#but they both like listening him

[catfishbro]

comfortable silence

#cod oc #cod #armando balboa cod #cod modern warfare #cod oc art #snow cod #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #simon riley #without soap they can sit in silence for hours #but they both like listening him

[wu-does-art]

coming out as a "Will snores obnoxiously loud" and "Nico breaths so quietly you can barely tell hes alive" truther

#LISTEN OKAY. WILL WORKS CRAZY HOURS. EXHAUSTS HIMSELF PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY #hes going to snore. really loud. as soon as he hits the pillow. #its not uncommon for even people who dont snore! that i know anyways. #happened to family members of mine who dont usually snore #also additionally nico sleeps like a corpse so it works out for both of them #i think personally nico is usually like 3/4's awake but once his body actually lets him rest? out. gone. #sleep deprived x also sleep deprived for different reasons #also on a different note (slightly) i feel like will just grabs nico sometime in the middle of the night like hes his teddy bear #nico is lets himself get dragged into wills arms because he too. is completely and utterly asleep #solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #the sun and the star #rrverse #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo

[probablyhuntersmom]

The healing and lasting love of a mom

#for Mother's Day 2023 #camila noceda #hunter noceda #toh hunter #older hunter #toh waffles #the owl house #toh edits #loz's edits #loz's art #he's her lil' wolf cub forever #in the last pic he's fetching her to go for dinner at Dell and Gwen's house #like listen: she would've played a huge role in his recovery. after the Collector Palace scene he would've sunk into the darkest depression #in the weeks and many months to follow #she'd check his therapy progress. accompany him to therapy at times and fetch him from therapy too #he needed her warmth and guiding light as foundational building blocks. to be who he was after the timeskip #they'd both always remember that night where he drowned and she pulled him out of the water #she'd make sure he had the best possible Grom Night #and he'd be eternally grateful. they'd also work together throughout the years to follow since her expertise and his can overlap nicely #he keeps visiting the Human Realm now and then. to have movie nights..dinners..road trips etc with her and Luz and Vee #1k #2k #3k #4k #5k #8k #9k #10k #15k #20k

[kindnessoverperfection]

Please, if you can, take a moment to read and share this because I feel like I'm screaming underwater.

NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) stigma is rampant right now, and seems to be getting progressively worse. Everyone is using it as a buzzword in the worst ways possible, spreading misinformation and hatred against a real disorder.

I could go on a long time about how this happened, why it's factually incorrect (and what the disorder actually IS), why it's harmful, and the changes I'd like to see. But to keep this concise, I'll simply link to a few posts under the cut for further reading.

The point of this post is a plea. Please help stop the spread of stigma. Even in mental health communities, even around others with personality disorders, in neurodivergent "safe" spaces, other communities I thought people would be supportive in (e.g. trans support groups, progressive spaces in general), it keeps coming up. So I'm willing to bet that a lot of people on this site need to see this.

Because it's so hard to exist in this world.

My disorder already makes me feel as if I'm worthless and unlovable, like there's something inherently wrong and damaged about me. And it's so much harder to fight that and heal when my daily life consists of:

Laughing and spending time with my friends, doing my utmost best to connect and stay present and focused on them, trying to let my guards down and be real and believe I'm lovable- when suddenly they throw out the word "narcissist" to describe horrible people or someone they hate, or the conversation turns to how evil "people with narcissistic personality disorder" are. (Seriously, you don't know which of your friends might have NPD and feels like shit when you say those things & now knows that you'd hate them if you knew.)

Trying to look up "mental health positivity for people with npd", "mental health positivity cluster bs", only to find a) none of that, and b) more of the same old vile shit that makes me feel terrible about myself.

Having a hard time (which is constant at this point) and trying to look up resources for myself, only to again, find the same stigma. And no resources.

Not having any clue how to help myself, because even the mental health field is spitting so much vitriol at people with DISORDERS (who they're supposed to be helping!) that there's no solid research or therapy programs for people like me.

Losing close friends when they find out, despite us having had a good relationship before, and them KNOWING me and knowing that I'm not like the trending image of pwNPD. Because now they only see me through the lens of stigma and misinformation.

Hearing the same stigma come up literally wherever I go. Clubs. Meetings. Any online space. At the bus stop. At the mall. At a restaurant. At work. Buzzword of the year that everyone loooves loudly throwing around with their friends or over the phone. Feels awesome for me, makes my day so much better/s

I could go on for a long time, but I'm scared no one will read/rb this if it gets too much longer.

So please. Stop using the word "narcissist" as a synonym for "abusive".

Stop bringing up people you hate who you believe to have NPD because of a stigmatizing article full of misinformation whenever someone with actual NPD opens their mouth. (Imagine if people did that with any other disorder! "Hey, I'm autistic." "Oh... my old roommate screamed at me whenever I made noise around him, and didn't understand my needs, which seems like sensory overload and difficulty with social cues. He was definitely autistic. But as long as you're self-aware and always restraining your innate desire to be an abusive asshole, you're okay I guess, maybe." ...See how offensive and ignorant that is?)

Stop preventing healthcare for people with a disorder just because it's trendy to use us as a scapegoat.

If you got this far, thank you for reading, and please share this if you can. Further reading is under the cut.

NPD Criteria, re-written by someone who actually has NPD

Stigma in the DSM

Common perception of the DSM criteria vs how someone may actually experience them (Keep in mind that this is the way I personally experience these symptoms, and that presentation can vary a lot between individuals)

"Idk, the stigma is right though, because I've known a lot of people with NPD who are jerks, so I'm going to continue to support the blockage of treatment for this condition."

(All of these were written by me, because I didn't want to link to other folks' posts without permission, but if you want to add your own links in reblogs or replies please feel free <3)

#actuallynpd #signal boost #actuallyautistic #mental health awareness #narcissistic personality disorder #people also need to realize that mental health professionals aren't immune from bias #(it really shouldn't come as a shock that the mental health field has a longstanding pattern of misunderstanding and mistreating ppl who ar #mentally ill or otherwise ND) #the first therapist i brought up NPD to like. literally pulled out the DSM bc she could barely remember the criteria. then said that there' #no way I have it because I have low self-esteem lmaoooooo #anyway throwback to being at work and chatting with a co-worker. and the conversation turning to mental health. and him saying that #he tries to stay informed and be aware and supportive of mental health conditions & that he doesn't want to be ignorant or spread harmful #misinformation. and then i mentioned that i do a lot of research into mental health stuff and i listed a bunch of things. which included #several personality disorders. one of which was NPD. #and after listening to my whole ass list he zeroed in on the NPD and immediately started talking about how narcissists are abusive and #he knew someone who had NPD and how the person who had it had an addiction and died from the addiction in a horrible way and he #was glad he did #fun times #or when i decided to be vulnerable and talk abt my self-criticism/self-hatred bc i knew my friends also struggled w that and i wanted to #support them by sharing my own coping methods. and they both(separately!) started picking and prodding at my npd through the lens of stigma #bc i'd recently opened up to them abt having it. they recognized self-hatred as a symptom and still jumped on me for it. despite me #trying to share hurt vulnerable parts of myself to help them and connect with them. #again..... fun times

[soosoosoup]

Funk branch au

Au and branch design by @bbc-trolls

#dreamworks trolls #trolls #trolls au #trolls branch #trolls prince d #trolls queen essence #trolls king quincy #thank you bbc-trolls!! for both making this au! and for giving permission for fanart <3 #oooghghg love this au #never knew I needed something so much #Funk family! your perfect! your everything #forgive me my queen! had a hard time drawing you #funk trolls are a bit of a struggle lol #‘branch gets adopted by another tribe’ you will always be famous #yeh funk fam and even funk trolls as a whole would be a good fit for branch #their advanced tech. how accepting/understanding they are (cue twt talk about differences) and did you see them get ready to battle! #the more I think abt this au the more I love it #the more I think about funk trolls the more I LOVE THEM<3 #they're so cool #this took a little long to make. kept adding more and more lol #in case your wondering Quincy is giving a talk about how him being different to both pop and funk is okay and should be cherished #like that talk in twt about how the strings/troll genres are different and to not deny it cause it's an important. #silk sonic on repeat making this! edit: forgot to say thanks to lonedawn for mentioning the album on bbc’s og post! you are so right <3 #also listened to other funky songs #need more funk music!! it reaches as special part of the soul #can not recommend 'atomic dog world tour remix' enough. it's so good. prince d's verse at 1:27 fav #trolls fanart #excuse the messiness #funk branch au #my art <3

[turtleblogatlast]

AU where Leo is trapped in the Prison Dimension for months instead of minutes and the only way he gets by with his sanity intact is through recording himself talking to his wrist comm.

When they finally manage to get Leo back and make him rest up to heal, Donnie can’t help but listen to the recordings left behind.

He’s not sure what exactly he’s expecting, only that his subconscious is screaming at him that it has to be heartbreaking, that it has to be torturous.

Instead, what Donnie is subject to is a full thousand hours’ worth of Jupiter Jim and Lou Jitsu crossover fanfiction. More than one part in the series. Spanning well over a million words.

(The worst part is that it’s actually good.)

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt headcanons #donnie keeps the comms going on in the background as he works #when he gets to the end he’s like what the hell…where’s the rest #donnie: leo where’s part nine #leo barely cognizant after not needing sleep for months: whuh- #donnie: you can’t leave it at a cliffhanger. leo. leo where’s the next part. #listen leo has a great memory for his special interests this is CANON plus he’s a great talker so he would totally be able to do this frfr #whenever he needs to be quiet he’s SILENT but otherwise he’s regaling the exploits of his idols to the captive audience that is The Photo #sometimes Krang sneaks up on him and just listens to him talk like ???? #it starts both as leo trying to comfort himself with his favorite things PLUS comfort himself with thoughts of his father #as splinter makes his own crossover fanfiction when sick lol plus he’s Literally Lou Jitsu #and yes krang ALSO gets a bit invested #leo notices the reduction of Ouch but hey more time for rambling fanfic for him 👍 #idk leo’s a damn good actor/liar/planner/schemer and I genuinely think that can pivot into storytelling so well #the literal second mikey’s hands heal donnie zooms to his side with hand stabilizers and a request to draw ‘scene 82 from recording 3’ #mikey’s like what #so obvs now HE needs to listen as he works #he too gets invested #he comes across raph who mentions having trouble sleeping #mikey: have I got the podcast fanfic for you! #it only somewhat helps raph sleep #somewhat bc sometimes he forces himself to stay awake to hear the rest #yes these recordings go to the whole fam and leo is none the wiser #they don’t even mean to hide it it just never comes up lol #it’s only when donnie FINALLY makes it to the end of the recordings that he confronts leo to continue the story #leo: oH YOU HEARD ALL THAT HUH-

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

some misc Barn & Wally doodles from the past week or so <3 i heart them

#i read 'barnaby bites wally out of affection' exactly Once and it imprinted in my brain forever #its so damn cute... what the fuck... who authorized that.... #one thing about me: yes i Will exaggerate size differences. no im Not sorry #listen one thing i love more than the big guy & their lil buddy dynamic #is big guy & their lil buddy 'rough-housing' #where it looks vicious but the big guy is actually being so so gentle and careful <3 #it kills me every time!!! #AND THESE TWO ARE PERFECT FOR BOTH BABEYYYYYY #the bestiessssss themmmmm them them them #i have so many thoughts / feelings about them and many of them Directly Conflict <3 #scribble salad #welcome home #wait when. when did i start drawing barnaby so damn much #every other scribble is Him #uh oh! looks like hes Blorbo!!! #anyhow sometimes i sit on doodles for Days and Days #until it occurs to me that hey. i can post these #i havent been scribbling much bc ive been chipping away at comms when i have the free time to do Art #the only non-comm stuff have been silly warmups riperoni #BUT! AHA! last week's me (early this week???) was in their Barnaby & Wally feels!!! #providing current me with Crumbs to post!

[transmascissues]

local cis man makes a “joke” tiktok that excludes trans men from the phrase “trans people” and mocks the music we make based on a stereotype that’s already been mocked to death, then makes a follow up video directed at the trans men who told him it wasn’t a funny joke or just made them feel shitty where he just doubles down and says the joke was fine because it “wasn’t serious” and that the trans men who didn’t like it are “directing their energy in the wrong place”.

maybe one day cis people will learn that 1) most trans jokes simply are not for them to make, regardless of how funny they think the joke would be, and 2) it’s not for them to decide if the trans people they chose to joke about are allowed to be upset that the joke was made. i honestly wouldn’t have even bothered making a post about this if it was just the original video because a lot of trans people also make jokes like this (which i still don’t think are funny or fair) so he could be forgiven for thinking no one would be upset, but the doubling down really rubs me the wrong way.

like, if we can’t even trust cis people to listen to our feelings on something as silly as a joke tiktok about music, how can we trust them to listen to us when it really counts? you can say it’s not that serious all you want, but when it’s already been demonstrated that you don’t always know how something will actually affect trans men, can you really expect us to trust that you’ll know when it is that serious?

because the message that response sends is this: “i find you fun to laugh at, but i don’t think you’re worth the trouble of caring about your feelings. i would rather enjoy myself and entertain others at your expense.” and is that the kind of message you want to send to anyone, especially a group of people you seemingly interact with enough to be familiar with the jokes made about them in their community? even if it wasn’t anti-transmasculine, it would still just be mean, and it’s certainly not a message that will make us see you as trustworthy when shit gets bad.

#obligatory ‘please do not harass him’ both because that would be shitty and because clearly he won’t listen to us anyway #it’s like five days old and that follow up is the closest there’s been to an acknowledgement of people’s feelings about it so. don’t bother #i don’t actually think any of y’all would do that but god only knows someone would accuse me of trying to make that happen by linking it #examples of transandrophobia #transandrophobia #transandromisia #transmisandry #virilmisia #virilphobia #anti transmasculinity #transmascphobia

[mumblesplash]

🌴⌛️🐚🌊

#the willpower it took not to write ‘they will shrimply krill you’ #god they really do have hunger games careers vibes don’t they #limited life #mean gills #my art #inthelittlewood #smajor1995 #scott smajor #what is the tag for him istg #you give ONE dude some sharp lookin teeth and suddenly your boyfriend’s like ‘both of them clearly eat people’ sure man #also ​listen. i told you guys i wasn’t going to make them actually kiss you can’t be mad #anyway everyone pls appreciate the hourglass fishing lure thanks

[donelywell]

February 29- March 2 2024

The first time Sonic went Super in Road Trip wasn't exactly as stunning to Tails as other au's and stories.

Tails is like maybe 5 here (I'm not actually that organized on the timeline for this au yet, I'm getting there though, things are getting in order.) and he wasn't forced to grow up and be a hero in this au. So he's a bit more childish than canon Tails because he doesn't feel as pressured to mature and grow up fast. Plus, he genuinely thinks Sonic is going to die and this is the last time he see's him, so tears are bound to come down.

Part 1

#roadtrip!sonic au #sonic the hedgehog #super sonic #dadnic #miles tails prower #tails the fox #sonic fanart #wholesome sonic and tails wednesday #Okay- I'm gonna ramble a little bit about the dialogue and behaviors here you can skip the other tags if you're not interested #First- Sonic immediately tells Tails that he's fine first before asking if Tails is okay. This isn't Sonic putting himself first- #-but him trying to comfort Tails because even if it's cheesy- Tails will only feel okay if Sonic is okay. #Apparently it calms children down if they listen to their parents heartbeat (melts my heart when I remember that) so Sonic put- #-Tails close to him not only so he could hear that Sonic is alive- but also to try calming him down a little more. #Small thing I started incorporating way too late- Sonic will call Tails Big Guy if the kit is smaller than him and- #-Little Guy if the kit is larger than him. #Sonic changed his pattern color to be blue like Tails' eyes after he points out that they are both yellow (it's not colored here- #- but you probably remember that Super Sonic has golden fur.) #Sonic is constantly rubbing a thumb on Tails' hand as a comforting gesture. #That's my ramble- I know it's just pretty bare bone stuff that anyone reading might get but I freaking love explaining stuff (I gotta stop)

[ryllen]

well yuu said watch, not hear

#sorry i really just like u more than malleus that's it; well correct that i like malleus but not when u describe him no #i know general public encourage to go straight into listening and supporting whatever ur partner's hobby or like is #but sometimes u have partner that's into sport or kind of game or film genre u have no interest in at all and i guess it's okay #it's more fun if u both r but yeah not everybody perfectly came from one pod like that; we should be more accepting of the difference #twst #twisted wonderland #sebek zigvolt #twst yuu #twst mc #fanart #beside this is when friends with same type of interest come to play #go make friends boy

[cometshift]

predisasters

#phighting #phighting art #subspace phighting #medkit phighting #art #subspace #medkit #predisaster tag #i think young subspace often gets way too overconfident and there's like a 50/50 chance it'll end weirdly well for him or very badly instea #medkit is the down to earth guy to keep him in check... maybe. if he feels like it #but more often than not he finds more amusement in seeing subspace eat shit. he thinks it's funny #though even when he does try subspace is too stubborn to listen to him. so medkit just leaves him to his luck. they're both terrible #i didn't mean to write so much in the tags sorry i have so many thoughts on them. i'm normal #also i made the 3d model in the top right on the first image i'll post renders soon hehe

[pain-is-too-tired]

I'm thinking about the Apollo Cabin and crying again y'all fdhdg

Just thinking about Little Will struggling to find a talent that fits with his other siblings, watching them ace Archery and Music no problem, and feeling really self-conscious about it.

Lee making the decision to have him shadow Michael in the infirmary and Michael immediately being taking him under his wing.

First time Will's healing abilities show up Will's confused as to what had just happened but Michael is pumped. Lee practically could see him glowing when they meet back for dinner Michael's so proud.

Anytime anyone even tries to talk down to Will about his lack of Archery or Music expertise like his siblings Michael has to be held back from throwing hands. Especially cause he knows Will takes it to heart.

After BoM, Will's self confidence plummets due to losing his biggest support system and having to take care of so many lives on his own. It doesn't really start to build back up until Nico starts noticing and helps him through it.

#mine #pain rambles #will solace #micheal yew #lee fletcher #nicodiangelo #nico di angelo #nico pjo #pjo nico #pjo michael #pjo will #pjo lee #william andrew solace #percy jackson headcanon #pjo hcs #pjo hc #pjo headcanon #will solace headcanon #apollo cabin #cabin 7 #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson and the olympians #Nico only gets through to him cause they're both so stubborn #and it still doesn't solve his self confidence completely #will is a nervous wreck about messing up in their relationship #like 'nico taunted the Titan lord himself why bringing three GODS as back up to a battle! why would he want to be with me?' #Clarisse and Annabeth who've been listening to Will ramble for twenty minutes after he just finished a 32 hour shift: #'tf you mean why???'

[beaulesbian]

ONE PIECE EP. 1106 || Zoro (not) joining the search party.

chapter 1074

#one piece #opedit #opgraphics #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #sanji #nico robin #tony tony chopper #luffy #zoro #zolu #luzo #one piece spoilers #one piece ep 1106 #one piece ch 1074 #onepieceedit #mine #gif:one piece #gif:op anime #gif:zolu #egghead arc #egghead spoilers #rob lucci #kaku #hes like: 'ok i will listen if even robin is saying to stay put' akksjdskdj i love him #his worst sense of direction and he doesnt get what they mean #once again i like the manga translation better. both with what robin said to zoro (lmaoo) but also the 'might' vs 'max effort' #but i was too lazy to rewrite it from the manga

[asliceofzosan]

i've seen figure skater sanji and hockey player zoro before. idk if its been explored but i'd love to put it out there:

hockey player sanji (specifically goalie bc he desperately wants to avoid being checked) and then pairs skater zoro.

pairs skater zoro's long time partner has been nami. though many people ship them together a Lot, they just know each other super well. Well enough to try dating and both of them realized they don't swing that way. in fact, it makes them a really good team. they fought long and hard to claim top spots in competitions because they portray a chemistry that's separate from the rest. plus zoro can carry nami like she weighs fucking nothing. so their lifts are so much more dynamic. they even have a whole next to impossible combination that they're trying to get the ISU to name after them officially.

sanji plays for the East Blue Straw Hats in the Grand Line Hockey League – a formidable rookie group that took down lots of big names in the preseason. they want to make it all the way to the postseason playoff finals but always seem to fall short. but theyre so determined. they reignited a lot of old sparks that were no longer there for old fans and brought in new and curious fans. sanji is the starter goalie and a damn good one at that. it makes sense bc goalies are often doing splits on the ice just to make a save. he's perfected the technique that utilizes just his legs to make saves that make the crowd go fuckin insane.

we have the usual "i booked the rink to practice before you did" trope but a little more spice. in actuality, sanji loves watching pairs skating competitions. his favorite pair rn is franky and robin (mostly for robin). and he adamantly does not want to admit to anyone that he watches zoro and nami's routines much more frequently. (and if anyone asks, he always says its bc of nami. its never just bc of nami.) and zoro's besties with luffy so he always watches their matches even if he barely understands the rules. and he definitely does not stare at a certain blond starter goalie most of the match thats fucking ridiculous

one day zoro and sanji are invited to do one of those comparison videos between hockey players and figure skaters. both get to laugh at the other even Attempting to do their sport. zoro frankly looks ridiculous in all of sanji's usual goalie get-up. and sanji couldn't land an euler to save his life. the video producer suggests they try a simple pairs skating routine. sanji is like "oh i couldn't do that–hEY WHAT THE FUCK MOSSHEAD PUT ME DOWN" because zoro lifted sanji and had him sat on his shoulder like it was normal.

zoro smirks, "you might be lighter than nami, actually. wanna be my new partner?"

sanji knees him in the stomach before skating away while blushing so hard he could melt the ice beneath him.

#listen #both figure skating (most especially pairs skating and ice dancing) AND hockey were my hyperfixations at one point #and zoro? built like a pairs skating man #sanji? has the ass of a hockey player #iT MAKES SENSE TO ME ! #but also the dichotomy of zoro doing a graceful sport and sanji in a fast paced brutal game #idk man im too tired to psychoanalyze why i think pairs skating actually works well with zoro's philosophy on strength and balance #and sanji's phobia of being checked tied to many little league games that led him to become a formidable goalie #i COULD GO ON #But i will sleep instead #one piece #sanji #roronoa zoro #zosan #niki's log: op #niki's fics: checks and balances #dO YOU GET THE PUN IN THE TITLE GOD IM SO ANNOYING !!!!! #lowkey my contribution to zosan week even if it might not fit any promprs #i just wanna feel included

[sunderwight]

Thinking about the weird camaraderie that exists between demons but not angels in GO.

Have we ever seen two angels who are actually friends? Or even friendly to one another? We have met angels with a capacity to be friendly in general, but I think the closest we've come to two angels actually getting along would be Gabriel making a point to laugh at Sandalphon's terrible "can't have a war without War" line in S1.

Most scenes between the angels actually seem to have an undercurrent of absolute hostility. Teeth-clenched teamwork. No wonder it took them so long to notice that Aziraphale wasn't on the same page as the rest of them! The rest of them are barely on the same page as one another, either! When Gabriel goes against the majority vote, no one bats an eye at demoting him and wiping his memory. Michael and Uriel immediately begin vying for his job. The only times we've seen angels team up is when they're working together to bully someone else, like when they're trying to intimidate Aziraphale in S1 or going to the aftermath of the bookshop raid in S2.

Saraqael's overall neutrality towards Muriel is the closest we get to two angels in Heaven getting along, and it's more a lack of hostility than any kind of friendliness. At least until Gabriel loses his memories and Muriel shows up to spy on Aziraphale, and Aziraphale decides to be kind to both of them.

Demons, on the other hand, actually seem to form alliances and even friendships among one another. Hastur and Ligur are awful, but Hastur seems genuinely distraught over Ligur's death, not just fearful of suffering the same fate. Shax and Furfur conspire together and even though the 1940's investigation into Crowley's fraternizing doesn't work out for Furfur, it's not due to any double-crossing on Shax's part. Unlike the angels, who stick almost exclusively to making threats until the Metatron decides to try dangling a carrot at the end of the season, demons actually offer rewards to other demons when trying to work together. Beelzebub offers Crowley a promotion if he can bring them Gabriel, Furfur offers to back Shax up politically if she goes for the Duke position opening, and Crowley successfully stalls Hastur in S1 by pretending everything was a test and he's going to be put in charge of a legion as a reward for passing. They're still not great at socializing, but they're significantly ahead of the angels.

Of course, it's a fact that demons are awful to one another (Eric's treatment is really bad, they throw that random demon into holy water just to test it, "it'd be a funny world if demons went around trusting one another", etc) but they still seem more capable of forming friendships than the angels do.

I think that's because Hell cramps and crowds everyone together to try and increase their suffering and hostility, whereas Heaven isolates angels to decrease the odds of questioning or rebellion. Hell's methods are unpleasant, but it still ends up putting demons together, and some of those demons inevitably forge alliances and make friendships. Because as Crowley and Beelzebub demonstrate, demons are still social creatures with the capacity for love and affection, even if it's strongly discouraged and buried under nine million layers of trauma and a cultural mandate against kindness.

Angels are the same, but isolation makes is harder to form connections than overcrowding. Muriel and Jimbriel are both so eager to make friends, but Muriel's spent the past millennia shut in an empty office, and Gabriel has been distanced from his peers both through his position and also through Heaven's culture of fear and surveillance. He only breaks away from it when he finds something that's stronger than "choosing sides" (stronger than the fear of being rejected by Heaven and Falling, in fact strong enough that Falling seems worth it if he gets to be with someone he loves). Both Muriel and Gabriel are only able to start forming connections when they're away from Heaven.

I just think it's interesting that demons, despite being supposedly devoid of love, have an advantage in forming relationships compared to angels. Angels are supposed to love, but have far fewer opportunities to actually do so. Demons aren't supposed to love, but they make connections anyway.

#good omens #ineffable bureaucracy #both angels and demons are suckers for a bit of kindness too #even if they pretend otherwise and even if there are exceptions to the rule #like yeah you're probably not gonna win over the likes of hastur or michael with a nicety #but according to word of god furfur would be highly susceptible to a kind word #and well we see how it is with muriel and jim #i think this is why shax also weirdly toes the line between getting crowley destroyed and being almost-friends with him #that's just how it works in hell when you don't actually despise somebody #you can't be nice to them but you're still also kind of helpful and non-hostile a lot #don't let it interfere with your goals but sure deliver their mail and get their help with your boiler issues why not #maggie took the wrong approach to confronting the demons #if she'd been nice instead of telling them off they wouldn't have known how to handle it i bet #they're USED to being mocked and yelled at #should have given them jim's tray of canapes and offered them tea and stuff #not that I expect anyone to intuit that under the circumstances just that it might have actually held them off a lot longer #bunch of demons sitting outside of a bookshop passing around a tray of tiny little dinners and listening to records playing from inside