Nomi Lou

whispering “thanku” to your tea or coffee before the first sip.

telling your friends you love them when they least expect it. especially then.

googling “what kind of flower blooms twice” at 3 a.m. to feel hopeful again

deleting apps every two weeks and calling it a spiritual reset.

naming your plants like they’re ur friends. apologizing when you forget to water them.

believing ur younger self would still think you’re cool. even on your worst days.

using perfume before bed. for no one. for you.

making eye contact with yourself in the mirror when you cry. giving the pain an audience.

It is not parasocial to feel sad and angry on their behalf. It is not parasocial to want to protect them. Hearing Vessel talk about these emotions and experiences and feeling sad or angry for him and The Numerals is basic human empathy, it doesn't stop being that just because he's famous instead of someone you know personally. For me, hearing him upset and hurt makes me want to protect him because that came free with my eldest child syndrome as a base instinct. It is a completely normal emotion to have as a response to this album.

What would be parasocial is if I attempted to act on these feelings as if I did know him. Saying that I'm a close friend of his when he doesn't even know I exist would be parasocial. Speaking on his behalf and yelling at/hating on other fans as a way to "protect him" would be parasocial.

I am well aware that I do not know him. I have never claimed to know him. I am aware that he's a grown ass man that can handle his own shit. He doesn't need mine or any of our "protection." Anything of that nature he might hypothetically need comes from his actual, real life support system, not us. These are things that apply to all of us and if you think otherwise, that's actual parasocial behavior.