That's still such an interesting thing to me - other people's boundaries. I know its of equal curiosity to you, too. I know its not just me who assumes that other people have *my* sense of boundaries (I know this because other people hug me!) I generally like a one-way conduit: me touching someone else (not a good boundary to have - its going to get broken and its not "fair" or something). There's reasons for it, etc.
I wonder if everyone thinks that way, "My boundary is the universal boundary - therefor if I am a hugger, everyone else is a hugger (or everyone else needs a hug/some similar rationale)." I wonder how someone who's good at boundaries gets to be good at that, like, I wonder how Peter would be. Would he be all over someone's boundaries because he knows any walls they have are probably mental unhealthiness? Or would he be respectful to the point of ignoring them/the boundary just to be polite and do what the person clearly says they want? His own instinct is probably the first - giving them what they *need*, however he's got enough morals, manners, and human respect to probably honor a request even if he thinks its wrong and unhealthy. I can see him doing both; perhaps thats it: he changes up his tactics?
I can totally see this blowing Sylar's mind - it blows mine every time I read the last drabblet/section. The idea that pushing the personal bubble on someone is pleasant and a sign of interest, not anything negative is....whuh-? Heck, does Peter even *have* a personal bubble? Of course he develops one if he senses danger, that's normal. I guess it seems weird to me because Peter combines a woman's interest in being 'pursued' or have interest shown yet a man's failure to notice the touch (he's a Petrelli). He's also an empath and touching is his currency - I don't doubt him failing to take a touch seriously because that's the norm for him. And he's not curious, so he wouldn't question the nature/intent/motivation behind a touch beyond that it was a nice gesture.
So for Sylar to sit there, technically in a normal manner (although he doesn't know its 'normal') and for Peter to just 'eh...'s nice' flips his world because his idea of normal and nice has never worked in the past; its become a non-option. Its so simple, he literally overlooks/dismisses it.
Sylar's personal bubble is about ten feet around him; I don't think telekinesis did him any favors. It gave him excuses and a big fat reason not to come near him or try to get near him. Anyone who came within 9.999 feet of him was automatically a danger and too close. In so many ways, he got screwed in his first "choice" of ability, Brian Davis'. Imagine if he'd gotten blue spit or the ability to make super-large bubbles or something. Dangerous serial killer? Not with a child-pleasing, non-threatening ability like that! I mean, any other ability: telepathy, empathy, precognitive dreaming/painting, regen, time travel...they all would have been safer, I think, than TK for his first ability. Sure some of those would help in finding more targets, but he'd be a caveman in physically going about cutting heads open. He literally got handed a weapon, though. "Bashing people's brains in isn't effective...Here, use a scalpel you never have to wash. Its untraceable." Point is, for a watchmaker, he got used to not touching...well, anything over the course of four years or so. I think that always struck me as different, whenever Sylar physically touched anything. Total tangent talking, here.
Back to the fic...I love Peter petting Sylar, absently, even while he's trying to convince himself he's just 'guilty', just 'helping'. Don't know what could possibly be in need of fixing/healing in his hair, Peter, but...Sylar sitting by Peter is so...funny. He's doing it to be a bitch: 'Ha ha ha ha! You think I'm evil and that it might rub off on you because I'm contagious? I'm too low and ugly for you to touch? Well, have somma this!' I think its sad that he even uses his negative status as a weapon. Its like weaponized self-loathing/other people's hatred and he's consistent about using it.
I really ought to be finishing up my MBU entry (it's written, I just have a pathological need to go over it a few more times), but here I am.
Peter's boundaries - I watch how he is with Emma, and with brain-tumor-Hiro in season 4. He's very hands-off. But with Noah? Same season, in some cases even the same episodes, my memory has Peter putting his hand on Noah's forearm, bicep and getting in his face a bit when pissed.
For brain-tumor-Hiro (I watched this ep just last week), Peter crowded right up to the bed and put his hand on Hiro's forearm, but then he withdrew it to the sidebar of the bed. He was close, but other than a couple touches, he kept his hands back when they could have just as easily stayed in contact.
For Emma, Peter was very hands-off and usually a couple feet back from her. Even when they walked down the hall together, they had six inches to a foot between them, which is different than how Peter walked with, say, Nathan (when they were often brushing shoulders because they were intensely weird that way).
Any scene with him and Angela, he's usually touching her. I can't remember a time when he willingly touched his dad other than the hug. Of course, Nathan didn't touch his dad much either.
Anyway, it's my take on it that Peter's personal boundaries are just about nil, exceptions being made when he hates someone or feels he's in danger. Even the 'in danger' thing is interesting, because he lets himself be grabbed, stifled, positioned, maneuvered and man-handled when in danger, often by people who aren't friendly to him. I'm thinking of Claude in this, particularly. Peter let Claude appear out of nowhere and slap a hand over his mouth; he let Claude *hurt* him; and he let Claude throw him off a roof. Not that Peter wanted to go off the roof, but he didn't react immediately or adversely to an obviously somewhat hostile Claude grabbing his front. If someone tried to grab Sylar like that, it would be on, right then (or so I imagine). Peter just stood there trustingly, like a dolt, and got flung off the roof for it.
So that's Peter's boundaries. On the other side, I think Peter notices other people's boundaries fairly well. It doesn't mean he respects them, but he sees them. Pushing past Emma to smash her cello was ignoring her boundaries. Kicking in Sylar's door in The Wall was ignoring his boundaries. Forcing his presence on Claude was ignoring his boundaries. Peter has a tactic that he uses a lot to get right up in someone's face to tell them off. He's used it on Nathan, Noah, Sylar, Claude and probably others I'm not thinking of at the moment. He knows that makes them uncomfortable, but he does it anyway. I think he does it intentionally.
I wonder if everyone thinks that way, "My boundary is the universal boundary - therefor if I am a hugger, everyone else is a hugger (or everyone else needs a hug/some similar rationale)." I wonder how someone who's good at boundaries gets to be good at that, like, I wonder how Peter would be. Would he be all over someone's boundaries because he knows any walls they have are probably mental unhealthiness? Or would he be respectful to the point of ignoring them/the boundary just to be polite and do what the person clearly says they want? His own instinct is probably the first - giving them what they *need*, however he's got enough morals, manners, and human respect to probably honor a request even if he thinks its wrong and unhealthy. I can see him doing both; perhaps thats it: he changes up his tactics?
I can totally see this blowing Sylar's mind - it blows mine every time I read the last drabblet/section. The idea that pushing the personal bubble on someone is pleasant and a sign of interest, not anything negative is....whuh-? Heck, does Peter even *have* a personal bubble? Of course he develops one if he senses danger, that's normal. I guess it seems weird to me because Peter combines a woman's interest in being 'pursued' or have interest shown yet a man's failure to notice the touch (he's a Petrelli). He's also an empath and touching is his currency - I don't doubt him failing to take a touch seriously because that's the norm for him. And he's not curious, so he wouldn't question the nature/intent/motivation behind a touch beyond that it was a nice gesture.
So for Sylar to sit there, technically in a normal manner (although he doesn't know its 'normal') and for Peter to just 'eh...'s nice' flips his world because his idea of normal and nice has never worked in the past; its become a non-option. Its so simple, he literally overlooks/dismisses it.
Sylar's personal bubble is about ten feet around him; I don't think telekinesis did him any favors. It gave him excuses and a big fat reason not to come near him or try to get near him. Anyone who came within 9.999 feet of him was automatically a danger and too close. In so many ways, he got screwed in his first "choice" of ability, Brian Davis'. Imagine if he'd gotten blue spit or the ability to make super-large bubbles or something. Dangerous serial killer? Not with a child-pleasing, non-threatening ability like that! I mean, any other ability: telepathy, empathy, precognitive dreaming/painting, regen, time travel...they all would have been safer, I think, than TK for his first ability. Sure some of those would help in finding more targets, but he'd be a caveman in physically going about cutting heads open. He literally got handed a weapon, though. "Bashing people's brains in isn't effective...Here, use a scalpel you never have to wash. Its untraceable." Point is, for a watchmaker, he got used to not touching...well, anything over the course of four years or so. I think that always struck me as different, whenever Sylar physically touched anything. Total tangent talking, here.
Back to the fic...I love Peter petting Sylar, absently, even while he's trying to convince himself he's just 'guilty', just 'helping'. Don't know what could possibly be in need of fixing/healing in his hair, Peter, but...Sylar sitting by Peter is so...funny. He's doing it to be a bitch: 'Ha ha ha ha! You think I'm evil and that it might rub off on you because I'm contagious? I'm too low and ugly for you to touch? Well, have somma this!' I think its sad that he even uses his negative status as a weapon. Its like weaponized self-loathing/other people's hatred and he's consistent about using it.
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Peter's boundaries - I watch how he is with Emma, and with brain-tumor-Hiro in season 4. He's very hands-off. But with Noah? Same season, in some cases even the same episodes, my memory has Peter putting his hand on Noah's forearm, bicep and getting in his face a bit when pissed.
For brain-tumor-Hiro (I watched this ep just last week), Peter crowded right up to the bed and put his hand on Hiro's forearm, but then he withdrew it to the sidebar of the bed. He was close, but other than a couple touches, he kept his hands back when they could have just as easily stayed in contact.
For Emma, Peter was very hands-off and usually a couple feet back from her. Even when they walked down the hall together, they had six inches to a foot between them, which is different than how Peter walked with, say, Nathan (when they were often brushing shoulders because they were intensely weird that way).
Any scene with him and Angela, he's usually touching her. I can't remember a time when he willingly touched his dad other than the hug. Of course, Nathan didn't touch his dad much either.
Anyway, it's my take on it that Peter's personal boundaries are just about nil, exceptions being made when he hates someone or feels he's in danger. Even the 'in danger' thing is interesting, because he lets himself be grabbed, stifled, positioned, maneuvered and man-handled when in danger, often by people who aren't friendly to him. I'm thinking of Claude in this, particularly. Peter let Claude appear out of nowhere and slap a hand over his mouth; he let Claude *hurt* him; and he let Claude throw him off a roof. Not that Peter wanted to go off the roof, but he didn't react immediately or adversely to an obviously somewhat hostile Claude grabbing his front. If someone tried to grab Sylar like that, it would be on, right then (or so I imagine). Peter just stood there trustingly, like a dolt, and got flung off the roof for it.
So that's Peter's boundaries. On the other side, I think Peter notices other people's boundaries fairly well. It doesn't mean he respects them, but he sees them. Pushing past Emma to smash her cello was ignoring her boundaries. Kicking in Sylar's door in The Wall was ignoring his boundaries. Forcing his presence on Claude was ignoring his boundaries. Peter has a tactic that he uses a lot to get right up in someone's face to tell them off. He's used it on Nathan, Noah, Sylar, Claude and probably others I'm not thinking of at the moment. He knows that makes them uncomfortable, but he does it anyway. I think he does it intentionally.
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