Strangeness, oddity,
quirk: these might not sound like the traits of an
attractive man. Yet, they can be very compelling – and most attractive
men have their quirks.
“I swear I’ve never met a man who has your knack for lack of social grace. If you weren’t naturally charming, someone would have stabbed you by now.”
— Patrick Rothfuss, The Wise Man’s Fear
One of my closest friends sent me this quote from our favorite fantasy novel. He said that it reminded him of me.
And, although I have been likened to water by some and a lion by others, I’ve always thought of myself as a fool.
The kind of foolishness I speak of is that of the Fool card in Tarot.
He skips through the world like a child, eyes to the sky, head in the heavens, knapsack on back, and always on the precipice of a great fall (like, literally, he’s about to fall off a cliff). As a fool, I’ve always been attracted to foolish, weird, and strange people and things.
One of my earliest fascinations was with the antagonist from the video game Final Fantasy 6. His name is Kefka, and he is a nihilistic, psychopathic, murderous villain who dresses like a jester.
He begins the story as this weak mage, carrying out the orders of his emperor, laughing at everyone and everything. And then, by the end of the game, he becomes the God of Magic and literally destroys the world, all whilst laughing at everyone and everything.
Strangely, he is one of the most beloved, if not the most loved villain in all of Final Fantasy. His appeal is akin to that of DC’s The Joker (and the creators of Final Fantasy probably drew influence from him for Kefka’s personality).
Others in fiction who work off the same premise are characters like Elodin from the Kingkiller Chronicles, Wit from the Stormlight Archive, The Comedian from Watchmen, or even Rust Coehle from True Detective.
They are wild, batshit insane, and yet terribly charismatic despite having a natural inclination for ungraceful behavior.
Comments
Nice article
I've run across a few of your articles now and, while I didn't care for some of them, a lot just really 'click' with me. This would be one of those.
I can confirm that, despite being a white guy, cracking black jokes does tend to go over really well with black people. Sometimes they'll even crack white jokes and we'll all share a good laugh. From what I've experienced, though, Asian's are more likely to get offended by racial jokes. I don't know if it's a cultural thing, if I've just been meeting the wrong Asian's, or if my social calibration is off, but that's been my experience.
Overall, though, I really like this article. I already do a few of these things subconsciously and what I don't do sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I'll have to consider giving some of these things a try the next time I'm out and about.
Oh, and Final Fantasy 6 is one of my favorite games.
Well Done
I can relate to many of the points which leads me to realize I'm not alone and I can actually use my quirks to my benefit. Great article Hector!
Efimminate Mannerisms.
Amazing article, Hector. Your writing is superb!
One of the things that stood the most out to me when observing a few of my friends,who are naturally talented with girls, is their effeminate and slightly eccentric mannerisms, which I always looked down upon. Guess I was completely wrong.
And man, your articles keep getting more and more phenomenal. Keep them coming!
Bond.
Arrogance+Strangeness?
Is this compatible with arrogance, or should one wait to achieve genuine-ness?
Heya, Hector!
You're article got me thinking about the linkage between quirkiness and Byronic traits — how they might go together!
Since I consider myself a huge dork, I think I tend to gravitate toward emulating Byronic sex symbols that you might consider quirky, like Robert Downy Jr. as Ironman:
http://i1.wp.com/nerdbastards.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/iron-man-ro...
On the dark side of the quirky spectrum, I'm a huge fan of Christoph Waltz — how about his portrayal of Ernst Blofeld in Spectre (talk about twinkle in the eye)?:
https://hmssweblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/blofeld-spectre.jpg
Last but not least, I want to assume you've seen the movie Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds — quite possibly the epitome of quirky, Byronic, and dominant nomad all rolled into one… what do you think, Hector?!
FYI update: I am proudly juggling two married women in my sex life at the moment, with I hope one or two more (married) possibly on the horizon. While I still consider myself a newbie to seduction, I have a "strange" past that I believe puts me in a unique position to capitalize on my sexual potential in spite of being a formerly staunch practitioner of celibacy.
I am not necessarily good at game, but I have learned a thing or two about myself, women, and how I think I want to make my mark on this world. Speaking of madness, I think it is utterly insane how "normal" people pretend to be in "committed" monogamous relationships when an utter newbie such as myself is capable of making two married women stray… Sure, one can claim that since I set out to "test" married women — that I was bound to bump into one or two sooner or later (as they make the perfect relationship partners for the Byronic man): material needs fully met by husband while emotional and sexual needs require fulfilling — enter the proverbial "pool boy," a.k.a. fuck boy. They take ME on dates, fight for MY time, and ultimately compete for a deeper relationship with ME, while I bang the fuck out of all of them, ratchet up the intensity of their physical pleasure, and earn their number one choice for take-home mate — ironically, one they can never "take home."
This is why I associate most with Loki, Satan, or even the Joker — male identities who represent the logical necessity to order and accepted norms… the Yin to society's Yang.
-M
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