❤️ Are the Audios Unrealistic? Yes & No! ❤️ (Patreon)

I was recently asked if I think the audios create an unrealistic expectation for real relationships. I think this is a really interesting and worthwhile thing to examine. Here are my thoughts:

Whilst some audios are obviously more outlandish and even ridiculous (looking at you Milky Cow Girl Monster), for the most part, I don't believe the audios create an unrealistic expectation for relationships. On the whole, I think the audios are very reminiscent of what good relationships should be: people caring for each other, listening, trying to help and being there for each other. In a lot of the audios, especially the ones regarding mental health, the girlfriend characters don't magically make everything okay, but they listen and try to be supportive - and that's pretty much all any partner can do. They're not the heroes, they don't always save the day, but they love and support their significant other.

What might be an unrealistic expectation is that people could ever be as consistently convenient as the audios. When you turn on an audio it's because you might want comfort, positive affirmations, etc. But you can't just simply turn those things on in a person or a relationship. People are not products and products are not people.

Even with amazing people, there are gonna be times when they can't be totally attentive and supportive, because they themselves have their own issues, worries and mental health ups and downs. Essentially, people, unlike the audios, are not solely here for our entertainment, enjoyment and comfort. They're complicated, flawed people who don't always say the right thing or put their whole life on hold because their partner is having a hard time. We are not their whole life, but one part of a much bigger picture. And so, I'd say the best way to have realistic expectations around future relationships is to know that people are not designed for us, they're not catering to our specific needs, they don't come with tags of [positive affirmations] [comfort for insecurities], etc.

People are just people. They can be wonderful, fundamentally decent, but they're not always gonna react or behave the way we'd like, and that will absolutely be true of us too. We can't always be our optimal selves and that's what makes us real and human and not a product, not an audio. Ultimately, I see no reason for the audios and real relationships to be in competition with each other. The audios are not real, complicated intimacy, and real relationships are not thought-out, specially crafted role-plays catering to specific wants and desires. They exist in the same universe and are completely separate things.

Ultimately, these audios are not trying to be a replacement for a relationship. They’re escapism, just like a romantic novel, video game, movie, or any other form of entertainment. Their primary function is to make the consumer feel engaged and entertained. Relationships ask far more from a person, but if they’re the right relationships, they also give far more too.

I hope that explains my thoughts and provides you with some insight.

Best wishes,

Tea