#IQ PEOPLE TELLING THE EQ PEOPLE THAT THEY TOO NEED TO DO MUCH MORE WORK ON THEIR UNDERSTANDING

[bonvoyagenoona]

Today, I had a chance to sit with "BTS Case Conceptualizations | Namjoon" & a special RM interview came to mind...

This case conceptualization feels especially special because you've done exactly what Namjoon points out people do not often do - you've paid attention to the details. You've not only noticed the different sides of our fearless leader Kim Namjoon, but gave form to them via positive & negative core beliefs. & tbh...I really, really, REALLY want you to package this up in a letter & mail it to him because I think he would really, really, really appreciate it & he'll want to find you & connect with you directly & then you'll fall in love & get married & have lots of UNBELIEVABLY INTELLIGENT (& I mean in both IQ & EQ) BEHBEHS 🤪 ok sorry my delulu really went off the rails there.

I'm also reminded that in game development, we have pillars - beacons of light that guide the vision & the hundreds of people working to make a cohesive player experience. The stronger the pillars, the better decisions people can make individually & creatively in terms of building a positive experience. Your characterization shines in this way. Because you have such a strong sense of who Namjoon is in your stories, everything he thinks, says, & does feels impactful, relevant, & true. I'm so in awe of this.

I think your case conceptualization is spot on, & I can't wait to read what aspects about the other six members you'll give form to. 💜

Ah friend!! My heart is bursting! Thank you for sharing!

Namjoon's conceptualization has a certain weight to it, doesn't it? His in particular means so much, obviously to BTS and to ARMY, but also for this series, because, as the leader, Namjoon sets the tone. I find this exercise so helpful because it just happens to be the way I approach meeting people in general, and added sparks of delight come from when you get to see the fully realized form fleshed out from those details. Feeling very touched that you sense realism and relevancy in my characterizations of him! Always hoping to write characters who feel grounded in something honest and true.

Thanks for reading the series -- I'll be adding to it steadily throughout the year! Lol and OK, I'll package it up and send it to him, and when the people in suits come to take me away, remember me as I was, and avenge me!! 😂

"The stronger the pillars, the better decisions people can make individually & creatively in terms of building a positive experience."

LOVE this! Makes sense, given what we talk about regarding game dev / user experience! And it speaks truth to what we both seem to absolutely love about creation -- intention. Not every creative work needs to have a specific plan in place, written out to the last detail. But that intention of building positive experiences in games, or that intention of wanting to tell a story with a certain vibe, or based on a certain idea, or to capture a feeling.

Purpose.

That's what I love so much about Yoongi's quotation about purpose being more important than goals.

source: suga news

I just love the imagery you evoke. Pillars rather than goals. Beacons rather than fireworks. Aiming to follow my feet in the way you described above. Aren't we all? Aren't we all little characters in a game, just finding our ways? Speaking of which -- every time we talk, I think about my absolute favorite video game experience: Journey. (Which I know has strong relevance, too!) There was something so powerful in that experience. In essence, you have to trust intuition. You have to trust the intention that is leading you, and that by following it, you'll find home.

[kookiepredictions]

Jungkook’s Real Personality: Prediction

The main thing to remember about Jungkook’s personality is the word Balance. This means 2 things: 1, he has a very complex mix of many different types of personality traits so it is difficult to categorize him as one fixed personality type because he switches and changes a lot according to the situation he is in. 2nd, he needs to constantly work on maintaining balance between all these different traits, many of which are contradictory in nature. Think of him as a juggler juggling many different objects. It means he is capable of juggling so many things at once but it also means that he has to be always careful to keep them balanced otherwise he will face problems.

How is he different from his on screen persona? 1st, he is a lot more mature and intelligent than he is shown. Remember he has a Virgo sun which naturally makes him very calm and responsible, even without trying. He is a very responsible person. If he’s given a task, he will see to its completion to the point that if he can’t do it for some reason, he will think he is useless. It’s very important for him to feel useful, especially for those who he cares about. Also his Leo moon gives him a protective nature which doubles his desire of being there for his loved ones. He is the type of friend, partner, family who will never leave you alone in trouble, he will always be there for you, even if sometimes he doesn’t need to. But there is 1 condition here. He does not like to be manipulated. He hates manipulative behaviour and this grows bigger as he grows older. Jungkook usually is the type of person who speaks less and speaks last. He will always listen more. He will observe more. If you try to manipulate him, he won’t speak out immediately. He will silently watch you first, be completely sure that you are manipulating him without any instigation on his part, and are showing no signs of changing, then he will walk away from you without even looking back, even if you are so much as dying. In fact he can take this anger so far that he would wish for your harm and be happy at your misery. However, he will never actually do anything to harm anyone, even those who hurt him. His anger comes from a place where he deeply feels it is wrong to break someone’s trust so he would wish for your harm so that you can learn your lesson and never break someone’s trust again. I also feel this part of his personality is changing as he matures. In the near future, he will become more vocal right from the start as soon as he sees someone treating him wrong, and quickly decide to break ties instead of staying silent and seething inside. Once he parts ways, he will also let it go quickly and forgive the person, wish them good luck and move on with his life.

This brings me to the point that he has a short temper. It’s not so much that he is quick to anger, it’s more like he tends to hold grudges for a long time. Most of the time, his anger doesn’t even play out as loud outbursts. He is more likely to express his anger by completely shutting you out. He would refuse to even tell you why he is angry but also want you to coax him repeatedly to share his thoughts. Sometimes he could break this pattern and immediately express his anger even at an inappropriate time, but this happens less frequently. The reason of his anger stems from his perfectionism. We all know Jungkook is a perfectionist. And he expects the same level of perfectionism and dedication from everyone around him. His anger is more of an impatience. I won’t be surprised if he mentally says things like, Why are people so slow and clumsy? Why can’t people see the obvious? Why are people so stupid? Like 100 times a day lol typical Virgo male. So Jungkook really mostly gets angry out of impatience. He is a very sincere and dedicated person and gives his 200% in everything so when someone can’t keep up with him, he gets very impatient. 

There is also another thing about his anger. Very rarely will he get angry at your first mistake. For example, if you meet him for the first time and say spill a drink on his shirt, he might get a tad annoyed but he will smile let it go. He will even forgive your 2nd, 3rd, 4th mistakes. The point where he gets angry is the point where you have made several mistakes. So when he gets angry you will tend to feel he gets angry too easily but actually he ignored your mistakes for quite a few times before but you didn’t notice nor did you change your behavior. Jungkook tends to observe people for a while and then classify them into categories. His attitude towards you will depend on how he has categorized you, not on your first mistake. So if he has classified someone as a trouble maker, he will easily snap at them, and if he has classified someone as a good person, he will be more patient with them. This classification is not permanent of course and changes with time as per as your behavior. So if Jeon Jungkook treats you badly, be sure that he had given you plenty of chances to redeem yourself and he probably also has the receipts to prove it lol. This classifying system extends to everyone, whether you are a close friend or a stranger. So a waiter spilling drinks on him will be the same as a close friend spilling drinks on him. In fact, the waiter has more chances of being forgiven because it was a genuine first mistake, but a close friend could get yelled at if they repeatedly did this.

Jungkook tends to have very high expectations from those he cares about. But not in a superficial way. It is actually a love language for him. He puts a lot of importance on self development, which he himself follows. So he believes anyone who wants to do well in life should do this and that’s the advice he gives everyone. Remember when he told us to practice because there’s nothing that gets worse with practice? This is a very strong belief in him. But those around him can feel burnt out by his high expectations because not everyone thinks like him right? Especially not all the time. But he often fails to understand this and gets upset because he thinks they are self sabotaging by not focusing on their self improvement. However, this is another thing I see changing in him. He will gradually learn to be more understanding of differences in nature and opinions of people and learn to guide them without overstepping boundaries.

On the other hand, Jungkook knows and respects boundaries. He does not give unsolicited advice. But with him it’s like, he has to be specifically told what the boundaries are. If you are vague, for example, if you go to him asking for advice, he will take it upon himself to fully transform you and will hover over you, almost forcing you to do things his way. His reasoning would be that it was you who came to him for help and this is exactly the help you need. So you have to always show him clear boundaries. But once they have been set, he will always respect it because he is quite independent himself and respects personal space.

Jungkook has a pretty high IQ and he has a really high EQ. He could even be as book smart as Namjoon but it is something he almost chooses not to do. You will notice that he is really good at memorising English lines, he hardly forgets what he memorises. That’s book smart for you. But it’s almost as if he detests being so. He chooses to be street smart instead. His outfits are a reflection of this. It’s a subtle subconscious act of rebellion against system and authority, which he has always sort of felt oppressed by, since he is a K Pop idol. And since he can’t really quit, he takes every small opportunity to establish his individual choice, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Book smart or street smart, Jungkook is someone very thirsty for knowledge. He does actually read more than we know, but he mostly chooses to get his knowledge through more dynamic methods, one of which is by observing other people.

This brings me to the next point. Jungkook is extremely interested in people. He learns a lot, like new concepts, what is right or wrong, new ideas, etc. by observing people, not just in terms of work, but also personality wise. This is why he is so good at imitating people, which makes me think he could also become an actor someday and be successful at it. His high EQ also makes him understand people more than we know.

Although mature, Jungkook is also very childlike in a lot of ways. Especially when he thinks and acts from his heart. He genuinely loves people even before fully knowing them. He simply loves them because loving people is a good thing to do. His love also comes from gratitude. Which is why his love for Armys is so genuine. He does not fake it because he does not need to fake loving or being grateful. It is only when someone gives him a solid reason to be angry or sad with, that he changes his attitude towards them. Jungkook is someone who you can easily walk up to and he will be very polite and nice to you. However, he is not the type to make immediate close friends because he is very reserved and he will carefully screen everyone before allowing them into his private circle. But he is also the type to always smile at his acquaintances and people he regularly sees even if they are not close friends. He won’t ignore anyone just because he doesn’t know them or because they are beneath his level. In this sense Jungkook is very down to earth. He is also quite righteous. He deeply believes that it is wrong to misbehave with people due to their positions in society. I feel like he might have been mistreated when he was not successful (I mean we all know all of BTS was so it’s very likely) which is why he makes sure he doesn’t do that now that he is successful.

Having said that though, Jungkook is not extremely approachable. There is a certain air of unattainabilty that he deliberately keeps around himself. For example, if you met him at a private party or something instead of a televised BTS event, you will clearly know that he is a big celebrity. He doesn’t misbehave with anyone, he is actually quite polite, but people just feel that star aura. It’s almost like a protective shield for him. You couldn’t approach him unless he clears that air and makes himself approachable. Otherwise you will just look at him from far away, admire him (or hate him) and go away. This is not something he does to belittle others, this is a defence mechanism against those that try to get close to him to get some benefit off of him or manipulate him, which he is actually quite aware of.

Jungkook is not easily manipulated as I discussed earlier. But he always puts up a front as if he is extremely vulnerable and gullible so that people underestimate him and show their true colors quickly. Meanwhile he observes, classifies, and moves on before you could even tell what happened there.

When I say Balance is a big challenge for him it’s because he has many different personality traits that directly contradict each other. For example, he’s a careful planner but he also gets bored of routine very quickly. He takes each decision very slowly but sometimes he will be shockingly spontaneous. He is independent but he is also clingy. All of these are parts of him but it’s almost as if he struggles to keep up with them because he doesn’t know which one will come out when. Achieving balance and control over all of his different qualities will make him a truly unique and unstoppable person.

Besides balance, the biggest challenge Jungkook has is his rigidity of beliefs. He has very good intentions, good energy and drive, but he has to learn to be more flexible and adaptive, both when dealing with his work and people. He also tends to have a scarcity mentality which often manifests his worst fears into reality. The more he wants to avoid certain things, the more they come up in his life, simply because he is constantly living in fear.

Jungkook has a very strong heart chakra. He is literally love personified. He loves love. He loves to see it and he loves to experience it. It’s an adventure he yearns for. But his fear always takes him away from it. Either in terms of problems in his relationships or breakups or interferences and scandals. In spite of that, he always bounces back and his heart chakra heals pretty quickly. Not in a promiscuous way where he is serial dating. This is more like his heart is always a place for true love, it does not store any negative energy for too long. This is why Jungkook’s biggest successes will result from decisions he takes based on his deep feelings. This is also because he has a habit of overthinking so feelings can solve this problem. For example, if he has to take a big work decision, he tends to overthink it from all directions and get confused because every option seems right. But if he listens to his feelings about it, he will find the right answer. Operating from his heart chakra will also make him centered and grounded to achieve that required balance between his many personality traits.

Another big tool at Jungkook’s disposal is his throat chakra. Jungkook is very communicative. He believes that the foundation of all good relationships, the solution to all problems is communication. However, he struggles with timing and empathy quite often. He sometimes says the right things at the wrong time creating misunderstandings that he did not intend. Or stays silent that allows people to paint a wrong picture of him. He also sometimes fails to see things from others’ points of view and tends to see his thoughts and beliefs as the be all and end all.

His biggest tools also have the biggest blocks. It’s like his heart chakra is this huge power generator inside him but it’s blocked because he keeps it shut or underutilized and lets his brain do all the work, which is only half his power and potential. And his throat chakra is blocked because he is too worried about other people’s judgement of him which blocks his flow of communication.

However, the biggest strength of Jungkook and my favorite thing about him is that he is very open minded and willing to learn. He is rigid with his thoughts only when he truly believes he is in the right. If you can logically and respectfully show him where he is wrong, he will immediately proceed to change his ways. He is a true lifelong learner and this is what will ultimately lead him to massive success. He is proud only with things that he believes to be right, as he has a very strong set of values. But he doesn’t let pride get in the way of self development, in fact he is always on the lookout for opportunities that will improve him in some way or the other.

[paradise-creator]

OwO when u have time,, can I have a haven box for BNHA?? But just when you’re free and not working on prior works!! >:( I’m watching u bish

You can use my name in the result if you want to lol I already know it anyway!!

She/her, Taurus, INTJ, slytherin (pretty freakin’ queer but I usually lean towards boys/enbies more)

Personality: the first thing people notice about me is that I am less of a feeler and more of a thinker. I do have an IQ of 125, but my emotional intelligence is quite low, so I have trouble sympathizing with others. But I learned through experience, so I don’t SEEM emotionless. I can (and will) help my friends through tough times if they need me. I’m pragmatic, so I always go for the facts instead of the feelings during decision making or tough situations. I hold a lot of perfectionist traits that make it really hard for me to be satisfied with my results if they aren’t higher than the norm. I also have a slight issue with saying no, so sometimes I’ll offer my help or enrol myself in long-term projects while knowing I legit do not have time for more stuff on my schedule. Being a bit smarter than average, I sometimes feel like I’m obligated to help others so that they can do good too (however, I do like helping people with their hw to a certain extent). I’m working on those issues though!! I’m also an introvert, and I can get rlly tired if I have to be interacting for more than four hours straight with people, especially if their persona isn’t rlly compatible with mine.

However, when I’m surrounded by friends (or generally people who aren’t my superiors), I’m very energetic, loud, silly and I have a sharp tongue. I’m also insanely competitive, like someone please stop me?? My sense of humour goes from absolute nonsense to almost mean spirited sarcasm, but it all depends on who I’m talking to. I’m a MAJOR memer, I have a bunch of files filled with them, and I couldn’t bear be with people who didn’t understand my meme references. When I start liking something, I can get easily obsessed. I’m stubborn, therefore very passionate about the things I care about. I also have a slight case of the Endorphin Junkie, meaning that I really, really like the high you get after sports so I do crossfit training like five to six times a week. I’m unapologetically myself, and I will not ever change who I am to fit within the norm. I’m sometimes told that (that I’m odd, I mean), but I usually thank the people who tell me. I have a really, really big love for music and I have a tendency to break into song sometimes when people say a line from a song I know. I also cry sometimes when music gets really good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whoops

Appearance: I’m around 5’6”, with hazel eyes and brown hair that goes around to my shoulders. It gets curly out of nowhere. I can either wake up with straight hair or wake up with a freakin perm, it’s funny. My body isn’t exactly the lean type, I’m somewhere around the buff area of the scale instead, but as long as I seem visibly strong, I’m satisfied. When I’m not going anywhere significant, I usually just wear sport shirts and sweats, but I have a penchant for Dark Academia so I like /looking/ like I’m smart sometimes. And I have glasses bc apparently my eyes are assholes and they work too hard and it hurts my brain all the time

Likes: music (DavidBowieDavidBowieDavidBow-); I have a really wide range of music that goes from early 2000’s pop to 1700’s requiems(my faves are Bowie, Queen and Pink Floyd). I enjoy studying theoretical fields, reading, and I like talking about Absurd Theories About Reality That Make Little To No Sense. I like sports, and I love joking around with friends in the most exaggerated ways. I also love the colour green and I’m more of a cat person

Dislikes: dogs (they’re cute but keep them away pls), ignorant people, irresponsible people, spiders, things I’m not good at from the beginning, having to deal with strangers being upset, crying (me. I don’t like crying; I mean me, I’m fine if my friends cry)

Other fun facts!!

- my goals for the future are all over the place; I want to work for Disney, I want to get a musical composition degree, I want a biomedical engineering bachelors degree, I want an astrophysics doctorate, I want to study languages, I want to be a foreign English teacher... I can’t ever decide.

- I have a long history with getting crushes on guys who turned out to be gay. It happens so often and I HATE IT, it makes me feel terrible.

- I!!love!!70’s!!music!!so!!much!! I was raised on that stuff, my dad wouldn’t let us listen to anything else

- Lol my favourite playlist name is Drugs Playlist But I Don’t Even Do Drugs it’s just a bunch of Pink Floyd and David Bowie songs

- My favourite movies are 80’s or 90’s comedy classics!! Like Wayne’s World, or Airplane!, or Night at the Roxbury. I keep quoting Wayne’s World and no one understands :(

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Hello and Welcome my Starlight!

The Haven box includes:

- Match up

- Sun drop

- Flashes of memory

- Truth or dare gone wrong

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

I'd match you up with

Sero Hanata, Cellophane

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Sun drops

The reasons I paired you

- It me awhile to think about who to match you up with

- I was thinking of either Bakugou or Denki

- BUT THEN I REMEMBERED SERO

- Sero is such an underrated character smh

- BUT THIS DYNAMIC IS WHAT I LIVE FOR

-At first, you might be annoyed at his lack of knowledge but you over past that

- His EQ can help you grow as a person as well

- You have the IQ he has the EQ, BALANCE!

- You two would often have laughing sessions at class

- No cap tho, you two would be the most interesting couple

- You guys would have a matching necklace or a Keychain (IDK why but I feel like it-)

- You get along well with Denki, (IT TOOK A LONG TIME)

- But you would rather hang out with Bakugou (He tolerates you more than the others).

- BRO, please give him love. He craves your attention

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰*.:｡✧*.｡:｡*.｡✱ ───

Flashes of memories

Sero: Hello there hot stuff!

Eve: Hello there Soy sauce

Sero: NOT YOU TOO

Eve: Just kidding, Hello babe

Sero: ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?

Eve: Yes, killing you with love

Sero: Dang that's smooth

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Sero: He-

Eve: I didn't take your Pocky, Denki did

Sero: How-

Eve: You've been yelling about it for the past few minutes

Sero: Oh-

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Sero: Can you help me with studying?

Eve: Struggling again?

Sero: Yes...

Eve: Why did I date you again?

Sero: Please?

Eve: ...

Also Eve: Fine

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Truth or dare gone wrong

The class 1-A were all gathered in their common room, even Bakugou was present. The class was having a truth or dare session, it seemed interesting. “Sero, my man! Truth or dare?” Denki asked as he looked at Sero. “Truth! I choose truth,” Sero said. “Who have you been talking on the phone to this past weeks? The one I keep hearing is my pumpkin?” Denki asked. Sero’s face then turned a light shade of pink. “O-Oh- ummm,” He started as he looked away. “Does our Cellophane have a girlfriend?” Mina teased as she poked Sero. “Y-Yeah,” He stuttered. “OI THAT’S NOT FAIR?!? WHY CAN YOU HAVE A GIRL BUT I CAN’T,” Denki sulked as he placed his head on the table. “If you weren’t such a perv then maybe you can get one!” Hakagure responded.

“Don’t be shy. Tell us more,” Mina said. Sero’s blush darkened and he looked away. “We are playing truth or dare! It’s my turn to ask,” Sero then said. “Actually, I am quite curious as well. We can always continue later,” Momo said as she smiled. Everyone agreed and they then looked at the nervous male. “C’mon now guys, this is unfair,” Sero said as he looked at everyone. “But you have a girl and we want tea,” Mina then said as she sat in front of him. “I- um, you guys really want to know about her, huh?” Sero said as he chuckled. Everyone nodded and stared at Sero intently. “Just tell us already, Soy sauce,” Bakugou growled as he glared at Sero. “Don’t listen to him, bro. He is just jealous,” Kirishima said. “WHAT-“ Bakugou was about to counter but was silenced. “Fine! Fine! You got me in a corner,” Sero then said as he chuckled. “She should be coming here,” He added as he looked at the door. “Three, two, one,” He then said as he pointed to the door.

“Hello, is Sero Hanta here?”A feminine voice said. “ARE YOU A PSYCHIC?” Denki said as he looked surprised. “I’m right here pumpkin!” Sero then said as he smirked. His nervousness melted away as he saw the 5’6ft girl. It was his girlfriend, Eve, and he was overjoyed. “Hey there babe!” She then said as she smiled. “DANG YOU GOT A FINE LADY!” Denki then yelled as he checked her out. “Keep your eyes above for I’ll gorge them out,” Eve then said as she glared at Denki. Soon enough, Mineta tried to touch her as well but his efforts were at vain. Sero used his tape as to stop Mineta from getting closer. And Eve kicked him away, far away from her. “Get your filthy hands away from her,” Sero said as he stood up. He then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “Woah, that was so manly!” Kirishima said as he smiled.

“GIRLS! GET HER-“ Mina said as she tackled the girl. They didn’t fall down but Mina was laughing and hugging her. “Girl! How long have you been together?” Mina asked as she pulled away. Eve was a bit uncomfortable but she merely had a stoic face. “A few weeks,” She responded bluntly. And soon enough, the truth or dare session was forgotten. It was replace with the class 1-A trying to pry out the tea from the couple. Did they succeed? No, not really. Though the class seemed to love Eve and her antics. The class even tried to make them forget about the date they have planned. But either way, Sero and Eve got manage to get away to have their small movie date at his room.

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Author's note

Hai bb! I'm sorry it took so long. But thanks for requesting again~

[lovemesomesurveys]

Animals Do you prefer cats or dogs? I’m a dog person for sure.

If you had to choose, which animal would you like to be reincarnated as? A dog. 

Some say peoples personalities or looks resemble animals. Whats your animal? Probably a sloth, ha. 

Books Which book series was the first you read? As a kid I loved Nancy Drew, The Babysitter’s Club, Sweet Valley High, and Goosebumps.

What was the last book you read? I’m currently reading Autumn’s Game by Mary Stone.

Would you rather write a book or direct a movie? Write a book.

Characters Which TV show/movie/book character do you think you are most like? Hmm. I don’t know.

Which superhero is your favourite and why? Iron Man, Spiderman, Ant-Man, Star Lord, Thor.

What's your favourite fairytale character? Is Alice in Wonderland a fairytale?

Dreams Do you usually remember your dreams? I’ll remember it briefly and then it like vanishes. My dreams are like a Snapchat.

Are most of your dreams good, scary or just plain weird? Just plain weird, man.

What dream that you've had has stuck in your head the most? Describe: The nightmares or the ones that make me wake up crying and shaking don’t like to vanish, unfortunately. Those get saved to the camera roll.

Emotions What emotion do you find yourself trying to hide from others? I’m definitely not as good at hiding my emotions anymore. They took over and control me now.

How emotional/sentimental would you say you are? A lot. I’m so damn moody.

Do your emotions control you or do you control your emotions? Like I said, they definitely control me. 

Fun What do you do for fun? May not be considered fun, but my days are spent checking my social medias, watching YouTube, watching TV, reading, scrolling through Tumblr, doing surveys, spending time with my family, lounging around, and perhaps a little coloring. I like doing those things, though, so it works for me. 

Which is more fun: cycling, watching tv, roller coaster ride or cooking? Uhh, the only thing I like out of those choices is watching TV.

What is the funnest game to play? I love board games.

Geometry Nearest square thing to you? The throw pillows on my bed.

What was the last circular thing you ate? Cookies.

Is there anything triangular in the room you're in right now? I’m sure, but nothing triangular is popping out at me at the moment and I don’t feel like really looking around and thinking about it.

Height Are you taller or shorter than average? I’m 5′4, which is short, but not shorter than average I don’t think.

Is your Mum tall or short? How about your Dad? My mom is about 5′5 and my dad is about 5′9.

Do you wish you were taller or shorter? I wish I was taller.

If... If you became pregnant or your partner did, what would you do? Well, I can’t get pregnant, sooo.

If you lost something your friend lent to you, what would you do? I would feel really bad, first of all. I’d be nervous to tell them, especially if it was something that was special and unique. I’d of course have to tell them, though, and I’d replace it if possible. If it wasn’t replaceable... I don’t know what I would do. All I could do is apologize immensely and somehow try to make it up to them. I’d be super careful if a friend lent me anything, though, regardless of what it was. I also probably would just not borrow something that wasn’t replaceable or expensive to avoid all of that.

If you had to talk about 1 subject for a minute live on TV, which one? Yikes. That minute would feel like forever, I have no idea. Pass.

Jokes Do you normally tell jokes or listen to the jokes? I’m not a joke teller except maybe some cheesy, corny one I might have heard now and then. 

What is your sense of humour like (dry, dark, sarcastic etc)? I laugh at a lot of things. I like puns and clever humour but I also like dumb things and dry things too. I think it's just really easy to make me laugh. <<< Yeah, pretty much.

Kisses Do you put x's in your text messages? No.

When did you last have a kiss? 8 years ago...

Does your grandma give you big sloppy kisses when she sees you? No. She gives me a big hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

Language How many languages can you say 'hello my name is...' in? Three.

What language do you think sounds the nicest? I think they’re all unique and interesting.

What language do you want to learn more of? I’d love to be fluent in Spanish. I can only speak and understand a little. Brushing up on it by helping my mom do her Duolingo everyday for the past few months has been helpful.

Marriage Do you ever want to get married? No. I truly don’t see that happening for me.

Church or Registery Office? Dream wedding?

Names Your closest friends names? I don’t have any friends.

What names would you ever call your kids? I don’t want to have kids.

What name is the cutest for a little black and white doggie? I’m someone who needs to see and get a vibe from the dog first before naming them. And not just something that has to do with their color. 

Order Are you tidy? I’m not a messy person, like I don’t have clothes or stuff on my floor, I put my dishes in the sink after using them, I throw stuff away when I’m done, etc, but my room has become disorganized and a bit cluttered. I just have too much stuff and not enough space.

Do you colour code things or put them in alphabetical order? No.

Do you have any form of OCD? No. People throw that around loosely.

Promises Do you make promises often? No.

What was the last promise you made? I don’t even remember.

Do you plan to keep that promise?

Quizzes What types of online quizzes/surveys do you like taking? I like surveys with random and interesting questions that allow me to elaborate. And vent and ramble, too. I like ones like this that are divided up into categories. Themed surveys are fun as well.

Have you ever made a quiz? What was it about? No. I made a survey once a longggg time ago.

Have you ever taken an EQ or IQ test? If so, what did you get? I’ve taken IQ tests and got “above average.”

Responsibility Do you class yourself as 'responsible'? Not as much as I should be at 31 years old. :/ These past few years especially I really feel like I haven’t been responsible with a lot of things that I should be. 

What do you think defines a 'responsible' person? Someone dependable, keeps their commitments, and handles their business. They get shit done.

What is it that you are responsible for? Paying my bills, taking care of myself (haven’t been doing very well with that...), my doctor appointments, cleaning up after myself...

Secrets Do you have a lot of secrets? Not really. I’m quite boring.

"A secret isn't a secret if you tell one person." Is this true to you? Uhhh, that does make sense. You think of a secret as something you don’t share with someone else. I guess if it’s something you tell someone or a few select people that you trust that you wouldn’t want getting out to anyone else it could still be a secret, right? Something you don’t want everyone to know. *shrug*

Thought Provoking If you knew you had a high chance of dying, would you kill yourself before disease riddled you unable or hope for the best? Jeez. I don’t want to think about that.

Choose a box: 1 has a large amount of money, the other either a wish or fear of yours come true. Which do you pick? The money is tempting, but I might go with the wish...

An angel comes to you and offers to show you one thing from the future or the past; past or future and what is that thing gonna be? The future terrifies me, I’d be afraid to know a lot of things regarding my future. But I already know my past, so I don’t know what I’d ask them to show me. I don’t knowwww.

Unlucky

Would you say you are more unlucky or lucky? I don’t believe in luck. I would say I have had a lot of bad cards dealt to me and I also am fortunate in other ways. 

A leprechaun pops up and offers to plant some luck on you but it could go either way. Risk it or dismiss it? Dismiss it.

Violence When did you last hit or punch someone? I haven’t hit or punched anyone.

When did you last get hit or punched? Never.

Are you more likely to be verbally aggressive or physically? I’m not an aggressive person.

Warnings Do you listen when someone gives you a warning? I want to say I would likely listen to a warning, but I guess it would depend what it was about.

What warning has someone gave you that you wish you'd have listened to? That I should have taken care of some things sooner and not ignored/put them off for so long.

What warning has someone gave you you are glad you didn't take? I’m blanking right now. XXX

Have you ever had sex? No.

Have you ever accidentally saw someone having sex? No.

YouTube Do you go onto YouTube? I spend a lot of time on YouTube.

What is your favourite video of on YouTube? I don’t have just one favorite, I have a ton. I’m especially into ASMR.

What channels do you go on the most? I’m subscribed to several people---ASMRtists, vloggers, lifestyle videos, Disney related channels, a mukbanger, a drama commentary channel, and a channel that does videos on abandoned places and the rise and fall of former businesses that are no longer around.

Zodiac What's your starsign? Leo.

What are the traits of that sign? Do you have them? Leos are described as being very opposite of me that’s for sure. I don’t believe in that stuff anyway, though.

What zodiac sign do you think you suit the most? I don’t care.

Number 1 Name me 1 person who has changed your life for the better? My mom.

Name me 1 object that's in your kitchen right now? My Keurig.

Name one creature that freaks you out/scares you? ALL bugs.

Number 2 2nd person that you talked to today was... I haven’t talked to anyone yet, it’s 820AM and my mom is asleep and my dad and brother are at work.

What is 2 times your favourite number? 16.

You and two of your friends have got in trouble with the law. Who are the 2 friends you have got in trouble with and what did you do? No friends, sooo.

Number 3 3 words that don't describe you at all: Healthy, ambitious, confident.

Who is 3rd in your contacts list on your phone? I don’t feel like checking.

In 3 more days, what will the date be? It will be January 25, 2021.

[whyamiinopmhellagain]

Ebina Misaki, One Punch Man OC!

I wanted to move her, so I did!

General

Full Name (Last, then First): Ebina ((蛯名), Misaki (美咲)

Meaning: Beauty Bloom

Nickname(s): Angel. Miss Optimist.

Reason for nickname(s): Her singing voice, and angelic personality. Her optimism.  

Given By: Her parents. Her classmates.

Age: 18 

Sex: Female

Gender: Female

Place of Birth: City Y

Birthday: 3/3

Currently living in: City Y

Species/Race: Human

Ethnicity: Japanese

Blood Type: B

Occupation: Student, cover artist

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Social Status: Middle Class

Relationship Status: Single

Status: Alive

Appearance

Body Build: Skinny and flat, like a bean pole.

Height: 1.91 meters (6’3”)

Skin colour: Pale

Hair style: Chin bob with bangs

Hair colour: Black

Eye colour: Brown

Distinguishing Features: Longer than average arms, smaller breasts.

Preferred Clothing: Deep blue t-shirts, long, black skater skirts, knee high socks, sneakers, backwards baseball caps.

Accessories: Black frame glasses.

Health

General health: Good, but needs glasses, because she’s nearsighted.

Posture: Good

Any physical illnesses?: No

Any mental illnesses?: No

Take drugs?: No

Smoke?: No

Mental/Emotional State

Archetype: ENFP-A (Campaigner)

Mental age: 23-28

Act before thinking/Think before acting?: A bit of both, depends on the situation.

Emotion-wise, generally: Pretty happy, overall!

Conversation

Way of speaking: Speaks at a normal volume and is very polite, until you get closer to her, then she becomes a bit more sarcastic and playful. She also gets a biiiit louder. Loves to talk.

Common conversation starter: Do you listen to…?

Swears?: Rarely, around her close friends.

Made-up words?: No

Made-up language?: No

Likes/Dislikes

Likes: Music, yoga, her friends, playing her instruments, makeup, singing, her fans/followers, social media, parties, making new friends, her parents, and her cram school teachers.

Dislikes: Her haters and trolls, doctor’s appointments, pretty much every academic class (except biology), and places with no service/wifi.

Hobbies

Playing/listening to music.

Browsing the internet

Interacting with her fans

Talking to people/going to parties

Going to get crepes

Doing her makeup

Skills/Abilities

Singing skills (Soprano, prefer higher notes, but can hit some lower ones in an alto range.)

Piano (Since she was 6)

Guitar (Since she was 8)

Drums (Since she was 13)

Songwriting (taken a few classes on it, written two songs, plans to write more.)

How to set up and use recording equipment.

Video editing skills.

How to take good insta selfies and write witty tweets, when needed.

Education/Intelligence

Education: Currently in High School with average grades (B’s and B-’s, except in her music classes), and a music cram school, where she is one of the best students there. She’s had pretty standard education through her life.

IQ: Pretty average (I don’t know the exact number for either.)

EQ: Higher than average.

Secrets

She wishes she was a little shorter and curvier, like a regular person, so she could be seen as “beautiful”. (Even though she already is.)

Thinks her biology teacher is hot.

Fears

That her friends will leave her.

That she’ll go deaf.

That her channel will fall apart

That a monster will destroy her and/or anything she cares about.

Dreams/Goals

To grow her channel. (She wants to hit at least 10,000 subscribers)

Write, publish and perform more songs.

Graduate high school and college

Get married.

Favorites

Food: Caramel fudge chocolate chip brownies!  

Colour: Royal Blue.

Animal: Snakes!

Holiday: New Year’s Eve.

Season: Spring.

Time of day: Dawn.

Thing to watch: Concerts.

Movie: “Pitch Perfect”

Show: “Meteor Garden”

Type of art: Music.

Genre of music: Too many, but Jazz, Classical and Metal to name a few.

Genre of literature: Not really a book person.

Genre of shows: Comedies

Genre of movies: Musicals

History

Misaki was adopted by her mothers when she was 6 months old. She was always a bit taller than everyone else, which caused her to be made fun of by the other kids. But, her bubbly personality made her more friends than enemies. She comes from a musical family, her free time mostly went to learning music with her moms. She was very chatty when she was younger, and enjoyed talking to new classmates, and playing with other kids. She also loved to show off her skills in music, and didn’t really care if she messed up. She started sharing her talents and skills with the world when she was 16, she started posting covers online, and she has been devoted to the channel ever since. But, as cool as it is to have a lot of friends, and even fans, she’s beginning to feel a bit lovesick, and wants someone to hold her at night.

Personality

Misaki is a woman dedicated to her dreams and future, her family, her future spouse and her friends, in that order. She enjoys being around other people, and LOVES to talk. She is always looking for the best in people, and the silver lining, even in the darkest storms. She likes to go to parties, but not to be bad, because she enjoys the company of other people. Music is Misaki’s life. She could sit for hours listening to her favorite songs, and spend hours more playing them. She’d rather listen to music than socialize, but she will get lonely eventually. She always gives second chances, even if some would say it’s undeserving. She loves to always busy herself with doing something, whether it be doing some yoga, learning a new make-up look, or just jamming out to some Metallica. School doesn’t really interest her either, and would much rather spend her time with music. Her channel is her baby, and will slack off in school, in order to make sure it’s perfect. Rest assured, she does put a fair amount of effort into her homework, and won’t slack off on group projects. Her room is fairly messy, but she says it’s part of the creative process.

Tl;dr:

Determined

Optimistic

Social

Creative/musical

Messy

Restless

Loud

Trusting, to a fault

Relationships

Family: Misaki has two moms that she loves very much. Youko is her school’s choir instructor. She helps her learn her vocal parts, pick songs to suit her voice, and helps write her arrangements, if need be. Misaki does most of that by herself now, but mama’s always there to help! Kanna is a stay-at-home mom, with a large resume in musical theatre. They are both fiercely protective of her, and proud of her, for working her butt off to achieve her goals!

Love interest: None, yet ;) But, feel free to let me know about some potentials!

Friends/Allies: She has a strong social circle in her cram school, and at her regular school. She’s a friendly person, and wants to meet and get to know as many people as she can! But, some friendships depend on the universe:

She’s in the same history class as Metal Bat. They don’t really talk much, because he’s not in class super often.  They’re on good terms, they just don’t talk too much. She sometimes fills him in on lessons he missed, and attends the same cram school as Zenko. Her friends are mostly in her cram school, but she has some friends in school as well.

Misaki has piano lessons with Zenko every Thursday evening at her cram school. The two of them have a pretty normal student/teacher relationship. Zenko is an avid viewer of her channel, though, and is willing to help her with her piano lines. Sometimes she runs into Gaman in the hallways, and they are in the same biology class. They also take music lessons together, when the cram school is having a performance. She knows that the two of them are related, and she’s friendly to both.

Enemies: There are a few people that make nasty comments on the way she looks, and her internet haters, but that’s it.

Quotes:

“No, I do not play basketball.”

“Mom, I can’t get this chord. Can you help?”

“I’m recording right now!”

Trivia

She has a little under 2,000 followers on Twitter, where she gives updates about her videos.

She owns a beat up, 1960s, cherry red pickup truck, but she normally walks everywhere.

She has a light brown pet ball python, named Udon.

——-

Talk to me people, tell me what you think.

[gg-astrology]

Hii how about Aquarius Sun, Cancer moon and rising. And my Venus sign is Pisces. Or 1. Cancer in rising and moon. 6. Sagittarius in Pluto and Capricorn in Jupiter. 7. Capricorn in mercury and Neptune. 8. Aquarius in Uranus and Sun. 9. Aquarius in Mars. 10. Pieces in Venus and Saturn. The numbers are the houses. And can you tell me about it or explain it in “everyday” language😅 Thank you😄😄

Hey there!!🧡🧡 I--ah this confused me too kjsndfkfnk 🧡🧡 I usually talk about 1-2 placements, so I can ham in and talk about it/have it be applicable to everyone else too (just to keep in mind🧡) I’ll help clear this out for you (formatting wise?? if thats ok?🧡) just in case you want to ask someone else about it too (for future ref!🧡) :

Aquarius Sun 8H

Cancer Moon 1H/Cancer Rising

Capricorn Mercury 7H

Pisces Venus 10H

Aquarius Mars 9H

Pisces Saturn 10H

Capricorn Jupiter 6H

Aquarius Uranus 8H

Capricorn Neptune 7H

Sagittarius Pluto 6H 

Try to go like....one by one, bit by bit instead of all at once ok?? 🧡🧡It can be a lil overwhelming, and if they have an faq please be sure to check it first/abide by it too 🧡🧡

I don’t think I have an ask about Aquarius Sun - Cancer Moon yet (i’m doing a sun-moon combo series btw🧡) so I’ll talk more about those here. I probably won’t focus so much on the houses, but it’ll still be applicable to you i think 🧡🧡

[Below Cut: Aquarius Sun - Cancer Moon 🍑]

What was that saying about ‘not trusting someone as much as you can throw them??’

You proportionate yourself according to how much you can give/take from others --- ‘treat others as how you’d like to be treated’ and maybe sometimes ‘treat others as how you’d treat yourself’ (although u may be working up to that sometimes)

Aquarius/Cancer can be kind, compassionate, caring and nurturing to others-- but at the same time, you’re always very aware of your own limitations, your uncertainty -- you’re very self-aware (too much to the point of self-consciousness) and maybe too cautious as a person (defensive against threats/personal attacks) that you end up sabotaging yourself/your directions. 

Watch for paranoia, or social reclusivity/deep-seated insecurities with your own self-image. You can often be very aware of it to the point where it blocks you (amplified insecurities) and thus-- you do not trust/let your guards down ever and works hard to maintain an ‘image’ of yourself that doesn’t let anyone sees your vulnerabilities. 

You also have a bad habit of just-- taking more and more stress/hardship/frustrations without letting others help, learn how to let go. Or how to nurture a more healthy mechanism/positive self-image for freeing vulnerabilities. Your greatest strength is your emotionality, yet you often have the wrong side of the bargain and not know how to ‘let go/fully let your feelings flow out’ the way it’s supposed to. Make sure to learn this, as it’ll help your Cancer Moon get more in contact with it’s watery nature than letting it crush you under the weight.

You have great friends and people who supports you, but you need to balance that IQ with good EQ responses!! 

With Aquarius/Cancers, although you may judge others, you do so fairly and honestly. You take the idea of ‘treating others’ very seriously, because you do want to improve their lives just as much as you want to improve your quality of life too.

It’s putting the self (cancer moon) in others (aquarius sun) that you get to this, thus you have incredible adaptability and empathy for people. Although you may look stiff and pragmatic sometimes, your greatest strength is in your emotionality/ability to understand others by putting yourself in their shoes.

You are also often very secure in your own sense of comfort, like one of those people who are just at home where-ever they go. Whatever your rising sign is, there’s an inner-depth and serenity within you that people feel comforted by. You become a stability/beacon of ‘home’ to others. Mostly because you hold yourself well, isn’t pretentious and is very down-to-earth in your own intellectually perceptive ways.

Don’t mind those who are intimidated by you, you know you’re much more caring and they’ll learn how to love/understand you eventually. 

Those who sticks around will get to know the deeper, sensual side of you. And those who don’t -- well, they’ll see you around probably (their loss)

Short and sweet🧡 But I hope this is helpful! 🧡 As for your houses and other placements, you can 1) send them in one by one (I hope u don’t mind if I take some time before answering them ksdjnfsk im kinda backed up rn) 2) check each of them individually on other posts maybe?? 🧡  or 3) I’m pretty sure other astro blogs might offer short sweet descriptions for all of them 🧡🧡 be sure to check them out too! 🧡🧡

I hope this is helpful! 🧡🧡 thanks again for sending them in! 🧡🧡

[aspiestvmusings]

...and here it is... the scene(s)/episode that everyone has been waiting for. The    moment when things are finally communicated, and Walter tells it as it is. 

MAJOR SPOILERS! REALLY GOOD STUFF! 

my thoughts under the cut

I loved this weeks TBBT episode (ep 10x14) with Sheldon & his “emotions reading machine” and Amy’s words and “attitude” about his hardships in the human emotions field. And I’ve wanted this show to have get to the point where Walt’s friends/team-members see things that way and say things like that. 

And I love this “Scorpion” episode because of what Walter says. I admitted last week that for a while I did not completely understand where they are taking the Walter plot and where it is all leading and what it all means, I kind of understood after seeing episode 3x14...when things finally made complete sense to me. I wrote about it a bit in this post. And I am so proud of Walter (and the writers) for finally getting the story to this point, and having him say what he says on that raft. 

I am so proud of Walter. It is about time that the EQ person had a small lecture on THEIR “ATTITUDE”, and take a look in the mirror. And this is why I am excited for this episode (because while it is Quintis-light...because she’s at the Garage & he is at the sea, and they only have scenes together in the beginning/end of the episode & otherwise only communicate via comms) there is some really good Walter stuff. I’m not talking about romance - i don’t care for that. I’m talking about the “low EQ” plot related stuff. 

I would say that it was worth the wait... and all the "weird stuf” and all the scenes/things in S3 have lead us here...and I personally think that it was worth the wait. Because I get to hear Walter say THAT! #fact-stroke

source: tweet 

[sarpelui-archive]

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ jack falahee + cismale + he/him — have you seen madden coyle? they sure have been hanging out at the volstead a lot recently. they are a twenty eight year old known as the sociopath. they currently work for the cobras as an assassin, which they’ve been doing for eight years. a bisexual gemini, they are versatile + sharp, as well as superficial + cunning. googling am i supposed to feel something?, broken clocks waiting to be fixed, piles of finished books.

hey friends!! for those of you that don’t already know, i’m admin nicole and i play this bag of mess and niko ( whose intro i will be posting shortly! ). under the cut are some little tidbits about madden. it’s hella long since i just copied and pasted his bio info over!! triggers apply, under the cut!!! ( trigger warning death, murder suicide & rape mentions )

trigger warnings: death, murder, suicide, rape mentions madden coyle is the son of a prominent philanthropist and a stay at home mother. born in dublin ireland with his twin sister ariella. when the twins were twelve years old their family packed their things and moved to new york, not necessarily in hopes of finding a ‘better life’ but more so that their father could expand the lucrative business into the states. his children were raised under the best of care and a team of nannies to tend to their every need. this never changed, until one of the nannies suspected something was wrong with the older twin, madden. at five years old, it became clear that madden was different from the other kids, withdrawn, far more intelligent, his parents were uncertain and concerned about the well being of their son and worried he may be on the spectrum ( having known no better ) and instead of speaking with doctors beforehand, out of concern of having it become public knowledge they had their son institutionalized to be evaluated by a close family friend. perhaps, had they spent more time with their son and daughter, they would have realized what was actually going on. and that was everything. at the young age of five years old, madden coyle’s ‘diagnosis’ was that of a genius iq, set at a record of one sixty seven but even their family friend, a well esteemed doctor in new york city, showed concern about the low level of eq the boy was showing — saying it was far too early for her to feel comfortable to tell, but there was a possibility that he was a borderline sociopath. his parents ignored all warnings given, uncomfortable with thinking anything could be wrong with their son and took him home that same day. they had no idea what was truly going on, as usual. as madden got older, his parents craved a variation of a normal life for their son, and forced him to attend normal grade level classes for his age, insisting that him being close with his sister was best for the both of them, but the fact was he was bored. so bored in fact, he would often take things apart just to put them back together, this varied from the classroom desks and chairs, the teachers desk and eventually escalated to intentionally irritating the fellow classmates, learning best how to quell their anger even though he was the one that caused it. truthfully, and once again ignored by his parents, he was trying to figure out how to mimic human emotion, and was getting significantly better at it every day. by the time he was in high school, madden was picking people apart just to put them back together again for his own amusement, finding himself growing more bored as time went on and his sister, in the meantime was acting out. drugs, specifically, fights in school, were all parts of her troublesome growth of being placed on the back burner her entire life. each time, madden took the fall for her, knowing he would get away with it, and because his sister was the only true connection to feeling emotion that he could ever imagine. she felt so strongly where he? he felt nothing. this behavior carried on until the twins were seventeen years old and madden got the fate-deciding call that would shape the entire future. his sister had been pulled out of a party, drunk, high, and she needed to be picked up….suspiciously on the side of the road. without asking, he did as she asked, and the pair never spoke of that night again —————– but madden always knew something was off with his sister, he could tell ; but he couldn’t find it in himself to ask, to even attempt to empathize as she suffered. and then one day, when they were eighteen years old, he walked in on his sister in her bedroom, hanging off of her bed, an empty pill bottle dropped to the floor. there was nothing he could do besides pull the note off of her body with an admittance. the officer that had taken her from the party one year before had raped his sister, threatened to kill her if she so much as breathed a word, and she was unable to handle the pain, therefore ending her life. this was something madden couldn’t understand. his own twin sister, the only connection to human emotion that he had, was gone, and she’d been in so much pain that she died for it. he couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t understand how it had happened and longed for the missing piece to his own puzzle of a brain. he decided in that moment he was going to figure out how to fix what was broken, just as he had so many other things. it was weeks later that madden coyle discovered the cop that had raped his sister. it was weeks later that he murdered the officer in cold blood hoping it would fix the part of him that had been ripped away, and when it didn’t, he found himself with no other choice but to allow himself to get caught. he knew, after all, how to cheat the system, he’d studied law in his free time, knew the defenses he could pull. but there was no point. he’d get out …. eventually. until then he needed time to think. madden coyle, eighteen years old was found guilty, placed on death row for the murder of an on duty police officer in cold blood. it was on death row he met a former cobra assassin, befriended him to only learn from him, and he did. he learned how to bide his time, to sit still and wait for the moment to come and then one day … it did. it was then that the madden coyle was released, the evidence against him proven to be untrustworthy, the case having been dropped. having heard from his ‘friend’ on death row about the kind of city valdez was, he ventured to colorado, learning everything he could about what made people tick, what made them feel in the way he craved, but it was impossible. the court doctors dubbed him a sociopath, and he knew the definition in many ways, but it changed nothing. his sister had been the piece that kept him together and she was gone. all he had was his knowledge. his first step once he arrived in valdez eight years ago was the front door of the cobra’s leader, turned out, he had a favor to return —— and it seemed he had a job waiting for him as well. what a wonderful opportunity. personality : beyond the realm of all understanding is madden coyle —- a stranger to devotion, to human feeling and guilt. a sociopath by nature, his only outlet being his twin sister, having been forged in the womb together. his saving grace left him in a world alone and confused, lacking the understanding of what makes people TICK which is all he wants to know. from the insides to their outs he longs for understanding of all things. and that is all he cares about. by default, madden only expresses what other people have shown him, his reactions to all things trivial are carefully processed in imagery. nothing he ever shows is real, necessarily and he is an avid liar. even in the company of a lover, he is often self serving and distant in the emotional tug, therefore craves company with someone who is on the same page as he is, also known as ‘not looking for anything serious’. he is truly arrogant, believes himself to be better than all those around him and walks on airs, his pedastal made of gold stolen from everyone around him without quarrel ( he’ll make you believe you gave it willingly ) and he’ll smile while perched.

[sarpelui-saved]

⋆ ◦ ° ☾ jack falahee + cismale + he/him — have you seen madden coyle? they sure have been hanging out at the volstead a lot recently. they are a twenty eight year old known as the sociopath. they currently work for the cobras as an assassin, which they’ve been doing for eight years. a bisexual gemini, they are versatile + sharp, as well as superficial + cunning. googling am i supposed to feel something?, broken clocks waiting to be fixed, piles of finished books.

triggers apply, under the cut!!! ( trigger warning death, murder suicide & rape mentions )

trigger warnings: death, murder, suicide, rape mentions madden coyle is the son of a prominent philanthropist and a stay at home mother. born in dublin ireland with his twin sister ariella. when the twins were twelve years old their family packed their things and moved to new york, not necessarily in hopes of finding a ‘better life’ but more so that their father could expand the lucrative business into the states. his children were raised under the best of care and a team of nannies to tend to their every need. this never changed, until one of the nannies suspected something was wrong with the older twin, madden. at five years old, it became clear that madden was different from the other kids, withdrawn, far more intelligent, his parents were uncertain and concerned about the well being of their son and worried he may be on the spectrum ( having known no better ) and instead of speaking with doctors beforehand, out of concern of having it become public knowledge they had their son institutionalized to be evaluated by a close family friend. perhaps, had they spent more time with their son and daughter, they would have realized what was actually going on. and that was everything. at the young age of five years old, madden coyle’s ‘diagnosis’ was that of a genius iq, set at a record of one sixty seven but even their family friend, a well esteemed doctor in new york city, showed concern about the low level of eq the boy was showing — saying it was far too early for her to feel comfortable to tell, but there was a possibility that he was a borderline sociopath. his parents ignored all warnings given, uncomfortable with thinking anything could be wrong with their son and took him home that same day. they had no idea what was truly going on, as usual. as madden got older, his parents craved a variation of a normal life for their son, and forced him to attend normal grade level classes for his age, insisting that him being close with his sister was best for the both of them, but the fact was he was bored. so bored in fact, he would often take things apart just to put them back together, this varied from the classroom desks and chairs, the teachers desk and eventually escalated to intentionally irritating the fellow classmates, learning best how to quell their anger even though he was the one that caused it. truthfully, and once again ignored by his parents, he was trying to figure out how to mimic human emotion, and was getting significantly better at it every day. by the time he was in high school, madden was picking people apart just to put them back together again for his own amusement, finding himself growing more bored as time went on and his sister, in the meantime was acting out. drugs, specifically, fights in school, were all parts of her troublesome growth of being placed on the back burner her entire life. each time, madden took the fall for her, knowing he would get away with it, and because his sister was the only true connection to feeling emotion that he could ever imagine. she felt so strongly where he? he felt nothing. this behavior carried on until the twins were seventeen years old and madden got the fate-deciding call that would shape the entire future. his sister had been pulled out of a party, drunk, high, and she needed to be picked up….suspiciously on the side of the road. without asking, he did as she asked, and the pair never spoke of that night again —————– but madden always knew something was off with his sister, he could tell ; but he couldn’t find it in himself to ask, to even attempt to empathize as she suffered. and then one day, when they were eighteen years old, he walked in on his sister in her bedroom, hanging off of her bed, an empty pill bottle dropped to the floor. there was nothing he could do besides pull the note off of her body with an admittance. the officer that had taken her from the party one year before had raped his sister, threatened to kill her if she so much as breathed a word, and she was unable to handle the pain, therefore ending her life. this was something madden couldn’t understand. his own twin sister, the only connection to human emotion that he had, was gone, and she’d been in so much pain that she died for it. he couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t understand how it had happened and longed for the missing piece to his own puzzle of a brain. he decided in that moment he was going to figure out how to fix what was broken, just as he had so many other things. it was weeks later that madden coyle discovered the cop that had raped his sister. it was weeks later that he murdered the officer in cold blood hoping it would fix the part of him that had been ripped away, and when it didn’t, he found himself with no other choice but to allow himself to get caught. he knew, after all, how to cheat the system, he’d studied law in his free time, knew the defenses he could pull. but there was no point. he’d get out …. eventually. until then he needed time to think. madden coyle, eighteen years old was found guilty, placed on death row for the murder of an on duty police officer in cold blood. it was on death row he met a former cobra assassin, befriended him to only learn from him, and he did. he learned how to bide his time, to sit still and wait for the moment to come and then one day … it did. it was then that the madden coyle was released, the evidence against him proven to be untrustworthy, the case having been dropped. having heard from his ‘friend’ on death row about the kind of city valdez was, he ventured to colorado, learning everything he could about what made people tick, what made them feel in the way he craved, but it was impossible. the court doctors dubbed him a sociopath, and he knew the definition in many ways, but it changed nothing. his sister had been the piece that kept him together and she was gone. all he had was his knowledge. his first step once he arrived in valdez eight years ago was the front door of the cobra’s leader, turned out, he had a favor to return —— and it seemed he had a job waiting for him as well. what a wonderful opportunity. personality : beyond the realm of all understanding is madden coyle —- a stranger to devotion, to human feeling and guilt. a sociopath by nature, his only outlet being his twin sister, having been forged in the womb together. his saving grace left him in a world alone and confused, lacking the understanding of what makes people TICK which is all he wants to know. from the insides to their outs he longs for understanding of all things. and that is all he cares about. by default, madden only expresses what other people have shown him, his reactions to all things trivial are carefully processed in imagery. nothing he ever shows is real, necessarily and he is an avid liar. even in the company of a lover, he is often self serving and distant in the emotional tug, therefore craves company with someone who is on the same page as he is, also known as ‘not looking for anything serious’. he is truly arrogant, believes himself to be better than all those around him and walks on airs, his pedestal made of gold stolen from everyone around him without quarrel ( he’ll make you believe you gave it willingly ) and he’ll smile while perched.

[mariellewritesalot]

In Conclusion, 2018

Goodbyes have always seemed second nature to me, but as soon as they happen, there’s either nothing, or so much more left to say. It’s one of those things that should come easy for writers with much pain and experience to show for, but decides to be a creative roadblock with a deadline. The end always does feel like a new beginning, if you think about it; partially because goodbyes are often times so sudden that we barely have the chance to take a breath before speaking. It could also be the exact opposite: a slow burn that gives us time to prepare, but still manages to completely take us aback on how real it feels, so we end up letting out what begs to come forth, without knowing that some things are better left unsaid. I am a firm believer that people only mean what they say the moment they say it, and as I am writing this, I feel the weight of the entire year on my shoulder about to be eased by the promise of consolation: what lessons were learned, and how do I apply them? 

To tell you the truth, I’ve always had an inkling that 2018 was not going to be my year, but now I see that there were just a lot of battles that I won and lost, tragically. Most of the time chronically, so I truly felt whatever fortune life presented at that time. The first half of the year provided me with heartbreaks in the demise of a relationship, the death of a friend, and a rejection that threw my college future off-course for a while, before I was able to redeem myself: what’s meant to be, always will be. I graduated Senior High School with flying colors. I got into UPD through a talent test in writing. I watched LANY and Harry Styles live. I worked my first job at my cousin’s spa in Tomas Morato as their supervisor in the summer, met so many people I now can proudly call constants. I released a short story after a long writing drought. I learned a new thing or two, like how much I enjoy writing in Filipino that the course I never imagined taking gave me a mission to widen my writing span with a purpose. I joined the controversial 96th Philippine Collegian that raised eyebrows, but gave me a new family and so much insight on journalistic writing. I applied for UP Children’s Rights Advocates League (UP CRAdLe), my first org in UP, to give myself an avenue to help out. I gave my first talk on creative writing, alongside seasoned professionals, at PUP. I turned nineteen without much fuss, something my spirit animal Lily Aldrin-Ericksen (from HIMYM) will not approve of. I went out with my friends more, learned new ways to get around the city (and broke my curfew) at the same time. I decided it’s okay not to be okay sometimes, gave myself breathing space from my overachieving, perfectionist ideals and took care of my anxiousness rather than tolerating habits that contributed to its continuity. True to its promise, taking it day by day gave me the ride of a lifetime. I felt like I matured more this year than I ever have before, and I have that to be grateful for.

I also saw a silver lining when the next half of the year led me to the love of my life, only to fall short when I was doing so much for so little, and was given uncertainty and indecisiveness in return. It felt more than just saying goodbye to a person. There was too much on the line, so it started to feel like losing a part of myself especially because I found my best friend in the same person. But resiliency in two people can mean see you again or see you around, still, even in the attempt of friendship for the sake of the people affected. I never noticed how hard it was to fix things I can’t take the blame for; hence being forced to sit this one out because it’s out of my control. Forgiving myself proves to be a task I need to conquer in order to accept it. However, I can’t tell you how beautiful it is that even in hurt, just by looking back, I’m surprised of the love I’m capable of and the memories shared that no one else but the both of us know of. I will miss the people around us the most. What also adds salt to the wound is the fact that I’ll probably never have the chance to say my goodbyes or explain things from my perspective. I guess growing up means there has to be room for love to take shape in different ways, or for time and space to hone us into better people until we’re exactly where we need to be. If anything, I just have to let life run its course. Let the chips fall where they may (an ode to that iconic Gossip Girl Season 5 finale) until I get the winning hand. God has always had His own way of surprising me. If a love is meant to be, I’d know. I am my mother’s child, after all, born into a family that was favored by destiny and a lot of faith.

The lessons disguised as experiences I gathered this year were all pointing to the same virtue: patience. Let me tell you, for someone as anxious as I am, it’s hard to trust anything or anyone if I know I can take things into my own hands. I’ve always been the type to organize and plan whenever I could, I often feel restless because I choose to work for whatever I want and currently have. I guess that’s why even in different scenarios, a recurring theme I notice, in terms of learning, really, is to wait. In times when I don’t realize I am waiting, I wake up one day really happy because I got what I wanted, but I barely acknowledge all the times I had to sit still for it to happen. I truly want to forgive myself for ever trying too hard or not trying at all, for all the opportunities missed, and the embarrassing honest-to-god-knock-me-out moments I’d rather not relive. I apologize for any of it, because if you know me well enough, you’d know I thought about it over and over until I am certain of what to take the blame for and what to do next time I am faced with a similar situation. I will no longer punish myself for being too much, rather, I will redirect my energy to things and people that deserve it. It’s a long way to go, but what matters to me the most is that I’m trying to be better and acknowledging my wrongdoings along the way. I have the start somewhere, don’t I?

This year also gave me a rude awakening on commitment and priorities. I think I’ve made myself ready for anything, especially long-term, if I deem it worthy of my time and effort. I also see myself as someone with good time management (aka my “I’ll complain about it but you’ll never see me not do it” complex) so my priorities were never an issue, however, even if my IQ doesn’t suffer, my EQ does. I can’t blame anyone but myself for being such a hopeless romantic because no matter how much I deny it, I quite like being all lovey-dovey. However, after a series of failed attempts and investments despite being in my best behavior, I guess it truly is the time to let love take the backseat for a while. I’m crossing my fingers that I won’t break my own rules this time. After all, I can stand on my own, and ironically, it’s what men always seem to love about me until it backfires drastically in different ways. I either stray away from my usual, uptight self, or stay in the upper hand, until they get tired of it. I guess there is some truth in the belief that you fall out of love for the same reasons you fell in it. For 2019, the only person I am looking into falling in love with (again and again) is myself. I still have a lot to work and reflect on, and stubbornness to let go of. For whatever it’s worth, I got to admit that though there is the aura of loneliness that clings on solitude, nothing feels as good as going to bed without worrying about another person. In return, I’ll cling onto any good feeling that comes out of this as hard as I can.

There’s something about the end of another year and the beginning of a new one that rouses everyone from their stupor (momentarily) until we’re all out for blood, or the best version of ourselves. At the very least, it’s always for the benefit of ourselves and those around us, lest we forget what we came in for. I have a lot of things planned out for myself in 2019, a new set of goals to achieve and dreams to pursue. I’ve always made myself busy to fill voids. I can’t divulge any further, since I somehow still have the tendency of losing interest whenever I tell people what I am up to. Maybe it’s because I live for the thrill of it all, and the shock from everyone, including myself, when I manage to pull things off. There’s a certain charm to things when you least expect them.

The only thing I want to attest to right now is my promise to write more for leisure and give you more content to look forward to, both in Filipino and English. I can never be too sure of myself, since a new year can also mean a new set of problems, setbacks, failures, and heartbreaks I may never be prepared for; but at least I know that come what may, I will always be provided with the strength and courage to get through. If I had known then that growing up meant more than just the no-fail linear path that includes the college-job-marriage mindset, I would have wanted to stay young longer. Adults have often tried to warn me and others, though, so it’s fair game. I just wish I wasn’t so in the rush. I’ve always thought I was mature for my age, but at nineteen, I feel more confused by the minute. There’s so much more to learn and experience before I ever deem myself worthy of honor. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m almost out of my teenage years when I know I still have my childish moments. This is a process I’m willing to see through, no matter how unbearable it gets. As a writer, it’s imperative for me to experience life in the extremities of emotions, more than just the gray areas I’m well acquainted with. It’s what helps with the craft, well, I can’t write about what I don’t know. If I could wish for something in 2019, it might as well be to regain my footing from the setbacks of 2018. 

I’m ready if you are. Stay tuned.

*Let’s connect with each other through Spotify: mariellewashere.

[livingwithashipname-blog]

Ermanda’s Inner Sanctum: Scorpion 4.07 “Go With the Flo(rence)”

I liked this episode, but it failed to live up to its predecessor (2.09 US vs. UN vs. UK) referenced through MI6 agent, Gemma.  The premises were very similar: Scorpion was commissioned for a job with an ulterior motive they didn’t realize until they reached a point of no return.  This episode’s strength came through the EQ rollercoasters scattered throughout beginning to end, much like season 3.  The prevailing question was, “what do women want?”  And it was really funny to see Walter try to answer this question with Paige going back and forth! 😂  Plus, Ralph was testing his own plans to get Patty Logan's attention!  Let's talk about this and more! 

Walter & Ralph: Problem Solvers

I really like the juxtaposition of Ralph and Walter's issues with the women of their affection.  Walter sees an issue with Paige's accumulation of beauty items and develops a serum that addresses all her concerns without notifying her beforehand.  Ralph is taking the time to think about ways to get Patty's attention by appealing to that which she values most - punctuality.  Considering Walter is the one who has to learn more EQ, it seems quite odd that he feels led to advise Ralph.  Ironically, the advice Walter gives Ralph ends up working in his favor.  The instance set up another father-son dynamic between them that I anticipate to grow more throughout the season.  

Walter's struggle with Paige in this episode is very reflective of the IQ/EQ clash that the writers are heavily exploiting this season since Waige is officially a couple.  It is comedically executed. At first, he assumes.  Then he shows lack of emotional support by following Gemma without giving emphasis to Paige's vibe.  When Paige requests emotional support, Walter gives it at a stressful moment for the team, prompting Paige to make a request that contradicts what she says earlier.  No doubt Paige is not helpful when she doesn't provide enough context to support what is needed when, which makes it harder for Walter.  However, one of Walter's best qualities that I mention countless times in these reviews is his ability to accumulate information from a series of events and come through in the most clutch moments!  His success leads to a really sweet moment between Paige and him at the very end of the episode.  The whole experience also helps Paige cope with her son's romantic pursuits when Walter suggests that Ralph use this experience to become better at relationships than he is right now.  Thus, these combined scenarios highlights the family harmony that exists between Walter, Paige, and Ralph!  ALL THE FEELS!!!! 💓💓💓💙💛💙💛💙💓💓💓

Back to Basics 

One of the highlights of this show is Paige's role as the team's communicator - a job that extends in her romantic relationship with Walter.  We have seen this dynamic exploited in other relationships within this team (e.g., Happy and Toby, Cabe and Walter).  It's a core facet of the overall premise and we are seeing it again between Patty and Sly.  She specifically reminds Sly to speak to his governance and constituents as humans, not as students requiring lecture.  This is vital for him to effectively reinforce and execute his platform.  If one can not garner interest for a proposed solution to a problem, then it is increasingly hard to sell it no matter how many facts are provided.  I hope Sly manages to figure it out!  He always tries his best to come through when people need him most!  I love these little things that bring me back to the beginning!  

Hello Florence Tipton! 

Scorpion has a new "friend."  And I get so many season 1 Walter vibes from her.  Isn't it funny that Walter doesn't like her after their first encounter?!  Can we say that he has grown so much that he is averse to former versions of himself? 😂😂😂  (Side note: As a preview to a topic I will likely address in my review for episode 4.09 It’s Raining Men (of War), it is by design that Walter, Happy, and Florence are trapped together. You probably know where I am going with this if you are familiar with how I talk about Walter and Happy. 😉)  

She doesn't like noise.  Takes pride in her work.  Has an outcast story like the other geniuses on the team.  Plus, the showrunners tease that she will be a burr for Walter and Paige.  Don't know what way that will be yet, but I have a feeling it will fall along the lines of intellectual connection.  I am excited to learn more about her!  

Drabbles...

So it seems like Cabe and Toby are meeting for regular sessions! Aww yay! But Cabe is not progressing because he refuses to open up. 👀😒

Patty: Some advice… K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple, Sylvester. Speak to those guys in a way they can understand, like a human. Not like a lecturer. Speaking of lectures, I gotta get to school.  Sly, Cabe, and Happy (in unison): Because you’ve never had a tardy and you’re not gonna start now. P: Damn right. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Why is Ralph hiding from Patty? Why is he scared of her? 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Oh lordt! Walter is trying to give Ralph advice on girls’ wants and needs! Send help! 😂😂😂😂😂

Walter, Walter, Walter… never come between a woman and her beauty products without making her aware of your suggestions first! Or better yet, just tell her she’s beautiful regardless! *facepalm*

It stinks and Happy figures Ray is back… 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Florence calls the ruckus in the garage by a certain name. Is it just me or did the writers manage to make a play on “covfefe” as a synonym for ruckus? If this is the case, I AM DEAD! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀💀

Walter: Team! Just got a call from Gleason. Toby: MI6 agent, Gleason? H: Cut his finger off to help us beat a dictator at the UN, Gleason? I love that guy. T: Easy on the love, darling. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Space lasers are going to hit the earth if Scorpion doesn’t stop the satellite. Toby’s response… “Who’s up for Vegas?!” 👀 Gets yanked right back in place by Happy. 👌🏾 Me: Interesting… very interesting. 🤔

Paige has a negative vibe about Gemma and Walter doesn’t see it to make a statement in support as a response. Uh oh! 🎧We going down, down baby…🎧 👀  

Why are they taking Cabe’s vehicle? Paige or Walter’s car would be more appropriate considering they are 10x more reliable right now. Happy just started working on it! I understand it is an extension of Cabe’s arc.  Yet, it makes sense that only Walter and Paige are his passengers. Happy already stated that she wasn’t going to hop into that vehicle; Toby travels with his wife; and Sly would choose to go with Happy with whom he is already familiar than travel in a vehicle that’s essentially a “struggle bus!” Besides, Sly is like Quintis’ little brother! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Revolutionary war joke with a British spy?! Ooh BURN!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

The hacker dumped the fob in the toilet and flushed it down the city’s drainage system! EWW! In the words of Cabe… Oh crap! 💩💩💩💩

Gemma: Ugh, it’s not in there. It’s gone. S: You’re gonna want to have that arm removed.  😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀

H (to Toby): Quick! Give me your keychain. (keychain says “attaboy”) T: What are you doing with my “attaboy?” (Happy flushes the keychain down the toilet.) T (to Sly): See that’s why I can’t have nice things. H: Uh… After Collins escaped, I installed GPS onto your keychain in case he kidnapped you again. T (to urinating guy): Don’t you see how much this woman loves me? Urinating Guy: I just came in to urinate. Now I can’t. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💚💚💚💚💚 Btw, Jadyn’s hair is sooo ridiculously gorgeous in this shot!

H: We don’t know what could happen to those guys down there. We need to stay close to the fob in case we need to take their place. S: I am only gonna say this once. There is not a chance in H-E- double wizard wands that I am ever going down into the sewer. Me: Yeah… that only means Sly is going down into the sewer. 😂😂😂😂😂

Sly says schematics show there is debris in the pipe. VFX doesn’t convince me of that. Lol! #gaffe

Toby and Cabe are the epitome of “good cop, bad cop” during this interrogation! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Florence: Was I not direct with you people?! I thought I made myself very clear! (looks around) Sirens, flashing lights… is this some kind of a party? (perp flies out of trailer bound & gagged) Oh! It seems that it is some kind of party. Uh, I do not wish to attend this party. C: We can explain. F: No need. Good day. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀

Flo and Toby’s banter as she is trying to leave… 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀💀💀

Walter recognizes Paige’s feelings and validates them… doesn’t work! 😂😂😂😂😂😂💀 Oh pobrecito! Paige is losing her patience because she’s too scared about the rat! Lordt! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Umm… when did the back bed cover on Happy’s truck suddenly disappear?! Ran the red light… it was there. Shot of her driving fast down a residential service street… not there. When she and Sly reach the waste facility… it suddenly reappears! 👀 #gaffe Anything on the license plate, Ann @aspiestvmusings?

The stud finder joke returns! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Toby is an enthusiastic lover, huh?! Happy repeats the phrase! Hehehehe! #KinkyQuintis

W: Sly, I need your tablet! S (to Happy): Can you give him my tablet? H (to Walter): Don’t drop it! P: Uh no offense, Walter. I think I should probably catch it. W: (thinks) I concur. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀 Also, doesn’t anyone find it ironic that Happy tells Walter not to drop it?! Funny considering she dropped that wrench he passed to her last time. 😂😂😂 Yeah, that was a bit of shade from me. Tehehehe!

Man! Sly is getting a huge dose of exposure therapy this season!

Is it just me or does it seem like the emotional effort behind saving Sly was a bit slow?

I just love this Quintis tag team with Cabe! How awesome is it that Happy is the one to tell Cabe to stop being so closed off?! HOLY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!! GIVE ME MORE!!! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

The atomic watch Ralph makes for Patty looks a lot like an Apple watch… 👀😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Family moments a la Walter, Paige and Ralph… 💓💓💓💙💛💙💛💙💓💓💓

Ralph: My woman had a problem and I solved it. W: (looks to Paige) I don’t know where he got that. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Aww Flo!!! She’s just like them!

Walter’s still working on that love song! EEK!!!

P: Well? W: Well what? P: Look at me, Walter. I don’t have any of my beauty products which is why I need all that stuff now. W: (stares) I see absolutely no difference. P: Are you kidding me? W: No. All I see is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I truly see no difference. 😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍💙😍 WAIGE FEELS!!!

Okay guys! Paige and Walter wear a lot of blacks and blues. Could there be a theme?! Hmm, I wonder… 🤔

[falafel14]

S4 Meta: A Different Kind of Monty Appreciation Post

So a lot of fans have been talking about Monty being the MVP of the season and wishing Monty was more appreciated. I may be the only one who wishes Monty's flaws in S4 were being recognized too. And not because I'm a Monty hater by any means, but because Monty's flaws make him a more complex character. In my Cold Child Thawing essay, I discussed that - despite fandom's perception of Monty as this precious cupcake - Monty is actually one of the most ruthless of the delinquents. I'm seeing a lot of anger directed towards Jasper and Harper for upsetting Monty in 4x9, but not much criticism of Monty's lack of empathy and his disdainful judgements towards his suicidal loved ones. I can't criticize Monty too harshly either. I don't think it's entirely his fault. Monty strikes me as one of those High IQ Low EQ types who can solve all manner of technical problems but is useless when it comes to dealing with emotional problems. It has to be said that despite Monty's many heroic accomplishments in S4, he has neglected his personal relationships. And now it’s come home to roost.   

"Clarke thinks you're expendable"

Like Clarke, Monty has always been a diehard Team Survive member and can in no way comprehend anyone not sharing his ‘survival at any cost’ mentality. So with this aspect of Monty in mind, let me put this on the table - I think Monty was pissed off about being excluded from Clarke’s list. To be fair, Monty should be pissed. I'M pissed at Monty not being on the list. Everyone is. While Monty later says that he might've agreed with Clarke's decision, I don't believe him. If you re-watch the scene where Jasper discovers the list, Monty is defending Clarke and insisting that she "has her reasons!", etc, right up until the moment he's told he's not on it. This isn't the only thing that gets Monty appalled enough to make the list public. Harper being left off and Jasper being shock-lashed and locked up also contributed to his decision. But I don't believe that Monty was opposed to Clarke playing God and deceiving the Arkadian population like Jasper was. I think Monty understood Clarke's secrecy and control over her list as necessary survival protocol. Monty defying Clarke over that list was personal. I'd also say that Monty's actions through the rest of S4 go to show how much Monty took being left off Clarke's list personally. Yes, Monty is the MVP of the season but that is largely because Monty’s been hankering after the role of MVP ever since Clarke deemed him expendable. Monty thought he'd already done enough to be worthy of the A Team (IMO, he had). So Monty finding out that he has not been ranked as one of the top 100 most valuable members of the Arkadian camp has made him even determined to prove his worth.

"Someone's moving up in the world..."

Monty proving his usefulness in S4 has ranged from tirelessly contributing to field missions (if he's not in an episode he's off in the rover somewhere), to individual feats of heroism (surrendering himself to Ice Nation to warn them about the Riley situation) and exhibiting his intelligence (solving the bunker key). None of this is out of character for Monty. He has been a useful team player in past seasons too. But in S4 I feel he’s more proactive and assertive where he used to be subservient. Take Monty's involvement in stopping the Ark mob killing Illian. Monty compares the situation to the delinquent mob hanging Murphy but in that situation Monty had been a passive bystander. More recently Monty set a mob of Grounder slaves on the Ice Nation guard who'd killed his dad. Why does Monty, who has previously been passive or even supportive of mob justice, now object to the mob executing Illian? In my view, it's because mob rule in Arkadia would mean that Kane and Jaha have lost control. If there is no hierarchy then what is budding MVP Monty supposed to aspire to?

Monty has been working to make himself invaluable to the camp leaders and Harper teasingly notes that Monty is "moving up" when he’s asked to join the leaders on the Polis mission. Monty’s striving for status not only puts him in a stronger position to be chosen for survival if options become available again. I think Monty also wants to be in a position to save Harper and Jasper who were also deemed expendable as per Clarke's list. Monty spends S4 largely ignoring Harper and Jasper's symptoms of serious depression because he's mistakenly convinced that finding a sanctuary will be one simple cure all to their emotional breakdowns. When Monty succeeds in being the hero and the two people he cares for most don't instantly recover, he doesn't get it. He is angry at them for being suicidal even though the red flags were there all along and Monty had disregarded them. Jasper and Harper instinctively recognize each other’s despair while Monty is blind to it. Blind to them.   

"Are you judging me, Monty?"

When Jasper addresses his DNR party crowd he tells them they're free to leave and there will be no negative judgements on those who change their mind. As much as Jasper may be nihilistic, the delinquents are not getting this kind of choice or respect from Team Survive. Monty is a prime example of this. Monty judges Bellamy for abandoning the survival cause for just one night of fun. The DNR party is being called a suicide cult, but Team Survive are just as religious about their ideology, frowning on those who lose the faith. Monty's judgement of Harper is even worse, calling a suicidal person a coward being one of the most emotionally tone deaf things you can do. Harper and Jasper have both braved enough dangers during their time on earth. They are both broken Gryffindors who have fought for their own lives and their friends. What they’re questioning now is whether this fight is worth it when life comes in endless cycles of pain. If Monty had got them both to come to Polis they’d have been greeted by another bloody war. However, the decision over whether to leave the DNR group to their choice is still a very difficult issue. In the real world, you would certainly not let drunk traumatized children lock themselves in a room to die. Monty wants Jaha to take them by force. He argues that they are “wasted”, not mentally competent enough to make a sane decision. It is Bellamy, not Monty, who defends the DNR group’s free will. Monty’s not entirely wrong, but he fails to show empathy for Jasper and Harper the way Bellamy empathizes with them.

Ultimately I think Monty has made the best decision he could have under the circumstances. It would’ve been wrong to force those kids to go to Polis but it also felt wrong to abandon them. Jasper and Harper are Monty’s people and what were all his survival efforts for if he’s left alone? This is the problem that Monty has to solve now and emotional problems are not his strength. But at least he has the right approach now. Like Jasper said “If you think you have the best idea then you have to convince people” not take away their free will. So if Monty wants to convince those kids that it’s worth trying to survive then the first thing he needs to do is try to understand them. Not look at them as cowards or crazies. If Monty can do that he really will be the MVP.

[loyallogic]

Work on your Brain – Scientifically Enhance your Intelligence

This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, LawSikho.

Do you think that your intelligence is a fixed entity, like your blood group, number of bones in the body or your height?

That’s completely untrue. Your IQ or EQ can be increased or decreased, scientifically.

Still, most of us act like it is not in our control. As if we are born dumb or smart, and we have no control over it.

All of us are guilty of not working on enhancing our intelligence. We keep trying, we keep grinding, we keep struggling but we do not do what we really need to do.

Abraham Lincoln, who was himself a lawyer before he became the president of the USA and changed the history of the world by abolishing slavery, had something very interesting to say about that.

“If I had five minutes to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first three sharpening my axe.”

It’s obvious, but do you do that? When did you last spend time on sharpening the axe?

click here

Recently, a law firm partner was telling me how he tests candidates who want to get hired. He makes it a point to see how they type. If they are doing touch-typing, which means that they are able to type without looking at the keyboard, he prefers to hire those people. They made an effort to learn an important skill, which although not taught in law school, is very important for a corporate lawyer who is going to type documents for thousands and thousands of hours for the rest of his life.

If they didn’t take the initiative to learn touch typing, which is equivalent of sharpening the axe, then that speaks volumes about them too.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for the ill-prepared, intelligence is not as easy to measure. However, for ourselves, let us take a look at how we can scientifically enhance our intelligence in a measurable way.

Ensure high oxygen supply in your environment

Oxygen supply to the brain is a critical factor that can increase, preserve or reduce your intelligence and overall brain function.

I am starting with this because this is a huge problem today in airtight AC offices where fresh oxygen does not come in as windows are closed, and the same air is circulated through the day.

The air in most cities is poisonous and barely breathable. Often there is an unhealthy level of oxygen in it. Air purifiers are now a common feature in offices but they do not ensure healthy oxygen levels in the air. The only solution for that will be to use indoor plants that can produce a lot of oxygen and keep your brain healthy.

You need to do this not only where you work, but also where you sleep. Surround yourself with oxygen producing plants.

What are the plants that do not need much maintenance, survive in an indoor environment without direct sunlight but produce a lot of oxygen?

Here is a list of my favourites based on what is easy to care for, ease of availability and low cost:

Money Plant

Aloe Vera

Snake plant/ Mother-in-law’s Tongue

Areca Palm

The NASA clean air study recommended 15-18 good sized oxygen producing plants and air cleaning plants for a 1,800 square foot house. However, the more people you have in a house or office, the more plants you will need.

It is better to err on the side of excess here, so put lots of greens into your houses and offices. However, pick the ones that you can easily care for. You need to check how much light you have wherever you are going to place them and whether that’s suitable for them, and how often they need watering.

The effort is worth in terms of well-being, the freshness of mind and body, as well as reduced medical bills. Studies have shown that living in environments that have plenty of oxygen drastically reduce cancer risk, for example.

Also, low oxygen environments and pollutants make your bum and brain dead. Getting more oxygen is a must to be effective.

IQ enhancing games

Do you know why children are encouraged to play board games? That’s because these games have been scientifically shown to enhance IQ. It’s the same reason royalty and rich people in China, Europe and other countries were traditionally encouraged to play chess.

Playing chess makes you access your left and right brain at the same time, enhancing your intelligence, concentration, deductive ability and decision-making skills.

Einstein’s brilliance is often attributed by brain scientists to his interest in chess and violin. Einstein could access all his brain at once. How did he train himself to do that? It’s a question worth pondering.

There are also apps like luminosity that have games designed to enhance your IQ. While scientists have researched and proved that playing chess over several weeks enhances IQ, there are also other games like Scrabble, Sudoku and Mahjong that are likely to have similar effects.

It is a good idea to keep playing those games that tax your brain, even when you are an adult.

Work out

People who work out regularly become smarter. Aerobic exercises have been proven to enhance IQ by many points. A person who does not make time for the workout is simply not the smartest version of himself or herself. You can increase your IQ over the next one month simply by working out regularly.

However, muscular strength is not what we are seeking here, we are seeking cardiovascular fitness. Those who have a high level of cardiovascular fitness, tend to get more cognitive scores in controlled tests.

Verbal intelligence, which is very sought after as far as lawyers are concerned, is closely correlated with cardiovascular fitness. You will definitely look better if you lift, but if you do sprints, burpees, Crossfit and yoga, that’s likely to make you smarter.

Most importantly, regular working out will keep stress, depression etc away and prevent such things from destroying your intelligence. Working out protects your brain from negative influences.

Diet and supplements

While some food and supplements that can make you smarter, there are other things that make you dumber. As a general rule, all intoxicants like nicotine and alcohol reduce your intelligence.

A keto diet that relies on ketone body rather than glucose has been shown to be metabolically superior as a source of energy for the brain.

Omega 3 fatty acids are known to be good for your brain. So are antioxidants. Many supplements can increase blood flow to the brain and enhance brain health. However, I am no expert on these and suggest that you do your own research and consult dieticians.

Many vitamins are critical too. For instance, vitamin B12 deficiency can play havoc with your mental health and reduce cognitive abilities and make it impossible to focus yourself. Vitamin D3 deficiency can also be a massive dampener and it’s very common in most people today due to lack of exposure to direct sunlight as we live indoors. Taking a vitamin supplement regularly will protect you from such situations.

I can tell a massive difference in my alertness between the days on which I have vitamin supplement and the days on which I don’t.

There are also more supplements like creatine that can enhance your IQ. Again, consult appropriate experts first.

Just remember that experts are not coming to your home and making you develop habits. The only way any diet or supplements are going to help you is if you develop a habit of taking them. Too many people read too many articles and do nothing in reality. Please don’t fall into that trap.

I actually track my intake of protein, vitamins, supplements etc through a daily record keeping app called Dailyo. I strongly recommend it. I track over 40 activities from meeting friends, to writing, eating junk food, smoking, taking specific health supplements, working out, writing etc through this app.

It’s very simple, but very effective. It helps me to see what are the good and bad things I am doing to myself over the months and years. It takes away feelings and assumptions and create actual data for me to realise what I am doing.

For example, I think that I smoke very less. However, thanks to daily record keeping on Dailyo app, it turns out that I smoked 14 days out of 31 in the month of March, and took vitamins only on 18 days.

Now I can take corrective action in April because I know where I am going wrong!

So find out what’s good for you and build solid habits that give your good results for a lifetime and cut off bad habits that compromise your intelligence.

Hydration habits

Not drinking enough water can cause you to lose IQ as well. For the brain to function well, your body needs to be well hydrated. The critical habits with respect to drinking water as I have found out through self-experiments, are drinking water before you go to sleep and drinking again after you wake up. Your brain works over time when you sleep, forming memories, creating important patterns, processing information. Failing to assist it by keeping it hydrated at that time is a recipe for disaster. So is not giving it water when you wake up.

I make it a point to keep multiple bottles filled with water near my bed. It is a simple but crucial habit for brain health.

Your brain shrinks when you are dehydrated! And 70% of your brain is water. Avoid dehydration and you will avoid many common enemies of brain like headaches, lack of energy and anxiety!

Yes, lack of water in the brain can cause migraine and anxiety as well, which is contrary to our stated objective of enhancing our intelligence.

Engage in art and music

Art and music stimulates different parts of your brain and promotes brain health. I have a couple of instruments in my bedroom. I haven’t formally learnt how to play an instrument ever, nor have I made the time. However, I keep playing something for a while every day. Not only it helps to de-stress, as I try to bring out beautiful music from the xylophone or the hapi drum, but it also engages a different part of the brain that I would probably never use otherwise.

Here is an article that discuss whether music can make you smarter.

Successful lawyers often have an interest in music or art. Einstein was an amazing violinist. Many law firm partners I know play the piano or a guitar. Therapists and doctors are often prescribing music classes to their clients these days.

Why wait for a doctor to tell you? Start playing an instrument. Here is the secret: don’t wait to learn. Buy something easy to play and put them in your bedroom or living room, where you are bound to see them every day, and spend a few minutes at least with them.

If you don’t want to learn to play anything, at least get some Tibetan singing bowls. They are meditative and amazing. I also picked a hapi drum because the meditative quality of it’s sound.

A piano is also a great choice because it makes such great sound and it’s fun playing it. Comparatively, it will take you a lot more effort before you can play even a single note on a violin. Guitar is easier, but not as easy on a beginner as a piano or hapi drum.

I chose xylophone also because it’s cheap and amazing to play even when you don’t know much about music. Same goes for a hapi drum. I intend to buy a piano but it’s an expensive purchase and therefore takes time.

Don’t fall into the trap of delaying.

Pick an easy and cheap instrument as your first one. Getting started is more important than getting a specific instrument.

You could also start painting if that’s more up your alley. Don’t try too many things at once though! That’s a recipe for disaster.

Learn a language

Learning a language is one of the biggest workouts you can give to your mind. Learning a language will make your brain use every kind of memory. You need to create a vast vocabulary to form an expression. Then you need to learn rules of grammar, and many exceptions to those rules. You also need to teach your brain to process these rules subconsciously, without having to use the conscious parts of your brain.

Learning a new language literally reorganizes your brain. This is similar to what happens to your brain when you have to learn music theory, programming or calculus. It’s a body of knowledge and understanding, much beyond just information. It’s a body of knowledge combined with skills and wisdom.

Learning a language fires up your hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with language learning. It also deals with many other verbal tasks, like “framing and understanding arguments” – so lawyers have a big reason to learn new languages.

Practicing a new language will immediately improve your attention, memory and logical abilities.

Meditation

Although we are covering this at the end, this is probably the most powerful tool at your disposal if you want to improve the functioning of your brain.

Meditation is a force multiplier when it comes to intelligence. You may have heard that it can change your life, but that’s mostly because it changes your brain.

Usually, most of us use one half of the brain more than the other. This is subpar.  High functioning personalities are able to synchronize their whole brain. How does one learn to do that? It appears that meditation has the answer.

Meditation helps to sync both brain hemispheres. This basically means much faster neural communication and provides greater “processing power”.

When the logical left brain and creative right brain begin working in harmony, and the conflicts between them are made silent through meditation, many benefits accrue. For example, problem-solving gets faster, fear, uneasiness and anxiety disappears, creativity jumps, deep thinking becomes the default rather than a exception.

According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin, meditation can increase the neural “grey matter thickness” of certain brain regions. You know how physical exercise makes your muscles stronger, denser, and helps to develop endurance too? Meditation does the exact same thing for your brain.

My favourite meditations are sleep meditations, which talk to my subconscious mind directly. Vipassana is also amazing and a life changing experience. My favourite meditation app is Insight Timer which has thousands of free guided meditations to choose from.

Best time to meditate is in the morning and before you go to sleep.

What are you going to do?

Basically increasing your intelligence comes down to some basic habits you need to develop. A lot of them are common sensical but not really common place. Most people know what they should do, but still fail to do so.

The challenge therefore is not knowing what you need to do, but in how to do. The answer is to make it easy. Simple. As easy as possible. No brainer.

You don’t want to sit and think what to do every day. The challenge is to build an environment where it’s automatic and natural.

Take actions that will help you to build that environment and habits for the long run.

This is why those who take our online courses from LawSikho.com experience massive growth in a short span – because your environment, curated by us, is conducive to quick growth in learning and development. You do not have to decide what to do to grow to next level, we already provide a path and exact tasks you need to undertake.

In other words, LawSikho courses are designed to enhance your legal IQ effortlessly.

Here are the courses in which you can enroll right now:

Diploma

Diploma in Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment laws 

Diploma in Cyber Law, Fintech Regulations and Technology contracts 

Diploma in Advanced Contract Drafting, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution 

Diploma in M&A, Institutional Finance and Investment Laws (PE and VC transactions) 

Diploma in Entrepreneurship, Administration and Business Laws 

Executive Certificate Courses

Certificate in Labour, Employment and Industrial Laws for HR Managers 

Certificate Course in Advanced Criminal Litigation & Trial Advocacy

Certificate course in Companies Act 

Certificate course in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 

Certificate Course in Advanced Corporate Taxation 

Certificate Course in Advanced Civil Litigation: Practice, Procedure and Drafting 

Test Preparation

Judgment Writing and Drafting Course for Judicial Services

The post Work on your Brain – Scientifically Enhance your Intelligence appeared first on iPleaders.

Work on your Brain – Scientifically Enhance your Intelligence published first on https://namechangers.tumblr.com/

[juudgeblog]

Work on your Brain – Scientifically Enhance your Intelligence

This article is written by Ramanuj Mukherjee, CEO, LawSikho.

Do you think that your intelligence is a fixed entity, like your blood group, number of bones in the body or your height?

That’s completely untrue. Your IQ or EQ can be increased or decreased, scientifically.

Still, most of us act like it is not in our control. As if we are born dumb or smart, and we have no control over it.

All of us are guilty of not working on enhancing our intelligence. We keep trying, we keep grinding, we keep struggling but we do not do what we really need to do.

Abraham Lincoln, who was himself a lawyer before he became the president of the USA and changed the history of the world by abolishing slavery, had something very interesting to say about that.

“If I had five minutes to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first three sharpening my axe.”

It’s obvious, but do you do that? When did you last spend time on sharpening the axe?

click here

Recently, a law firm partner was telling me how he tests candidates who want to get hired. He makes it a point to see how they type. If they are doing touch-typing, which means that they are able to type without looking at the keyboard, he prefers to hire those people. They made an effort to learn an important skill, which although not taught in law school, is very important for a corporate lawyer who is going to type documents for thousands and thousands of hours for the rest of his life.

If they didn’t take the initiative to learn touch typing, which is equivalent of sharpening the axe, then that speaks volumes about them too.

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for the ill-prepared, intelligence is not as easy to measure. However, for ourselves, let us take a look at how we can scientifically enhance our intelligence in a measurable way.

Ensure high oxygen supply in your environment

Oxygen supply to the brain is a critical factor that can increase, preserve or reduce your intelligence and overall brain function.

I am starting with this because this is a huge problem today in airtight AC offices where fresh oxygen does not come in as windows are closed, and the same air is circulated through the day.

The air in most cities is poisonous and barely breathable. Often there is an unhealthy level of oxygen in it. Air purifiers are now a common feature in offices but they do not ensure healthy oxygen levels in the air. The only solution for that will be to use indoor plants that can produce a lot of oxygen and keep your brain healthy.

You need to do this not only where you work, but also where you sleep. Surround yourself with oxygen producing plants.

What are the plants that do not need much maintenance, survive in an indoor environment without direct sunlight but produce a lot of oxygen?

Here is a list of my favourites based on what is easy to care for, ease of availability and low cost:

Money Plant

Aloe Vera

Snake plant/ Mother-in-law’s Tongue

Areca Palm

The NASA clean air study recommended 15-18 good sized oxygen producing plants and air cleaning plants for a 1,800 square foot house. However, the more people you have in a house or office, the more plants you will need.

It is better to err on the side of excess here, so put lots of greens into your houses and offices. However, pick the ones that you can easily care for. You need to check how much light you have wherever you are going to place them and whether that’s suitable for them, and how often they need watering.

The effort is worth in terms of well-being, the freshness of mind and body, as well as reduced medical bills. Studies have shown that living in environments that have plenty of oxygen drastically reduce cancer risk, for example.

Also, low oxygen environments and pollutants make your bum and brain dead. Getting more oxygen is a must to be effective.

IQ enhancing games

Do you know why children are encouraged to play board games? That’s because these games have been scientifically shown to enhance IQ. It’s the same reason royalty and rich people in China, Europe and other countries were traditionally encouraged to play chess.

Playing chess makes you access your left and right brain at the same time, enhancing your intelligence, concentration, deductive ability and decision-making skills.

Einstein’s brilliance is often attributed by brain scientists to his interest in chess and violin. Einstein could access all his brain at once. How did he train himself to do that? It’s a question worth pondering.

There are also apps like luminosity that have games designed to enhance your IQ. While scientists have researched and proved that playing chess over several weeks enhances IQ, there are also other games like Scrabble, Sudoku and Mahjong that are likely to have similar effects.

It is a good idea to keep playing those games that tax your brain, even when you are an adult.

Work out

People who work out regularly become smarter. Aerobic exercises have been proven to enhance IQ by many points. A person who does not make time for the workout is simply not the smartest version of himself or herself. You can increase your IQ over the next one month simply by working out regularly.

However, muscular strength is not what we are seeking here, we are seeking cardiovascular fitness. Those who have a high level of cardiovascular fitness, tend to get more cognitive scores in controlled tests.

Verbal intelligence, which is very sought after as far as lawyers are concerned, is closely correlated with cardiovascular fitness. You will definitely look better if you lift, but if you do sprints, burpees, Crossfit and yoga, that’s likely to make you smarter.

Most importantly, regular working out will keep stress, depression etc away and prevent such things from destroying your intelligence. Working out protects your brain from negative influences.

Diet and supplements

While some food and supplements that can make you smarter, there are other things that make you dumber. As a general rule, all intoxicants like nicotine and alcohol reduce your intelligence.

A keto diet that relies on ketone body rather than glucose has been shown to be metabolically superior as a source of energy for the brain.

Omega 3 fatty acids are known to be good for your brain. So are antioxidants. Many supplements can increase blood flow to the brain and enhance brain health. However, I am no expert on these and suggest that you do your own research and consult dieticians.

Many vitamins are critical too. For instance, vitamin B12 deficiency can play havoc with your mental health and reduce cognitive abilities and make it impossible to focus yourself. Vitamin D3 deficiency can also be a massive dampener and it’s very common in most people today due to lack of exposure to direct sunlight as we live indoors. Taking a vitamin supplement regularly will protect you from such situations.

I can tell a massive difference in my alertness between the days on which I have vitamin supplement and the days on which I don’t.

There are also more supplements like creatine that can enhance your IQ. Again, consult appropriate experts first.

Just remember that experts are not coming to your home and making you develop habits. The only way any diet or supplements are going to help you is if you develop a habit of taking them. Too many people read too many articles and do nothing in reality. Please don’t fall into that trap.

I actually track my intake of protein, vitamins, supplements etc through a daily record keeping app called Dailyo. I strongly recommend it. I track over 40 activities from meeting friends, to writing, eating junk food, smoking, taking specific health supplements, working out, writing etc through this app.

It’s very simple, but very effective. It helps me to see what are the good and bad things I am doing to myself over the months and years. It takes away feelings and assumptions and create actual data for me to realise what I am doing.

For example, I think that I smoke very less. However, thanks to daily record keeping on Dailyo app, it turns out that I smoked 14 days out of 31 in the month of March, and took vitamins only on 18 days.

Now I can take corrective action in April because I know where I am going wrong!

So find out what’s good for you and build solid habits that give your good results for a lifetime and cut off bad habits that compromise your intelligence.

Hydration habits

Not drinking enough water can cause you to lose IQ as well. For the brain to function well, your body needs to be well hydrated. The critical habits with respect to drinking water as I have found out through self-experiments, are drinking water before you go to sleep and drinking again after you wake up. Your brain works over time when you sleep, forming memories, creating important patterns, processing information. Failing to assist it by keeping it hydrated at that time is a recipe for disaster. So is not giving it water when you wake up.

I make it a point to keep multiple bottles filled with water near my bed. It is a simple but crucial habit for brain health.

Your brain shrinks when you are dehydrated! And 70% of your brain is water. Avoid dehydration and you will avoid many common enemies of brain like headaches, lack of energy and anxiety!

Yes, lack of water in the brain can cause migraine and anxiety as well, which is contrary to our stated objective of enhancing our intelligence.

Engage in art and music

Art and music stimulates different parts of your brain and promotes brain health. I have a couple of instruments in my bedroom. I haven’t formally learnt how to play an instrument ever, nor have I made the time. However, I keep playing something for a while every day. Not only it helps to de-stress, as I try to bring out beautiful music from the xylophone or the hapi drum, but it also engages a different part of the brain that I would probably never use otherwise.

Here is an article that discuss whether music can make you smarter.

Successful lawyers often have an interest in music or art. Einstein was an amazing violinist. Many law firm partners I know play the piano or a guitar. Therapists and doctors are often prescribing music classes to their clients these days.

Why wait for a doctor to tell you? Start playing an instrument. Here is the secret: don’t wait to learn. Buy something easy to play and put them in your bedroom or living room, where you are bound to see them every day, and spend a few minutes at least with them.

If you don’t want to learn to play anything, at least get some Tibetan singing bowls. They are meditative and amazing. I also picked a hapi drum because the meditative quality of it’s sound.

A piano is also a great choice because it makes such great sound and it’s fun playing it. Comparatively, it will take you a lot more effort before you can play even a single note on a violin. Guitar is easier, but not as easy on a beginner as a piano or hapi drum.

I chose xylophone also because it’s cheap and amazing to play even when you don’t know much about music. Same goes for a hapi drum. I intend to buy a piano but it’s an expensive purchase and therefore takes time.

Don’t fall into the trap of delaying.

Pick an easy and cheap instrument as your first one. Getting started is more important than getting a specific instrument.

You could also start painting if that’s more up your alley. Don’t try too many things at once though! That’s a recipe for disaster.

Learn a language

Learning a language is one of the biggest workouts you can give to your mind. Learning a language will make your brain use every kind of memory. You need to create a vast vocabulary to form an expression. Then you need to learn rules of grammar, and many exceptions to those rules. You also need to teach your brain to process these rules subconsciously, without having to use the conscious parts of your brain.

Learning a new language literally reorganizes your brain. This is similar to what happens to your brain when you have to learn music theory, programming or calculus. It’s a body of knowledge and understanding, much beyond just information. It’s a body of knowledge combined with skills and wisdom.

Learning a language fires up your hippocampus, the part of the brain that deals with language learning. It also deals with many other verbal tasks, like “framing and understanding arguments” – so lawyers have a big reason to learn new languages.

Practicing a new language will immediately improve your attention, memory and logical abilities.

Meditation

Although we are covering this at the end, this is probably the most powerful tool at your disposal if you want to improve the functioning of your brain.

Meditation is a force multiplier when it comes to intelligence. You may have heard that it can change your life, but that’s mostly because it changes your brain.

Usually, most of us use one half of the brain more than the other. This is subpar.  High functioning personalities are able to synchronize their whole brain. How does one learn to do that? It appears that meditation has the answer.

Meditation helps to sync both brain hemispheres. This basically means much faster neural communication and provides greater “processing power”.

When the logical left brain and creative right brain begin working in harmony, and the conflicts between them are made silent through meditation, many benefits accrue. For example, problem-solving gets faster, fear, uneasiness and anxiety disappears, creativity jumps, deep thinking becomes the default rather than a exception.

According to researchers at the University of Wisconsin, meditation can increase the neural “grey matter thickness” of certain brain regions. You know how physical exercise makes your muscles stronger, denser, and helps to develop endurance too? Meditation does the exact same thing for your brain.

My favourite meditations are sleep meditations, which talk to my subconscious mind directly. Vipassana is also amazing and a life changing experience. My favourite meditation app is Insight Timer which has thousands of free guided meditations to choose from.

Best time to meditate is in the morning and before you go to sleep.

What are you going to do?

Basically increasing your intelligence comes down to some basic habits you need to develop. A lot of them are common sensical but not really common place. Most people know what they should do, but still fail to do so.

The challenge therefore is not knowing what you need to do, but in how to do. The answer is to make it easy. Simple. As easy as possible. No brainer.

You don’t want to sit and think what to do every day. The challenge is to build an environment where it’s automatic and natural.

Take actions that will help you to build that environment and habits for the long run.

This is why those who take our online courses from LawSikho.com experience massive growth in a short span – because your environment, curated by us, is conducive to quick growth in learning and development. You do not have to decide what to do to grow to next level, we already provide a path and exact tasks you need to undertake.

In other words, LawSikho courses are designed to enhance your legal IQ effortlessly.

Here are the courses in which you can enroll right now:

Diploma

Diploma in Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment laws 

Diploma in Cyber Law, Fintech Regulations and Technology contracts 

Diploma in Advanced Contract Drafting, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution 

Diploma in M&A, Institutional Finance and Investment Laws (PE and VC transactions) 

Diploma in Entrepreneurship, Administration and Business Laws 

Executive Certificate Courses

Certificate in Labour, Employment and Industrial Laws for HR Managers 

Certificate Course in Advanced Criminal Litigation & Trial Advocacy

Certificate course in Companies Act 

Certificate course in Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 

Certificate Course in Advanced Corporate Taxation 

Certificate Course in Advanced Civil Litigation: Practice, Procedure and Drafting 

Test Preparation

Judgment Writing and Drafting Course for Judicial Services

The post Work on your Brain – Scientifically Enhance your Intelligence appeared first on iPleaders.

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[godsqeed-archive]

"coward."

( F L A S H B A C K )

Words do not get to him. They’re lost before they manage to even sink in; it’s a waste of time trying to insult him, let alone to try and lecture him. He never listens. Never has, never will. He doesn’t know how it has come so far, or when it all started. Hell, he’d be damned if he even realised at all. Arguably, this could work in anyone’s favor. In Casper’s case, it most definitely does not.

Just as far as his IQ reaches above average, his EQ is somewhere down at the bottom. He doesn’t understand feelings, much less does he know how to deal with them—and so he hides. He pushes them all away to wherever they cannot be found. It’s worked its favors, but now he pays the price for it. Well, he would, if only his brain would process the mess he had worked himself into; if only his heart would allow him to see through Haneul’s eyes for once.

Haneul.

There had never been anyone quite like her. In his life, there were no constant factors. Aside from his mother and his best friend, people would often leave as soon as they came. It didn’t bother him. Despite the fact that he was often found wandering alone, he had never been lonely. Company would always be there for him when he needed some—if not in person, there was always a replacement: alcohol. With Haneul, however, things were just a tad bit different.

She nags him more than anything. God, if he could turn her off somehow, he most definitely would. Insufferable. He’s said it, she’s said it, and yet they still never cease to reach out for each other. Had anyone else been reprimanding him in the ways that she had, he wouldn’t have cast a second glance in their direction. With her, however, it’s unlike everyone he’s ever met before. All the flings he’s had just to make sure he’s not alone. An indescribable feeling; and that’s already more than enough of an indication that he should have never lingered around her. How she does it, he does not know. Perhaps it is the passion that radiates from her whenever she’s at practice, or the pride that shines through her smile whenever she finishes yet another astonishing performance. The way she moves so elegantly across the stage, or the way the softness of her touches has his heart beating faster. She makes him feel things. Things he never  thought himself capable of feeling; and that scares him. Haneul scares him. In a way, she has far too much control over him than he would have liked.

And so he pushes. Wants to prove to himself that he is, in fact, still in control of his own emotions. He cannot deal with hers, when he doesn’t even want to deal with his own. He drinks, goes out, gets in trouble, drinks more, and then spends his night with Alec, because things have always been simple with Alec. She’ll get upset, and he will ignore it. She will call for him, and he will ignore it. She will threaten to break up, and there he is again. Pretending not to be bothered by it, telling her to calm down; he was only having fun (he was not). There isn’t much one can do to someone who has numbed himself from his feelings, and yet she still somehow manages to reach below the surface ever so slightly. She doesn’t know anything, and yet seems to know more about him than he does himself.

And so here they are. Another day, another drama.

She’s upset. Nobody can blame her, and yet he is so not about to deal with any of it. See, this is why he leaves; why he so often hangs out with Alec instead. He doesn’t know how to handle confrontation, and Haneul has proven to be an expert at confronting him. His answer is not acceptable; it is clear in her eyes, as clear as it is in the tone of her voice.

‘Why are you getting angry over nothing? Alec needs me, I told you this before.’

                                                                                                ‘I don’t care. I need you too.                                         Do you even have any idea of what I’ve been up to these days?’

And here they go again. A roll of his eyes declares his obvious lack of interest (or at least his pretending to), and although it is childish as ever, at the very least it has managed to shut her up. For a second.

                                                                    ‘You know what? Forget it. You’re impossible.’

‘Thanks, I try. Can I go now? I’m really not in the mood for this.’

                                                       ‘Are you ever in the mood? All you ever do is run off—                                                                                                   and you’re doing it again!’

It’s true, he really isn’t ever in the mood. A deep sigh sounds, and he throws his hands in the air. 

‘Me? Running? Actually, I’m having the time of my life right now. I really should be going though, Alec is waiting for me. I’ll see you later.’ 

His words dismiss those spoken by her, and yet they won’t stop ringing in the back of his head.

                                                ‘You’re a coward, Casper! I don’t care where you’re going,                                                                                          as long as you don’t come back.’

And this was exactly why he should have left five minutes ago. Had he left, he could have avoided all of this unnecessary bickering, and both could have peacefully gone to sleep. (Read: Haneul could have gone to bed worrying, and Casper could have been out for another drink or two.)

It’s not a first for him to be called a coward. The word bears no meaning to him; it goes in, and then out, and he hardly does so much as register it. What does seem to get under his skin, however, is the way in which the word is spoken. Other than the blatant anger displayed in her voice, he can feel the hurt, too. Although he tries his best to ignore it, he fails to fight against the guilt that creeps upon him.

‘I will come back anyway, you can’t stop me.’ 

                                                      ‘I can, and I will! Either you stay with me tonight,                                                                                  or you don’t come back at all.’

‘I told you I can’t stay, didn’t I?! Don’t look at me like that!’

                                                                                                        ‘Look at you like what?’

‘Like that.. you’re doing it again!’

                                                     ‘I’m not doing anything! You’re the one being ridiculous!’

He huffs, teeth gritting together in annoyance. Leave. The voice echoes in the back of his head, and he wants nothing but to obey to it—yet finds himself glued to the ground.

                                                He’s too attached. (I’m not!)

                                                 He needs her. (No, I don’t!)

                                              He can’t leave. (You bet I can!)

‘Fine.’ The word rolls out without his consent, and he internally curses himself for it. ‘I’ll stay, alright?! But only—‘ A finger raises in the air, eyes narrowing as he looks at her. ‘Only if I get to sleep next to you. If your aunt does so much as try and take me out, I swear I will—‘ He purses his lips, still frowning down at her.

‘You better make sure she doesn’t come in, since I will have to sleep in my underwear. This is all your fault, so don’t even try and blame me.’

[ventetre]

Max: Would you like to meet up?

Ally: I have a house party at my old digs in the west end. Grab a drink first, say around 7ish? The Irv has food and a patio.

Max: Alright, I’ll shower and get ready

Ally: Let me know when you’re en route and I will meet you there.

Max: Google maps says it’s 25 minutes, I am wearing black jeans, a black t-shirt and a nervous (I hope this isn’t a catfish date) look.

Ally: Me too.. jeans and a shirt because I don’t care enough about this date. I’m going to party with the boys after. If this goes well, we might have a quickie in the bathroom and never meet again.

Max: Great, let’s make this fast

Ally: Perfect, I will stick to my plan, you stick to yours.

Max: I have a sex date with a 43 year old, and I am hoping I would get to sleep with both of you tonight, a triple 2-times score in my fuckboy book.

Ally : So many things to do.. no time for getting sidetracked

Max: Yes, so let’s talk about silly things and feel like we’ve wasted our time already

Ally:  Toronto, where are you from, Toronto, the weather blah. This is taking too long

Max: I’m gonna be late! let’s fuck already!

Ally : Maybe you should just go and forget it, plenty of beautiful strangers in the city and I would like to catch the party before everyone’s drunk.

Max: I said I’ll give women my age a try. Tell me about your tattoos

Ally: My friend died

Max: Mine too. We’re bonding over tragedy. Grandma died.

Ally: Grandpa did. Why do I always bond with strangers over tragedy?

Max: I want to hear more about you now. I’m interested. Let me brag about my work first then I’ll ask about yours because at this point I don’t care what you do, I don’t expect much from ordinary 30 year-old women.

Ally : I am intrigued with your teaching career but also, I am Social worker, on a mission to change the world. Passionate about homeless people and the underprivileged. I am speaking with enthusiasm and confidence. I can see your jaw hit the floor with every word I say.

Max: We’re sitting way too close to each other, your eyes are hypnotizing me. Witch.

Ally : We might as well kiss then

Max:  Keep talking to me about human rights and I’ll want to kiss you right then and there!

Ally : Is that why you’re smiling at me that way?

Max: I didn’t expect this at all. Who the fuck are you? Can I keep you?

Ally : I’ve completely forgotten my  plan, the party? what party? I’m lost in your voice I don’t want you to stop talking to me

Max: Your IQ challenges mine and I’m not intimidated I’m turned on. 43 year old hottie? what 43 year old hottie? I want to kiss you; high EQ too, sympathetic and empathetic

Ally : I regret not stopping to kiss you when you asked permission and now I can’t stop thinking about what your lips taste like. I’m thinking about where we can go so I can find out.

Max: Let’s grab a cigarette

Ally : Are there other people here?

Max: So many. Let’s throw a show

Ally : Does anything else even exist? Just kiss me now.

Max: You’re tall. Your face is so soft, your hands’ on my back.

Ally : I can’t stop kissing you

Max: I don’t want to. Do we have to go back to the table?

Ally : Finish our drinks and pay?

Max: Let’s kiss every block.

Ally: Take a tour around Cabbagetown.

Max: But first butter beer?

Ally : And you’re holding my hand. I didn’t even notice when it happened. Your hand found its way to mine and I like it. Come with me everywhere you little Harry Potter dork.

Max: Sit on the birdcage and kiss more?

Ally : And annoy our server because we care more about each other than our orders

Max: Wasn’t it the same guy?

Ally : I’m already hooked. I’m going to have my way with your body tonight. Which server was it?

Max: Red beard, must be the same guy. My body is yours, but where though?

Ally : The closest place I can think of because I don’t want to wait. Are you game?

Max: Say hello to 43 and ditch her first? Mama taught me manners. Let’s do so while we are all over each other because we don’t care?

Ally : Bring her!

Max: I want you all to myself, but sure and I’ll ask her to join and pray she’ll say no.

Ally : Thank god

Max: Let’s go explore the Oasis and each others’ bodies, we need more alcohol!

Ally : Much more. I’m excited and maybe a little nervous because I don’t understand why I feel this way.

Max: Let’s start slow. Observe. Kiss

Ally : Why do people disappear wherever we go?Are we alone here? I am unable to notice anyone else but you. This magical playground, let’s mark it ours!

Max: I think it’s take time to get naked, I have already untied my shoes but I’ll wait till you’re more comfortable. Can we start already? I am impatient.

Ally : Lead the way

Max: Towels? Mouth wash?

Ally : I’ll let you think you’re in charge for a minute

Max: I’ll take that. Let’s get undressed, I found a room!

Ally: I will show both excitement and a little fear. What the fuck are we doing here?

Max: Sanitize first because I’m weird like that, you let me.

Ally : I’ll laugh at you

Max: Your body

Ally : Your voice

Max: Your body

Ally : Your voice

Max: Your body

Ally : Your voice

Max: Do I want you to touch me? I haven’t been touched in years

Ally : Everything disappears. Your body says it wants me to touch it

Max: You’re a stranger! But I want nothing more than your touch right now

Ally : I’ve never wanted anything more

Max: We’re being watched!

Ally: Let’s give the city of Toronto a show.

Max: Sleep over?

Ally: I thought you would never ask!

Max: It’s going to be quite the ride. You terrorized the poor taxi driver and the cute couple!

Ally: But we need music!

Max: We’re here.

Ally: I am drunk. One more round before I pass out?

Max: Yes, please.

The Irv Max: Would you like to meet up? Ally: I have a house party at my old digs in the west end.