~Guzma X Listener SFW: Confidence~ {Patreon Exclusive}

You're always your own worst critic, and sometimes it's nice to hear from an outside perspective, and have them cheering you on along the way.....

Contains: Comfort, Advice, Platonic/Romantic Interpretation, Petname (Sweetheart)

As someone who struggles with confidence himself, it's sometimes hard to write scripts like this because I don't know what I'd want to hear to make myself feel better, but once I put it in the perspective of talking to someone I care about, the words come much easier lol. I felt what when writing this, even though Guzma says, “I love you” I didn’t want to make it obvious that he meant it in a romantic way or a platonic way. I want the listener to interpret what they might need in the moment, and I also like exploring a space where not everything about love has to be about romance, and people can genuinely just love one another. I hope you all enjoy!

~Audio Transcript Below~

Guzma: Confidence is an acquired thing......I don't think anyone....or at least a vast majority of people aren't born with extreme amounts of confidence.....but......that's not really my point.....

I know you've had trouble with.....even finding that you have any confidence in anything, or that the confidence that you do have is faked....or......that you've tricked everyone into thinking that you're better than you perceive yourself to be, and trust me, I've been there......

Thing is....confidence is not a solid unchanging thing that you either have or don't have. On the contrary.....it's like.....ever shifting and evolving, and like.....there will always be things that you don't have as much confidence in.....but that don't mean that you're worthless at them.

And.....it kinda sounds like a bunch of shit when you hear it but.....the idea of "fake it till you make it" really ain't as farfetch'd as it seems....

You know.....like the Pokémon? Farfetch'd?

*chuckles* There's a laugh......

Like....genuinely....the brain....ain't really as smart in some of the ways that we think it is.....and like......even if you fake being confident......if you do it long enough, your brain actually starts to think that you're confident in this.....and like......I know you're worried that it might seem like you're lying, and of course there's....exceptions to the rule as there are to any rule, but I don't think there's nothin' wrong with psyching yourself up and pretending you feel more confident than you do.

I know it's scary, doing something like that, but you don't have to go at it alone, either. It's hard to be objective when it comes to viewing yourself from the outside, but I mean....you're confiding this in me, someone who knows you, and I can tell you that you probably are more confident and competent in the areas where you feel like you're lacking.......

I'm here to be your cheerleader.....cause I believe in you......and I know that helps......

*pause*

How do I know? *chuckles* Well.......because...you've done that exact thing for me. It's amazing what having someone who knows you and cares about you and believes in you does for your confidence.......having someone by your side to share in the things that you're doing....share in your triumphs.....encourage them to go forward and encourage them to do things that maybe they wouldn't do. Belief and faith can do wonders......

And that's what I think for you....that's what I believe for you.....I believe that you can do whatever you set your mind to.

*long pause*

You have.....you really....genuinely have helped me......I wasn't always the cocky kinda guy that I seem to be.....especially when I was first starting Team Skull and stuff.....I was afraid that the people who I was trying to help were gonna be able to see that I wasn't confident in what I was doing, and I never wanted to give them a reason to doubt their place.....doubt their safety or the camaraderie of what I was trying to accomplish......so I.....faked it.....for a while I faked how confident I was.....and then things started to get better......and that confidence grew and grew. Whether or not it was confidence in the right thing isn't really what I'm talkin' about but.....do you get what I mean?

*pause*

Then it got worse with the shit that happened with the Aether foundation, but well.....then you helped me build it back up again......

Each day that I get to live where I spend time with you is brighter....even if the day didn't turn out fantastic, because.....well because I love you.....and I know that not everything needs to be perfect......and while like....perpetuating this......constant idea that you need to be positive and confident all the time ain't really my way or belief of doing things, I'm happy.....when I'm with you.....more often than not......and....together....with your help....with your belief and faith in me....I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to.....I feel like I can take on the world.......

I would love to be able to give that to you......because I actually factually believe that you can do anything you set your mind to, too......

So that's what I mean when I say that confidence is this ever flowing, changing, evolving experience......just like being a human is. Trying to restrict yourself to only one way of thinking isn't healthy......which is why I wanna help you.......

It ain't a perfect method.....far from it......but I think that......if we work on it together......we can make things better......even just a little bit......for one another......

*chuckles* And I'm confident we can.....Sweetheart….