The nature of attraction.
aka. why it is biologically predictable for Sam!Zaphod (X) to feel attracted to Martin!Arthur (Y)
aka2. Mother Nature was there first
I read the whole book ‘The Price of Love’ and let me tell you - totally brilliant. I’ve found there a chapter about the mutual attraction and started to compare it to the human behavior and, as it was expected, there’s really not that much difference between ‘their’ and ‘our’ behavior. Yes, we are animals in drag. What it has to do with Zaphod and Arthur (or any other X and Y?) A lot.
1) Starting from the beginning, in human physic we have generally two types of look - W (winter) and S (summer). Winter look is characterized by round eyes, ‘full’ cheeks and lips etc. while the Summer look consists of long face, narrow eyes etc. Of course, no one is really just W or S, it’s all a combination but someone is always either more W or S. Yes, you’ve guessed, W is attracted to S, S is attracted to W and I don’t mean sexually but by the bonds of ‘sympathy’! Sympathy is stronger than the sexual attraction because it lasts longer and doesn’t pass with the end of mating season. So, yes, Martin!Arthur is a typical W while Sam!Zaphod is S.! Taking it further, Rimmer - S, Lister - W; Blair Sandburg - W, Jim - S; Clark - S, Lex - W; Daniel Jones - S, Darren Hayes - W etc! Al the best slash pairings! *gasps* Contrast = Attraction!
2) Then we have the so called ‘beloved enemy’. Up until recently scientists believed that sexual attraction is opposite to aggression. Nope! SA and aggression are the opposite sides of the same coin, sympathy is what is opposite to them. Ergo - aggression can turn into SA quite easily, therefore many species fake fights before the actual act of mating. What do I always say about loving it when my boys hate each other? Zaphod and Arthur don’t actually call themselves ‘the best friends’, Rimmer and Lister’s fights are legendary… Hate = Attraction!
3) ‘Runrunrun little monkey, I’m gonna get you!’ The more female resists, the more male tries to impress her, the louder she says ‘no’ the more persistent he becomes in pursuing her. Let me tell you, Zaphod wouldn’t take Arthur’s ‘no’ as ‘no' but more like ’try harder’ and I believe Arthur would say ‘no’ a lot. *veg* No = Attraction!
4) Some species woo their females by acting totally pathetic and helpless. They seem to communicate ‘Oh, look at me, I’m so small and innocent, I need someone to protect me! Help me mummy!’ Could she say no? And speaking of which, could Zaphod say no to Arthur ‘look how adorable and vulnerable I am, don’t you want to take care of me? *llt*’ Dent? I don’t think so! Helplessness = Attraction!
So you see, it was written in the starts! Sam!Zaphod and Martin!Arthur! Rimmer/Lister! Darren/Daniel!! Even James and Hamster! They all have ‘matched by Mother Nature’ label on them and I’m sure that if we looked carefully, so would have many other slash pairings. That’s it for today kids, Doctor Kirke has finished. Next lecture is going to be about the wonderful world of buttlove, see ya! :P
aka2. Mother Nature was there first
I read the whole book ‘The Price of Love’ and let me tell you - totally brilliant. I’ve found there a chapter about the mutual attraction and started to compare it to the human behavior and, as it was expected, there’s really not that much difference between ‘their’ and ‘our’ behavior. Yes, we are animals in drag. What it has to do with Zaphod and Arthur (or any other X and Y?) A lot.
1) Starting from the beginning, in human physic we have generally two types of look - W (winter) and S (summer). Winter look is characterized by round eyes, ‘full’ cheeks and lips etc. while the Summer look consists of long face, narrow eyes etc. Of course, no one is really just W or S, it’s all a combination but someone is always either more W or S. Yes, you’ve guessed, W is attracted to S, S is attracted to W and I don’t mean sexually but by the bonds of ‘sympathy’! Sympathy is stronger than the sexual attraction because it lasts longer and doesn’t pass with the end of mating season. So, yes, Martin!Arthur is a typical W while Sam!Zaphod is S.! Taking it further, Rimmer - S, Lister - W; Blair Sandburg - W, Jim - S; Clark - S, Lex - W; Daniel Jones - S, Darren Hayes - W etc! Al the best slash pairings! *gasps* Contrast = Attraction!
2) Then we have the so called ‘beloved enemy’. Up until recently scientists believed that sexual attraction is opposite to aggression. Nope! SA and aggression are the opposite sides of the same coin, sympathy is what is opposite to them. Ergo - aggression can turn into SA quite easily, therefore many species fake fights before the actual act of mating. What do I always say about loving it when my boys hate each other? Zaphod and Arthur don’t actually call themselves ‘the best friends’, Rimmer and Lister’s fights are legendary… Hate = Attraction!
3) ‘Runrunrun little monkey, I’m gonna get you!’ The more female resists, the more male tries to impress her, the louder she says ‘no’ the more persistent he becomes in pursuing her. Let me tell you, Zaphod wouldn’t take Arthur’s ‘no’ as ‘no' but more like ’try harder’ and I believe Arthur would say ‘no’ a lot. *veg* No = Attraction!
4) Some species woo their females by acting totally pathetic and helpless. They seem to communicate ‘Oh, look at me, I’m so small and innocent, I need someone to protect me! Help me mummy!’ Could she say no? And speaking of which, could Zaphod say no to Arthur ‘look how adorable and vulnerable I am, don’t you want to take care of me? *llt*’ Dent? I don’t think so! Helplessness = Attraction!
So you see, it was written in the starts! Sam!Zaphod and Martin!Arthur! Rimmer/Lister! Darren/Daniel!! Even James and Hamster! They all have ‘matched by Mother Nature’ label on them and I’m sure that if we looked carefully, so would have many other slash pairings. That’s it for today kids, Doctor Kirke has finished. Next lecture is going to be about the wonderful world of buttlove, see ya! :P