Character Development: Mikkel

[Richard Weir]

Well, well, well... Turns out Mikkel has a cruel sense of humour! (Page 191.) (And Emil doesn't, but that somehow doesn't suprise.)

[Hrollo]

I was wondering why Mikkel got fired so much, because so far he hadn't shown anything that might cause animosity. Well then now...

[JoB]

I was wondering why Mikkel got fired so much, because so far he hadn't shown anything that might cause animosity. Well then now...

He's going to take "fired" to a whole new level, once the guy wielding incendiaries gets wise of his shenanigans.

[BabaYaga]

Solovei, where have you been all my life, that language chart is perfect! 

Or he's a care bear.

He's going to take "fired" to a whole new level, once the guy wielding incendiaries gets wise of his shenanigans.

The puns are strong with this board, I love it.

[Rabbit]

He's going to take "fired" to a whole new level, once the guy wielding incendiaries gets wise of his shenanigans.

Did you just put Emil and "get wise" in the same sentence, because I don't think that's how the universe works... 

[JoB]

Did you just put Emil and "get wise" in the same sentence, because I don't think that's how the universe works... 

Precisely. What better way for Emil to break it?

[Rabbit]

Precisely. What better way for Emil to break it?

Sigrun's going to have a hard time covering for that one

[Sunflower]

On p. 217, Ann Marie shared an interesting post on male physiques -- specifically, the difference between a prettied-up bodybuilder and an *actual* strong man (such as our medic). 

[Ann Marie]

Finally got to read this thread, meaning to post that image, and you posted it while I was reading.     I wouldn't call Mikkel obese by any means - just strong and solid with a little layer of cushioning, very appropriate for someone who needs calories to do a lot of work, and lives in a cooler climate.  But no, I wouldn't think he's any kind of long-distance runner.   

He'd be super nice to cuddle, wouldn't he?

[OurAdversarialSystem]

While this probably isn't the cause, the pituitary gland secretes hormones that impact how the body puts on fat or muscle. Living in an environment without a lot of human interaction as a child or getting a powerful blow to the head could cause the pituitary gland to malfunction causing it to secrete too much or too little of the chemicals that keep the body in balance.

[hushpiper]

Oh this is an interesting discussion! *attempts to upvote the picture a few hundred more times* I haven't got much to add, so here, have an anecdote!

Genetics, as pointed out in the disqus comments, makes a huuuuuuuge difference. Case in point, myself vs my husband. Because we spend all of our time within 10 yards of each other, we each eat the same foods in similar amounts (there is some accounting for BMR, after all) and get about the same amount of exercise, but our body types are COMPLETELY different.

I'm a Lalli-type: if I don't have someone actively shoving cheeseburgers in my face several times a day, I start losing weight at alarming rates, especially if I've been exercising. It has to be heavy food too, red meats and dairy and fats--I could never survive on even a semi-vegetarian diet (trust me, my parents tried really hard), and I'll put on pounds from all the sugary soda I drink around the same time the moon falls into the sea. My whole family is made up of short, zippy little hummingbirds like me, though I am the shortest and zippiest of the bunch. Luck of the genetic draw.

On the other hand, my husband is more of a Mikkel-type. He's got 15 inches and almost 200 pounds (40cm, 90kg) on me. His whole family is made up of big barrel-chested slavs whose bodies start efficiently packing away fat stores the moment they get more calories than what's needed just to keep the lights on. They also pack on muscle at the slightest provocation: massive, dense muscle. When I met my husband, his forearms were the size of small dinner plates (and about as soft), and he was known to lift half-ton vehicles off of people in emergencies. He might be able to convince his body to part with some of his fat stores if he's doing consistent heavy exercise AND switches to a mostly-vegetarian diet--but he will be skinny when he's two seconds away from dropping dead of starvation, and no sooner.

Long story short, Mikkel's physique is completely plausible to me. Strictly in terms of BMI he probably would be considered overweight or obese in today's world--but so are a lot of people who don't significantly overeat/underexercise, and are unlikely to have a lot of the health issues associated with obesity. While he clearly isn't underfed, I don't think it's necessary to assume that his weight/build is due to him eating an excessive amount of food either.

[Richard Weir]

That's an interesting account!

May I indulge in speculation hushpiper? Are you the sort of person who feels warm when wearing two layers less than everybody else - and wonders why they are complaining about the cold? If that's the case then you may be slightly hyperthyroid - not necessarily enough to cause illness, but enough to supercharge your metabolism. It can be a genetic thing, which seems to fit the family history you mention.

It's probably nothing nasty, but it might be worth asking to see an endocrinologist, since hyperthyroidism can lead to heart problems such as arrhythmias.

[Sunflower]

Genetics, as pointed out in the disqus comments, makes a huuuuuuuge difference. Case in point, myself vs my husband. ... Our body types are COMPLETELY different.

I'm a Lalli-type: if I don't have someone actively shoving cheeseburgers in my face several times a day, I start losing weight at alarming rates, especially if I've been exercising.  My whole family is made up of short, zippy little hummingbirds like me, though I am the shortest and zippiest of the bunch.

On the other hand, my husband is more of a Mikkel-type. He's got 15 inches and almost 200 pounds (40cm, 90kg) on me. ... When I met my husband, his forearms were the size of small dinner plates (and about as soft), and he was known to lift half-ton vehicles off of people in emergencies. He might be able to convince his body to part with some of his fat stores if he's doing consistent heavy exercise AND switches to a mostly-vegetarian diet--but he will be skinny when he's two seconds away from dropping dead of starvation, and no sooner.

Awww, you and your husband must look so cute together!  Like the San Francisco portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, where she looks so tiny and dainty (and deceptively sweet and harmless), while he could make at least two of her.

...
Holy smokes, do I envy your metabolism.  I'm a Tuuri-type, and no amount of dieting or exercise will ever make me look like the kind of California girl the Beach Boys sang about.  (Besides, all that tanning ages the skin prematurely.   )

[hushpiper]

That's an interesting account!

May I indulge in speculation hushpiper? Are you the sort of person who feels warm when wearing two layers less than everybody else - and wonders why they are complaining about the cold? If that's the case then you may be slightly hyperthyroid - not necessarily enough to cause illness, but enough to supercharge your metabolism. It can be a genetic thing, which seems to fit the family history you mention.

It's probably nothing nasty, but it might be worth asking to see an endocrinologist, since hyperthyroidism can lead to heart problems such as arrhythmias.

The opposite actually! I have a lot of trouble keeping a high enough body temperature, and I'm most comfortable in 80-90 degree (F) weather. That, however, is mostly unique to me--my sisters don't share my woes.

Awww, you and your husband must look so cute together!  Like the San Francisco portrait of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, where she looks so tiny and dainty (and deceptively sweet and harmless), while he could make at least two of her.

...
Holy smokes, do I envy your metabolism.  I'm a Tuuri-type, and no amount of dieting or exercise will ever make me look like the kind of California girl the Beach Boys sang about.  (Besides, all that tanning ages the skin prematurely.   )

Ahahah oh, the height difference between us is WAY more than in that picture, I don't even come up to his shoulder. He picks me up and it looks like a grizzly bear cuddling a small kitten.

To your second bit, see, that is pretty much my point! (Or one of my points--apologies if this pulls things off-topic, this is a pet peeve of mine.) It's one thing to say that a particular body type might be considered more desirable, like skinny California girl types are in our culture, where we're lucky enough that food supplies aren't a problem. But the moment you start making statements about an individual's health and personal habits based on their body type, suddenly you're on very shaky ground.

It's like a lactose intolerant person thinking they have to make it so they can drink milk in order to be healthy--the fact that they can't digest milk means that "health", for them, does not include milk. Period. Similarly, for some people "health" does not include being skinny--they're just not meant to look that way, and while they might be able to starve and overexercise their way to a supermodel's body, it is not in any way correct or healthy for them. Mikkel's weight and build is, I expect, exactly correct for him, and he's probably not gonna look significantly different unless he's in a starvation situation. The same is probably true for you, and for my husband.

[OrigamiOwl]

To your second bit, see, that is pretty much my point! (Or one of my points--apologies if this pulls things off-topic, this is a pet peeve of mine.) It's one thing to say that a particular body type might be considered more desirable, like skinny California girl types are in our culture, where we're lucky enough that food supplies aren't a problem. But the moment you start making statements about an individual's health and personal habits based on their body type, suddenly you're on very shaky ground.

It's like a lactose intolerant person thinking they have to make it so they can drink milk in order to be healthy--the fact that they can't digest milk means that "health", for them, does not include milk. Period. Similarly, for some people "health" does not include being skinny--they're just not meant to look that way, and while they might be able to starve and overexercise their way to a supermodel's body, it is not in any way correct or healthy for them. Mikkel's weight and build is, I expect, exactly correct for him, and he's probably not gonna look significantly different unless he's in a starvation situation. The same is probably true for you, and for my husband.

I'm supposed to be trying to shed a few kilos, but for health reasons, not for looks: I'm a naturally small and stocky build, but I have weak ankles and feet, and those poor things are having to support 70+kg with every step and jump, and therefore put me out of action before I'm even out of breath :/ which I don't think is a good thing...