<< #18
Do you need a moment to process the whole chapter? Go on, take your time. I'll wait. Done? Good. Alright, let's get on with it.
Hello, Cloudheads! How did you like the chapter? Did you hate it? Was it "meh?" I don't mind. Be honest. Let me hear your thoughts about it. It's another attempt to tug on your heartstrings. I hope I stretched it even a little bit. Were they tugged? Let me know if it wasn't so that I could readjust the whole chapter.
"Love" is such a universal concept. Even words are rendered unnecessary when trying to convey it. A hug, a kiss, a kind gesture — all of these are used to convey love. But, for people who have trouble recognizing emotions, it's hard to determine that.
Back in college, I belonged to a laboratory to help autistic children recognize emotions. We used facial, vocal and gesture cues to determine the emotion being conveyed by an individual. While the Center for Empathic and Human-Computer Interaction is still ongoing, I have since left it to enter the professional world. I had such a stimulating experience being part of that laboratory, and it has fundamentally shaped the way I approached problems. But, it's a story for a different post.
What I was trying to get at was that I know how hard it is for some people to not recognize emotion. That's one of the foundations of this story even. The "giants", as Ledd perceives them, have done nothing but love him from the very beginning. All of their actions were given different definitions based on Ledd's perception. Even "I love you" is a foreign phrase for him.
I wanted to put him in a conflicting spot. While he was just trying to emulate Dadier's and Mamie's action of kissing him, he thinks of it differently than what they intend it to be. He still gets that endorphin boost generated by the action, but he attributes it to his own efforts. Its a victory for him, but he unintentionally gives a feeling of victory to both giants as well. I hoped that translated well.
It's such a bittersweet moment that provides hope that Ledd might actually be processing emotions the way others do. I wanted to give them a touching moment as a reprieve to a long stressful day. While Ledd continues to scheme against them, I'm trying to convey that the giants really don't want any harm to come of him.
OR, am I just making all of this up to tug on your hearstrings further and the conspiracy deepens even more in the following chapters?!
Oh, and that scene with the rectangular freeze box?
Image Source
Yup, you're already getting pretty good at this! Until next time ;)
Thanks for reading! Follow me, @jedau, if you want to live.
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