Shape-shifters, face-blindness, and "paying attention to others"
The shapeshifter is one of my favourite "monster of the week" episodes because it showcases how differently Laios processes social information than the rest of the party. It reminds me a lot of the strategies I, faceblind name-forgetter and eye-contact avoider, use to recognize people and learn things about them.
We see Laios clearly fail at recognizing the doubles through "standard" social cues that are perceived as "easy to tell", such as their clothes. This makes the team (unfairly, but understandably) weary of his ability to tell the fakes apart and even worried that he'd prefer the monster versions* over them. Nonetheless, he gives it a try!
...And is immediately overwhelmed. His lack of attention to social cues works a bit in his favor, though, as it makes it harder for him to fall for stereotypes that fool the rest of the group.
Instead, he chooses to rely on his strengths and use his investigation and animal handling skills to distract the shapeshifters, lure out the monster, and roll the most insane balls-to-the-wall intimidation check of all time.
If it had ended there it still would have been a great episode that showcases Laios' strategic mind and his strengths as a leader. He doesn't have the social skills necessary for the task, but he is clever and creative enough to use the skills he does have proficiency in to solve the problem*.
However, what makes this episode so dear and near to my faceblind heart is the revelation that Laios was able to recognize the real party members after all.
Laios is fantastic representation of how special interests actually work for a monotropic interest system. Having a special interest is not just about how much you like it and the need to know everything about it, it's a way of processing and filtering information. Laios' special interest is monsters: his skills as a dungeoneer and party leader are acquired for and informed by his desire to interact with monsters, as is his interest in eating them. He actually brings this up himself when comparing his interest in cooking to Senshi's.
And in this episode, we see that this also extends to his friends. Laios hacks one of the most difficult types of information for him to process by routing it through the lens of the special interest. And, because it's not something most people would notice, it works. He knows that Chilchuck wouldn't let his guard down around a potential mimic, that Senshi values a balanced ecosystem, that (my favourite) Marcille just isn't as thoughtful about monsters as he is.
It might not be what was expected, but it did the trick! And what's more, the narrative validates his way of thinking (even if Chilchuck doesn't).
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got slammed by my middle english professor for mentioning the christ in the winepress image as an example of apocryphal imagery - would you happen to have any background on the motif? I know british library is down atm but any country would be great if at all possible?
i love your blog :)
oh i love christ in the winepress sm. there's a surprisingly extensive wikipedia article on the motif. here's an in-depth german lexicon entry (by the "reallexikon zur deutschen kunstgeschichte", an extremely useful ressource on art history btw). i'm also genuinely floored rn by this 80 page long incredibly informative paper on the motif uploaded to researchgate.net by retired cultural anthropologist william abruzzi: christ in the mystic winepress (2021). (for anybody interested, the paper is free to download and includes close to a hundred images/examples of the christ in the winepress iconography in art history!)
hope this helps :)
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As the person who loves Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, loves the discourse du jour, but is not as familiar with other adaptations of The Strange Case, I am curious: What adaptations of Jekyll & Hyde sexualize Edward Hyde the most?
I feel like repressed sexuality is always a factor in the story, but some adaptations lean into it harder, and then some adaptations go further and decide “Hyde is SEXY” is a definite point they want to make
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I'm in a law lecture, the lecturer is talking about British history because the lecture content is Civil Law System VS Common Law System
And I'm trying so hard not to laugh because all I can fucking think about is George Villiers
Like as a historical figure, I have opinions on the real-life George Villiers, and most of them are very negative
But mix that sentiment with the fact that Nick's playing him, and I can't fucking stop laughing
Oh God, M&G is gonna be a ride for me
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tagged by the great, the incredible, the iconic @castielsprostate, thank u bestie vik
last song: jealousy, jealousy by olivia rodrigo
currently watching: not a damn thing
last movie: visual media and i do not work well together
sweet/spicy/savory: in order, sweet, spicy, savory. my grandmother has always baked sweets and my dad has always had a robust pepper garden, so sweet and spicy are very homey for me
relationship status: guy with romantic trauma voice i am very healthily single
current obsessions: currently hyperfixated on smosh, with several lifelong special interests filling in the gaps- spn, music, education.
last thing i googled: gabumon digivolution map
tagging: @krondarling, @mrcowboydeanwinchester, @atomicrebelomega, @gaywerewolftransgender, @castielsupernatural, and honestly if you wanna do it just say i tagged you, no one checks, babe
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trying to replace the dopamine hit of refreshing certain social media and news sites with the wikipedia random article button and. not gonna lie it works better than it really should at preventing doomscrolling and compulsive behavior
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