Delicious burnouts: My favourite 12

I've always thought of myself as multiplicity. Maybe because I have a twin, or because I read Jung for the first time when I was very young. I don't really know. The thing is that I believe everybody is changing all the time, everywhere. Something remains, of course, but time and space are powerful forces, capable of reshaping any person's existence and circumstances. As a multiplicity, I don't have a type. I've found myself attracted to all kinds of people, and I love it. Relationships are always new, exciting adventures. I'm open to the experience, not worrying about the outcome. The heart goes by… At least while I'm still single, young, and hungry. That's why I'm going to present to you a list of possible candidates whom I have imagined relating with in the past. They all have different issues and motivations. In fact, they only have one thing in common: they're all super interesting.

For so many years, I made many bad decisions when it came to love. I couldn't be further from being an expert. But now I understand an essential principle that has turned my life upside down. The opposite of Love is not Hate, it's Power. If you really love someone, you'll have to be on their side, accept what they really are, and be able to give them compassion and tenderness. That's why you must choose well whom you are going to love. Yes, I've said it: you can make that choice, it's your decision. 

“I can fix him” is a power move. So in real life, ask yourself: if you want to change someone because you're convinced they are wrong and you're right, who's really damaged? Everybody is free to have opinions, perspectives, motives, ambitions, and desires. “Everybody is looking for something”, as the song tells us…

Having said that, when it comes to fiction, it's a completely different story. In the exercise of imagining how you can fix someone, I believe you are truly discovering something important about yourself. In the deep, you're also understanding how storytelling works, since you're coming up with several possible evolution paths for the characters, taking into account their specific contexts and universes. I think it's a very creative way of relating to the production we watch on our screens, and if you want to become a writer, it's excellent training. Maybe it's even easier to do that before you try to do the same analysis with yourself in real life, in case you need it.

Now I'm going to share with you why I think I can relate to these 12 characters (subtitles), what is missing in their lives for them to reach happiness or completeness (according to my humble opinion), and how I think their problems can be fixed. At the end, I would love to know if you identify with me on this one, and if you're interested in some of them.

***

1. Tyrion Lannister: I want to belong

He's an alcoholic and a brothel addict, he underestimates himself constantly, he doesn't get along with his family (I think he has some mother issues -maybe, just maybe), and he's too intelligent, even for his own good. I suspect Tyrion has desired in secret and for a very long time to be a little bit more normal. He wants to belong, to be accepted. So I would give him a daily management job and maybe two or three children, for him to feel he's the leader of a family where he could impart his wisdom with purpose. But above all, I'd give him absolute loyalty and fidelity, the confidence that screams “I am enough”.

2. Cruella de Vil: I want to shine

She has critical visions regarding authority, she lost her mother when she was only a kid (so she had to stand up for herself on the streets from a really young age), she breaks all conventions with intense creativity, and she's thirsty for revenge. I think she has a deep fear of abandonment. So I'd be her shadow, working day and night by her side, to finally give her what she truly deserves: global recognition. She must be remembered for her brightness and style, leaving an unforgettable mark on the History of Fashion.

3. Professor Severus Snape: I want to be loved

He doesn't have any real friends, he's an introvert full of knowledge, incapable of sharing what he knows (everybody seems to reject him one way or another), he has never experienced what it's like to be in an intimate relationship, and he tends to hold on to grudges. What to do with this enigmatic and handsome wisard? I'd let him know every day how much I love him, in sophisticated and profound ways, in silence, sharing secret looks. I'd ask him to never leave me, and I'd encourage him to help others with the stuff he knows. I have a feeling he could set an example and become a secret hero for others.

4. Marylin: I want to lead

She trusts no one, she uses her womanhood as a weapon, she's dangerously ambitious (no man is going to make her think otherwise: her ultimate purpose is to become rich), and she will not let herself lose track of reality. She's really lonely. She forgot how to dream. She's convinced she only has her beauty. I'll give her all the money she needs to start her own business, probably helping other women to become fully independent; and I'd let her come to me whenever she wants, no strings attached, always available for her.

5. James Delaney: I want to change

He has visions with ghosts, he's in love with his sister, he's tormented by a mysterious past really badly, and he's known for his bad temper. I suspect he really wants to be free from all the heavy leverage. He wants to change his life completely. So I'd give him new reasons to live for. If he doesn't want to become a father (I doubt that), I'd try to persuade him into a lucrative and global business, maybe something exciting, ambitious, and risky. I'd use only a few words to communicate with him, though, because I'll use my mouth in other ways, if you know what I mean…

6. Perfidia Beverly Hills: I want to be remembered

She has significant daddy issues, she has way too much energy, she's constantly wanting to destroy things, she's obsessed with an ideal of freedom, and she doesn't know how to follow rules but her own. In reality, she doesn't know she's going to die someday. She thinks her life is a vehicle for a social movement. She wants to make history. I' try to be around her every time she wants to shine as an outlaw heroine, yes. But at the same time, I'd try to make her have other dreams, to become older with me, so she can enjoy the outcomes of her struggles, so she can be part of the future society she's fighting for.

7. Rusty Ryan: I want to have fun

He has a mysterious past, he's obsessed with money, he only relies on his friends, and he never lets his guard down with anyone. He's very focused on dedicating his life to criminal affairs, maybe because he thinks he's not able to have an interesting life besides that. I'd try to show him how not everything permanent is boring, and I'd look for new, exciting ways to have adventures, traveling around the world with him, exploring places few people visit, and exchanging experiences with other cultures.

8. Marla Grayson: I want to live in a fair world

I bet one of her favorite ironic statements is: “You know how it works.” She uses her strategic mind to get what she wants, she doesn't care about others, she's extremely ambitious, and she's capable of very dark things. She has suffered because of an unfair world, a world ruled by men that doesn't care about women. So I'll give her all the power she needs to set her own rules in a controlled environment, giving her all the resources needed to make her most beautiful, fair, and utopic dream come true. 

9. Joel & Clementine: I want to stay innocent

They're both very insecure, anxious, and blue. Although they're talented and perceptive, they seem they can't find a source of inspiration to truly and unconditionally believe in themselves, to bet on themselves. They're so beautiful and strange, but they don't seem to see why that's valuable. I'd buy a house near an alternative community for the three of us (maybe near a beach too), and I'd try to motivate them to get more involved with other artists. I'd be open to different sexual experiences (if Joel wants to), and I'd try to host fun events at our house every week, especially for Clementine. She needs stimulation.

10. Leslie: I want to be free

She's always betting, apparently she doesn't have anything or no one, she's an expert liar not to be trusted, and she only thinks about herself. She doesn't understand a very unique truth about the past: you don't have anywhere to run from it. You need to face it if you want to move on. I'd take my car, drive her to her father's, and wait for her outside the house. Then make a magic ritual to say goodbye to her mother, perhaps in the town's cemetery. And then I'd try to make her have a social mission, no matter where she wants us to go. I'm sure all of her skills could be very useful for people in need (maybe becoming a lawyer in a big firm?).

11. The Driver: I want peace

He's a product (and a victim) of his circumstances, he's very good at killing and following orders, he believes he has nothing important to say, and he's convinced he will always be alone. Being one of the most dangerous and violent people in his world, he really wants to escape. I'd pay for his college or university degree (I imagine he'd wanted to dedicate his life to constructing things, like houses or pieces of furniture… maybe he wants to take care of animals in a beautiful natural sanctuary), I'd move with him to a quieter place, and I'd give him a large family, dogs and cats included.

12. Frida: I want to enjoy life

She's out of the ordinary, she knows what the world “suffering" means, she's revolutionary, she's obsessed with Diego Rivera, and she's always fighting. She's very connected to tragedy, not only because of the difficult accident that defined her life when she was a teenager, but because of her context: Latin America. But she doesn't need to define herself through her weaknesses or her lacks.  I'd encourage her not to focus on what's missing, but use what we have. I'd remember her every day, with kisses and hugs, what are her strengths: powerful beauty, talent, inspiration, and joy.