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Masks

Started by Nephew Twiddleton, October 17, 2012, 05:30:00 AM

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Nephew Twiddleton

I would like to bring something to the consideration of my dear Aunts and Uncles.

People like to wear masks.

Not just for Halloween or some sort of fancy dress sort of thing. No, people like to put up a front of sorts. A created personality. Kinda like your social networking profile, except this one stays on in person. You don't take it off really. The mask looks a lot like your actual face, but a bit distorted.

Masks basically do two obvious things. They conceal your identity, and they pass you off as something you want others to think you are.

When you're wearing your mask, which is always, you're hiding a bit of yourself, holding back, for whatever reason, and you're exaggerating some of your other features, whether in a more flattering way, or as an intentional caricature. This is fine, and healthy. Masks are fun to wear. And some parts of your real face you don't necessarily want to show everyone.

But since you're always wearing your mask, that's also what you see when you look in the mirror. You see yourself as you want others to see you.

Maybe then, you realize that you're still wearing your mask, as you look at yourself in the mirror, and you've forgotten what you look like. So, naturally, you start to take the mask off.

The problem with that is that there is another side of the mask. The side that no one ever thinks about. People only ever think about the outside of the mask, and the the face that it is concealing. And when you go to take off that mask, you look at the other side of the mask, and there are things written there. The things that are written there are insulting. Disheartening. Embarrassing. That whole time, silently speaking to you in the darkness.

It's why you put the mask on in the first place. You didn't want to have to read what was there, and you didn't want anyone else to read it either. The best way to do that is to hide it away where not even you could see it. But it was still there, facing you the whole time. And while you were facing it as well, you weren't really looking at it, you were looking past it.

But hey, you forgot that the mask is off and there's a mirror in front of you. Take a look. It's not all that bad. Yeah, it can be kinda bad sometimes, and maybe a rare time really bad, but there are some good things there too. The same things that are on the outside of the mask. That's why you put them on the front of the mask in the first place. And that's really what this is about anyway. You made the mask, so you're the one who wrote all that nasty shit on the inside.

Anyway, chuck out that mask and use that mirror to wash your face. It's kinda bad for your skin to be wearing an old grimy mask all the time.

Your favorite Nephew,
Twid

PS- I'm intending on turning this concept into a song, an illustration, or a short story of some sort. Maybe all three. Why not?
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Verbal Mike

DO EET.

This is some seriously good shit.
Unless stated otherwise, feel free to copy or reproduce any text I post anywhere and any way you like. I will never throw a hissy-fit over it, promise.

Verbal Mike

Especially the part about why we wear masks, and that we both create the mask and the writing. I don't think that's often been said, and this is a very good way of saying it.

It reminds me of this TED talk I watched a while back, which effectively threw me right out of depression into a few whole days of being totally awesome.
Unless stated otherwise, feel free to copy or reproduce any text I post anywhere and any way you like. I will never throw a hissy-fit over it, promise.

Nephew Twiddleton

Quote from: Verbal Mike on October 17, 2012, 11:03:30 AM
Especially the part about why we wear masks, and that we both create the mask and the writing. I don't think that's often been said, and this is a very good way of saying it.

It reminds me of this TED talk I watched a while back, which effectively threw me right out of depression into a few whole days of being totally awesome.

Ooh, thanks dude.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Sita

I had a discussion with my mom on something quite like this recently.

I've been wearing a mask that I wasn't even totally aware of. This persona of the quiet, shy, good girl. The purpose of which is so that people will like me, because for whatever reason I came to think that is most important.

She told me that she can see my real personality (which is much like my father's) screaming to come out. That she can't understand why I've been so willing to suppress it for such a long time.

This got me thinking, made me realize that it's true. Part of the reason I feel so miserable is that I don't let the real me show. Which, of course, brought another round of depression on me. Because I'm messed up like that. But this time I'm not letting it take control. The mask is sliding off and I hope I can handle the result.
:ninja:
Laugh, even if you are screaming inside. Smile, because the world doesn't care if you feel like crying.

Verbal Mike

I read once that in some depression/burnout expert's estimation, the root cause of depression is always stuff you are hiding from the world, like secrets. Maybe it's masks, too.

Good luck, Sita.
Unless stated otherwise, feel free to copy or reproduce any text I post anywhere and any way you like. I will never throw a hissy-fit over it, promise.

Q. G. Pennyworth

There's the mask you wear with family
And the mask you wear at school
There's the mask you wear with one group of friends
And another
And another.

There's a mask you wear for authorities
And the mask for riding the bus
There's the mask you wear for first dates
And seconds
And thirds.

There's a mask for social gatherings
And a mask for nights at home
There's a mask for those who love you
And the one you wear
For you


(is it alright if I bounce some more things off this, Twid? you hit one of my favorite subjects)

Nephew Twiddleton

Go for it. Next phase for me is to discuss it further here while figuring out which medium to go for next
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

Probably ill twiddle around with it in horror type story format to prep it for transition to a metal song. Anarchangel in general is suffering from a bit of burn out so were going to be on vacation from it for december and then get to writing new shit with it since we also want to play something new.

As a side note lmno- 80% in favor of you remixing monster. Villager was absent from the vote due to not feeling well.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

P3nT4gR4m

The only thing I have against the masks metaphor is that, imo, there's nothing under there. Just another mask. What I'm getting at is that the only thing you can ever show the world is a mask. The choice of what that mask comprises is either up to you or some kind of default that happens by itself but it's a mask nonetheless.

The whole notion of "being true to yourself" and doing shit "from the heart" strikes me as so much bullshit put there to stop you growing. You don't have to stay the same - most everyone changes. Accept this, embrace it. Change deliberately into someone you want to be. Design a new mask. Put it on. Simple as that. Alternatively, hold on to "your true nature" and watch the tired old mask get cracked and corrupted by a universe that doesn't really give a fuck if you're being genuine or not.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

Nephew Twiddleton

I see what youre saying pent- i might include that in further iterations of the idea.
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

Nephew Twiddleton

Is there much point in wearing a mask around the house though?
Strange and Terrible Organ Laminator of Yesterday's Heavy Scene
Sentence or sentence fragment pending

Soy El Vaquero Peludo de Oro

TIM AM I, PRIMARY OF THE EXTRA-ATMOSPHERIC SIMIANS

P3nT4gR4m

I'm thinking a distinction should be made but I'm thinking it's not mask wearers v's non-mask wearers

Maybe Mask wearers who are good at playing the part and mask wearers that suck at it.

You start out designing a new mask, a new personality, there's a learning curve, an adjustment period. During this adjustment period everyone who knows the old mask will accuse you of trying to "be something you're not" or "fake" or words to that effect.

This aspect of human nature gets right on my tits. Give a person time to settle in and they'll grow into their new mask. Like riding a new bike. Discouraging it is discouraging growth. Most of the time it's just sour grapes anyroad but a lot of the time it works.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

P3nT4gR4m

Also you don't necessarily have to limit yourself to one mask.

I'm up to my arse in Brexit Numpties, but I want more.  Target-rich environments are the new sexy.
Not actually a meat product.
Ass-Kicking & Foot-Stomping Ancient Master of SHIT FUCK FUCK FUCK
Awful and Bent Behemothic Results of Last Night's Painful Squat.
High Altitude Haggis-Filled Sex Bucket From Beyond Time and Space.
Internet Monkey Person of Filthy and Immoral Pygmy-Porn Wart Contagion
Octomom Auxillary Heat Exchanger Repairman
walking the fine line line between genius and batshit fucking crazy

"computation is a pattern in the spacetime arrangement of particles, and it's not the particles but the pattern that really matters! Matter doesn't matter." -- Max Tegmark

LMNO

Quote from: Nephew Twiddleton on October 17, 2012, 02:24:45 PM
As a side note lmno- 80% in favor of you remixing monster. Villager was absent from the vote due to not feeling well.

That's cool.  Lemme know when you've got confirmation, and we'll start up a new thread about it.