Half-formed thoughts.

[permetaform]

You know, in reference to the Blade Runner discussion...I wonder how many people separate 'like' and 'love' the way I do, or perhaps if everybody just mixes it all up which confuses me a bit 'cause they're not the same.

Perhaps it's like the "x loves y, but x is not IN LOVE with y" thing I see occasionally in fic?

It's similar to how I like Blade Runner, but am in love with The 5th Element, I think...but what's the difference?

Is it just a matter of degree? "I like you" v. "I love you"?

Doesn't feel quite right.

I almost want to say that it's a mental love instead of an emotional love, but I'm not sure if that's quite the right analogy.

Perhaps:
Like = critical analytical admiration
Love = bittersweet obsession adoration

[edit] 2.18.5

For whereas 'like' is appreciation, 'love' includes all the messyness, where flaws aren't 'bad', and there's faults but you're in helpless adoration anyways.

Or perhaps I'm still missing the point. ::is befuddled:: This is not helped by the fact that some people I'm attracted to because I want to *be* them. (for instance, The Boy in HS that was way too similar to The Mom, in hindsight, but who I think I always labled as 'Someone Worthy Of Approval')

(...also, this brings up probably bad analogies to the Black Widow thing...ie. absorbing one's talents by ::cough:: absorbing one's ...talents)

::stares in befuddlement at post:: argh. I dunno. I'm still feeling this subject out, would like (and love ;D) input on this.

[edit 2.18.5]
further distinctions:

'in love' = which by my definition starts out in pure passion and mellows out into the bittersweet attachment.
'love' = ie. OMG LOVE!, it's that flare of pure joy that may be empty very quickly. 'like' = for me, lasts about as long as 'in love', but it's...shaded less ardently. I'm not as compelled to understand the messy sides when I like something than with things that I love.

ps. there's tons of neat saiyuki 58 links in the comments to this post

Comments

[klia.livejournal.com]

Well, life *is* pain. And love isn't black and white, it's all shades of grey, and most of us just do our darndest to make choices that bring us more positives than negatives. I guess I just take it for granted that the two come bundled together like software. :)

[permetaform]

I guess I just take it for granted that the two come bundled together like software.

exactly, that's what I meant by "bittersweet" =); heh, we seem to be having alot of semantic discussions, no?

[klia.livejournal.com]

heh, we seem to be having alot of semantic discussions, no?

Yeah, these newfangled contraptions called *words*. Heh.

[permetaform]

Yeah, these newfangled contraptions called *words*. Heh.

::grievous sigh of Woe:: they should instate telepathy...

[klia.livejournal.com]

Dude, telepathy would be just plain *scary*! I have enough trouble with my own thoughts! *g*

[permetaform]

XD what's funny is that I usually get accusations of brain-sharing with people...and here we're all having the opposite trouble...

[klia.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm sort of the non-intrusive type. :)

[permetaform]

::tsks at you and opens brain for you to intrude in:: =D

[klia.livejournal.com]

:D

::thinks we don't know each other well enough for that::