#here vs canon where she is waaaay more isolated. oof

[cursedfortune]

How does Mortem handle jealousy?

@swordduels

She doesn't. By that I mean, Mortem doesn't experience jealousy. She does not feel insecure about herself or her relationships typically enough to invite jealousy into her life. If she's ever insecure on something, it's situational and something she confronts head-on. Jealousy has no time or room to breathe and grow.

The closest thing I can give you to jealousy is how possessive she can be. It doesn't stem from a place of insecurity like jealousy tends to, however. It stems from being gifted a bond with another and being not just protective, but possessive of that bond. It doesn't manifest in the way of typical abusive relationships do. She doesn't seek to isolate, control, minimize the other(s). Mortem is just very aware of what someone means to her, that gratefulness for it being mutual has her coveting it.

It's similar to a child who grew up in a closet, getting glimpses of sunlight through the cracks of the door. She has lived in isolation for a very long time, when someone genuinely sticks around they are that sunlight she tries to hold onto. In a logical sense, she knows it isn't the way to do it but she's still growing in that area. Mortem tries to not make it someone else's problem, nor have someone think she doesn't value their ability to be independent. But it comes natural to witches that when someone is viewed as 'this is my person' or 'i think of you as my own', that they wish the other to be safe and comfortable because they know all too well what it's like not to be.

You add in her history and things get messy. She covets a mutual bond with another.

Jealousy doesn't factor in, however. Mortem has plenty of confidence in herself first and foremost, but she also has confidence in the relationships she forges with people. And if she doesn't? She processes it and then will bring it up with the other(s) involved. She has a very healthy ego, because arrogance often is a killer. Mortem knows the power of communication and expressing trust not just in actions, but in words.

Her life is a dangerous one but if you put that trust, time, effort and care into her she is going to return it in full. She will do everything in her power to protect it and if she can't... she'll tell you exactly why you need to run away from her for a time.

#the last part is regarding when her purpose swings into a negative morality and she's required to be Awful #if her purpose tells her someone she cares about is in the way she won't have a choice but to go through them eventually #the loophole is if she can get them out of a role that makes them feel as tho they are an interference #she has leeway in how she goes about things but she HAS to go about them or risk coming apart @_@ #this fits canon mortem to a degree but it's mostly here with others it applies more. cause like she has various kinds of relationships #here vs canon where she is waaaay more isolated. oof #asks #swordduels #thank you for the ask friendo <3 #having to figure out the fine line of mortem being unhealthy and flawed but not for the usual reasons of insecurity is always a trip