Home
Creators
Search Recent Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Midnight Teatime #3 - Intimacy (Patreon)

Published:
2020-07-06 09:22:45
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

**Remember to save your essays elsewhere, y'all! Patreon has been spiriting away posts**

Deepest thanks to Emily and Lola for putting together the Midnight Teatime prompts with tons of love and affection for the MPL universe <3Dearest Patrons, some changes will be made to the MTT segment:• First off. I will be doing this as a monthly exercise to spread out the content a little, so y'all will have time to go through all of the comments at a more leisurely pace (I know there are a LOT of comments to take in ;D)• Secondly. This exercise was created for you guys to engage in more in-depth discussions, and to flex your essay-writing muscles. And I will still be reading (and loving!) all of your essays, but I will excuse myself from the participation of this segment, just so I can remain on track with the MPL production timeline <3Without further ado, here's this week's prompt.

This Week's Essay Prompt:For this week, let's talk about the juxtaposition of how Tora and Poppy express intimacy with each other, or with others. One of the things that gets us excited as Webtoon readers is the feeling we get when we see a genuine connection between two of our favourite characters. Intimacy -- an action of mutual vulnerability and openness -- can be expressed in different ways by different people. So let's discuss this topic, using either the canon story or a Secret Garden post. Remember to use spoiler tags if you're touching on Fast Pass episodes <3

Guidelines:1) Essay Prompts are posted once a month. "Essay" = any written analysis, opinion or theory based on the prompt. Research the topic and learn something new, or let your mind run away with the question. Basically, just have fun!2) As soon as you've completed your essay, post them in the comment section below. There are no deadlines, but do finish up your essays before the next prompt is up, so more people get to read it.3) There are no word count requirements, but feel free to link to an external document (eg, Google Doc) when necessary.4) This exercise is open to ALL Patrons, so...• If you are a non-Fast Pass user, note that there will be spoilers, so do navigate the posts with your own discretion.• If you are a Fast Pass user writing about FP content, you must mark your post with the *SPOILER WARNING* tag. Fast Past-related posts without a spoiler tag will be removed immediately, but you may re-post it with the tag in place.5) Please be respectful and courteous. Everyone's thoughts and opinions are equally valid and welcome. And if your opinion is a strongly negative one, do be gentle with it.6) This exercise is meant to open up more in-depth discussions, so even if you're not posting an essay, you are always welcome to leave your comments, and dive into more discussions with the essay contributors.

Final note from Lily: This is a fun, informal writing exercise, and while I respect all theories and analysis, the essays presented here are not necessarily conclusive to the main MPL storyline.

Files

Comments

Nicolette

**Warning Minor Spoilers** I’ll kick it off this time... this is my first time posting on MTT. Thank you for reading. 😊 From the beginning of Tora and Poppy’s relationship/friendship, they created different levels of intimacy with each other. Whether it be an accidental private photo ending with him tossing his jacket for her to cover herself up, holding hands as a form of comfort for each other, or putting an arm around their shoulders as they talk about something painful, Tora and Poppy have created a rather quick intimate bond with each other that deepens the more time they spend with each other. It seems like they’ve both opened themselves up to the other more deeply than anyone of the opposite sex before. Yet while there is an obvious level of chemistry and sexual tension between them, they are able to maintain a friendship and have quickly been able to rely on one another. It may have started out awkwardly in the beginning, but it’s definitely grown quickly. I think the moments they’ve shared with each other will be replayed in their minds so much that they will have a hard time keeping away from each other. They’ve created a safe haven for the other that’s not going to be easy for either of them to let go of.

Alex

SPOILER TAG:Throughout the comic poppy and tora’s intimacy has been shown many times and has continuously grown as they have gotten to know eachother and spend quality time together. Since the beginning their has been an undeniable chemistry and connection that neither of them has been able to fully comprehend and understand, especially since it happened so quickly for them and the fact that they both come from different worlds and let’s be honest that it happened at a time where they least expected it (since there is a clan war brewing and tora is a huge part of that and poppy just got out of a serious/abusive relationship with her ex boyfriend julri). It definitely goes with the saying that love comes when you least expect it to. There have been many instances where the connection and intimacy of our two awesome characters has Been shown and how each of these encounters has brought them closer together in many important ways.such as when poppy made tora that bento box to help cheer him up like her dad always did for her when she was down, Or when tora let poppy talk about her feelings towards julri and their relationship even though he didn’t really want to hear her talk about him he still gave her the opportunity to express herself without holding anything back so she can all in all move on from that chapter in her life and create a new chapter for herself that doesn’t make her question her worth,her decision making and who she is as a person. There are so many more instances in this comic but these are the first in my mind cause it shows that through their time together they have continuously tried to lift eachother up not tear eachother down, and they are always trying to help eachother even in small mundane ways.But like lily has shown us time and time again, even small acts of kindness and goodness can make the most positive effect in someone’s life, can brighten up an otherwise dull day, can make people truly understand their worth. Love this story and can’t wait to see how our big fluffy tiger and his flowers’ 🌺 relationship grows from here cause I have a feeling next time when they are reunited it is gonna upgrade to a NEW LEVEL! And I’m so here for it! 🙌🙌🙌

Lawren

Spoilers! I think their infancy has to do with what they show the world versus what they show each other. For Tora he has to be this aggressive, angry, violent individual. That was what he was groomed to be and they don’t want anything else from him. So the things he nurtures inside himself he hides. But with Poppy she brigs that out in him. He is not intimated by her physically or emotionally so he feels comfortable showing his feelings. Being silly with her and teasing her without fear she might take offense. He can relax into her energy and spirit. The intimacy she gives him must feel like sinking into a plush pillow top mattress after coming home. Their intimacy gives him peace, controls his anger (when he was going to punch the mirror and her hair tie stopped him) and lets him explore what it means to be human. Can you imagine the mere thought of someone giving you peace?! Wow. I also think their intimacy makes him feel human. Not Balthuman’s dog but a man. Now for Poppy girl their intimacy allows her to be herself. How freaking refreshing is that! Everyone looks at Poppy as this sweet, silly, forgetful and ditsy girl. When in reality she is a power house. She wants something by God she is going after in like a dog on the hunt. She plays up that persona people give her because it is easier to live life and get what she wants and needs that way. Clever girl. Tots though sees past that. He knows she is smart, knows how tenacious she is (that part freaks him out a little... ok a lot). She gets to be herself with her cute rice ball cat and he totally appreciates her sweet touches. Their intimacy makes her feel appreciated for the little things she does that he just eats up and wants more and more of. Their intimacy seems like a place that they both get to explore themselves without judgement and showcase the best pets of themselves that others would not understand or except, like coming home and being able to fly at the same time. I just love them.

Lola

I keep doing this to myself and writing this at work so please forgive the errors. and this is hella long. Sorry not sorry. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) “It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.” - John Joseph Powell Often, when we think about intimacy, our minds immediately go to the physical aspects of intimacy. Understandably so, as it is an incredibly intimate act. But can be so much more than that. Intimacy can have other distinct layers to it such as friendship and close familiarity, but they can intertwine to the point that is hard to tell them apart. Intimacy is something that we all long for, and look for in our daily lives. We are trying to make our experience on earth one that is worthwhile. We are all looking to matter to ourselves and to each other. The characters in MPL are much like us in those regards. Intimacy can be more than meets the eye. It enriches our experience as humans and it can enliven the romance we crave. In order for the seed of intimacy to develop, there also has to be mutual vulnerabilit, so we can achieve the goals we want. Ultimately, it can be very tied in with love itself. There are different types of intimacy, and the search for intimacy and its stages can be seen in various occasions throughout the comic. For example, intimacy can be emotional, mental, spiritual and physical and our desire to connect at those levels are represented well throughout the story. At first glance, we would think that emotional intimacy is lacking in Tora. Given his tumultuous (not to say horrendous, but perhaps this is more closer to the truth) upbringing, one would think that the emotional intimacy in him is in some ways stunned. This does not mean that he is not trying. By reaching out to Poppy in the small ways that he does, we see the desire to connect at an emotional level. It shows emotional growth and desire to see things from a different perspective than what he is used to. Spiritual intimacy may have not happened between our two main characters in an obvious way yet. Yet, through symbolism of the tiger butterfly that we see in the most recent chapters (the one that almost flies through time and space), however, there is a spiritual connection between Poppy and her dad that we cannot ignore. It is impossible to see all types of intimacy, such as physical intimacy, between Tora and Poppy this early on in the story. But the glimpses of their maturity and their search for intimacy with each other are hard to deny. In order for intimacy to develop there are some prerequisites that must be established: 1. Safety: This theme may be seen multiple times throughout the comic and one that’s talked about frequently in the fandom. More specifically how Poppy feels safe with a guy like Tora. In a physical sense and a more primal sense, perhaps even from an evolutionary standpoint, Tora is a protector just due to his sheer size. Poppy also allows him to go to her apartment when they are by themselves. Despite knowing Tora would never do anything to hurt her because he is ever the proper gentleman, in our social context, this is a potentially dangerous situation. Tora tries, in his own way, to keep Poppy safe by planting motion sensors outside her apartment, he breaks Yadori’s nose, and threatens Trevor the security guard. But in a more personal matter, Tora feels safe with Poppy too, allowing himself rare moments of letting his guard down and enjoying himself. He even allows us, the viewers, to experience the beauty that are his dimples. 2. Trust: Trust is slowly but surely building between the both of them. From the instances where we see Poppy trusting Tora with a simple errand, to Tora unsure if he can open himself completely with Poppy and him opting with half truths. It also ties in with how safe they feel with one another, that they can start building trust in order to reach any sort of intimacy or its permutations. 3. Self-awareness: Self-awareness was somewhat of a curveball in terms of how it applies to the MPL universe because it is hard to extrapolate given how little information we have thus far. Are they really self-aware? Or is there a lack of self-awareness going on? Reality might be a mix of both. With regards to their own persons, they might be self aware. For example, Tora talks about how violence and intimidation are his language, but is he aware of his feelings towards Poppy? The fact that he got the “badumps” and him reveling in the fact that “she thinks I’m handsome” points in that direction. In that same vein, Poppy is slowly starting to acknowledge those feelings, such as when she was reading the Secret Garden book and her mind drifted to Tora immediately. An interesting point in Poppy and her self-awareness is with regards to her own growth, her relationship with her dad and letting go, speaks volumes about her emotional maturity. She is a true role model in many ways. 4. Presence: Being present is such a struggle for us in our modern times given our electronic devices and distractions. Yet, we are able to see how the characters stay present in MPL in different scenarios. The most vivid of these can be the most recent ones, where we see Tora attempting to disregard his mission, his background, and allowing himself to be enveloped by Poppy “for today”. Presence can also be defined in different ways and perhaps tying it to our experience with said electronic devices and texting, it can be a way to stay present in the lives of others. Poppy and Tora texting each other can be a sign of that. And in a more obvious fashion, having Tora just show up at Poppy’s apartment with a muffin is definitely a demonstration of his presence in her life. Despite his instincts to stay away from her, he seems to want to continue showing up. 5. Openness: Openness ties with trust; once trust begins the natural course of matters is to begin to open yourself up to the other person. That moment when Poppy opened up to Tora about her father having passed away was a big step in that direction. Even if it was met with a tactless retort from Tora. From his perspective, we see some initial hesitation to be open, for example when he throws a tantrum and storms off outside of Alice’s Restaurant. He does try to be open with her on more than one occasion, almost as if he’s testing the waters. Although he was blunt in telling her he belonged to an illegal syndicate, when he actually comes to the nitty gritty details of it and tells Poppy that he can scale her wall, he sees her shaking and backs off. Furthermore, in the conversations with Gyu where he essentially itemizes what he actually does for a living, he questions his ability to be truly open with Poppy. The inner turmoil that he is having between keeping her safe and being open is also very telling of his level of maturity and his path towards the openness required to achieve intimacy. 6. Courage: There are so many demonstrations of courage in MPL and it is hard to pick one scene that depicts it, since they are constantly doing it. Whether it be physical acts of courage, like when Tora saved Poppy from falling from a tree, to Poppy going after Mr.Lam on her own despite risking her life, courage is manifested in many ways. Smaller acts of courage like Tora apologizing for the picture he took, and Poppy deciding to trust him despite what he had done, inviting him over and even asking him for a favor. These are seemingly insignificant occurrences, that probably have more weight and value among the characters. The trust and courage that they are building little by little will lead to the openness required for intimacy to bloom. 7. Self-esteem: Having a good self-esteem gives you the ability to be more open and direct. It allows you to express your needs, and gives you a certain degree of autonomy. This, in turn, can increase your capacity for closeness and intimacy. The self-esteem we can appreciate in MPL can be viewed in different ways: an inner self-esteem and outer self-esteem. For Tora’s outer self-esteem we see intimidation with regards to clan members. We also see his ego and confidence when he asks Poppy to sleep with him or when he admits that he can get away with anything because he is good-looking. His inner self-esteem is a polar opposite: we see how scared he is and how ashamed he is of clan life. We can even go as far as to assume that he may ask himself if he is good enough when the mirror is held up to him, as he is further immersed in Poppy’s world. Poppy’s outer self-esteem example is first encountered on her physical appearance and how she retells Tora her woes with Jacob making comments about her body. Her inner self-esteem is seen more in terms of what her dad has taught her and also her conversation with Erdene and Tora where she pretends to be the nice girl next door. We all know she is so much more than that. 8. Autonomy: How our main characters express autonomy is also different. Not just because of how they are their own person, but their current situation will color how they have autonomy of their own lives. Poppy displays autonomy by making her own decisions such as following Mr.Lam or silencing Tora after she told him of Jacob’s comments. In contrast, Tora quite literally belongs to the clan. He tries to be subversive in more subtle ways such as completing orders in his own terms, in an attempt to retain some of his autonomy. 9. Mutuality: Mutuality is the sharing of a feeling or relationship between two parties. This is developing between Poppy and Tora. We see how they very much complement each other and make a terrific pair. To make things more interesting, at the same time that you are trying to unconsciously meet all the criteria for intimacy to develop, there are also many barriers. There are obstacles that we, and the characters of MPL, must overcome in order to achieve our intimacy goals. Some examples of these barriers are feelings that are negative and most importantly, the fear of rejection. In many instances we have to overcome these obstacles together. Not only do we have these barriers that are simultaneously ongoing, but is also hard to develop these feelings, emotions and connection with someone that you have not met for a long time. And despite the fact that the main characters have known each other for about a week or so, we see glimpses of intimacy unfolding. By sharing secrets, feelings and all of the emotions talked about above, we may be able to see true intimacy evolve between Poppy and Tora. There is great risk involved in opening up to someone, and the prospective of potential rejection of our feelings puts us in a very vulnerable spot. The paradox being that this vulnerability and the expression of it is what brings us closer to each other.

Mari

*SPOILER WARNING* Please excuse any grammatical errors (.... I'm begging you. Please excuse them 😭😭😂) So i think Poppy and Tora's intimacy started rocky but the vulnerability was always there. He took a picture of her with her chest out and of course as a woman that is very humiliating. He kinda didn't care about it but to Poppy that's a big deal. There is no long drag out of the misunderstanding when Lane calls. She explains what happens and they move on from it. They are both in this kind of subconscious tug and pull of "okay let me toe this line and see what kind of reaction I get." To me Tora is alway instigating the intimacy lol. He holds poppy's hand, he messes and jokes with her to see how she will respond because it is simple. I feel as though Tora is constantly having to look at all sides of a situation but when it comes to poppy.... he's not so much thrown off, it's just refreshing for him to relax a bit. Another thing is Tora has never been able to experience simple intimacy. The boy spat strawberry juice in her hair when she hugged him for heavens sake lol. When she moved hair out of his face he was a bit startled like "why is she touching me???". When she hold his hand he likes it. Even the tiger ball she made him, he wants to show it to others cuz it's cute. He has never had simple intimacies like a hug or words of encouragement/affirmations and i am really excited for him to experience those wether it be with Poppy or someone else like ronzo. Poppy is good at showing that she cares but still will protect herself. Now i am also curious of how Quincey will help pull them together. When they have their picnic it was cutw because poppy is always open about how she feels ans Tora is like "girl how you just say whatever!?" They talk about her ex and Tora gives her this kind if boost of confidence like hey i may be scary but your ex is an idiot and you shouldn't not be angry about stuff but just know you are a pretty girl with a good head on your shoulders.

Ms Millennial Pink

Oh... My post keeps being deleted 😞☹️😟 Does someone know why is that? I posted it 5 times already and It keeps vanishing! 😭😭😭

Darla (Tora’s THOT)

I’m all over this.... gonna take me a while tho, I plan to go INNNNNNNNN... and these nails gonna make my typing speeding twice as long. Bare with me 😘

Lee4992

****SPOILER ALERT**** Hang with me, writing was never my strong suit, but MPL has me so inspired! I believe Tora and Poppy both subscribe to two love languages that are both different from the others. Tora’s love languages are acts of service and quality time for sure .....he shows Poppy how he feels with his deeds and he never seems to be in a rush to leave her despite what he may have going on. It’s clear that Poppy is number one when Tora and her spend time together. Tora is totally focused on Poppy when they are alone. Poppy’s love languages are physical touch and words of affirmation. From the very beginning of the series Tora shows Poppy acts of service and kindness. All 39 chapters of MPL are writhe with Tora’s acts of service for Poppy ( I imagine as the story plays out we the readers will find out about even more deeds that weren’t initially revealed). Although Tora is on the hunt for Goliath and the notebook he handles finding Poppy in the thick of the situation with care. We know he is intensely attracted to Poppy from first sight. His attraction may be why he chooses to follow her and assess the situation rather the confronting her, potentially with violence which we have seen him do many times with people from the his underworld. Tora is not afraid to use violence whether he has clearly established a persons intentions or not. However, this has only been with men so I start to assume Tora has his own thug chivalry guidelines he operates under. Tora performs so many acts of service for Poppy the list is long(despite possible motivations) he returns parts of her article to her. Tora gives Poppy his jacket to protect her modesty and crops her exposed chest out of photo he sends to Gyu to ID her. He doesn’t attack her but decides to carefully investigate and track her to try and find answers to questions. He saves her from a fall and spares her the scary interaction of letting her know she is being followed, lol. Tora stops her from interacting with his clan members who are running a con on Mr. Lam for her own safety. He helps her trail Mr. Lam, finds Mr. Lam for her, holds off giving her info on Lam until he feels it’s safe for her to pursue. Tora try’s to take her somewhere fancy for dinner but when she comes under dressed and is self-conscious he changes venue and his own clothes to make her feel comfortable. He takes her some place safe and personal to him. He defends her self-esteem from the very beginning and is not tolerant of her self-deprecation or anyone else’s belittlement of her(i. e. Jacob). This murderous gangster is so protective of this young woman he just met that he is even coaxing her to eat on their first “date”. Tora may not have honeyed tones and sweet words or a robust vocabulary to woo Poppy with but his actions are wordy and he does not restrain himself from heaping kind action upon kind action upon her. One might say well Tora is just in search of the notebook, but Tora could have manhandled Poppy the moment he saw her and taken her bag and have been done with the situation in 2 seconds, him dragging out his interactions with Poppy tells me it all really has little to do with the notebook, he is blinded by his intense infatuation with Poppy from first sight and oases you so many opportunities to get the notebook(which she so clearly has). I think the biggest opportunity he misses is when he covers her eyes after saving her front tree, I think he could grabbed the content of her bag minus her wallet within fives seconds and been gone while she struggled to get out of his hoodie. Back to the list of Tora’s acts of kinds which is woefully long.....when he takes Poppy to Alice’s and she teases them I think he is embarrassed but also doesn’t want Alice speaking to Poppy in suck a lewd manner(which I know is a funny thing to say considering he asks a Poppy to sleep with him, but things are funny like that in real life and don’t always add up). Tora also gives Poppy money when she needs it without her asking for it or expecting anything in return. Also for someone whose business is anger, violence and rage Tora keeps himself remarkably in control when Poppy belittles him and admits reporting him to the police (and Poppy puts Tora down in the midst of her helping him) and the worst Tora comes back with is “do you always judge people by their appearances”. Tora buys groceries for their dinner (after giving Poppy money no less). He also keeps his hormones in check throughout all of their interactions despite the fact that we all know he is intensely attracted to her. Poppy puts herself in the most vulnerable of positions and falls asleep with Tora alone in her home (Jacob not the landlady would not have been able to respond quick enough if Tora wanted to harm Poppy. I love the way Tora doesn’t take any liberties with Poppy even when he could probably get away with it, so some of Fora’s good man are inaction. When Poppy kisses Tora this would be a perfect time for him to take a little extra but he only places his hand on Poppy’s side, he could have grabbed her head or lock his arms around her, grabbed her posterior, prolonged the kiss or shoved his tongue down her throat but he doesn’t do any of that although we can be sure he wants Poppy with that amount of intensity, but he restrains himself. Tora takes Poppy painting to Mr. Lam. He post his men around her home to keep her safe when he can’t watch her. He steals a car to come see her to keep heat off of his attention on her. When Poppy want to be taken someplace scenic he makes it happen, he could have said I’ve had along day and would like to rest couldn’t you just cook me dinner at your house again. The list is so long of actions Tora performs on Poppy’s behalf I am tired of listing them. With Tora second love language of quality time well it’s clear from the amount of interaction Tora has with Poppy despite the rigorous demands of his position within the Balthuman Organization. Tora doesn’t hesitate to leave his work lunch to track Mr. Lam, shirks his body guard duties to help Poppy and tells Quincy to get himself a cab to his old job. When he takes Poppy for the midnight picnic he lets her know there is no time limit on their interaction(no doubt he is tired). He is never distracted when they are together like paying attention to his phone or social media, he stays focused on her. Tora’s biggest act if service is giving Poppy Joe’s bracelet and ring which clearly have profound meaning to him and leaving Poppy’s life to keep her safe. Tora puts Poppy before himself and prioritizes her safety over his desire for her. Poppy’s love languages of touch and words of affirmation are present from the beginning. When Poppy and Tora try to track Lam through the streets of Narin and Tora’s hair gets in his face Poppy sweetly and somewhat inappropriately sweeps it out of his face behind his ear, it almost looks like she is caressing his cheek as she does it. She also apologizes profusely after he cushions her fall when he saves her from tumbling to harm after falling from the tree. Poppy shows tender and forceful concern for Tora after he hurts his head at Alice’s when she gently touches his arm and then rips his hat off his head after he bangs it a second time. Poppy let’s Tora know she sees through his tough exterior and see a good person underneath, even as he tries to flee their date. She take the time to explain her mindset and actions and cates about any emotional turmoil she inflicted on this guys she barely knows. She hugs Tora and verbally gives him credit for sealing the deal with Lam. She holds his hand on the balcony and tells him how comforting his touch is during a stressful time. She reassures him that them holding hands doesn’t make her feel weird in any way. Poppy braids Tora’s hair and tries to give him a shoulder rub in their midnight date. Poppy also shows affection like a kindergarten boy with playfully hitting pushing and punching Tora a lot. Poppy also compliments Tora emotional intelligence in terms of people skills (in his own way). Poppy let’s Tora know he makes her feel at ease with him. Poppy tells Tora how attractive he is when she mentions his dimples and how he feels he can get away with anything because he is attractive. I see my analysis is horribly lopsided with much more emphasis on Tora, however Tora’s actions do far outweigh Poppy’s, I think this is because Tora’s feeling for Poppy are much stronger (also it’s Tora who exposed Poppy to all the danger so he kind of owes her, lol). Poppy’s and Tora’s ways of showing affection are exactly what the other needs. Poppy is young, fresh out of school and recently betrayed by her long-term college boyfriend who mistreated her. She is trying to build a career pretty much alone, in a big city and she is struggling. Poppy is at a point in her life when she needs tangible acts of love like the one’s Tora performs for her. Tora is a little older and clearly more secure financially he has more resources to share not just when he flat out gives her money, but when he takes her out to eat, buys groceries for their dinner, or uses his car to drop off the painting (Poppy doesn’t have a car), or drives her home (cabs are expensive). Tora performs many more acts of service/kindness for Poppy in a time in her life when she needs more than words(girlfriend is struggling). What’s more, Tora desires Poppy but he is not asking for anything in return, he is not expecting sex nor is he really making any serious demands on her time in return for his generosity. Poppy also really needs a friend in this time in her life (and Tora creates the time and space for Poppy to feel free and safe to vent at Regina’s Peak). Tora is a giver for sure (I can’t wait to see how that plays out SG style but in canon). Tora needs words of affirmation and physical touch(Poppy’s Love Languages). He was abused as a child by Vincent and never knew what it was like to be cared with hugs, hand holding and positive words. Since these things were never displayed to Tora in his childhood it is not surprising they have been missing from whatever interaction Tora has had with women before Poppy. Tora and Poppy are filling each other’s deficiency’s in the best way possible. If Tora can escape the mafia I think these two could build a great life together.

Gracie Bou

I find the term “love language” a bit cringe worthy, but the reality is that people do build intimacy on different foundations. I for instance, bond with people through words. Getting to know someone’s history and thoughts, counseling them and receiving comfort from them. Others grow intimate through acts of physical care, which I think is what we see in Tora and Poppy. Since the very beginning (Tora catching Poppy when she fell out of the tree. Poppy tucking his hair behind his ear) we have seen that every time one of them reaches out through action they are visibly moved. I think the main difference between their styles of care is simply that Poppy has more practice. Tora has the awkwardness of an novice learning a complicated dance, stumbling sometimes but ready to keep reaching out. Poppy is used to providing affection and empathy but for the first time in a long time has a someone willing to work at being a good dance partner.

Ms Millennial Pink

(10th time is the charm! 🤞 Let's see if this time the post is not erased! 😭) Yay! Long time lurker first time writing for one of the prompts haha! I apologize in advance for my prolix ramblings! *** FEW SPOILERS AHEAD *** A strong visual aspect that always caught my attention in Lily's work is the amount of intricate detail that goes into the characters' hands and when I think about the exchange between our romantic duo in the sense of the intimacy they've been developing Tora's hands immediately pop to mind. Throughout the whole series we've seen glimpses of Tora's hands under different circumstances. Tora is a fighter. He's a hitman. He's a thug. His hands in that sense are work tools. Now, we've seen how they are used to throw punches around or even been wrapped up and prepared for the violence they are bound to commit but I don't mean exclusively that. I'm not that familiar with the discussion around the concept of Love Languages, but I am aware that one of those languages revolve around Acts of Service and that's what his hands seemed used to do. Not only they service him as work tools but they are also the means through which he perhaps demonstrates his care for those dear to him. Take Alice, for instance. We are shown that Tora used to work for her as a kid. Their closeness revolved around and was expressed through a sort of exchange in which one party provided food, wage and care and the other provided services. I have no doubt that even not working for Alice anymore Tora might pop up from time to time to help her around the restaurant. His hands being used to clean up or carry weight for her and her hands being used to smack him in the head when he is inappropriate haha. When it comes to his relationship with Quincey, the same pattern seems to apply. Driving him around and protecting him might be his job, but when he punches that editor guy for disrespecting Quincey it seems way more of a personal act than a professional one per se. Regardless of the act itself, his hands are the means through which he's able to demonstrate care but that comes only through service and hard touches ( like Alice's smacks which he mimics when he reprehends Quincey, for instance, in episode 13 in the "don't get cheeky with me" scene). The only comfort his hands experienced thus far was the act of holding cigarettes and the promise of the numbing buzz they'd provide him. But that changes when Poppy enters the picture. Holding her hands, holding her, holding her painting, holding her shoes... With Poppy touch is resignified. His hands are resignified. They are used for affection, for connection, lightness and gentleness. And yes, we can see that at first even though he experiences an urge to touch her, his first touches are still operating according to the only dynamics he knew so far. Turning into her "errand boy" and engaging in hard touches. Grabbing her arms. Pinching her cheeks. But through their involvement and exchange his hands seem gradually more gentle towards her. This new form of intimacy is deeply unfamiliar to him but nonetheless, as he states, it just seems like the most natural thing in the world and we witness how much he starts to crave for it and literally hold on to it. As for Poppy, we kinda see the inverse happening. Poppy is seen as this gentle, kind, smol and harmless little ray of sunshine. Like a little kid. And as much as we see later on how she learned to take advantage of that in her favour we also see how she's often taken advantage of because of that. Her coworkers for instance are often shown to prey on that a little bit for work purposes. But going back to how Poppy expresses affection we see how she's used to giving handmade little gifts (like the painting and the Bento box) and is no strange to comforting touches and using gentleness and empathy as a way to connect to those around her (and even serve her own interests like when it comes to Mr Lam or the cab driver for instance). But when it comes to Tora something seems to switch inside of her. His presence flusters her in a way she's not familiar with and the simple act of touching his hair away from his face seems charged with a new extra layer of experience that's quite strange to her. And that new experience, the exposure to this tension, overwhelms her in a way that quite frequently gets her jumping impulsively to harsh actions. Punching him, smacking, throwing him down the stairs. Acts that seem so out of character for such a fluff ball like Poppy. The same way gentleness seems to be in contrast to the image Tora sustains. But through their connection new layers of themselves come (quite literally) to light. Going back to the visual aspects of the narrative that seems quite clear when we pay a little attention to what happens to them in terms of colour patterns and ambiance when engaging with other. Tora becomes lighter. He's shown wearing white or under beautiful and warm lighting, as Poppy gradually steps into darker territories. Take their first exchange for instance. Once the whole picture ordeal happens in the train Tora tosses his jacket to her, he is later shown completed puzzled wearing a white T-shirt in a quite bright open space. The tough and stoic giant: acting like a little dorky kid burning his fingertips or tripping over the steps of the stairs thinking back on their encounter. As for Poppy, we see her visually represented enveloped by him. Wearing his giant grey superman jacket and going to some somber environments like the police station where she's exposed to a bit of danger. Throughout the whole thing: flustered Poppy. Can't break the moment of looking at him, a bit enraptured by his gaze, or smelling his "jackfruit" and turning tomato red... Whenever those two engage with each other we witness small changes going through them and also being reflected in the environment around them. When they share that sweet kiss moment in the rooftop, and we see how Tora holds her softly, there's a beautiful sunset scene in the background. When they share the hand holding moment in the balcony after that rough dark night Poppy had, the cozy lights in her balcony and the city lights balance out the darkness around them. When they share the most beautiful bittersweet moment on thug's pavilion they are both wearing bright colours but surrounded by darkness. The city lights still provide a bit of balance in that scene marking the exchange but once they do effectively part ways the lights turn down on Tora again showing him surrounded by shadow, as though the light is being taken away from him. So to wrap up my endless rambling, intimacy is connection. Exchange. We are given a few clues that Tora never had a romantic relationship before, and that Poppy never had a physical/sexual one. I feel like through the intimacy that's being stablished between them they are bit by bit penetrating each other, stripping and uncovering new layers of themselves (***insert here an inappropriate Tora with his sexual innuendo face***). Tora is embracing more lightness recognizing his own gentleness, affection and playfulness and Poppy is uncovering a bit of her inner darker shades as in her sexual desires and her own feisty, strong and rougher side. PS: Sex is often regarded culturally as this shameful or sinful dark secrets kinda thing. Now, when I mention it as being represented visually by "darkness" I don't mean it in that sense but in the sense that is something that was thus far obscured to Poppy. And that through her exchange with Tora this hidden part of herself is surfacing (sometimes quite literally, like her boobs popping out and the moment being captured by his gaze 👀). But as it seems she's not used to feeling like this so she's still a bit embarrassed and unsure about it. As anyone experiencing their sexuality for the first time ought to be.

SpektralKittenVisualPoetry

Girl thought on! People often overlook simple touch and the actions of hands. To me they are some of the most expressive parts of human intamcey, in pretty much all capacities! Oh yes, the use of colour, I'm so glad you mentioned that, so important!

Ms Millennial Pink

I've been pondering about something else now... Reflecting on the importance of touch in their interactions made me think back on their MBTI type. In the Spanish version of the old canvas MPL there's a panel showing Poppy as an ENFJ and Tora as an ISTP. Check out Poppy's type description around dating and intimacy: https://youtu.be/P2-R8l0ihdk

Victoriaaatoons

New patron here and I just felt compelled to comment on this post. I am just in awe of how you ladies process and interpret Lily’s work! THANK YOU 👏🏾I feel like y’all speak to my soul and help me concretely verbalize things I’ve picked up along the development of Tora and Poppy’s relationship. In the future I may not always comment BUT believe me when I say, I am here creeping in the background - reading, laughing, listening to playlists, and sobbing 😂😭. I am so happy I decided to join this community. Thank you again Lily for your commitment to this series ❤️

Bukgirl

This seems to be a toxic free fandom so far, which is rare in comics. I’ve really enjoyed reading everyones take and the politeness of it all. It is such a nice change.

Marianna Linares

I don't how to express my self in english very well but i just wanted to say that i love every comment. Every analisys brings me so much joy.. Makes the whole experience so much better. This comic is fantastic!

KH

My musings on intimacy *slight spoilers!* I feel like the way intimacy is shown in this series has been so well thought out and well placed - sometimes quite sweet and sometimes like a punch to the gut. Thank you Lilydusk for intimacy that is mental, emotional and physical that is not sexual. (Although I do love all the extras and am a *very* happy Patron!) -He gives her his jacket, with the symbol that is literally marked on his body. Not in possessiveness, but to give her what she needs to feel safe - he took the armour symbol from his body and gave it to her 🙌🏼 -Poppy FALLS ASLEEP. IN HER BED. WHILE A MAN SHE BARELY KNOWS COMES FOR DINNER. This scene had me floored and for that reason alone I knew Poppy believed in the kindness of Tora in her core -It is a truly intimate gesture to brush hair from somebody’s face. Poppy also gives him a hair tie; two actions that pull the hair from his face! Not only is his face “naked” to the world, but Poppy can SEE him more clearly -Tora wears the clothes of the people he loves (Shoes look like Goliath’s, he wears Gyu’s clothes/from Gyu to meet Poppy, and in theory wore Quincy’s clothes/what Quincy picked out). And Poppy’s hair tie. -Tora & holding hands. He is the one that initiates physical closeness with Poppy to hold her hand at Quincy’s, on her balcony. I straight up belly laughed when he clasped his fist and told her to SIT, because his hands when drawn around her are “open.” This is a huge indication of trust when you people watch and his hands are hidden/tucked away when he is afraid to ask her about the notebook, etc. When he is angry, they are clenched or literally punishing somebody -Tora’s body language as he drives to Regina’s Peak is so relaxed, it literally made me feel comfortable and set the stage for their whole night. His body language (Vs Poppy while jokingly holding a taser) is open and easy allowing for an intimate night -What I love so much is that Tora and Poppy are clear about communicating boundaries. This is straight-up the level of intimacy that has to be a practiced like a verb and respected by both parties or it breaks. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CLEAR ASKING/GIVING OF CONSENT IN THIS STORY!! 💯💯💯💯💯👑👑👑👑👑👑👑 -There is an intimacy in exclusion with Tora. Excluding real names (to protect the real person perhaps?), being the famous “Tiger of Ares Street” while having mystery about his relationship with Quincy, pointedly NOT excluding Vincent in his swearing/language. -The mirror scene and the an scene with Gyu when he talks about being ashamed. There is an honesty in understanding what you are and a level of intimacy with oneself that lets you dream of a different life - even if you have to shatter yourself in the process. Ugh my HEART! Mirror symbolism screams intimacy.

AndySaro

***SPOILER ALERT*** According to psychological resources there are six types of intimacy forms. Each one will be described with some examples that come to mind. Although I'm sure there are many more than will be mentioned. Experimental intimacy is taking the time to experience things together without distractions. This can be seen in some of the interactions between Tora and Poppy, including the latest when they are at Regina's Peak. There both submerged in the moment, present in their interactions without being distracted by the phone or other external distractions. The second is emotional intimacy, feeling safe enough be vulnerable and be supported, not judged by the other. This is a two role process; the one being vulnerable and the one in the supportive role. Of course it works best when theres an opportunity for role reversal. While both Tora and Poppy portray both roles it seems they each are best at one of them and could learn from one another. For example, Tora asked Poppy how she is able to share her emotions so freely, he would probably like to be able to do the same. At Regina's peak they both display this type of intimacy to a certain degree. Tora being supportive like with Quincy when he had shady Boss issues and with Poppy when he offers her the opportunity to vent about Jurly. Rather than judging her as a dumb girl who should have left a long time ago. He emphatises with her, expressing how it could happen to anyone and to not blame herself. (Hopefully he has taken his own advice in regards to his involving in the Mafia, especially since he started at such a young age...anyways back to the topic) Poppy also expresses acceptance when she was not aware Tora was joking while he talked about orgies, drugs, etc. she didn't shut him down. A contrast to when he tried to open up some at the rooftop and humor was used as deflection. It seems Poppy has some healing to do for herself. She has shown in several cases that it's overwhelming for her and she deflects, by the same token Tora does as well. It seems clear that that Jurly really messed with Poppy's self-esteem and she needs time to be ok within herself before she can allow someone else in. Like denying him a kiss while at Reginas peak because what's the point if he's not going to be around. From the perspective of protecting her heart it makes sense. Plus she can't really run away right after since she was tied to a rope hahaha. Joking aside maybe the brake between them will be good for her. Since she only just caught her know ex cheating a week ago or so. Poppy has missed opportunities where Tora has tried to connect with her and while she is able to share her emotions better than him, she is not able to accept him the same way. Can't really blame her since it's not an equal playing field. She is a normal girl, he is in the mafia and in that sense she has more to loose. Another type is intellectual intimacy, meaning anything that is an interesting point of discussion beyond themselves. Not the how was your day stuff but books, movies the news etc.. Tora is definelty smarter than he pretends, but without getting to into it, a good example is when they were talking about the history of Narin City at Regina's peak. The next one is spiritual intimacy. Obviously they don't know each other enough to have a commonality present spiritually, so I'll skip it. Last but not least physical intimacy. They've just met but there is a good amount of touching. Tora is the one who initiates more, holding her hand, hugging her asking for a kiss (twice!) With the latest episode we've verified that he was attracted to her from the beginning. Poppy is receptive to his advances and even kissed him on her own once. But for her the physical connection is connected to the emotional intimacy state she is at the current moment, therefore it would only go so far. For example, she pushed him down the stairs after a little peck on the lips, obviously very overwhelmed. What do you guys think? What comes to mind when you think of Poppy and Tora expiriential, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and physical intimacy? Sorry hope I didnt ramble on to much and its cohesive. English is my second language so hopefully the spelling is good as well.

Mariana Mahe

When Poppy is talking about her childhood to Tora, there is a sentence about "the bad guys"( I don't remember the words)... but since this episode I feel that there is something serious that made her father and mother split...and Poppy and her dad live in such secluded place. I always think that's related to mafia... And I think that this "fear" make Poppy keep herself appart( like keep safety distances) from others. And she was really concerned about self defense... I keep thinking that her mother can be the root of her walls. And maybe her grandmother became overprotective after Poppy lost.... And it is really admirable the fact that Tora is super nice to people, despite his look. He always try to comfort people. He did to Poppy, Gyu, Quincey, Frank (or Fred... I'm confused now). And considering how hard it was his childhood... it's amazing he still be close Quincey despite his father... And he became very grateful for Alice support... I love how Lily twists things... I don't know how to Express myself clearly in English... but if you see how Poppy acts you would believe she is an open person. However, despite Tora is selective (which is obvious since he is surrounded by violence) he is very honest with this feelings. NOTE: I hope it is at least understandable (even with languages mistakes).

Spare Time Savvy Nerd

Considering 1st: where are the main characters at in their own seperate lives? 2nd, how do their pasts fit into their personalities? Actions: Tora is action oriented. Take his physique for example--every muscle was worked on meticulously and he carefully chooses what he eats. His height allows him to take in more knowledge of how people act in the world. His keen instincts are at their peak. Words: Poppy needs to talk or she will bottle it up. Losing her father taught her to value a persons time, so when she is with you, she is there, not somewhere else. Touch: When it comes to touch, Tora is not the uncomfortable sort! Assuming he has been on the receiving end of pain and the one who dishes out pain (and quite possibly death) touch isn’t unfamiliar to him and it has been showing in romance as well. Poppy, she will dive into every other way to express how she feels,,,leaving touch for last. Gifts: Tora loves gifts. Poppy loves to give gifts. When a gift is involved, their relationship progresses. Quality Time: The longer the two are together, the better. Things divide when they are spending time apart, with no communication. So they aren’t playing catch up when they do get together, they just need to make a phone call or send a message when apart. Our two main characters’ feelings, have been deemed mutual by the reader. When will the characters know the feelings of the other? When they understand HOW they are expressing it.