vi. the lovers does your muse practice self love? what is something they do to be kind to themselves?
xx. judgement is your muse over critical of themselves?
@coldheartedflame || major arcana asks || accepting
Ichigo doesnât consciously practice self love â at least, not in the way people usually talk about it. Heâs not one for affirmations, long baths, or calling it âself care.â In fact, if you asked him if he loved himself, heâd probably deflect with a judgmental look and something like, âWhat kind of question is that?â
But that doesnât mean he doesnât do it.
Even when heâs shattered. Even when he thinks heâs not enough. Even when heâs lost everything. Ichigo dragging himself to his feet is a deep, quiet refusal to give up on himself. That is a kind of self love.
⎠He listens to himself more than he thinks
Ichigo doesnât talk about his emotions, but he honors them in action. When he feels something's wrong, he trusts his gut. When he needs distance, he gets it. When something hurts, he doesnât pretend it doesnât. He might not name those needs out loud, but he responds to them, and thatâs a subtle yet powerful kindness to the self.
⎠He protects others to protect who he is
It looks like sacrifice, but there's something self serving in his protectiveness. Standing up for others affirms his identity. Makes him feel needed. Make him feel worthwhile. Itâs how he remembers what kind of person he wants to be.
⎠And once in a while he lets himself rest
It's rare. But when he trusts someone enough to let down his guardâthatâs self love too. Not the loud kind. The quiet kind that says I deserve to be safe.
If Ichigo were to ever consciously learn to love himself, it would probably start not with words, but with doing something small and simple just because he wants to â not because anyone needs him to.
Yes. Ichigo is deeply overcritical of himself, though he rarely names it that way. His self judgment is quiet and constant, but often masked behind responsibility, protectiveness, or sheer stubbornness. It doesnât come out as self loathing so much as "I shouldâve done more," or "If I were stronger..."
Most, if not all of this issue, stems from the fact that he spent so long believing his mistake killed his mother. He says plainly that he stole the heart of his family. This belief contributed to a pattern of toxic guilt, hyper responsibility, and self blame, which became central to his cognitive framework. Even after learning the truth and experiencing some emotional relief, such deeply ingrained maladaptive thought patterns do not disappear easily.Â
⎠He holds himself to impossible standards
Ichigo doesnât expect perfection from anyone else, but he unconsciously demands it of himself. Especially when it comes to protecting others. If someone gets hurt, even when itâs clearly out of his control, his first instinct is to blame himself. Every failure becomes a personal flaw.
What he demands of himself doesnât fade even as he grows stronger. If anything, it deepens. The more power he gains, the more responsibility he feels to never let anyone down and when he does, even by human standards, the guilt eats at him. Though even that, he tries not to share.
⎠He struggles to accept his own limits
This is almost the same as above, but not quite. Ichigoâs world is full of noiseâinternal battles, conflicting identities, unresolved trauma. But outwardly, he often presents like someone who should just be able to handle it. If he can keep going, he should. Rest, doubt, even asking for help? Those feel like weaknesses, even if he wouldnât say so out loud.
He never wants to burden others, but that means he ends up carrying too much, and then criticizing himself for buckling under the weight. It causes a great deal of stress. There's a reason he's always snapping.
⎠ He rarely gives himself credit
Ichigoâs saved entire worlds. And yet? He barely admits his own part. He rarely feels like itâs enough. Victory doesnât bring peace for him, it brings reflection. What he couldâve done differently. What it cost. Who it didnât save. He doesn't seek praise, and when he gets it, he often brushes it off. Because in his eyes, he was just doing what had to be done. And if heâs honest, maybe he thinks he couldâve done it better.