks but also could be attraction to personality - like, my sister has told me she is only attracted to personality and I don't have any reason to not believe her about that. And yes, that also means that you can be attracted to characters in books that have no pictures of them.

#im aspec#and i only ship characters that i find attractive#but keep in mind that attractive does not mean physically!#i only find myself caring enough to bother shipping characters if im drawn to them#otherwise shipping them just doesnt interest me

#look if i dont find both of the characters interesting- ie#their personalities are not in some manner attractive to me#then i likely will not be interested#its not that im like oh this ship is attractive its more like looking back on what ive shipped these are people i find in some way or form#attractive to me?#its like. hm. i need to be invested in these characters which means in some way or form i am attracted to them- not like sexually since#im ace but more aesthetically or personality wise#u know?#idk if that makes any sense#or if im interpreting the request of the poll wrong perhaps

#i'm shallow in that i tend to ship characters i find attractive#but that attraction doesnt always mean physical#it can be their personality or characterisation

This sort of attraction also counts, and I do think there are plenty of people who primarily experience attraction in this way.

I think this comment in particular accurately sums up the kind of thing that I was wondering about the existence of pretty well (keeping in mind that this comment seems to be about sexual attraction but I do not just mean sexual attraction in the poll):

#somewhere between only shipping the ones i find attractive and sometimes shipping ones i dont#like …. this poll made me realize that ohh yeah lol the reason i Like certain ships but dont go hard for them is#probs bc im not attracted to one half of it#not to get weirdly psychoanalytical but i tend to latch onto 1 character hardcore in a way that's both projection and attraction#and then i get to use that character as a vehicle to explore other characters i wanna get railed by#and i didnt THINK that determined ALL of my ships but looking at it?#that tends to determine the ones i absolutely froth at the mouth over#i probs shouldve chose the 'it determines some not all option' bc there def are others where its about the connection more so than both#people being hot#but yeah. i am Realizing how much more prevalent this is than i thought it was for me lol#at least in terms of the Ultimate OTP Will Die For Them level

A number of people commented that shipping characters actually made those characters attractive to them and not the other way around, which was interesting:

They don't become attractive until i like them. Then they're the most beautiful, special-est blorbos known to man. I don't care if they're a ripped anime boy, a robot, a middle-aged man, a cartoon… they become beautiful once i love them.

#option that is i find the characters attractiveish over time because i like them so much (aspec)

#i only really ship characters i'm attracted to#not in the physical sense necessarily#i actually don't usually find a character physically attractive#until i get attached to them emotionally#but i don't really ship characters unless#i'm attached to them in the first place#so it kind of goes hand in hand#get attached > become attracted to > shipping happens#i could write a lot more about this and maybe i will later#also i'm aspec

#second hand attraction#ok the thing is#im your run of he mill#aroace#and i ship for ✨the dynamics✨#buuut characters will become attractive to me eventually as i get invested in te ship#or the more i interact with what other ppl value abt their appearance even if its things i had previously never considered in any way#like idk weak chins. fading hairlines. hairy round tumby. saggy skin.#yes you know who its abt#harry kim#my theory is i only get from when i see thru other ppls eyes#but the shipping precedes it

#so… leaving children aside because gross#i'm rotating all my ships in my head rn and yeah generally i do tend to find the characters attractive#but that's kind of a chicken or the egg question#because if i spend a lot of time thinking about a character in a romantic context i'll probably find something about them thst's pretty hot#let the record state that i am allo#but yeah my main reason for shipping characters is the dynamics between them obviously#and attraction kind of follows?#though i will say attractivenes no longer means conventionally attractive to me#there are some incredibly hot people and characters that do not fit society's definition of hot at all#so a character being written as intended to be prety or not will have no influence on my willingness to ship them

And I don't think this is necessarily some kind of demi thing going on here, because one of these people is allo and another one did at least not explicitly say they were aspec. And like, I can see it? The main characters I ship right now are sims in my sims neighborhood, I have like ~200 sims and I have identified exactly three of them that I find attractive at all, but I do ship a number of ships in that hood, like sometimes I pair sim up and it's just like, alright, you seem to like each other, I don't care about your relationship, go have some kids or something, and sometimes I'm like, I really like your relationship, it is special to me, and that actually greatly influences my decisions about which sims are allowed to cheat on each other, and most of these relationships do not contain any sims I am attracted to, but it does seem like if I think about the relationship enough and about the sims finding each other attractive, they do become a little attractive in my mind. Not enough that they are as attractive as the three that I mentioned, but enough that I could see that going all the way for some people, or that people would just not make a distinction between those two things.

And then there was the most interesting comment on this whole post:

#PREPARE FOR COMMENTARY#so for fandoms…#youre expecting me to be attracted to someone who isnt just lines on a page?#these beings. they do nothing for me#i dont think even lestat iwtv gets me going and if that kind of pure pathetic meow meow cant do it… im sorry the rest of you have no chan#ce#(on second thought i may allow a pass to armand iwtv)#(what a perfectly pathetic fellow. scrumptious)#HOWEVER#I AM A WRITER. I HAVE OCS. I RP#now THIS is where it gets INTERESTING#i am! i am not sure! that i know how to write a character for roleplays that i dont on some level find hot!!!#if i am not attracted to them! i dip!!!!! whoops!!!!!!!#i have QUITE the range of hot ocs as a result#imho#so the question BECOMES#DOES ATTRACTION MATTER#and i think its yes to be blorbo from my brain#but i would never put such steep a demand on blorbo from my shows#thank you for humoring me lol

Because you know? I am trying to write a story right now, that does have (asexual) romance as a major part of the plot, and you know, this story does have an uncommonly large number of people that I find attractive in it, like, in terms of how they appear in my mind's eye, and I've thought, this is highly statistically improbable, maybe I should make some of these characters less attractive, but then I'm like, nah. So I really get that, too.

People I quoted in this post, in no particular order:

@ladyknightmindelan, @secretly-of-course, @huginsmemory, @featherdown, @srafim, @silurisanguine, @anonymousedward, @drewsaturday, @bisigh, @forsakenqueer, @rumpeltyltskyn, @cockonfetti, @charlatanbacon, @lgbtlunaverse, @aestheticallyinlovewithcaitlyn, @bald-rights

Ok, guys, it's time to solve an old fandom/shipping mystery I've always wondered about, right now with a poll. Maybe this is just me, and no one else is uncertain about this, but please humor me anyway. Please reblog this so it hopefully gets a somewhat representative sample.

Instructions:

If you are somewhere on the asexual or aromantic spectrums, please select one of the options that says "(aspec)". Otherwise, select one of the options that says "(allo)". Please interpret "attractive" in a generally broad way; it can refer to types of attraction other than sexual or romantic attraction, but does mean you are drawn to the person in some way and means something more than just "I like this person" or "I think this person is interesting".

[titioosstuff]

I took @charlatanbacon excellent screenshots and focused on Alex expressions and body language. It's a study in discomfort, relief and grateful adoration.

Greg speaks too Bridget about the task:

And suggests Alex has made her fulfill one of his sexual fantasies:

And then he releases the tension with the punchline: as a beekeeper!

And this is how Alex looks at Greg afterwards.

That's all.

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Thanks for the tag @kaylinalexanderbooks !

Tagging @localcanadiancryptid22 @dsabian @07-induraj @aro-manita-muscaria @aaand-mitsuba-is-dead-again @hillofwater @reading-sometimes @charlatanbacon @misku-nimfa @thelongestway

Favourite colour: yellow first, then blue second and green third cause it's a mix of the other two (:

Currently reading: I've started a lot of books, like spirit animals fantasy series, Rachel carson's silent spring, and others I can't remember.

Last/current series: book the Ming historical fiction series and TV agents of shield rn, miraculous ladybug, fantasy high, titsns and owl house!

Sweet, savoury, spicy? If sour is an option then that, otherwise savoury

Currently working on: educating myself and voyaging into this hellpit/wonder pit (positive and affectionate) more often

9 people you want to know better

Thanks @saltysupercomputer for the tag!

Tagging: @jamieanovels @annetilney @little-mouse-gardens @27paperlilies @randomlettrrsqqssfxwcvhxnqbwriro @writingmoth @living-dead-girl515 @queerfox-tales @mr-writes

Favorite color - teal! Other blue and green shades are pretty cool but I love teal

Currently reading - The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. Just started it, but basically there are these creatures that feed off books to absorb their knowledge, and a rare subspecies that does the same with human minds. Pretty good so far but I'm curious to see where it's going

Last series - book series? Just finished rereading the Origami Yoda series since I like to read books I loved as a kid to see if they held up. This one definitely did. Cute with a gimmick that didn't overstay its welcome, it had a nice message to kids and preteens about how to not only accept but appreciate their autistic peers and recognize when they're trying their best to reach out and communicate, and to validate those attempts. TV series? Hamster and Gretel. Just caught up on Disney+. Second tie-in series to Phineas and Ferb and an honorable inclusion. It's cute and hilarious and I really like it!

Sweet, savoury, or spicy - honestly it's hard to choose. Probably savoury?

Currently working on - my novel series The Secret Portal! Part One is up for beta reading! Sign up via the pinned post on my blog! It's a YA sci-fi fantasy that deals with alternate universes, powers, war, and the consequences of that.

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Cool colour choices and nice explanation!

Thanks for tagging me @localcanadiancryptid22

I can kinda relate with you wishing to be a demon or dragon, as I often desire to be an alien because they have higher probability of having physical wings while humans have none, and wings are absolutely awesome!!

Other than that I'm mostly comfortable with how I look and if society or anyone else doesn't like or approve of my appearance, too bad 'cause I'm not changing for them.

Also constellation and leaf branch border are just some cool things that i like, and the knife just means the (sentient) plants of the alien's world better watch out if they decide to attack.

Roughly how i look like vs how I want to look.

Tagging: @07-induraj @hanak0-san @the-modern-typewriter @ghostflowerdreams @pens-swords-stuff @she-who-fights-and-writes @charlatanbacon @sometimes-reading @occasionally-writing @anyone else who wants to do it!

picrew tag game

i found a really cool picrew so make what you actually look like and then make what you wish you looked like (no pressure whatsoever!)

what i actually look like:

what i wish i looked like:

tagging: @philomurphy @borfbork @butimwritingthisat3am @astridcookie @octobitheoctagonal @astridcookie @ascoordinatedastonks @planetsoupo + anyone else who wants to! (no pressure at all)

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Thanks @aaand-mitsuba-is-dead-again

My tumblr nickname and username colour palettes respectively (:

I like then being both dark and pastel colours.

Tagging: @localcanadiancryptid22 @charlatanbacon @glints-of-light @07-induraj @lovelywild @vizthedatum @viridianllamasinthesilentspace @kaylinalexanderbooks, whoever else I may have forgotten and everyone who wants to join in!

Wishing everyone who reads this an absolutely wonderful, wondrous week!

Color scheme of your name/url

You can find the website here

I saw this on sunshine’s ig and thought I’d bring it here cause it seemed cute, so thank you @hiyyihs-aein for the idea <3

Tagging: @hybeboyenthusisast @samithedaydreamer @soobubs @skz-minchan-enthusiast @ikeuz @jakeloviee @telesvng @jjunis @seolboba @pop-roxs @apple-brees @beomieblr @candiedmingyu

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Two in one! (:

Thanks: @hanak0-san

Tags: @localcanadiancryptid22 @07-induraj @pineconeontheforestsfloor @kaylinalexanderbooks @frankocean @bljou-bijou @fantasyfillsmysoul @charlatanbacon @chen-qing @nonchalantxfish @huggingthehorse-blog @hedgehog-moss

I found the cutest picrew, it’s dinosaurs! Tag who you want to see dino-fied.

Tagging: @accidentallylita @allthecheesesticks @swagcoolcat @aeterna-auroral-avenger @kylejsugarman @queen-of-chimeras @blackwidowsaturn @rosesathena @cassiesinsanity and leaving it open :)

[randomlettrrsqqssfxwcvhxnqbwriro]

Thanks a lot for the tag @hanak0-san

Show yourself, Frozen 2

Do you want to build a snowman?, Frozen 1

Dance in the dark, Au/Ra

Let it go, Frozen 1

Into the unknown, Frozen 2

At the moment, im going through a frozen re-watch phase which explains why these are my most listened to right now.

@localcanadiancryptid22 @07-induraj @charlatanbacon @thebibliosphere @labelleizzy @sometimes-reading @one-time-i-dreamt @pineconeontheforestsfloor @fairydrowning @yousaveeveryonebutwhosavesyou

fav songs tag

thanks a lot @idreamofhamandcheese

Rules: 5 songs you actually listen to, and then tag 10 ppl

Astronomical by SVRCINA

Dandelion by Gabbie Hana

Marigold by The Dane, LA James

Saints by Echos

Gasoline by Halsey

(I am going cheat and tag only two people)

@timetravellingkitty @i-eat-books-and-nutella

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Thanks a bunch @hanak0-san , these games were fun

Tagging: @localcanadiancryptid22 @07-induraj @charlatanbacon @pineconeontheforestsfloor @mayakern @glints-of-light @viridianllamasinthesilentspace @rirori-jeorgiarn @kaylinalexanderbooks @hedgehog-moss everyone ive missed and anyone else that wants to do this!!!!!!

Fact no.1: I've never cried from a movie

No.2: sometimes I unintentionally go on hiatus from tumblr for a few months and don't know how to return and catch up on everything that's happened like I'm not a tourist coming back to a beloved holiday spot

No3: I'm still figuring out my gender, sexual and romantic orientations

4: life is is not me yet i am life, make of that what you will (:

5 Cats, dragons and panthers are the best!

If you get this, answer with 3 random facts about yourself and send this to the last 7 people in your notifications, anonymously or not.

mmmm

i do tarot readings everyday whenever i can which is 95% of the time

i binge studio ghibli movies a slightly alarming amount

and i just cried listening to hozier (because let’s be honest, who doesn’t)

sending this to @outer-space-face @wanda-the-anaconda @stars-and-birds @aayeroace @bogbear-offoggyswamp @burningcigerettes @spiritsofdust

[titioosstuff]

@charlatanbacon I feel like this might explain my whole Taskmaster-fixation on Tumblr-thing. It kind of covers it all.

And hey! If we do enough deep dives we can call it science.

my friend posted this on twitter & nobody has ever been more correct

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@kaylinalexanderbooks Thanks for the tag, have a wonderful week!

Tagging: @07-induraj @localcanadiancryptid22 @hillofwater @hanak0-san @antianakin @writernamedfran @feynites @charlatanbacon @fearofahumanplanet @a-forces

Three ships: I really like rarer ships, as long as they're well written and developed. A couple good ones in particular fanfics were Zuko x Yue (atla), Hermione Granger x Astoria Greengrass (hp), Aragorn x Arwen x Eowyn (lotr) and Chaol x Dorian (tog). Those are more than three, but oh well. I do hope those specific stories are still around.

First ship: One that I can't really remember now, sorry.

Last song: The Lion Sleeps Tonight, from the live action remake of The Lion King.

Last movie: Strange World. I must've watched it three times, or more, by now bit it's so good.

Currently watching: Agents of Shield. A bit late for it, but it's not too bad so far.

Currently reading: Just a bunch of old favourites in the sci-fi/fantasy area.

Currently consuming: Just had a cucumber and cheese sandwich a few minutes ago.

Currently craving: Potato chips and salad.

Know you better tag

Thanks @annetilney for the tag! Sorry it's been a while since the tag 😅😅😅

Tagging: @gracehosborn @queerfox-tales @jamieanovels @writingpotato07 @writingmoth @oli-vander19 @amnafarooqi @mr-writes @thecutpriceguignol @fantasyfillsmysoul @randomlettrrsqqssfxwcvhxnriroqbw @theelfauthor @sehnxsucht @myhusbandsasemni @rirori-jeorgiarn @minutiaewriter

Three ships: Kirk/Spock (Star Trek), Robin/Starfire (Teen Titans), Garak/Bashir (Star Trek DS9) ***runner ups are Goliath/Elisa (Gargoyles) and Dakota/Cavendish (Milo Murphy's Law) I'm breaking the rules but it's more like a top 5***

First ship: the first one I really got into was Percy/Annabeth (PJO)

Last song: Come Home Perry (Phineas and Ferb)

Last movie: Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo

Currently reading: A Wish in the Dark (Christina Soontornvat) - a children's fantasy Thai-inspired retelling of Les Mis

Currently watching: Star Trek DS9, SpongeBob, Gargoyles, The Bad Batch

Currently consuming: water I'm lame

Currently craving: I think this is referring to food but I just ate so I'm craving downtime and sleep lol