#it's seems like eternity since I've drawn more than one character and with this much detail

[therealvinelle]

i've seen you answer a few questions about tvd so i thought i might ask, what are your thoughts on the main love triangle? and klaus/stefan?

As a caveat: I did not watch much further than the first few episodes of season 4, in fact I ragequit when one of the writers revealed we wouldn't be seeing Elijah on screen again until 4x20 at which point I thought, "Well I simply won't watch until 4x20 then".

And then 4x20 was a backdoor pilot to the spinoff The Originals and I simply watched that show instead.

All this to say, I was 100% a gung ho Vampire Diaries fan and you can tell by how closely I was following it, sadly the only TVD I know of would be the first three seasons. Same actually goes for The Originals, as I for reasons I don't remember wasn't able to access episodes post-season 3 so I wound up not knowing what happens after Hayley drives off with the entire family hibernating in her truck either.

Another disclaimer: it's been more than ten years since I watched this show and my memory may fail me at times.

With that:

The main love triangle

Having only seen the first three seasons, I think that Damon wishes quite badly he was a different man, and he is unable to take responsibility for his life and relationships being what they are. He would rather blame his failings on Stefan, and, whenever Stefan fails or falls short in some ways, it's immensely validating to Damon because who's the bad brother now?

His love for Katherine is not only about Katherine, but about being chosen by someone over Stefan. Because, as Damon will try to tell himself, just because she was sleeping with both of them and decided to turn them both, doesn't mean she didn't prefer Damon (after all, she had to compell Stefan, while Damon slept with her willingly. Victory for Damon!), and also- look, don't question Damon on this. It's fine and he's a well adjusted man, and once he has rescued his lady love from her tomb she'll tell him how much better he is than Stefan.

Enter Elena, who looks exactly like Katherine, is living in Mystic Falls just the same as Katherine, and who has drawn Stefan's interest.

Damon, eternally pulling Stefan's pigtails and being a goddamn creep, starts creeping on Elena, this does not work. Instead, however, he learns that Katherine faked her entombment, and has in fact been living her best life for the past 150 years. Worse, Damon and Stefan were never more than boytoys to her.

Cut to Elena, who is just as beautiful (in a very literal sense of the term), only she is kind, genuinely loves Stefan, the polar opposite of Katherine in every way.

Damon transfers his emotions from Doppelganger B to Doppelganger C.

Stefan, meanwhile, seems to... fall in with Elena, for lack of a better way to put it. They meet, he is confused about the resemblance to Katherine for long enough to get to know her, by which time he's into it, and Elena sees a very handsome and pleasant man who is easy to fall for.

The trouble with Stefan is I don't really have a grip on his character, he is... there, for three seasons, and he has his character moments and his speeches, I can tell you things about his personality except I can't.

He is one of those people you can know for years but never actually know who, having killed his father and become the Ripper for so many years, seems to be that he is running away from himself. That is the only way I can interpret his strange nothingness, as well as bizarre decisions like coming to live with his nephew Zach and attend high school.

I think Stefan wants to surround himself with people, form relationships with them, and through that find a sense of identity that he can enjoy. Which is where loving Elena comes in, as she is kind, generous, mature, vulnerable, and fun- the type of person you can lose yourself in, and have those simple moments of happiness Florence Welch sings about.

In other words, while my real ship here is Elejah, Stelena trumps Delena any day.

Klaus and Stefan

Klaus is a deeply sad person who is only interested in dating two people, and they are his sister Rebekah and his brother Elijah. At the time he met Stefan Elijah wasn't around, so Stefan became replacement Elijah.

(The proof of the Elijah projection lies in the fact that Klaus was fine with Stefan sleeping with Rebekah. He is historically not fine with outsiders doing this, you have to be family for Klaus to accept these things.)

"Look, Elijah," Klaus would imagine himself saying to Elijah, "I have a new brother now and he is hotter, cooler, and not a total bore like you! Stefan loves me more anyway," and then Elijah would sit and cry and give Klaus so much attention and it would be great.

As for Stefan, I think he just liked partying.

They probably did fuck, but Klaus is too embarrassing for Stefan to ever admit as much.

[rayleeeen]

kulay ng tadhana "color of fate"

- jia x hobie (oc x canon) characters by @minquiec

"In the canvas of life, two soulmates find their colors in each other's presence, painting a masterpiece of love that knows no bounds."

summary: In a world full of of black & white, he finds his ray of sunshine. his eternal, his daylight.

or

Hobie sees Jia in five colors but orange is his favorite.

Alternate Universe - Soulmates Colors AU (Where they don't see colors until they have met their soulmate)

Side note: I AM BACK OH MY LORD 😭🙌🏻

P. S. NOT YET PROOFREAD SO ANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES I MADE, I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

---

Chapter 3: The Scent Of Her Laughter

When he hears her laughter again, she glows in yellow.

Hobie's previous injuries have healed, but his chest still hurts a little, although not as much as it did the first time. Despite his improved condition, Gwen's unwavering determination for him to rest has kept him off missions until he's fully recovered. In his absence, she and Pav have stepped in to handle some of his duties, frequently keeping him updated on their enjoyable tasks and ranting about their worst ones.

Hobie took advantage of his rest more than he had anticipated, even though he misses kicking ass from time to time, he's grateful that his friends have shouldered the responsibilities. During this time, he pays a visit to the Spider Society to take a break for being at home for an extended period—

—is the excuse he would've told himself but he knows it's a big fat lie.

The true purpose behind his visit was the hope of encountering her once more, his soulmate. Much like him, she's a Spider-Person, specifically a Spider-Woman, and given that she had a watch, he knows he might find her here. While he is at home, taking his well-deserved rest, he finds himself increasingly aware of the color orange in his surroundings, a constant reminder of her presence in all things. The more time he spends in solitude, the more these reminders of her seem to emerge constantly.

A month had passed since their hospital encounter, a brief moment that left a lasting impression. He remembered her laughter, a captivating melody that mirrored her spirit. Their playful exchanges had become a source of comfort, and during that time, he learned her name – Jia, a perfect reflection of her essence.

Though they remained unspoken, the connection and the sudden color shift were undeniable. He was sure she felt it too, yet they both chose to remain silent, patiently waiting for the right moment. He spent hours listening to her speak, her voice a soothing melody that evoked a sense of familiarity.

------

Miguel accompanied Jess in an effort to enlist another Spider whom they believed had greater potential as an asset in capturing more dangerous anomalies. This left Margo in temporary command. Hobie knew this, of course, but he wasn't here to see her. He had another reason, one that made his heart thump a little faster in his chest.

He approached the hidden spot, a small clearing nestled amongst the rooms. Before he even saw them, he heard their laughter, a melody that sent a shiver down his spine.

"So, did she spill any more juicy details?" a voice, presumably Margo's, chuckled.

"If I reveal anything further, I'm pretty sure I'll be erased from existence," another voice responded with a playful tremor in her voice. The sound sent a jolt through Hobie.

It was Jia.

He pushed through the foliage and saw them sitting there, two figures bathed in the warm afternoon sunlight. Margo was regaling Jia with some story, her voice animated, her gestures extravagant. But it was Jia who held his attention.

His eyes were immediately drawn to the way her hair cascaded down her shoulders, the way the sunlight lit up the strands, turning some into fiery threads. He noticed the soft smile playing on her lips, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed.

"Seriously! I've never seen Gwen crush on someone that hard," Margo teases, rolling her eyes. "And hey! No one else needs to find out. Pretty please??"

"Enjoying yourselves, ladies?" Hobie interrupted, eliciting a surprised gasp from the two women.

Margo, clutching her chest dramatically, exclaimed, "Jesus, Hobie! You scared the life out of me."

Jia raised an eyebrow, a playful smile gracing her lips. "You're full of surprises."

"Just one of my many charms, love," Hobie chuckled, taking a seat between them, closer to Jia than he needed to be. He could feel her warmth radiating from her, and the scent of her perfume filled his senses. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he held back, afraid to break the spell.

He had only just met her but he felt like he knew her forever.

"Speaking of which, how are your injuries?" Jia inquires, her brows knitting together in concern.

"All good," Hobie grinned. "Though I'll likely be back on missions tomorrow, missing these peaceful days already." He exaggerated a sigh.

"Finally! We haven't seen Gwen or Pavitr since they took on your workload. We've missed them, even more than you," Margo jokes, earning a disbelieving scoff from Hobie.

Hobie feigned offense. "Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Why are you all suddenly teaming up against me?"

Margo winked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm feeling betrayed," Hobie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "My first Society friend is ganging up on me with a newcomer."

Jia joined in the playful banter. "I don't know, Hobie," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Even though we've only met a few times, Gwen seems way more fun than you.”

Hobie chuckled. "You've got it all wrong, love," he countered. "I'm way more fun to be around than Gwendy."

"Gwendy?" Jia asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"It suits her, in some ways," Hobie explained with a grin.

Margo's eyes lit up. "Ah! Is this about who I think it is?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

Hobie chuckled again, but didn't answer her question. He wanted to talk to Jia more, to learn more about her, to see if the connection he felt was real. He had questions, but he was afraid to ask them, afraid of what the answer might be.

The British Spiderman tries to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Actually, Margo, I came here to ask you something. Have you seen Miles recently? There's something I need to ask him."

Jia, answering before Margo could, said, "He's with his parents; it's their anniversary."

Hobie made a mental note to talk to Miles later. After all, Miles had found his soulmate, Gwen, who also happened to be their band's drummer, his close friend, his somewhat little sister. Perhaps Miles could offer some valuable advice on soulmates.

As the trio continued to exchange stories about their adventures and missions, with a good deal of teasing directed towards Hobie who took it all in stride, their lighthearted banter was interrupted by Margo's phone ringing.

Checking her watch and sighing, she announced, "Sorry, folks, duty calls," and excused herself to answer the call from Miguel, leaving Hobie and Jia alone for the time being.

—---

As Margo leaves to answer Miguel's call, a hush falls over the small gathering. Hobie finds himself captivated by Jia, her presence filling the space Margo has left behind. The playful banter fades, replaced by a quiet intensity that hangs heavy in the air.

He catches a glimpse of yellow reflected in her eyes, the color of sunshine and warmth, a constant reminder of their unspoken connection. His heart beats a little faster, a nervous anticipation buzzing beneath his skin.

Jia clears her throat, breaking the silence. "So," she begins, a hint of shyness in her tone, "what is it you wanted to ask Miles?"

Hobie hesitates, unsure if this is the right time to reveal his true intentions yet. He takes a deep breath, gathering his courage. "It's...about Gwendy," he lies, internally apologizing to Gwen for using her as bait.

Jia nods unsurely, not knowing whether to believe him or not but decides to drop the subject.

She has a suspicion on what it may be.

Hobie watches Jia closely, gauging her reaction to his lie. He feels a pang of guilt for deceiving her, but he's not ready to confess his true feelings just yet. He needs time to process everything himself, to figure out what this strange connection between them means. If it's real or not.

Jia notices his hesitation and a playful smirk dances on her lips. "Is everything alright, Hobie?" she asks, her voice teasing yet laced with concern. "You seem a million miles away.”

Hobie snaps out of his internal turmoil, the glow in Jia's eyes momentarily fading as he forces a smile. "Just a little lost in thought," he admits, brushing off her concern with a chuckle. "My brain gets overwhelmed easily, you know."

Jia's smile widens, her eyes twinkling once again with amusement. "I see," she replies, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm. "And here I thought you were just a charming rogue, always on his toes. Who knew you could be so... thoughtful?"

Hobie laughs, a genuine smile lighting up his face. "Rogue? You give me too much credit, Jia," he replies, his voice warm and inviting. "I'm just a simple guy trying to navigate the complexities of life, one awkward silence at a time."

Jia's smile softens, and a hint of understanding flashes in her eyes. "I think we all are, Hobie," she says, a quiet sincerity in her voice. "But that's what makes life so interesting, isn't it? The unexpected turns, the hidden depths, the moments of connection that leave us breathless.”

Hobie couldn't help but agree with Jia. Life was indeed a curious thing, full of surprises and unexpected turns. And right now, the most unexpected and delightful surprise was sitting right beside him, her smile radiating a warm yellow glow that captivated him completely.

With each word Jia spoke, the yellow around her seemed to burn brighter, casting a near-ethereal glow across her features, highlighting the delicate curve of her lips and the dancing sparkle in her eyes.

The "soulmate theory" and the undeniable connection between them hung heavy in the air, waiting to be addressed. But Hobie hesitated, fear whispering in his ear. They had only just met, after all, and rushing things felt wrong, because if this connection between them was real (or at least he hopes she feels it too), he wants to let himself love her without the force of the soulmate thing. It felt too rushed, it was wrong and right at the same time. He wasn't just afraid of losing Jia; he was afraid of losing the fragile connection they had.

Jia, on the other hand, was a master of disguise. Her smile was bright, her laughter light, but behind her playful facade, a storm of emotions raged. She felt the same pull towards Hobie, the same undeniable connection, but she was unsure of his intentions. Was he just being friendly, or was there something more?

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the clearing, Margo returned. The familiar rhythm of their banter resumed, a comforting shield against the vulnerability that threatened to consume them.

"So," Margo chimed in, oblivious to the unspoken tension, "where were we?"

Hobie cleared his throat, forcing a casual smile. "Just sharing some war stories," he said, his voice a shade too light.

Jia nodded, a hint of knowingness in her eyes. "Yes, quite the war stories."

Margo, ever the observant one, narrowed her eyes. "Is everything alright between you two? You seem a bit… tense."

Hobie and Jia exchanged a quick glance, both trying to appear nonchalant. "Everything's fine," Hobie assured her, a little too quickly.

Margo raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "Alright, if you say so. But remember, I'm always here if you want to talk."

Hobie and Jia thanked her, their smiles strained. They knew Margo's offer was genuine, but they weren't ready to confide in anyone. Not yet.

As the evening deepened, they bid their farewells, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. Hobie watched Jia leave, the yellow around her fading with each step she took. A deep ache bloomed in Hobie's chest, a yearning for Jia's presence that transcended words. He wanted nothing more than to be closer to her, to feel the warmth of her touch, to lose himself in the depths of her eyes.

He knew that he couldn't keep pretending, that sooner or later, he would have to confront his feelings. And when that time came, he would be ready. He would be ready to face the truth, whatever it may be.

For now, he could only hold onto the hope that Jia felt the same way, that their connection was real and true. And with that hope burning brightly in his heart, Hobie walked into the night, the yellow glow of the setting sun a reminder of the soul he was destined to find.

To be continued..

-------

[anxious-corpse]

“I turned his brains into a pudding and you’re next’‘

Sly and his fav chewing toy in full version under cut (cause the pic is a bit...large)

[aurorawest]

Serious question, because it's been bugging me for awhile now: why does so much of the Marvel fandom have totally unrealistic ideas of how stories should work? I just came across some Loki show antis saying they should review-bomb season 2 (presumably because season 1 didn't cater to their very specific tastes), and I've seen people mad about everything from, say, Zemo having a motive for his villainy to fans of certain characters brawling over who's "more powerful." What gives?

Sorry, part 2 because I ran out of space: it just seems like a lot of Marvel fans think that creative decisions are made to spite them, personally, vs. being directed by a team of creatives making decisions based on a variety of factors, including what would make the most narrative sense. It's so personal in Marvel fan spaces in a way I really haven't seen anywhere else. Like, Thanos might have dumb motives but those motives don't mean the Russo brothers are literally fascists, you know?

There are probably a few things going on. One is that the type of person drawn to fandom probably going to be someone who doesn't have a lot of perspective about fandom (like how fans of a sport don't necessarily have a lot of perspective about it, or whatever. this isn't specific to fandom). it has an outsize importance in their life and becomes a huge part of their identity.

Another thing is that it feels like Loki fans in particular tend to really overidentify with Loki, to the point that any perceived attack on Loki becomes an attack on them. Whereas I watch Mobius interrogating Loki and am like, "YEAH! This scene is a cool character moment for both of these characters!" some people clearly feel attacked personally by this narrative moment.

Aaaaand. Okay. This is going to sound mean, but I don't know how else to put it. Lack of critical thinking skills and an inability to deconstruct a narrative. You know those posts that are like "waaaah why did I have to read those boring classics in school when I just wanted to read Twilight??!" (or whatever) Those people are in your fandom and unable to approach a piece of fiction as anything other than something meant to entertain them, specifically, and to cater to their tastes. They don't know how to deconstruct anything. They don't know how to look at a narrative and see the building blocks that go into it. They don't know how to dissect a character arc. It's a skill, just like any other, and I imagine it's been taught very badly to some people—and even if it wasn't taught badly, since it's a skill, you have to use it or lose it. You can see the widespread effect of this in society at large, not just in fandom.

I don't think that a lot of people understand that movies and tv shows are made by a team of creatives. I don't think they realize there's a writer's room, with multiple writers. Obviously every production is going to be different, and full disclosure I have zero background in the industry, but I would think it's very common for a thing to undergo changes constantly, as the writers, director, and actors work on it. Then there's post production, and editing, and test audiences, and re-shoots. And it feels pretty safe to assume that all the people involved in a movie or show are not motivated by a desire to spite a certain small segment of the audience.

Look—there are things I didn't like about the Loki series, and I have specific reasons that I don't like them, which I can articulate. Same with WandaVision, Falcon, and Hawkeye. Same with Eternals, and Spiderman No Way Home. But I don't view any of the story decisions made in them as a personal attack on me, because that's...insane? I also can generally draw a distinction between "I personally didn't like this" and "this is objectively bad."

And obviously most things fall in between those two poles...which is why I don't have a lot of patience for people who speak in absolutes when it comes to media.

I will say that I was hanging out in a non-Marvel server today and I noted some of the same behavior, though not nearly to the same extent. This kind of thing was in large part responsible for me leaving the WIR fandom, too. So it's not just the MCU by any means.

Anyway I could probably go on and on and on but I'm going to cut myself off there haha.

[n1kolaiz]

"Man fears death and yet, at the same time, man is drawn to death. Death is endlessly consumed by men in cities and in literature. It is a singular event in one's life that none may reverse. That is what I desire."

Character Analysis: Dazai Osamu

Age: 22 || Ability: No Longer Human

I've done a lot of research concerning Dazai's character because of how complex he'd initially appeared to me. It is still a question as to what his personality type is; some say he's an ENTP while others argue that he's an INTJ, and his enneagram would most likely be 7w8 (The Realist), but that isn't the thing I'm going to focus on.

According to general databases and fan analyses, his temperament is dominantly melancholic. A person's temperament is basically how they react to and live in this world. For those of you not interested in such details, don't worry, I'll get to my point.

The melancholic behaviour is characterised by individualism, self-reliance, and reservation. People of the melancholic temperament are described as having been overcome with sorrow and depressive thoughts, which is beyond the feeling of "just being sad."

Nonetheless, they are generally calm beings, with a tendency to hide how they truly feel by keeping their composure, even in events that demand severe reaction otherwise. Other aspects of melancholic temperaments is that they are absorbed in the cruelty and tragedy of this world, and tend to get lost in their thoughts.

Sound familiar?

Dazai is seen to be as the comic relief of the adaptation, and he'd never fail to bring about a sense of lightheartedness to relieve the serious moments; we all know that for sure. Remember the time both him and Kunikida found Nobuko Sasaki in that godforsaken hospital, and how Kunikida asked him about his opinion on the current state of affairs?

But, despite having developed a calm and serene personality, Dazai's dark side was more apparent during the Dark Era. There was a type of intimidating and arrogant flair evident in his behaviour, or even on his face. It was the type of demeanour that came off cold and terrifying to the rather unlucky people he dealt with. In a moment's notice, they could literally die by his hands. And I believe most of them usually did. It was during this time, he was more brutal and vicious. He lacked remorse. Plus, Dazai's suicidal ideations were more dense during this Era, and his suicidal tendencies did not do anything to alleviate the depth of how dark his character was posed to be.

Side note: Unfortunately, people misunderstand this 'depressed' part of Dazai; they minimise his character so much to the point that people use only a single word to describe him: suicidal. He is, in fact, so much more than that. I'll elaborate more on that in a while.

"Hey, Odasaku, do you know why I joined the Mafia? I joined the Mafia because of an expectation I had. I thought if I was close to death and violence—close to people giving in to their urges and desires, then I would be able to see the inner nature of humankind up close. I thought if I did that… I would be able to find something—a reason to live."

Dazai's approach to life is that of an aimless soul, weary of the world's oppressions and exhausted from the concept of living itself. Nevertheless, what he said above about having an expectation made me realise something: he had a goal, which he wasn't that enthusiastic about achieving—seeking for a reason to carry on with life. So he joined the Mafia.

And there, he met Oda Sakunosuke.

Despite how resilient Dazai carried himself to be (especially during the Dark Era), this specific excerpt stands in direct opposition of how he effortlessly embodied all things daunting:

"With every step I take, I feel as though the earth has opened up into a bottomless pit as I fall endlessly. As Dazai pointed to his forehead and approached the muzzle, the look on his face – like that of a child about to burst into tears – had already been branded upon my eyes."

- quoted by Oda Sakunosuke, excerpt from Dazai Osamu and the Dark Era Light Novel.

When I read this, it sent my mind into a spiral of despair and confusion. It was so vague, yet it made so much sense. Dazai was desperate to escape from this life, but part of him seemed to live in conflict with his desire for death. I won't elaborate more on this, because this specific excerpt has personal meaning to me, as I'd expect it to have for others as well; so I wouldn't want to ruin anyone else's perception on it.

Back to my point: Odasaku was one of the only characters who managed to interpret the complexity of Dazai's mindset and was able to compartmentalise the specific details of his persona that made Dazai the way he was. Oda knew that Dazai wasn't just suicidal.

"For most things in life, it's harder to succeed than fail. Wouldn't you agree? That's why I should attempt suicide rather than commit it! Committing suicide is difficult, but it should be relatively easier to fail at attempting suicide!"

Others boasted about how he was just a suicidal maniac, and that was only because of how good Dazai was at concealing his own feelings whilst flamboyantly priding himself in new, risky techniques, which he sometimes elaborated on. But Oda, on the other hand, saw through his jokes, and empathised with his friend, never wanting to ever barge into his vulnerability without Dazai's permission, but still trying to be there for him.

"Listen. You told me if you put yourself in a world of violence and bloodshed, you might be ale to find a reson to live. You won't find it. You should know that. Whether you're on the side that takes lives or the side that saves them, nothing beyond your own expectations will happen. Nothing in this world can fill the hole that is your loneliness. You will wander the darkness for eternity."

Notice how Odasaku recognised Dazai's despair, before Dazai even dared to acknowledge his very own emotions? That was why, at Oda's death, he took the initiative to uncover Dazai's bandaged eye to show him that there was no use in concealing his feelings anymore.

Odasaku's last words to Dazai was to "be on the side that saves people," for he was aware that even though Dazai didn't believe there was a clear distinction between good and evil, he thought that perhaps Dazai would find meaning in his life, even if it was just a little bit of purpose.

In Dead Apple, we briefly relive this moment, but I'll write more on that some other time.

And when Dazai joined the ADA, he loses that dark side to him. No, wait, let me rephrase that: he loses a part of that dark side to him. He eliminated the raw sense of bitterness against the world from his face, and instead, he is seen to be a little more passive, and a little more adaptive. No doubt, he still does explicitly state his desire to die, but his wishes are very specific, if you know what I mean.

And a few years later, his journey with Atsushi began.

Atsushi and Dazai's relationship is just one of a kind. I think it isn't a matter of whether Atsushi needed Dazai, or whether Dazai needed Atsushi. It's the fact that they both needed each other. It's the way they both worked hand in hand, and how they sustained each other in ways they were lacking.

The two were polar opposites, but they had a tender kind of warmth embedded in their protectiveness for each other. Atsushi was just as lost as Dazai, but somehow, they worked together just fine. It was like their duality was meant to be. It was the type of symbiotic relationship, where their care for each other was implied, but very deep.

Does this also sound familiar... perhaps, in relation to Dazai's friendship with Odasaku?

Side note: Oda and Atsushi have the same enneagrams, which is Type 2, 'The Helper.'

There is a sort of balance that is brought about by two opposites. Odasaku taught Dazai many things, and I believe Oda learned a lot about a man's life from the way Dazai lived out his life with the innate desire to die. Atsushi sought for the right to live, while Dazai searched for a reason to live; in addition, Dazai validated Atsushi's feelings, and Atsushi was able to acknowlegde the amount of pain Dazai was going through.

Despite how Dazai's perspectives and beliefs stood in contrast with those of Oda's and Atsushi's, a type of inseparable bond connected the man who no longer felt like he was human, to the people who was the most human.

No Longer Human in the Japanese romaji is 'Ningen Shikkaku.' Ningen means "human," and Shikkaku means "disqualified." The late author, Dazai Osamu, wrote the book No Longer Human. He had gone through the rough throes of trauma and wrote this book as a semi-autobiography, whose plot was centred around a man who faked happiness, for he was tainted by the truth that everyone around him was fake themselves. He turned his life into a joke in order to protect himself from the delusions of this world.

This brings us back to the melancholic temperament, where a person was too deeply immersed in the sad truths of reality and the world itself.

And that's what Dazai's character and ability is based on: being disqualified as a human being, because he wasn't well-versed with what being human was actually like. The fabrications of being human sprung up all around him, but he wasn't willing to be fooled by how ingenuine the world truly was.

“I am convinced that human life is filled with many pure, happy, serene examples of insincerity, truly splendid of their kind—of people deceiving one another without (strangely enough) any wounds being inflicted, of people who seem unaware even that they are deceiving one another.”

- excerpt from Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human.

People who don't feel human emotions or don't react to circumstances the way humans do have a variety of ways of explaining how they feel inhuman. They are highly intelligent, which separates them from the average class of humankind, since they've analysed and untangled the truths of life in order to attain understanding, which they value above all else. But, this understanding of the world and its painful truths results in a deep kind of sorrow, which only a few people can seem to empathise with in order to help them out with that burden.

“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart. The really great men must, I think, have great sadness on earth.”

-excerpt from Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

Don't you think that this deep sorrow that lies in the heart of the intelligent, makes them the most human of all? They're too human, to the point where they don't feel human. Perhaps, it is a type of defence mechanism, where the mind numbs the heart from feeling normal human emotion, because logically breaking down such concepts is easier than feeling them. But it comes at a price. The heart is willing to recklessly comprehend and fathom any sort of emotion, including pain in its true form, but the mind bears more pain in understanding such concepts because it seeks to decipher every single agonising detail of how complex human emotions are. The mind thinks, the heart feels. There is a clear distinguishing factor between the two. Whether feeling hurts more than thinking, or thinking hurts more than feeling, or whether both these processes work hand-in-hand to make up the reality of life itself, is up for an individual to decide.

Only a few people can seem to empathise with intelligent people who are deeply sad at heart, in order to help them out. As for Dazai, it was Atsushi and Oda. They never took away the pain, but they made him grow from it; it worked vice versa, too.

Of course, there are less tedious and more appealing aspects to the concept of Dazai's intelligence. Dazai was seen as a threat to his enemies because of how manipulation and his keen skill of deduction made up how sharp his mind was. Besides, no one could commit '138 murders, 312 cases of extortion, and 625 cases of fraud, along with various and sundry other crimes,' without having a certain level of intelligence, right?

Dazai had the moral alignment of 'chaotic neutral.' He was more focused on using his intellect to achieve the desired end results of a predicament, and he wasn't afraid to use the wrong means. A famous example was when he deflated the airbags of Ango Sakaguchi's car in order to gain the assured protection of Kyouka Izumi.

Justice is a weapon. It can be used to cause harm, but it cannot protect or save others.

Another example was when he blew up Chuuya Nakahara's car.

Just kidding. That was just a simple pastime (；・∀ ・)

His moral alignment points to what Oda said about him: the part where he mentioned that Dazai didn't really see any difference between good and evil. As long as his ends were achieved, especially if it were in the benefit of his fellow colleagues, he wasn't afraid to exploit, threaten, or endanger others' wellbeing. Because, at the end of the day, the end result triumphed the morally bad methods utilised to achieve it, correct? He always had a reason for his motives and actions, even if those actions were evil and inexcusable.

(eg. action: the psychological abuse he bestowed upon Akutagawa Ryunosuke.

motive: to enable him to hone his own ability favourably and to curb his arrogance)

But the consequences of one's actions will always catch up with a person, no matter what heights they've achieved.

Okay, we're reaching the end of my rambling very soon, I promise.

“If I had to go, I’d like to go out just as beautifully.”

“I’d prefer you don’t go.”

This part of the post is highly inspired by iwachuwu!!

An important factor of Dazai's development is highlighted BSD Wan's episode 10:

I'd like to appreciate that this scene focuses on how much Dazai actually means to Atsushi. When Atsushi responds with "I'd prefer you don't go," he said it lightheartedly for he thought Dazai was joking. But he wasn't. And once Atsushi absorbed the fact that Dazai meant what he said, he was overwhelmed with anguish at the thought of ever losing Dazai. Dazai, on the other hand, had a sense of longing on his expression. There was that look of pure desperation on his face. He was so desperate, yet he knew he couldn't act on his desperation due to a promise he'd made to someone dear to him. But keep in mind, Dazai is unpredictable, so we can never be sure of what's going on in that headspace of his.

Nevertheless, this time, Atsushi recognised Dazai's suffering, as no one usually cared to do, and Dazai didn't put in any effort to hide how he truly felt, as he habitually did. And this mutual emotional connection happened countless times during all the times Oda spent with Dazai as well.

To summarise,

Dazai's character had been carefully wired and patterned out in a way only a few would put in the effort to understand. Dazai was more than just suicidal; he was a being wandering from place to place with no specific aim. He was too smart for his own good. Dazai understood too well of how the world worked and deemed it void of any sort of hope.

Side note: Yes, the truth does come at a price, but it all comes down to how a person understands the truth. As for Dazai (both character and the author he was based off upon), well, it was quite tragic. But that's the way it is for some people, I suppose. But everyone has a different path to travel on, remember that.

His transition from working with the Port Mafia to the Armed Detective Agency was proof of how well-executed his character development was. It was two different personas morphed into what he is today: a womaniser with questionable morals a person who is still standing even after the rough refining process endowed upon him by the realities of this life.

However, he had people along the way come and teach him a thing or two, which perhaps made his life a little more interesting. Perhaps these people were passing clouds that hid the void out of sight for just a moment, and Dazai was always seen to be grasping on to these moments, and letting them go whenever it was time to let go.

His outlook on life makes his intellect look all the more intriguing. It shows that not only does his intelligence contribute to his own wit and shrewdness, but also the practical sense of realism that explains how tired he is of the concept of living because of the truths there are to bear.

However he's enduring the pain right now is by far the most bravest thing a person could commit themselves to doing. It takes courage, and it takes strength, but only a few would ever take the time to recognise such efforts.

Dazai has one of the most beautiful character developments, but I do hope that the development doesn't reach its end anytime soon.

fanart credits: @S7dOZPN3jWBB6cW on twitter

“Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness.

Everything passes.

That is the one and only thing that I have thought resembled a truth in the society of human beings where I have dwelled up to now as in a burning hell.

Everything passes.”

excerpt from Dazai Osamu's No Longer Human.

[timestar20]

I posted 431 times in 2021

26 posts created (6%)

405 posts reblogged (94%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 15.6 posts.

I added 435 tags in 2021

#goodtoknow - 145 posts

#art - 48 posts

#anime - 46 posts

#animation - 37 posts

#beautifulanimals - 37 posts

#occult - 33 posts

#tarot - 24 posts

#bishoujosenshi - 24 posts

#saturdaymorningtarot - 23 posts

#olympics - 18 posts

Longest Tag: 23 characters

#avatar:thelastairbender

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Anime-Inspired Performances: Miu Suzaki & Ryuichi Kihara performing to the “Yuri on Ice” song from the anime, Yuri on Ice.

1 notes • Posted 2021-01-26 01:30:34 GMT

#4

Saturday Morning Tarot 04 The Emperor by kevinbolk

The Saturday Morning Tarot is a little passion project I've been working on over the summer and I'm pleased as punch to finally share it with you guys. It's inspired by my favorite cartoons and toys of the 1980's/1990's. Most of the deck borrows imagery from the Rider-Waite version of the Tarot, but I took some liberties here and there in the name of fun.

The fifth card in my Saturday Morning Tarot is The Emperor. This card represents authority, protectiveness, stability, and dependability. Being a counterpart to The Empress, The Emperor is depicted as an eternal father figure. Optimus Prime was like a fictional dad to many of us 80's kids, so he seemed like a natural choice for this card. Since this card is strongly connected to leadership, the Autobot Matrix is featured prominently as well.

This is the first of several robots I've drawn for the Major Arcana. I hope you mech-heads will appreciate the ones I'll be sharing later.

I've completed the 22 Major Arcana and will post them all in the coming weeks, but would love to do the whole deck if this gets enough traction. Regardless, I hope you guys like these. They were a lot of fun and something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Enjoy!

2 notes • Posted 2021-10-03 00:30:53 GMT

#3

Saturday Morning Tarot 01 The Magician by kevinbolk

The Saturday Morning Tarot is a little passion project I've been working on over the summer and I'm pleased as punch to finally share it with you guys. It's inspired by my favorite cartoons and toys of the 1980's/1990's. Most of the deck borrows imagery from the Rider-Waite version of the Tarot, but I took some liberties here and there in the name of fun.

The second card in my Saturday Morning Tarot is The Magician. This card typically represents manifestation, resourcefulness, power, inspired action, and the connection between the spiritual and material realms. All of this sums up old Papa Smurf pretty well, I feel. All four suits of the tarot are also represented on this card with viewmaster reels standing in for pentacles/coins. I put a lot of easter eggs like that in this deck. See if you can spot them in the cards I'll share over next couple weeks.

I've completed the 22 Major Arcana and will post them all in the coming weeks, but would love to do the whole deck if this gets enough traction. Regardless, I hope you guys like these. They were a lot of fun and something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Enjoy!

2 notes • Posted 2021-09-30 00:31:23 GMT

#2

Saturday Morning Tarot 00 The Fool by kevinbolk

The Saturday Morning Tarot is a little passion project I've been working on over the summer and I'm pleased as punch to finally share it with you guys. It's inspired by my favorite cartoons and toys of the 1980's/1990's. Most of the deck borrows imagery from the Rider-Waite version of the Tarot, but I took some liberties here and there in the name of fun. The first card in the Saturday Morning Tarot is The Fool which represents beginnings, spontaneity, risk-taking, and sometimes recklessness. I wanted the first card in this series to be one of the more well-known 80's shows and they don't get much more popular than G.I. Joe. Cobra Commander was a major threat in the comics, but in the cartoons he was usually a bit of a buffoon and Destro and his subordinates often had to reign him in when he'd go off on crazy plans (like carving his face into the moon or starting a snake-themed rock band.) The dog from the original card is represented by Hanna-Barbera's Muttley (Dastardly & Muttley, Wacky Races, etc) decked out in Viper garb. The deck is mostly 80's and 90's stuff but I wanted to give a little nod to the cartoons that came before. I've completed the 22 Major Arcana and will post them all in the coming weeks, but would love to do the whole deck if this gets enough traction. Regardless, I hope you guys like these. They were a lot of fun and something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Enjoy!

2 notes • Posted 2021-09-29 00:31:16 GMT

#1

Saturday Morning Tarot 06 The Lovers by kevinbolk

The Saturday Morning Tarot is a little passion project I've been working on over the summer and I'm pleased as punch to finally share it with you guys. It's inspired by my favorite cartoons and toys of the 1980's/1990's. Most of the deck borrows imagery from the Rider-Waite version of the Tarot, but I took some liberties here and there in the name of fun.

The seventh card in my Saturday Morning Tarot is The Lovers. This is a card of love, harmony, attraction, and challenges of choice. I chose Jem & The Holograms because romance was always a big theme as well as the connection to musical harmony. I also thought using the three figures from the Rider-Waite card to depict the love triangle between Rio, Jerrica, and her alter-ego would be fun, too. I reversed the positions of the male & female figures so that Jerrica looks longingly to Rio who looks up to the "angel" Jem who looks back to Jerrica. Getting to go absolutely full throttle on the colors was a bonus.

Jem & The Holograms is one of the few series that's represented twice in the Saturday Morning Tarot. I'll be posting the other one later on as I share the rest of the set.

I've completed the 22 Major Arcana and will post them all in the coming weeks, but would love to do the whole deck if this gets enough traction. Regardless, I hope you guys like these. They were a lot of fun and something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. Enjoy!

10 notes • Posted 2021-10-05 00:30:21 GMT

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[whitewolfofwinterfell]

I read your previous answer about Stefan being a martyr or a hero (I agree with everything you wrote, thank you for always answering so throughout and thoughtful, it's a joy reading your metas) and I noticed you wrote "lost my soulmate to a coma" in a part of it and I just wonder, do you really believe stelena were soulmates? I do and I've seen other people discuss it, but it'd be fun to read your opinion on it too... if you'd like to share it of course (:

You’re welcome! I’m so glad you love reading my metas, because I always love writing them.

In answer to your question, of course I believe Stelena were soul mates. Of everything pertaining to their relationship them being soul mates is one of things that can never be denied or taken from them. Kevin Williamson has explicitly called Stelena soul mates, Nina has said Stefan feeds Elena’s soul and even Caroline Dries described their relationship after their break-up as being a soulful friendship.

Since you’re already familiar with my metas, it should be no surprise to you that I’m putting the read of my response under the cut, since it’s so long haha.

I think the concept of soul mates is one that’s different for everyone and there are no clear cut definitions or answers, but the most basic definition I can find is from the Oxford dictionary which is:

A person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner.

I don’t even feel it’s necessary to give examples of how Stefan and Elena fit this definition. It’s pretty obvious for everyone to see that they were ideally suited both as a couple and friends. The problem with that definition is that it’s too simplistic and unfeeling, so I’m gonna go to Urban dictionary instead. I would usually never do this, but since soul mates is more about personal interpretation I wanted to get an idea of some of the common things others perceive it to mean. A few definitions say:

A person with whom you have an immediate connection the moment you meet..The first time you glimpse at each other you are immediately drawn to each other…

A soul mate is someone you meet and the instant your eyes meet you feel these incredible feelings that you never knew existed…

This is a crucial element, that I feel ultimately solidifies Stefan and Elena as soul mates above any other couple on the show. They are the only couple who had an immediate connection from the moment they first met, which is a crucial attribute of soul mates. The reason for this is that the idea of soul mates, comes from Folklore and is the idea that when a soul descends to earth it splits in two, each half of the soul inhabiting a separate body. These two halves are destined to wander the earth until they find each other and only then will they be complete. And since these two people are essentially  two halves of a whole, there is an instant recognition and connection, which is also where the idea of “love at first sight” is born from.

Another definition of soulmates is the following:

It’s the love that survives anything and everything, that struggles and pulls through, that even when it seemed hopeless and out of control it still beat strongly. It’s the love that is not superficial, a love that transcends not only the physical world but time itself.

This fits Stefan and Elena perfectly. There seems to be an impression that just because Stefan and Elena broke up their love ended or they stopped being soul mates, which is completely incorrect. Stefan and Elena’s love transcended their break-up, transcended Elena falling in love with Damon and being in a relationship with him, transcended Elena being in a coma for 3+ years and transcended Stefan’s death. In 6x22, 6 years after they met and after everything they’d been through (individually and together), Elena stood before Stefan and said, “I love you so much” and in 8x16 she sat outside Stefan’s resting place 10(?) years after his death remembering him and devoting her life to his memory. Their love was eternal and survived through everything, even death.  

A common theme I also see popping up in these definitions as I’m scrolling through is the unwillingness to live without your soul mate in your life, which again describes Stefan and Elena. Even after she broke his heart in season 4, Stefan never stopped wanting Elena to be a part of his life and in season 5 he pushed through his personal feelings in order to establish a friendship with her, because he knew she was so important to him that he’d rather have her in his life as a friend than not in his life at all. In addition, in season 6 when Stefan had moved to Savannah, Elena refused to leave Stefan alone to get on with her life and he told her that he was avoiding Mystic Falls not her. This shows that even when they weren’t living in the same town and their common connection (Damon) was gone there was still a connection between them and a desire to remain in each other’s lives. Similarly, Stefan’s reaction to Elena’s “death” in 7x12 and Elena’s reaction to Stefan’s death in 8x16 showed all the signs of people that couldn’t bear to live a life without their soul mate.

I’ve also found an article that outlines 10 elements of soul mates (x) which I’ll go through systematically.

1. It’s something inside. This is an ambiguous definition and one of the reasons discussing soul mates is so difficult. But I feel like Stefan’s quote from season 5 of, “When we were together, every single atom in my body told me that it was the right thing, that we were the perfect fit,” pertains to this. It’s something that’s deep and profound, a love that makes you feel something you can’t quite explain.

2. Flashbacks. Now, this one is very interesting regarding Stelena, because of the issues revolving around them being doppelgangers. There’s no denying the doppelganger story line developed in season 5 is incredibly flawed with plot holes left right and center, but ultimately, I feel that what it was doing was implying the idea of soul mates. The doppelgangers were born as a direct result of Silas and Amara’s love, they were literal copies of them and therefore destined to meet and fall in love. As Tessa said, she watched versions of Stefan and Elena find each other and fall in love century after century. And when you take away the idea that each doppelganger is an individual person/character these doppelgangers throughout the centuries can surely represent various past reincarnations of Stefan and Elena?

3. You just get each other.“I know you, Stefan, better than anyone.” “You know me probably better than anyone else.” “You knew me better than anyone, you always have.”

4. You fall in love with his (or her) flaws.This is referring to the acceptance of one another’s flaws. I can say with complete confidence Elena accepted Stefan for his flaws and she took this a step further by having faith in his ability to overcome them. The poor writing in the later seasons means that Elena’s flaws were hardly acknowledged by the writers let alone by Stefan or any other character, but the fact he remained a faithful and loyal friend to Elena until the day he died suggests that he did indeed accept every part of Elena.

5. It’s intense. Again I feel like I don’t really need to explain this. From the very beginning their relationship was intense and although the romance ended, whenever Stefan and Elena had an emotional or romantic scene together it was incredibly intense (e.g. almost kiss in 5x04, goodbye in 8x16)

6. You two against the world.I think this definitely applied to Stefan and Elena when they were a couple. Whenever they faced an obstacle they faced it together, they were a team. When Elena was dealing with finding out she was adopted/meeting Isobel, Stefan was right there by her side, when Katherine came back and tried to tear them apart they fought to face her together, when Klaus was hunting Elena they worked as a team, even though Elena becoming a vampire broke them up, they still very much faced that together in the early episodes, and even in the hunt for the cure they were united. Let’s just put it this way: Stefan and Elena have always been on each other’s side, always fighting the same battles and for the same cause.

7. You’re mentally inseparable.This is without a doubt a trait of Stefan and Elena’s relationship. It’s why Stefan’s humanity was so rooted in his love for Elena, why Elena instinctively knew Stefan was looking at her in 3x02, it’s why no matter what happened they remained in each other’s lives, it’s why in his final moments the person Stefan saw was Elena.

8. You feel secure and protected. Again, no explanations necessary. In 3x22 Elena clearly stated that part of the reason she fell in love with Stefan is because he made her feel safe. Whenever Elena was in danger, it was always Stefan that she sought and when he held her in his embrace, you could clearly see how safe she felt just for knowing he was there. With Stefan, I think the safety he experienced with Elena was not so much rooted in his physical safety, but his emotional/mental safety. Elena was the first person since Lexi to keep him grounded, to connect him to his humanity and keep him sane. When he was with her he felt safe knowing that she gave him the strength to conquer his demons and overcome the darkness.

9. You can’t imagine your life without him (or her). This goes back to what I’ve already mentioned about how Stefan and Elena could never completely leave each other’s lives. Even after his death, Elena was finding a way to weave the memory of Stefan into her daily life. Stefan and Elena from the day they met were always going to be in each other’s lives and that is just a fact.

10. You look each other in the eye. Stefan and Elena did this all the time, even after their break-up. Their eye contact, the way in which they looked each other (8x16 is particularly coming to mind here, but also 6x21 and 6x22) was always intense, soft, adoring and easy. You could see the familiarity and comfort that was between them just by seeing the way they looked at each other.

So, by the definitions I’ve found and outlined above, Stefan and Elena seem to be confirmed soul mates.

From a personal perspective, I have never doubted that Stefan and Elena were soul mates. The reason for that is that my perception of soul mates is simply two people that upon meeting form an instant and profound connection and that connection grows and blossoms into a very meaningful relationship that is inexplicable and unbreakable. Whilst the characteristics above do describe soul mates to an extent, for me it really comes down to the fact that Stefan and Elena had such a life-altering impact on each other. They’re two people who brought each other back to life and who quite literally transformed each other’s lives forever. Stefan and Elena’s lives took the paths that they did because they met, because they fell in love, because they knew each other. Even though they broke up Elena reconnected Stefan to his humanity in such a deep way that he was able to continue to grow and move forward with that and loving Elena is an experience that enriched his life and made him happy (even if only for a short amount of time). For Elena the impact was so much bigger because not only did he save her (literally and metaphorically in season 1), but she actually ended up living her entire life through Stefan. She devoted her life to his dream career, chose to live her life a certain way and to be happy in honour of Stefan and what he’d given her. That alone makes me wonder how anyone could say that Stefan and Elena weren’t soul mates, because really, is there anything more profound than that? Another significant reason as to why I perceive Stefan and Elena as being soul mates is because of something which has already been mentioned - their emotional/mental connection. Particularly emotionally, Stefan and Elena had such a instinctual and natural understanding of one another that continued throughout the seasons. As always I feel like the concept of an emotional connection can be very misunderstood by people, so I took the liberty of doing a quick Google search and found a site that I feel explains it very well (x). The first basic definition it gives is:

An Emotional Connection happens when two (or more) people knowingly feel and perceive the same thing at the same time.

I feel like this definition alone really hits the nail on the head and clears up the how/why Stefan and Elena developed such an intense and deep emotional connection. In fact, it also actually explains why/how they connected so quickly, since they were both feeling lost and as Kevin said “dead inside” and they knew they were feeling that way. When Stefan found Elena’s journal, it suggested that she was feeling certain emotions that she couldn’t express in any other way except by writing them (just like Stefan), when they sat in the Grill and Stefan explained that he lived with his uncle, there was an immediate connection on the basis that they’d both lost their parents (obviously the circumstances were completely different, but that’s irrelevant) and particularly at the end in 1x01 when Stefan showed up on Elena’s door with blood shot eyes and they had that conversation where Stefan asks Elena if she’s okay and she says that’s all anyone seems to ask her and he says, do you ever really mean it? That conversation just confirms that emotional connection that was already being built in the earlier scenes by portraying two people that were clearly at a low point in their lives and looking for that emotional connection they found in each other to appease their loneliness and give their life meaning and purpose. The examples that the site gives are also great for going deeper with what it means to have an emotional connection:

Two lovers holding hands while gazing out together at a beautiful sunset - hello, this is already a canon Stelena moment.

A mother and a baby feeling scared together after the baby falls over into a coffee table - comparable to pretty much every scary event Stefan and Elena experienced throughout the season (and let’s face it there were a lot haha) where both of them shared the same fears

A husband and a wife discussing and forming a shared commitment to financial goals - comparable to Stefan and Elena’s shared vision for the future (a human life, children, marriage, careers as doctors etc.)

Two friends laughing together over an old teacher’s funny walk - the entirety of 5x21 comes to mind (they had so much fun and laughed so much together in this episode).

As you can see from these examples and the definition, an emotional connection is really rooted in sharing emotional experiences, negative and positive. Throughout all 6 seasons Stefan and Elena consistently shared similar emotional experiences at the same time (a few of which are outlined above).The next essential part of an emotional connection is empathy:

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person.

This is something I feel like Stefan and Elena did brilliantly. For all of their common feelings/thoughts on certain subjects, there were also a multitude of things that made Stefan and Elena different from each other. They went through experiences emotionally that the other hadn’t, yet they always displayed understanding and empathy. When Stefan was struggling with his blood lust towards the end of season 1, Elena was completely supportive and empathetic, despite being human and not being able to necessarily fully understand what Stefan was going through as a vampire and the same happened in season 3 when Stefan had no humanity. Stefan was empathetic towards Elena in season 2 when she was suffering through the pain of being coveted by the most powerful hybrid of all time. There’s the whole line from Stefan in season 4 of, “You’re in hell, which means I’m in hell” line from Stefan which really sums this up (x). Whatever Elena felt, Stefan felt and vice versa. That is a very powerful thing which is reserved only for the deepest of loves and relationships. However, as the article says, empathy is not enough in itself, it needs to be communicated.

Feeling empathy is a necessary ingredient for emotional connection. But it is not, by itself, sufficient; in order for an emotional connection to be created, the empathy needs to be communicated.And that is where validating feelings comes into play.

Again, Stefan and Elena had no problems in this area. There have been endless conversations between Stefan and Elena where they demonstrate understanding and empathy for one another, even if it’s just simply saying, “I know” and hugging each other. Look at what Stefan said to Elena in 2x20, “Hey, it matters. It matters.” A prime example of Stefan validating Elena’s feelings and showing her his empathy towards her. An example of Elena showing this to Stefan would be in 2x05. “Just a few drops every day, right?” Elena is so empathetic towards Stefan’s struggle with blood and his dilemma between not wanting to lose control, but also wanting to be stronger that she changes her perspective to see Stefan’s POV and then willingly agrees to allow him to feed off her. If that is not a clear example of both empathy and validation, I don’t know what is.

The article ends by explaining that the reason why so many people struggle to establish true emotional connections with others is a discomfort at the prospect of being vulnerable, which is essentially a completely natural human fear. Once more, Stefan and Elena demonstrated the extent to which they were able to be vulnerable with each other. An emotional connection cannot exist if the two people involved are unwilling to drop their walls and be completely honest about their feelings. Here are examples where Stefan and Elena did this with each other (these are just off the top of my head, there are probably more):

1x19: Stefan tells Elena the truth about his struggles with blood lust and openly cries and shows his frustration in front of her

1x20: Stefan cries and admits his guilt, pain and turmoil over the terrible things he’s done in his past

2x09: Elena cries in Stefan’s arms and expresses how she blames herself for her friends being hunted by Klaus to break the curse

2x20: Elena opens up to Stefan about not wanting to be a vampire and cries in his arms

3x14: Elena tells Stefan how she’s feeling about the uncertainty of their relationship and encourages him to open up to her in return

3x20: Elena cries in Stefan’s arms and admits she feels she has no one

4x01: Elena cries in Stefan’s arms openly as she suffers through the transition, later on in the episode Elena and Stefan talk about their love for one another, the situation with Elena nearly dying and cry.

4x02: Stefan admits to Elena he feels insecure that she chose to turn to Damon for help instead of him and Elena opens up about the heightened grief she’s experiencing

5x18: The two discuss how they’re feeling about their visions openly and honestly and get very emotional with each other.

6x22: Elena cries as she tells Stefan how she feels about him.

8x16: Both of them openly cry and discuss how they’re feeling about Stefan’s death and hold each other.

There are so many more examples, particularly in the later seasons that I’ve skipped because I’m just too lazy to write them out haha, but the point has been made anyway. Stefan and Elena were able to be very vulnerable with each other and they had complete trust that neither of them would use that vulnerability against the other as a weapon.

Proof of this emotional connection manifests itself in so many ways throughout the series. The fact that Elena was consistently Stefan’s connection to his humanity, that Stefan was the connection to Elena’s (I will not have anyone tell me any differently on this matter, 4x19 and 4x21 just proved this), that even when she was in a dilemma about Damon Elena sought out Stefan for advice/comfort (even after Damon’s death in the beginning of season 6) and that they knew each other better than anyone else. All of these aspects of their relationship stemmed from this emotional connection that was between them.

Although there are many other smaller factors that contribute to it (such as their general compatibility as people, which I’m sure I’ve discussed in another post somewhere), the depth of this emotional connection Stefan and Elena shared combined with the long-lasting impact they had on one another’s lives are really the main reasons I believe Stefan and Elena were soul mates.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

In a previous ask you listed Stefan as one of your favorite characters and I wonder what makes him one of your favorite characters? What makes your drawn to him and root for him? A lot of people say his character is boring, but I disagree, though I've only seen the first 3 seasons so I might not have right to an opinion as I haven't watched the later seasons.... but I love Stefan and I absolutely adore Paul and I think he's very good at portraying his character and the different sides of him etc

Of course you have the right to have an opinion. Even if you’d only watched one episode, you still have the right to have an opinion. I’m more than happy to share with you why I love Stefan, but a little pre-warning there will be spoilers from seasons 3-8 and also my response will be pretty hefty, which I’m sure you’ll be expecting if you’ve read any of my other responses to asks haha.

When I think about what makes Stefan one of my favourite characters there are so many reasons that I couldn’t just choose one. But a good place to start would be to say, the simplest reason is that I’m just connected to him and once you develop that connection with a character it’s hard to break it.

Other than that, the reason I love Stefan is because he’s just such a complex character. He’s actually so complex, that the writers themselves haven’t seemed to know what to do with him a points throughout the course of the show. Paul’s abilities as an actor are fantastic and the fact that he is able to so perfectly portray Stefan and the Ripper and make them feel like two separate people that are also interlinked is amazing. Honestly, I only have to see a gif and I instantly know whether Stefan has his humanity or not based on Paul’s expressions, eyes and body language. It’s really incredible how he manages to do that. And I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, but in season 5 Paul demonstrates his acting abilities even further.

It frustrates me to no end that people brand Stefan as being boring. It’s such a narrow-minded and stereotypical view of his character. I understand where it comes from since in seasons 1 and 2, he was that typical good guy, always doing the right thing. As Matt said, Stefan’s “that guy”, as in the guy that’s so perfect that everyone hates him. But I don’t understand how anyone that actually watched the show (past season 3 in particular) can have that opinion of him. The truth of the matter is that Stefan in season 1 was only half of himself, if that. He was still so caught up in the baggage of his past, so consumed with staying “clean” and managing his blood lust, of not giving into his dark urges as a vampire, that it forced him to strip himself back completely. He spoke softer, he carried himself in a particular way, he forced smiles, he tried his hardest to be an ordinary 17 year old, but in reality he was anything but. Regardless of how you look at it, a lot of the time in season 1, Stefan wasn’t himself. We got to see more of a glimpse of the other side to him towards the end, when he struggled with his blood lust after Elena gave him her blood to save him in 1x18. This is where we really saw that Stefan wasn’t “that guy” and that he was just like everybody else - he had his issues, he lost control and he wasn’t perfect. The thing that struck me the most during those episodes when Stefan was struggling with his blood lust, was that he was torn between that part of him that really just wanted to let go and drain the blood from everyone in sight and the part of him that was desperately clinging to the person he wanted to be and was deep down inside. The fact that he told Elena at the end of 1x19 how much he was struggling really highlighted that. Stefan really opened the flood gates in 1x20 when we finally learned the story of how he and Damon came to be vampires and he explained to Elena how he truly felt; the crippling guilt he carries all the time and the pain that goes along with it that was so intense that it actually made him not want to live anymore. That’s the point where we started to get a glimpse of the experiences that had led Stefan to where he was and formed the person he was. We saw that he’d done terrible things in his past and he was a monster, but the fact that he felt genuine remorse and pain for that proved he was more than that and as Elena said, he made a choice to be good and reject the person the blood made him. How can you not root for someone like that? Someone that is not naturally good, but nonetheless fights their damn hardest to be the best they can be?

What I also love about Stefan is that, as you mentioned, there are so many different sides to him. Obviously the first thing that comes to mind when I say that is Stefan and the Ripper, but it’s not limited to just that. I think perhaps a more accurate way to describe him is to say that he’s very multi-layered, rather than saying he has different sides to him. With each episode that passed I caught a glimpse of a trait of his that I’d never seen before or I learned more about his past. There’s always something new to learn about Stefan and even 8 seasons on, there still is. Whilst in the earliest episodes he came across as rather boring and lacking in personality or substance, with the appearance of Lexi in 1x08 we were opened up to a completely different side to him. Suddenly he was a really fun guy with good taste in music (Bon Jovi, duh!), that, in Lexi’s words, jumped naked into the Trevi fountain and got drunk on the torch of the statue of Liberty. We got to see him relax, loosen up and show his lighter side and we discovered that him being uptight is just because he’s not fully comfortable around people he doesn’t know too well. Is that a crime? In fact, I’d argue most people suffer from the same problem and struggle to be themselves around new people. Personally, this made Stefan very relatable and that’s one of the first steps in me connecting to a character. Stefan is also deeply sensitive, he really feels things and is affected by the pain of other people. He can’t help but get emotionally invested and involved in other people’s problems and it’s the reason why he’s always stepping in to save people and help them in anyway he can. His journal has always been his way of being able to channel those emotions and express his inner turmoil at carrying the weight of not just his own feelings, but those of the people around him and yet again, all of this is something I personally relate to, because I’m exactly the same.

I know that along with being branded as boring, Stefan has also earned the title of “good guy”, which is kind of directly tied to being boring. That guy that’s always the hero, always doing the right thing and is just and fair is generally boring because people want the anti-hero, the villain that they can root for to earn their redemption. The thing is, calling Stefan the good guy is as narrow minded as calling him boring, because he is certainly not the good guy. He has maimed, tortured, killed and feasted upon countless of innocent people all for his own amusement and I believe there’s a deep part of Stefan that is truly evil. The proof we have of that is how drastically different Stefan is whenever he is without his humanity. With characters such as Damon and even Caroline, let’s be honest, there was barely any difference when they didn’t have there humanity and with Damon in particular, I actually couldn’t tell you at what points during the series he had his humanity and the points that he didn’t. However, when it comes to Stefan, boy, you know it. Without his humanity, he is utterly ruthless, there is no limit on what he’ll do, nothing that’s too far or too much, he just does whatever the hell he wants. His eyes, his mannerisms, his behaviour, his actions, the things he says, everything about him is different when he doesn’t have his humanity. Watching Stefan in season 3 was the first time I really took notice of him and was like, “Whoa, this guy!” Seeing that dramatic turn in his character was intriguing and honestly made me fall in love with Stefan in a completely new way. But what was fascinating about Stefan in season 3 is that no matter how far he fell into that black hole of darkness, he never stopped clinging to that humanity, deep inside himself and that is who Stefan truly is. That’s his heart and soul. The darkness in him is essentially created solely from his vampirism. That’s what’s so strange about him, too, is that I actually genuinely don’t perceive his darker side to be a part of his true self. I think that if you dig right into the center of Stefan and get to his soul, he is truly good and pure. All of his issues come from being a vampire. Think about it. As a human Stefan was pretty happy - he was the apple of his father’s eye, his mother doted on him (before she “died”), he had a good relationship with his big brother, he lived a wealthy lifestyle and when we saw flashbacks of Stefan as a human he always struck me as being pretty contented. The start of Stefan’s issues were when he accidentally killed his dad and took those first few drops of blood. From there it spiralled and once he’d made Damon turn and Damon completely turned against him, the dark side of Stefan was born. I personally have always believed that the Ripper was created because of Stefan’s issues with Damon. He lost his mother, killed his father, was responsible for Katherine’s “death” and Damon was the only person he had left in the world. All that kept him going was the thought of spending eternity with his brother and once he realised that he’d messed up and Damon hated him, it broke him. The only way he knew to deal with that pain and loneliness and devastation was to turn it off and lose himself in the blood. And those impulses have never left him, it’s become almost a learned behaviour for him now. He feels pain and his immediate reaction is to feed to numb the pain. It’s his coping mechanism. But I’d argue that unlike a lot of Stefan stans, that Stefan doesn’t have an addictive personality. If he was human or had always been human I don’t believe he would be an addict. His need for blood was created from being a vampire and the events that led to it and the consequences too. 

Another reason I love Stefan, which is actually one of the simpler ones: have you seen how he treats Elena? How he treats Caroline? How he treats Bonnie? How he treats everyone? (x) (x) Stefan is a gentleman. He’s sweet, he’s kind and he’s sincere. From the second he came onto the show in season 1 he had an overbearing desire to protect everyone. Even though it was Damon that turned Vicki, Stefan took full responsibility for her and dedicated himself to trying to help her deal with the transition, he supported Caroline through her transition and without him she really wouldn’t have made it, he forgave Katherine for the trauma she put him through for 160 years and gave her peace in her final moments, he teamed up with Rebekah and promised to help her find the cure despite her being his enemy, he saved Damon multiple times despite the fact Damon had made his life a living hell, he stepped aside from the love of his life to let his brother be happy, he forgave his mother for abandoning him and pretending to be dead for over a century. The list could continue, but the point is Stefan is a forgiving, compassionate person that constantly shows how much of a decent and strong person he is through the selflessness and mercy he shows, even to his enemies. These are the traits that make a person strong and Stefan has all of them. 

Every time I look at him, I just can’t help but wish the best for him, because he deserves it so much. I’ve seen him sacrifice so much and he’s never really got the rewards or benefits and he’s never begrudged that or even complained. He keeps trying to move forward and I also love that despite the fact that he comes across as a rather brooding and depressive character, he is actually so filled with hope. No matter what happens to him, he never gives up, he simply looks at what’s happened and finds a way to deal with it. And I hate making comparisons, but I feel it’s relevant to make this point. Unlike Damon, Stefan actually rarely (if ever) flies off the handle when he’s upset or angry (unless he has no humanity). I mean, Elena dumped him and slept with Damon within 24 hours, then they both lied to him about being together and do you know what he did? He threw a chessboard across the room. In season 5 when he was dealing with PTSD after being locked in a safe and drowning over and over for months and was still struggling to deal with his break-up with Elena, he kept it all inside and dealt with it by letting Caroline and Katherine help him. He didn’t blame anyone else or result to violent or reckless behaviour, he pushed through and attempted to deal with it in a healthy way without being a burden on anyone else. And that is who Stefan is. He never asks for anything, he never wants pity or sympathy or credit, he just does what he has to, what he’s supposed to and that’s it.

I could really go on all day about why I love Stefan, but the best way to summarise it is that he’s just a loveable character to me in every single way. He has so much to offer and despite the writers failing on knowing what to do with such a fantastic character, their poor writing still can’t take away from the complexity of his character and I really praise Paul for managing to convey that, even as the seasons have progressed. 

From the beginning the story was narrated as being Stefan’s story and he was the one that drew me in. He’s the vampire I was intrigued to know, his history was the one I watched for and his relationships and development were what I wanted to see and that has never really changed. Stefan is the heart and soul of the show (along with Elena) and it wouldn’t be the same without him. And whilst I have the chance, I want to argue the point, that although Damon has the reputation for being the funny brother, Stefan is actually very funny (x) (x). Damon might have his snappy one liners, but Stefan’s snarky comments and sass is so much more subtle, and in my opinion, funnier. Just thought I’d throw that out there as a final point haha.