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[epershand]

IMPORTANT POLL TIME

Poll #6040 Relevant to my interests

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 27

View Respondents

Have your eyes ever "darkened with lust"?

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Yes
3 (11.1%)

No
6 (22.2%)

Dude I don't have sex with mirrors
18 (66.7%)

Have you ever witnessed someone's eyes darkening with lust?

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Yes
4 (15.4%)

No
12 (46.2%)

Maybe
10 (38.5%)

Do you think that eyes darkening with lust is usually intended to be literal or figurative?

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Literal
9 (34.6%)

Figurative
17 (65.4%)

Is it, like, an eye color thing? One of those things that people with light-colored eyes can do and the rest of us can't?

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Totally. It's a thing. Duh.
8 (32.0%)

No, just because our eyes change all the time doesn't mean we have magical lust-darkening powers
17 (68.0%)

Is it odd that I'm so fixated on this right now? Is it just the frequency illusion that makes me think every single fanfic ever written uses this expression?

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Pretty much, yeah
20 (100.0%)

Ticky

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ticky
22 (100.0%)

Comments

[eccentric_hat]

I think it's about dilated pupils.

[eccentric_hat]

Oh, and can you answer a question I always forget to ask? What is the ticky at the end of a poll for? Everyone does it and I always scratch my head and feel like I'm missing something.

[epershand]

Thank you! Dilated pupils seem to be the consensus. I kept assuming it was about the iris changing color and got confused.

The ticky at the end of the poll to give you an extra chance to click on things in case you've been insufficiently satisfied by your opportunities earlier in the poll.

Scientific Observations

[wordweaverlynn]

Embrace the power of "and." Some people's iris color does actually change with desire.

A lover of mine had light blue eyes that ranged from almost grey to blue -- and to frankly green when zie was aroused. Zie just thought zie had blue eyes, not having spent much time staring in mirrors while hot and bothered.

My eyes are green in the middle, dark grey-blue around, with a darker rim. Nobody's ever mentioned that they change color when I'm aroused. Possibly because their attention is occupied elsewhere.

Re: Scientific Observations

[epershand]

Oooh, thank you. Your scientific observations are exactly what I'd hoped they would be. Hurrah!

[allchildren]

I haven't noticed this, but I haven't read much fic in ages. However, I will make up some theories anyway!

1) pupil dilation? due to DESIRE or possibly a dark environment
2) heavy-lidded sultriness? like a sexy squint
3) the x-files

[epershand]

I AM IN FAVOR OF OPTION 3. I always thought it was either option 2 or the irises literally changing color (as someone with fairly dark brown eyes, I am always fascinated by the ways that people with blue/green/hazel eyes get to have different eye colors all the time and so assumed that it was related.

But yeah, apparently the answer is pupil dilation according to all the other comments. Who knew? Only people other than me, apparently.

[nextian]

Pupils dilate when you're turned on, don't they? So I always kind of assumed that that was the literal interpretation, but that it'd be much more accurate to just go figurative and think "sexy bedroom eyes of DANGER and PASSION."

[epershand]

Ok, pupil dilation makes sense. This is going to make it much less exciting than IRISES CHANGING COLOR WITH DANGER AND PASSION was in my head.

[paperpenguin]

I answered all the questions facetiously and then it turned out I was right. :(

[ex_mrs260625]

I also think pupil dilation is the origin of the phrase. (However, I also think people mindlessly repeat it without actually knowing what they're describing, because that's how fanfic cliches work.)

[epershand]

Yeah, that makes sense. Although they must have at least some mental picture of what's going on if they're using it. Presumably for the most part they're assuming pupil dilation and not any of my wacky theories.

[gwenbasil]

I uh ... couldn't choose what to put! Because I am HORRIBLE at body language/facial expressions, you could be darkening right in my face and I'd still need verbal confirmation.

I kind of hate any kind of writing that lets people do that sort of semi-psychic I just understand you so well body-language reading. I just pitched Song of Ice and Fire across the room when ...that one woman object with the creepy brother could tell Duke Guy's personality from how his face looked, from across the room. It was in the first few chapters. That is one of my LEAST favorite narrative conceits.

[epershand]

I have been reading way too much fiction with magic psychic body-language reading lately. I am really very good at reading body language in general, and it STILL doesn't work like that.

I haven't read any of GRRM's books, but I know the kind of scene in general. When Sherlock Holmes magically intuits everything about someone from their body language, it's one thing. When everybody can do it, it's a lot less impressive.