Well sure I did, but Jane Fonda was only ever on the screen. Emma-May was real. If I'm going to settle down with someone I'm not going to do it halfway. "The one" implies ONE. Singular.
[Essentially he is the ultimate wife guy. He doesn't really fall in love with someone until he's sure they're marriage material, and once he's sure of that, he forgets about everyone else.
If anybody tried to explain being aromantic to him it would fry his brain completely.]
[ And somewhat strange to imagine. By virtue of being a traveler Ford's longest relationship lasted just shy of three years. And sure, he took a long, long break from romantic entanglements after that one, but even then he hadn't really thought he would be hung up on her forever. ]
Alright, let's come from a different angle.
Isn't that's just picking one particular person, rather than deciding on one sex over the other?
Loyalty's sort of a key part of being married. Til' death and all.
[And that's relevant, because he doesn't quite get the point of dating someone and not having the eventual end goal be marriage. One is just the stepping stone to the other, they aren't separate things. He loses interest in someone the second he realizes they're just not compatible that way.
Maybe that's why he never thought of Ford that way. Being married to Ford, he's pretty sure, would kill him.]
You could say it's just picking one particular person but isn't
[Oh lord help him he does not want to talk about this with Ford Pines but he has still fully not grasped the core concept here]
isn't bedroom compatibility a concern? I'd think sex very much does matter.
[ actually this conversation is very bad and ford would like to stop having it
But Ford perseveres. Fiddleford is his closest friend. He can manage this much. ]
Right.
But just because you chose Emma-May over anyone else doesn't mean you were never attracted to other women, or that you're not theoretically capable of it in the future. Right?
[ If Fiddleford says no again Ford's going to throw his Omni into the sea. ]
There's no reason that principle wouldn't also apply to being attracted to men.
[He's accepting it the same way someone might accept a spider that's moved into their cupboard.]
Right.
It's a moot point anyway because the man I fell for isn't here anymore. But you know me, you know I can't leave something alone if it's giving me trouble.
[Because that's the thing, isn't it. However much he doesn't trust Ford, however much he knows something happened between them that he's very upset about, Ford knows him. He knows Ford. He needs that familiarity and right now the fact that he's sure Ford is dangerous is honestly making him more compelled to seek Ford out.]
But the news that the source of Fiddleford's latest revelation is gone is a little surprising, and Ford doesn't know how to respond. Emotional things aren't really his forte, even after getting a lot of practice the past two years.
He does, however, know that he should say something. So after a moment: ]
It's not uncommon for people to come and go. I know how to make something that'll let you know if he comes back.
[ Naturally, he settles on something overly practical. ]
[It helps that it's not the same kind of loss as Emma-May. They were together for years. He thought it was going to be forever. This was something a lot newer, a lot more uncertain, a lot less defined, and that makes it easier to move forward from. He isn't lovesick the same way he still is for his ex-wife. He's just... you know... thinking about it a lot. For reasons.]
I don't know if that would be wise. Then I would just keep checking it.
[Still. He knows himself. It would turn into a thing. He'd have to check it five times over every day. He does not have the knowledge or words to say 'that would set my OCD off something fierce' but instinctually he knows that it's true.]
Besides I don't think I want you knowing who he is.
[ Constantly checking the compass is something Ford can relate to more than he would like to admit, so he'll just leave that comment where it is.
Besides, Fiddleford's follow up remark is much more interesting. Ford is a little aggravated that Fiddleford doesn't want him to know, but instead of being angry he zeroes in on the 'why'. ]
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[ How... exactly should he put this...? ]
After you got married did you suddenly stop caring about Jane Fonda whenever you watched Cat Ballou?
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[ Ford can't really remember how often, but often enough that he remembers it. ]
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[Essentially he is the ultimate wife guy. He doesn't really fall in love with someone until he's sure they're marriage material, and once he's sure of that, he forgets about everyone else.
If anybody tried to explain being aromantic to him it would fry his brain completely.]
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very loyal of you.
[ And somewhat strange to imagine. By virtue of being a traveler Ford's longest relationship lasted just shy of three years. And sure, he took a long, long break from romantic entanglements after that one, but even then he hadn't really thought he would be hung up on her forever. ]
Alright, let's come from a different angle.
Isn't that's just picking one particular person, rather than deciding on one sex over the other?
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[And that's relevant, because he doesn't quite get the point of dating someone and not having the eventual end goal be marriage. One is just the stepping stone to the other, they aren't separate things. He loses interest in someone the second he realizes they're just not compatible that way.
Maybe that's why he never thought of Ford that way. Being married to Ford, he's pretty sure, would kill him.]
You could say it's just picking one particular person but isn't
[Oh lord help him he does not want to talk about this with Ford Pines but he has still fully not grasped the core concept here]
isn't bedroom compatibility a concern? I'd think sex very much does matter.
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But Ford perseveres. Fiddleford is his closest friend. He can manage this much. ]
Right.
But just because you chose Emma-May over anyone else doesn't mean you were never attracted to other women, or that you're not theoretically capable of it in the future. Right?
[ If Fiddleford says no again Ford's going to throw his Omni into the sea. ]
There's no reason that principle wouldn't also apply to being attracted to men.
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Oh. So it's not a discrete sort of thing. Or it doesn't have to be.
[BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOLKS HE'S GOT IT HE FIGURED IT OUT]
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Precisely. You'll find there's quite a few similar people in Trench.
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Right.
It's a moot point anyway because the man I fell for isn't here anymore. But you know me, you know I can't leave something alone if it's giving me trouble.
[Because that's the thing, isn't it. However much he doesn't trust Ford, however much he knows something happened between them that he's very upset about, Ford knows him. He knows Ford. He needs that familiarity and right now the fact that he's sure Ford is dangerous is honestly making him more compelled to seek Ford out.]
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But the news that the source of Fiddleford's latest revelation is gone is a little surprising, and Ford doesn't know how to respond. Emotional things aren't really his forte, even after getting a lot of practice the past two years.
He does, however, know that he should say something. So after a moment: ]
It's not uncommon for people to come and go. I know how to make something that'll let you know if he comes back.
[ Naturally, he settles on something overly practical. ]
cw: discussion of mental illness
I don't know if that would be wise. Then I would just keep checking it.
[Still. He knows himself. It would turn into a thing. He'd have to check it five times over every day. He does not have the knowledge or words to say 'that would set my OCD off something fierce' but instinctually he knows that it's true.]
Besides I don't think I want you knowing who he is.
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Besides, Fiddleford's follow up remark is much more interesting. Ford is a little aggravated that Fiddleford doesn't want him to know, but instead of being angry he zeroes in on the 'why'. ]
Is he someone I know?