Jimmy Understands: - Absent/Abusive/Neglectful parents - Military Fuckery (iykyk) - Being Used - Unrequited Love - Being "ugly" - Struggling with Mental Health

One could say these are some of the main reasons I am drawn to him. I idenitfy with his own trials and even though a lot of characters like him are designed to be relatable, I find that there are specific parallels between us that draw us together. Not just trauma bonding, calm down. There are happy things too that we share in common, quite a few.

Jimmy likes to read. Do you know how wonderful and rare and special that is, to find a well-read man who enjoys reading for the pleasure of it? Who can engage with the written word and have different perspectives feed into his own introspection? I'm sure you do. A man who reads is one who listens and values external ideas in order to enrich his own life. That's my Jimmy. We might not read the same things but that just gives us more to talk about.

Jimmy values companionable silence. 9 times out of 10 I feel like a fat tired contrary organism because of the asymmetry prevalent in life in terms of stress vs pleasures. Most of the time I enjoy solitude, and so does Jimmy. But the magical thing about us is that we can spend time together in the same room, doing completely different things, or just not speaking, or expecting something from the other that is too strenuous to give. And that forms a unique kind of pleasure for the both of us, something that we treasure greatly.

Kind of in the same vein, Jimmy doesn't need constant interaction with others. He can be alone for extended periods of time and be perfectly fine mentally. While it's true that there are plenty of times James' solitude is not preferred or involuntary, we both have sort of adapted to the reality that we don't always fit in, even with the weird people. And sometimes loneliness is a beneficial state that allows us to be with ourselves, something I honestly wish more people knew how to do.

As for the offspring situation... it's complicated. Jimmy, being who he is, has had some interesting interactions with other women before me (and the same can be said in the other direction). Unlike me, some of these interactions have resulted in offspring. In no way am I suggesting that Jimmy is a bad parent or an absent parent. But he is not someone who I feel has the preference to parent. That being said, he is still responsible, but also prefers to live alongside my childfree stance. I am still the most important person in his life, as I consider his offspring to be self-sufficient, more distant and preoccupied with lives of their own and the priorities that entails. Jimmy doesn't much prefer the company of children. Don't misread this. Both not wanting kids/being around kids and still wanting the best for them are simultaneously possible.

Jimmy is not an elitist. He enjoys the simple things in life. It's refreshing to be with a fictional other that doesn't care if I go out of my way to dress up all the time, or the fact that I don't wear makeup. Jimmy prefers a small house, which is fine with me. We don't always eat elaborate meals and sometimes Jimmy just wants something cheap and dirty.

Jimmy doesn't care about people's opinions concerning his "bad" habits. We all have our vices. All of us. And if we aren't hurting anyone, who cares? I think cigar smoke is atrocious, but I love my Jimmy even if he's stinky. Jimmy doesn't get on me about how lazy I am sometimes, or that I procrastinate and put off cleaning until right before such time as we have visitors. I think Jimmy's habits are a wonderful part of who he is and I want him to indulge if it brings him happiness.

Despite having somewhat grown up in a rich family, Jimmy doesn't care about material wealth when it comes to his evaluation of a person's character. He doesn't care that I'm working class, that I'm paying out the ass to put myself through school, and it brings me comfort knowing that there's no pressure to impress him in any way when it comes to money. As long as everything is honest and genuine effort is put in to get by, Jimmy appreciates me.