The masks of inscrutability, or are you really you?

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

If you want I suppose you could picture me as a glowing, man-eating squash from Neptune

Radioactive alien produce it is.

I've not yet come to a conclusion as to what my thoughts are in regard to other people's potential imaginings of me. I suppose that I like to allow a little bit of artistic license on their part and a little bit of mystery on my own part.

Is this creating another mask (or series of masks) however? Just as Feanor of the Peredhil is one of L*'s masks, so, apparently, are the images other people project of Fea. L* has her masks (or my masks, to be grammatically correct), which each, in turn, have their own. But do masks that other people give you count as masks you give yourself, simply because you allow them to exist?

Fea

[Lhunardawen]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

By allowing, even encouraging, fellow members to come up with amazingly inaccurate images of us, are we subconsciously letting them make masks for us? Rather than letting the true 'you' show through (forgive the rhyme), we are letting people create labels for us.

It's always interesting (and funny at times) to know how other Downers see you, but we always have the choice whether we shall tell them who we really are or not. As the phantom said:

Maybe some people are, but on that thread you mentioned I usually tell people if they are right or wrong. I don't tell them they can't picture me the way they want but I also tell them the way I truly am in case they want to be closer to reality.

In my case, my avatar misleads some people into thinking that I look like Eowyn, but I tell them that I don't. We just happened to have quite similar stories, but I was not lucky enough to be as beautiful as her.

But just because others see me in the way they do, it does not necessarily mean that I should create a mask out of it. If people perceive me as a certain person, then that's their personal opinion. I don't think I would call it a mask if what they see is how I really am (or at least the mask I wear ) . But if I know that is not the real me (or the mask), yet that is how they see me, then I have just let them create a mask for me, which I accept unless I tell them they are wrong. In the end, all that matters is that we know if what we're showing people is who we really are, or at least the mask we want them to see.

That is quite confusing. I don't think it made sense.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

That is quite confusing. I don't think it made sense.

It did, no worries.

I was not lucky enough to be as beautiful as her.

Or more likely you are just as beautiful, and just don't think you are. That's usually how it goes.

So the feeling that I am getting is along the lines that the images other people give us are only masks if we accept them as such? The second we deny it, we wear the mask no longer. I think...

Fea

[The Saucepan Man]

So the feeling that I am getting is along the lines that the images other people give us are only masks if we accept them as such?

Just as in real life, people base their image of you on what you give out to them (consciously or subconsciously). And they may be way off, or they might be more accurate than you'd care to admit ...

[Guinevere]

I've only just discovered this thread - great idea, Heren Istarion! And very interesting to read all those posts.
As for me, I don't think I am "wearing a mask" in this forum at all . My character is basically much the same as in real life. It's just that here only a part of my person shows, the one that is concerned with Tolkien. In real life, I don't have much opportunity to talk about that which really moves me. And I am usually mute as a fish in a discussion with several persons since I don't have much self-confidence and am neither eloquent nor quick-witted. While I struggle to find the right words, the discussion has moved on. I can express myself much better in written language (be that in my mothertongue or in English) because it gives me time to find words for my thoughts and feelings.

[Encaitare]

Hmmm... deep question. I'm pretty much the same, only here you can't see me making funny faces.

Seriously though, the only thing that's different about me here is that I'm less outspoken. If I believe something I will argue for it, but I won't go crazy. My outspokenness has gotten me in trouble before, and it's good that here I have time to think about what I say before I click the little "Submit Reply" button.

[elronds_daughter]

Hmm.... I suppose "elronds_daughter" may only be one of my many alter-egos. Online, I have many; most stem from various RPGs. Offline, I also have several: a Vulcan, a girly-girl, a frazzled author, and an over-confident, tough, skeptical former CIA agent have all taken up residence in my person. I manage to suppress the girly-girl most of the time (Thank heavens! Though subtle, unintentional things tend to draw her out--those get on my nerves). "elronds_daughter" (or Eddy, as Fea calls me) seems to be a combination of all of them--the healthiest combination that has occurred so far. Much of the time, "elronds_daughter" seems to mirror my real life self. Though there are times when deviation occurs, they are rare. Therefore, I can honestly say that what you're getting through the medium of "elronds_daughter" is pretty much me.