I'm Vulnerable

[memeage]

VULNERABILITY MEME
TAKE OFF THE MASK

Vulnerabilities are often kept under a front, hiding secrets, shame, guilty pleasures, and things we don't necessarily want others to know. But what happens if they're the first thing someone knows?


 How:
 

 
 
i. Top level with a numbered list of your character's vulnerabilities - do not leave your comment blank.
ii. Reply to others.
iii. Have fun! 

 

Comments

Daria Morgendorffer | Daria

[standingonmyneck]

[This girl was always a severely guarded person and still is. To be exposed for the world to see is her ultimate nightmare.]

1. To make friends/loved ones to hopefully lose them and be forever alone.

2. People knowing my fears only to use them against me.

3. Letting someone get close enough only to be hurt by them.

4. Trying so hard at a passion only to fail and be rejected.

3, but really 1-4 tbh

[shinbunshinobi]

[ Sasuke sits down next to her without saying a word. He looks straight out ahead at nothing in particular. ]

... Yeah.

[ He doesn't feel the need to elaborate. ]

[standingonmyneck]

[It took sitting there knowing she was exposed for all of her transgressions for her to be completely silent. It was a distancing act all on itself and it all felt really cold around her. Knowing where her heart was was always easy on her head, as was her honesty. But this brand of raw energy was overbearing for someone as guarded and sensitive as her.

Daria was completely silent.]

...Yeah.

[It was solitary but familiar. It was like in some weird way, at the moment, she appreciated there wasn’t much to say about it. No criticisms, just acknowledgment one way or another. She shifted in her seat.]

4

[alonsotigerheart]

Ice Bear believes in you.

[ He can understand the fear of failure - he's been there. Although he doesn't quite understand the rejection part. Reject for what? He doesn't ask but leaves it up to her to elaborate. It won't change his statement anyway. ]

[standingonmyneck]

[It was never easy to be open about these things. A part of her just wanted to be cagey and forget the whole thing. Daria probably would have but it was harder with someone who was frank enough that he didn't beat around the bush. But it was difficult. As much as Daria felt she liked Ice Bear's company, that skepticism still did eat at her. It was hard to take it all to heart unless she aired it out honestly.

After all, how much did he know her? Better question yet, what was stopping her from opening up further to him?]

You do, huh? But what is it that you believe in me for? It's not like I make myself very open about these things, or open myself up in general.

Sherlock Holmes | Sherlock BBC

[desecrated]

1. He cares too much. About his friends, mostly and his clients second.
2. He's been subjected to physical torture, he is not undamaged.

Arataka Reigen | MP100

[internetsexsymbol]

1. He's a very lonely person who doesn't have a lot of real friends.

2. He lies like most of the time because he doesn't like the real him at all.

3. He's afraid of not accomplishing anything in his life and being a failure.

esther moreau / original

[57times]

[ She'd rather relocate to the Arctic than have people know her personal shit. She'd like to use the fire escape here please. ]

1. She's been subjected to some pretty horrific abuse in her past and carries the shame and weight of that with her now, as well as the misplaced feeling of being responsible for it.

2. She's terrified of letting anyone get close to her romantically, but at the same time it's something she desperately wants.

3. She's scared of the past repeating itself and that, if that were to happen, she'd then be too scared of being abandoned or being alone to get herself out of it again.

4. Being abandoned or forgotten about is a big source of anxiety for her.

Llewellyn Watts | Murdoch Mysteries | OTA

[gadaboutdetective]

(He would much rather work a case than think about/talk about any of this. Oops.)

1. Abandonment - Due certain events, he’s very sensitive to the idea of people deciding to leave him and if someone mentions going away his first reaction is to ask: For how long?/Will you be back?/Are you leaving forever?

2. Ambush - Likely due to events from his childhood (and possibly beyond that) Watts is notably rather concerned about the idea that people could take issue with him or his work and lash out violently. He tends to keep track of escape routes when indoors, and he doesn’t react well to being approached from behind.

3. Insecure- A little tied in with 1, he tends to be uncertain and insecure when it comes to the idea of how people feel about him either romantically or platonically. The idea that people want him around, or worry about his well-being (physically or mentally) is a bit hard for him to believe or understand. He wants a to feel accepted, to not have to feel alone; but he is often afraid to try to reach out or to hope for more, as well as fearing the loss of those he has already. Even small slip ups (when he realizes he’s made one) give him a notable moment of panic.

4. Failure to protect/save - Watts feels very responsible for the people he cares about. His adoptive brothers were both tortured and murdered while he felt that they were his responsibility and it was his job to protect them. Someone close to him getting hurt or possibly being in trouble is something he tends to react very strongly to. He will easily try to take the full weight of the blame if someone is looking to find someone at fault, or take the failure to protect them to heart.

'3' let me know if I should tweak anything

[seaweedcrystals]

[The country was definitely different than what he was used to. Granted he was incredibly aware of the fact many eyes were scanning him. Noriaki Kakyoin knew that the relations between Canada and Japan were strenuous outside of their trade. Many were unaccustomed to seeing an Asian man. Unlike many of his countrymen since their Westernisation, he hadn't adopted bowler hats, instead quite proudly keeping his hair tied back. Suits weren't quite as comfortable as hakama, but his mother had insisted it would be for the best. Integration was the greatest way to acceptance. Though he wasn't quite sure he wanted to sacrifice so much of his comforts for others' sake.

As he looked out across the park he spotted a man sat by himself, contentedly digging into a baked good whilst he was playing a game against himself. Noriaki had to wonder where the fun was, you always knew your next move, where was the challenge?
Well, there was no better way to mingle than to play games right?

He approached the man and gave a polite bow.]

Perhaps I might be able to offer a more stimulating opponent?

It’s perfect~ Thanks for the tag patience!

[gadaboutdetective]

[Watts was more or less content to sit on his own, it was how he normally spent his time and it gave him a small reprieve from the loud buzz of the other men at the station house. He supposed it could also be said that it gave them a break from him as well, if he was being honest. That was part of the problem, of course, his honest observations weren’t always appreciated. People tended to take offence, and while it wasn’t as bad at Station House 4 as it had been at 1 he still found some days harder to navigate conversation than others. Best to keep to a routine, one that ensured he wouldn’t have a chance to say or do too much to irk the others or the Inspector.

He’d already stuck his foot in his mouth twice thus far, once without realizing it and the second time he’d been halfway through saying something when he realized how it sounded a little too late.

The park was his favourite haunt in Toronto. It was spacious, had lots of food vendors, and there were plenty of distractions to keep his mind occupied. Normally he would have spent some time wandering while he ate, but he had spotted a free chess table and couldn’t help but take a seat. George had taken to challenging him and some of the other lads, but he wasn’t particularly good at the game. His attention span waned, and he was fidgety more often than not, so trying to work some strategies out by himself seemed like good practice for next time.

There would be a next time, he’d never tell the constable no. Not when he was one of the few people who generally didn’t get frustrated with him and didn’t seem to mind his company.

Nibbling on a bit of pastry he had pinched off of the edge, he squinted thoughtfully at the board with furrowed brows. Shifting to slouch from slightly a different angle, he became aware of someone approaching the table. His laser focus (and some concern over strangers approaching) kicked in. First glance suggested a young man, probably around John’s age or thereabouts. He looked a little out of place, not because where he was from, but because he didn’t look entirely comfortable. Watts didn’t believe in judging a person based on where they were from, preferring to let their words and actions influence his opinions of them. He did sometimes offer a thought on ones fashion choices, though...

Either way, someone just strolling up to him was a little odd, especially for a stranger. It wasn’t as though his appearance suggested police, and he hadn’t been in the papers nearly as often as Detective Murdoch had, so it was unlikely that the young man was seeking him out for help.

When the offer for a chess partner was made, his brows popped up expressively. Clearly not what the man had been expecting. The hesitation to agree was apparent as Watts considered his answer. It was an innocent enough offer, and it would be good practice...

For however long the stranger had patience for.

The first signs of agreement came in the form of an awkward little rush as he reset the board, followed by a clumsy attempt at a polite smile.]

Ah— if you like you certainly are welcome to. I admit I’m more of a mm... novice, though.

Jaisyn “Jane” Solo • Star Wars

[forceshadowed]

Y HALLO THAR FRIENDOS here are a bunch of options lol

EU canon:
1. Her younger brother died during a mission, under her watch. They had not been in good terms; they argued about a lot of things, and she nearly got booted off the team because she was whiny and dumb.
2. She spent around a year in captivity and was physically tortured for months. Right after her brother died.
3. She'd been advocating nonviolence, but during her captivity she'd gone berserk a couple times and killed a bunch of people/creatures and liked it.

movieverse / sequel trilogy AUs:
4. She's in the First Order because she followed Ben there, but she wants out.
5. She's among the leaders of the Resistance, but she secretly doubts the cause.

all other AUs:
6. Modern: Her high-profile political/military family has a few dirty little secrets. For starters, her grandfather was a spy gone rogue? Oops.
7. She's in love with Jon Snow her childhood friend vowed to another the enemy a man she can't have.
8. Wildcard! Because this gal has too many AUs and I'm up for tossing her into more lmao.

8 - because reasons - even if he wants them all. greedy snow.

[scaledwolf]

He hadn't meant to get shot tonight, but it was that or Artemis losing her life at least he'd heal. The lecture from her, yelling at him and telling him he was an idiot for taking that shot for her had lasted nearly the entire time she spent both beating their mark unconscious and then bandaging him up. And truthfully, he didn't mind a second of it, because it meant she had been alive to do it. That was what had mattered in the moment, keeping her alive. His side hurt, but it had passed through and through, no vital organs, not too much danger or blood considering where it could have gone. He'd stood patiently, wincing occasionally, as she made sure the wound had been cleaned and packed to her satisfaction.

It was in that moment after, when her head had just rested against his shoulder as they took the night in that everything finally hit hard. Normally that was the part where she'd have crawled into his lap or he'd have shifted to pin her against the nearest wall and their mouthes and hands would have been everywhere. Especially with his shirt already half off for the wound care. But he has someone back home, coming over shortly. And he knows she does too, because they've ranted to each other about how hard it had been recently to keep this life a secret. One more thing they shared together. And while his arm wraps around her to hug her to him, because he knows that the yelling had been because she'd been scared the shot could have been more deadly, it's just a soft kiss to her cheek and then her temple from him tonight. "Thank you," had been murmured into her skin as he soaked in the moment with her. It's a kind of moment you want to linger in, for the world to stop, and yet, "I have to get home. My girl's supposed to be there any minute," is the comment that follows.

Even with that in the air between them it takes a while to part, to watch her get on her bike and head off before he leans back against the building and slowly slides into the shadows. At night, traveling through the shadows is far faster than Artemis' bike and he makes it home in record time. Enough time that he can get a quick shower and some pajama pants on before Jane arrives. He almost forgets the shirt, but the sight of Artemis' bandage on his side in the mirror as he's leaving his bedroom reminds him. It's not one of the tighter shirts he normally wears either, this one baggy enough on him that it won't bother the wound. He's a little stiff as he moves to get the door for Jane when she finally makes it, every movement pulls at his side, but he's not entirely sure how to explain this to her either. So instead he pulls her gently into his apartment and kisses her deeply. "Hey you," he murmurs against her mouth softly.

their aus are like pokemon, gotta catch them all lmao

[forceshadowed]

She hadn't meant for him to get shot that night, but one of their enemies — a hulk of a man who called himself The Mountain — had managed to land a blow to her head. She'd stumbled, her helmet taking the brunt of the attack, but it had crumpled enough that the visual feed went offline and for a few seconds she couldn't see anything. The next thing she knew, she was down on the ground, White Wolf having pushed her aside and taken the shot that had been meant for her.

She doesn't want to think about what she'd done next, but it had happened: she saw nothing but red and beat The Mountain up to near-death, unrelenting until Wolf called for her to stop. Then she'd yelled at him for getting hurt, even while she patched him up with great care. Thankfully, the mask she wears under her helmet concealed the few tears that had managed to slip past her walls.

The double life was hard. They'd just spoken about it, in fact; told each other the secrets they hated keeping from their partners, lamented about all the lies they'd had to learn to be comfortable with. But what they didn't talk about was the things they did to each other, not wanting to admit that there was more to those moments where she'd crawled into his lap or he'd pinned her to a wall. Because, at the end of the day, despite her attraction to Wolf and the passion he manages to stir from within her whenever they're together... she had someone else. And so did he.

So she thanks him one more time and leaves, tearing through the streets on her bike like her life depended on it because Neufie's just reminded her that she's already late for her date. She tears the modulator from her throat and rings up Jon's landline. Straight to voicemail. Kriff. "Hey, hun. Sorry, the train broke down and there was some commotion and the cops have to talk to us for a while." She winces at how terrible all that sounded. "Be there in fifteen?"

She gets there in thirty. After all, she had to leave her bike at home, take a quick shower and change into Jane-appropriate clothing, and actually commute to his place. The good thing is her normie self already has a reputation for being late, so he shouldn't question it too much. She hopes.

"Sorry I'm late," she whispers in between kisses. She can feel every nerve ending in her body screaming for more, still too wired from what had just gone down out there on the streets, but they've always been slow and gentle with each other and she's not about to reveal her secret now. Not when death had come so close to them tonight; she'll never be able to forgive herself if Jon got into any trouble because his girlfriend is secretly a super. "But better late than later, right?"

Weiss Schnee|RWBY|ota

[snowldier]

1) First and foremost Winter is being afraid of not being taken seriously as individual and adult. Mostly as an adult if we are being honest. Even despite her high ranking in the Atlas military and her hard won independence from her family. Any way that she feels she isn't measuring up is a sore spot for her.

2)Seeing Dad's and daughters that have good relationships - hell people who have good relationships with their parents in general. Reminds her of what she doesn't have.

3) Her brother. She does feel some guilt about spending so much more time on her sister than with him. Weiss is closer to her in age gap and they have more in common, but with Whitley it's hard to not think she's dealing with her father in miniature. She also realizes this isn't fair and feels conflicted about it.

4) She worries about her siblings in general. Weiss at least, is her only family who feels like family.

5) Last and not least anything to do with alcohol. She watched it destroy her mother and does not trust it. That's why in the past it was often time triggering and frustrating to be around Qrow.

Ren Nagai | original character | OTA

[rennotrin]

1) I feel like I lack terribly in book-smarts thanks to how I was raised as a kid and that makes me feel like I seem dumb to other people. Including myself.

2) I travel a lot, but I hate uprooting myself so much. Because of that, I'm afraid of making honest, lasting connections. Why bother if I have to leave and never come back?

3) I sometimes feel uncertain of my own gender. I'm a man, born as a woman. But I don't hate some aspects of my current body, and I'm afraid to change them drastically and risk losing more than I gain.


NSFW category
4) I like to say that I feel closest when I'm fucking someone, but sometimes, all I really want is a cuddle, even from one-night-stands.

5) I always find it tempting to say some witty or quippy comment in the middle of sex when it comes to mind. Even if it'll make my partner and I lose the mood for awhile and burst out laughing.

Tommy Shepherd | Marvel Comics | OTA

[zoomandboom]

1. Tommy's a classic case of playing confident and invulnerable and being a secret ball of insecure marshmallow who thinks he doesn't really deserve anything good.
2. Tommy doesn't actually like the dark very much.
3. He doesn't admit it, but trying to keep still for too long actually hurts Tommy, and he gets headaches from trying to slow down enough and keep still and follow things like a normal person.
4. He was a problem child who couldn't follow anything in school and couldn't be still, naturally, and was labelled as stupid and rebellious, so he just leaned into it. It set up a pretty rancorous relationship at home and his dad either ignored him or was somewhat abusive. He doesn't admit it, but he still doesn't like adult men yelling in his face. He just hits them now though.
5. Now that he had an actual family and friends once, he's both desperately afraid of being alone and absolutely positive he will be eventually.

@helpdesk_hero

[zoomandboom]

"Ready? Okay ... go!" Tommy said. He was grinning, head ducked a little and watching the three kids beside him from the corner of his eye. He didn't know how old they were. Fiveish, he guessed? Two twins and one other one. They were cute, and Tommy had just kind of watched them huddled around for a while. He guessed they'd all come out of some kind of group home, since they weren't related to the not-twin one, but knew each other. They were probably just here for a while until they found some mutant-friendly home to farm them out to. But they were here now, and scared. And two of them had physical mutations - the too-big eyes on the twins and the scaling on their arms. It couldn't have been easy for them, wherever they'd been.

Tommy liked kids. They usually didn't take a lot of bullshit, and they were pretty easy to make happy and they were cute. And he'd felt bad for them, so he'd started playing some shit game on his phone and showing it to them.

The twins tried to hide the scales on their arms, but they were shit at it since their clothes didn't have long sleeves. The scales were kind of pretty, like a rainbow shine in the sun. Tommy told them that and they'd seemed startled, the little boy warming quickly.

By the time he showed his own powers they were bold enough to ask for a race, since they were apparently the fastest kids at their old home. Tommy agreed and waited for them to take off, running fast enough that he could zip to catch up to them, and then pretending to catch a toe and stumble, letting them reach the tree first and win.

The kids crowed and Tommy laughed, rolling his eyes and complaining that it wasn't fair. But he kept smiling. He got accused of throwing the race after he gave them all piggyback rides at absurd speeds that had them shrieking into his ears, and he denies it, still smiling right up until Wolverine showed up to cart them off for something. Tommy closed off then, like a shuttered lamp, but he softened to give the kids a little wink and wave goodbye behind Wolverine's back as he herded them off.

Tommy had been absorbed in the kids and hadn't noticed that it was more than just Wolverine invading his spot until after they were gone and he was left bored again. He saw David lurking nearby and stopped. They hadn't really talked, since the camping trip. And Tommy felt stupid over how seeing David always made him immediately think about it - how David's hands had felt, the heat of his tongue, the width of his shoulders. He flushed a little, half over being caught playing with a bunch of kindergartners, and half because of where his traitor shit of a brain still wanted to go. But he lifted his chin, shrugging. "Hey," he offered, picking up the phone he'd left on the ground after the kids were done playing and shoving it back in his pocket.

[helpdesk_hero]

Talk about a sight he hadn't expected to see. David had arrived before Logan had, but unlike the professor he hadn't had in him to break up the morning that the kids were having. They seemed so happy with Tommy, and the other teen mutant had seemed so... gentle. So sweet, so loving. Strange how, even after that night that neither of them spoke about or acknowledged, he hadn't thought of Tommy in this sort of soft, positive light before. Was that wrong of him? Perhaps. Did he feel guilty? Absolutely.

And was he offering Tommy a soft smile right now? Yeah.

"Hey. Don't worry," he says, a touch of fondness and amusement in his voice, "I won't tell anyone."

A deliberate call back to that night. A way of acknowledging that it hung between them without actually saying it.

Crowley / Good Omens

[agathokakological]

Fujimaru Ritsuka | fate/grand order | OTA

[fujimaru]

1. The fact that she is so, so ordinary, living and working among people who are, by their definition, incredibly extraordinary -- people literally so well-known that the convention is that they hide their names, to avoid exposure of their vulnerabilities. Most of the time it doesn't bother her, but there's always that feeling, small and nagging, that knows if it really came down to the wire, she wouldn't be able to help someone in danger. (That's happened before.)

2. On a more petty note, it's kind of embarrassing to be the only one who really gets affected by things like hunger or thirst or overeating and breakouts and boy the list goes on. Human bodies are kind of janky.

3. To some degree, as well, she's afraid of how attached she already is to most of the Servants in Chaldea; it was one thing to know, intellectually, that they wouldn't be together forever... but it was another thing entirely to spend a week in a near-empty Chaldea, knowing everything had already come to an end. Turns out, it still sucks to lose people you really care about, no matter how prepared you were for the idea.

4. Sometimes, she thinks that man isn't the only person who really figured out how to be a persom from their time in Chaldea, and she's afraid of what pieces of herself she might lose, if (when) she has to integrate back into regular society.

Jemma Simmons | Agents of SHIELD

[biochemistry]

[Here we go again. Petition for mandatory therapy for SHIELD agents.]

1. Category one, inherent vulnerabilities: neuropsychological (anxiety incl. panic attacks, depression, OCD, autism) requiring degrees of attempted masking; physical (childhood scoliosis) leaving a lingering impact; know-it-all tendencies; overwhelming desire to be good.

2. Category two, learned vulnerabilities: parentally suggested repressive/camouflaging coping mechanisms; paranoia about being a weak link in groups of more physically strong people; fear of not being able to protect/save people she loves or do the general right thing.

3. Category three, acquired vulnerabilities: PTSD despite her occasional claims otherwise; hypersensitivity about being potentially betrayed and/or abandoned; fear of/anxieties about the wilderness of space, being buried alive or killed by a loved one, being enslaved and objectified, being forcibly deafened; extreme fear of bringing harm to people she loves or the world as a whole.

Peter Quill | MCU

[its_starlord]

1) Constant bullying from the Ravagers and his team left him dealing with a lot of self-esteem issues, leading to either bursts of anger or trying to use humor to cover up how much it hurts.

2) Also has a lot of father/parental issues, with his real father killing his mom and just wanting to use him while the closest thing he had to a father figure threatened him most of his life and "redeeming" himself before his death.

3) Love of his life asks him to kill her if she gets caught, fails to do so, and she ends up dying by her father's hands. He's... still having a hard time processing all of this as this was the first person he really got close to and she died as soon as things got serious between them.

Darth Maul | Star Wars

[survivalthroughhate]

[Voicetesting!]

1. He's a very damaged person who's managed to lose the only two people he ever really cared about and considers both their deaths to be his fault. The worst part is he's not entirely wrong in that respect.

2. The only father he ever had was a man who abused him on a daily basis until he was warped into the perfect weapon for him to use. Maul strove to get his approval despite it all.

3. Despite everything he's done, he always loses far more then he gains whenever he tries to do something like get revenge on those that have wronged him. It only ends up with him hurting all the worse. He's like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the hill: he always almost gets what he wants only to lose it all again in spectacular fashion.

4. [There's always the option of making up something specific for a scenario.]

1 + 3

[saudadist]

[ To see someone else's vulnerabilities laid bare is awkward, and even that's putting it mildly. Lucy has never cared to ask for another person's story, nor as she been forthcoming with sharing her own. Part of it is because she owes no one the stomach-churning misery she's had to face, and another part of it is not wanting to revisit painful memories anymore than she already does. Similarly, she hates the idea of someone else being able to see such weaknesses, and while she's not a goldhearted soul, she can certainly feel compassion. If it's someone she has no malice toward, she'd rather not see their weaknesses and associated baggage. Especially when she has been there, when she's lost everyone she ever cared about through her own actions or, more devastatingly, when the pursuit of revenge only ended up costing her more than if she'd just tried to keep moving on in more peaceful ways.

How do you go about expressing that solidarity with someone else? There's no easy way to broach the subject and just say "yeah, I know how that feels" only twists the knife to the point of being insulting. Just how exactly do you say you feel bad for someone without them taking it badly? She couldn't tell you, not when she has no idea herself.

Instead, she decides it best to just sit down with a sigh and say nothing for a good few moments before finally admitting: ]

I won't say anything, even if someone asks.