#Smart Vs Intelligent

[fujii-draws]

I feel like Aimilios would also have his own little ‘resentment period’ towards Dusknoir when he returns years later. But not in the same way Ribbon’s secretly berates and spits venom when Celebi/Grovyle have their backs turned.

Aimilios’s aura sensing was the biggest double-edged sword for the riolu. Not only because of how he was able to tell when Dusknoir was lying, and turning a blind eye, but also how the aura pup was able to tell when he was being genuine. When he was enjoying his time in the present with them, even as ‘The Great Dusknoir’. When he consistently fretted over him and Ribbons. When he laughed with them while ordering drinks from Spinda’s. When he held back during training sessions—

When he held back during their fight at the temple.

Aimilios… knew for the longest time. That Dusknoir was pulling his punches, but never spoke a word of it to Ribbons. This only led to the fighting-type dealing with the haunting realization that the Gripper Pokémon could have done away with them so easily. Every time they were alone. When he trained them. When Aimilios felt vulnerable enough to sleep near him.

He could’ve killed them at any given moment.

So when he suggests that they talk alone on the beach. (The very same one he gave the Riolu false hope to of being ‘friends’, lying to his face.) Aimilios brokenly asks in the most hushed tone of voice why he stayed close. Even as Aimilios’s instincts, tell him, urge him, to run from Dusknoir. He silences the desperate pleas from his jittery body. Forcing himself to stay long enough to get the answer he wants— needs.

The answer to why. Why Dusknoir could have easily avoided them once he knew who Ribbons was. Or why he even indulged in them. Why he protected them as vigilantly as he did, if they were only a means to an end. Why he looked astonished whenever the small fighting-type showcased his sharp wit towards the elder ghost. Why he told Aimilios how proud he was whenever he landed a hit during their training. Why Dusknoir looked genuinely upset whenever he patched up his wounds.

Why Dusknoir listened to all of his small retellings of his journey with Ribbons with endearment. Why Dusknoir held him closer when he accidentally fell asleep on the gargantuan wraith. Why he held his paw whenever they traversed Treasure town together. Why Aimilios felt like his life was over staring down the Wood Gecko with his blood stained claws— before Dusknoir saved him. Why the wraith was the one who even bothered healing him, when the fatal wounds from Grovyle could have just—

Just. why why why— it would’ve made hating him so much easier if he didn’t do all of that. Aimilios would be just as resentful as Ribbons— but he isn’t. Because the smallest, desperatest part of him still missed Dusknoir. (And an even smaller part hoped he felt the same.)

So, he begs Dusknoir, to be honest with him. For once in his life.

And when he fails to respond in time (due to Aimilios sounding like he’s on the verge of tears. Unable to find the right words to not break the dam—)

“Aimilios, I—“

“You should’ve let Grovyle finish me off in the Azelf’s lake.”

Dusknoir eye only widens. Unable to look in the Riolu’s direction in fear of seeing his torn face. Yet his eye betrays him when it slowly trails towards the Aura Pokémon. Who’s already facing away— black, mittened paws covering the mess of tears spilling from his eyes.

“It—“ The aura pup’s breath hitches “I-It would’ve hurt less than this.”

[starliteonearth]

So there's this theory going around that Todd Phillips may have flipped the dynamic and made Harley the aggressor/manipulator in the relationship and Joker the down bad one instead. And before anybody gets their panties in a twist, I think we need to remember that this version of Joker is a Loser. Very much a Loser. He's not the aggressive, dominant type we're used to (in his dynamic with Harley). This is a sad, sad little beta male who has severe mommy issues, who has never felt the touch of a woman in his life, and who fully imagined having a girlfriend in the first movie. Do you really think he's gonna be aggressive towards the first woman to pay him any attention? And not only that but a woman who seemingly matches his crazy and perfectly understands him? Yeah, no. He's going to be head over heels, Madly in Love.

Now he can still snap and turn against her because you know, Joker, but I do think that for most of the movie he's going to be giggling and kicking his feet like a schoolgirl in love.

[reineydraws]

Twist villain!Shanks

Think about it.

hellooo i have thought about it 'cuz ive seen the idea floating around and sorry, i dont like it. 😭🙏 or rather, the idea of a villain shanks is fun in theory but if it's actually canon then i dont think it will pay off very well lol especially 'cuz he's the very first pirate we meet and it's been over twenty years. i would certainly be tilted.

idk how oda could write it in such a way that i wouldn't be mad aha, tho i'm sure if anyone could pull it off it'd be him. (and i mean villain!shanks as in "was always a villain", not "has to do antagonistic things but his heart is in the right place".)

i will say, however, that there is something delicious about possessive shanks, especially if it leans a little dark. like, he's a smiley pacifist right up until you harm someone that's his, and then it's game over for you and your friends and your livelihood. he's already like that in canon, but i mean like, it's to the point where his revenge gets a little cruel and he enjoys paying you back for the harm you caused.

i like attributing this to him 'cuz if he's dating mihawk, known serial murderer (of marines, if not also underwhelming challengers and entire crews of people that annoy him), then his "let's not kill people if we don't have to" thing could be more of an intellectual ethical choice for him rather than an emotional one. and once you've crossed that line for him by grievously harming or maybe even somehow killing mihawk, then it's over for you and you bet he'll enjoy it. (tho nine out of ten times i write him as a bleeding heart and mihawk is fond and exasperated by it haha.)

but yeah. i digress. 😅 it's a fun concept and i'll probably read the fic if it's mishanks and mihawk isn't his victim in a way that ends unhappily, but ultimately, the most i prefer is shanks with a dark streak.

if anyone's gotten to the end of this ask and adores twist villain shanks, feel free to try and convince me in the replies. maybe i'm just thinking about it the wrong way, and i'm open to ideas. ;P

[storeecbrcod]

I need some more highly intuitive Soap. This man has so much shit going through his head constantly, but I can guarantee half of it is just his mind breaking down how things are made, what he could use from certain substances to make totally new products (that may or may not combust).

We, as a fandom, have established that as much as we make fun of Soap’s little quirky characterisations, that at the character’s heart, he is incredibly smart. Chemistry, technology, engineering, math… this man is a himbo in STEM. He might not be able to tell you what he ate for breakfast, but you know damn well that if a recruit asked him how soap works as a stupid joke, this guy would go on a whole rant about saponification and how fricken cool it is. The blank stares from the recruits don’t ever concern him.

He’s got all kinds of things flying through his little noggin. You know how when you or someone you know buys a new car, and suddenly you see that car everywhere around you? Soap experiences the same thing, except it’s just chemical and mathematical theories. He can’t just exist in the world, his mind is in constant hyperdrive to perceive.

That’s why he’s so good at his job (and pool). His constant heightened sense of awareness allows him to soak up information like a sponge when he finally manages to turn the constant perception off, like out field. Instead of the molecular structure of different plastics, or the force needed to crush a can theoretically, he is able to manage and monitor multiple things at once; his position, his team’s position, the enemy, the direction of bullets, and sometimes even how many seconds it takes for the cease of gunfire from one weapon on the opposite side of the grounds to start up again, notifying a reload.

Ghost made the mistake of opening one of Soap’s chemistry textbooks, once. Once. Soap found him practically tweaking, just staring at the hexagons and lines and graphs and abbreviations, all making his head throb. Soap simply sighed with a smile, plucking the book from skeleton gloves and placing it down, leading the Lieutenant away.

“Don’t hurt yerself, Lt.”

“Careful, Sergeant.”

“You’re tellin’ me, yer eye’s twitchin’ like you’ve been rummagin’ through the contraband stores.”

Extra Ghoap Bonus!

Sometimes, Soap gets so overwhelmingly exhausted from not being able to turn his mind off. (Un)Surprisingly, science is everywhere, and he can’t help but think about it. When he feels a migraine coming on, neck and jaw straining after trying to rein in his overactive brain, he goes straight to Ghost.

Something about Ghost’s dry humour and blunt conversation helps ground him; he doesn’t have to worry about subtext, or necessarily work-related chat. Just silly (read: flirty) banter and bad, clear-cut jokes. Ghost allows his mind to focus on one thing while he occupies his hands. A journal, playful taps on Ghost, a Rubix Cube, fiddling.

Eventually, he manages to calm his thoughts enough to doze off, lying haphazardly across couches, a mattress, on the bench seats of the cargo planes, or even on the floor. Many soldiers could attest to seeing Ghost gently cradling the man’s head, moving him into a comfortable position, even once or twice carrying him to his barracks. Could, if a certain skull-faced soldier didn’t pierce them with a very clear warning glare at the memory, as if he could tell they were thinking about it.

[juggernauteditz]

Johan Liebert (Monster) vs Friend (20th Century Boys)

[sharkingpeach]

“I know what you’re asking, Steve. And I know you don’t seriously expect me to believe you are worried that sharing a cabin is any different than being here, around the kids, at all.” Steve chewed his lip. Scott folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward, “If you were that worried, I don’t think you would still be here. Have a little faith, huh?" Steve sighed and sank in his chair.  "Steve, do you know who Socrates is?" 

[beegswaz]

I MISSED BUG. BEING CORRECT ABOUT WHEATLEY..???? WHY IS THE WORLD SO CRUEL.

[luckyemo]

i always forget naegi/togami is like... a popular ship i guess so theres ppl who think like Deeply about togami and i just wha

[mandy4ever69420]

1 of my more ridiculous maneuvers is getting annoyed when people make like gifs like "oh yeah, BYRON?? here's mickey READING, you jerk!" about "i don't even think he can read" . bc i am super excessively concerned about peoples conflation of literacy with "intelligence" because of the effects of writing on the usage and survivability of endangered languages and creoles under colonialism.. also with the conflation of education(al system) success with "intelligence" because of the way THAT interacts with class & trauma & disability and race again because of dialect stratification across class lines enforced by constructed racial hierarchies AND the fact that i feel the need to put intelligence in scare quotes permanently for the rest of my life because imo it's a fake concept that cannot be consistently applied in a way that doesn't enforce some kind of bigotry.... like omfg. nobody knows what you're taaalking about and we literally agree that byron was being a dick.. nonetheless, it's fine if mickey doesn't like reading very much

[mightymorphinnegro]

When intelligence outpaces empathy, it leaves something important behind—the very humanity that connects us. You can be brilliant, but without kindness, it’s just empty arrogance.

Intelligence without compassion doesn’t elevate; it isolates. And in the end, who wants to be the smartest person in a room they’ve emptied themselves?

[jacklesraised]

crossword games always look so easy to me but then i try to play one and it gives a hint and im just that meme of the lady staring at the ground

[o-bromio]

What’s really interesting about Psych is that Shawn and Gus are a very good example of wisdom vs intelligence.

Shawn has a lot of street smarts and a good intuition. All the jobs he's done gave him many different skills and his observations make him good at reading people.

Gus on the other hand is smart in an academic sense. He knows a lot about the topics that interest him, is generally good with words and always has facts to share.

Both of them have a wide range of knowledge, but the way they approach problems are very different. And together they are unstoppable.

[gaywineauntsstuff]

My favorite thing about reading Dicks thought process vs literally how everyone else views him.

This is the least exaggerated version of this I will willing produce.

-older gen JL: thinks wing is dependable, charming, intelligent and a great leader, impressed how much he’s grown and how well he’s done in the hero world

Heroes his age: the golden standard that everyone tries to match up to and fails at one point in their sidekick-hood before accepting yeah I’m not Dick Grayson and having him lead them in a hero team. The defacto person to look towards in a crisis situation, manages tasks efficiently and doesn’t let personal details affect him. He’s cool, calm and collected while still being the most empathetic man on the planet.

Heroes younger than him: straight up awe. if the heroes who saw his awkward teenage phase, discowing and are privy to his love life info. How do you think people who just saw ‘Mr perfect’ without any of the painful growth to get there and since about 9 billion things have happened since Dick was Robin people have too much to talk about to ever bring it up. I see their thought processes going something like this

-oh my god is that nightwing like THE nightwing like Robins big brother nightwing like the leader of the titans nightwing is he looking at me oh my god he smiled at me wtf wtf wtf until they hyperventilate

(Source how Kow talks about dick Grayson like 99% of the time- ignore all Dan Dido works )

Batkids: awe with a side of insecurity bc that’s the gold standard and how tf are you supposed to get there. Even if you’re an amazing fighter like Cass, the leadership skills, ability to talk people down, make more allies than enemies, infiltrate, lie, cheat, steal, put on a million different masks and come out whole.

How does he know what he’s doing? How does he look so calm and collected when the worlds ending

Batman and Superman (remember when they co-parented in the 60s yeah me neither): like uncomfortable amounts of pride like the type of pride that feels too big for your chest as well as implicit trust.

For B specifically Dick is his crowing achievement as Batman

VS

Dick Grayson at any given moment pre Tom Taylor run: everything is my fault, I suck at everything, I’m never good enough to stop bad things from happening to the people I love it’s all my fault and I will never be able to stop it. My life is an accidental trolly problem except I didn’t know it when I started, I didn’t mean to press any levers I didn’t know what I was doing I am a burden who must make himself useful as an apology.

Like Dick is in a constant spiral of how much he hates his limits and how he just isn’t ever going to be strong,fast,smart or good enough while everyone is staring at him with heart eyes like omg it’s nightwing <3

[assortedvillainvault]

Hello. Can I ask Lord Shen, NOS-4-A2, Horned King and Dr. Facilier with very smart but shy S/O?

Greetings Tumblr citizen, you most certainly can!! Love the variety here! Lowkey this was one of my favourites to write so I hope you like it!

Villains x SmartbutShy!S/O

Lord Shen

Oh? So you do talk.

You pointed out a discrepancy in the cannon’s design vs the quantity of gunpowder needed to shoot the given ammunition without careening backwards and killing the gunwolves – and all he could do was blink at you.

You spend all day hiding from the court, only to sneak in and tell him - to his face - that his weaponry was unfit for purpose, then propose a solution before he has time to open his beak??

...Are you engaged to anyone? Because if not he’s happy to remedy that-

As soon as your genius becomes apparent you go from barely present in Shen’s mind to a pillar of focus. He’s never met anyone so easily able to cut through the mess of mechanical and logistical issues of such vast quantities of metalwork – besides himself of course.

That you fall apart under any form of social pressure is...worrying however. China’s social hierarchy is a vicious thing, and such shyness is a weakness in even the most prosperous of courts – never mind his own.

He’s getting you a tutor. He cannot allow you to make an enemy within his walls when you are so closely intertwined. His word means much now that he’s killed most who would go against it, but he cannot protect you from everyone.

NOS4A2

Oh scrap and damn it all-!

It’s all he can do not to smash the unresponsive controls, and instead whizzes off into the rafters for a sulk to brood.

This ship was fried. It was charged enough to get somewhere, but if he couldn’t pinpoint a heading then he might as well be stranded on a stray asteroid instead of a merchant class vessel, for all the good it would do him.

He rolls his optics and pouts as a crewmember comes rushing in, unaware as he idly sizes them up from his vantage point. Not a droid. Stuck and he can’t even snack. Heinous.

He recognises you. The little one who didn’t talk much. It was a wonder the bigger crew members hadn’t accidentally sat on you for all you seemed able to disappear in to the background.

He all but jolts as you give the console a WHAM and everything comes online again – and gawps delightedly as your little fingers fly over the display, resetting coordinates and triangulating their position in 3D space, manually.

He wasn’t expecting such a solid grasp of intergalactic maps & positioning to come from someone who can barely string a sentence together! What a lovely surprise!!

You turn with an aborted shriek as he swoops down and clamps a hand over your mouth, grinning. The doors short circuit and slam shut with a bang, leaving him to loom over you as he idly tucks a stray strand of hair behind your ear.

“Hello dear~” he purrs, chuckling as your eyes go wide. “Fancy being helpful?”

Horned King

A kindred spirit?? Finally.

He abhors unnecessary social interaction, so to find someone else who operates on the same principle is a breath of fresh air in his long, stale existence.

He's spent so long with only beasts, thickwitted huntsmen and Creeper for company that to see someone so clearly intelligent was almost a shock. The quiet, assesing draw in your eyes was what made him stop and consider you as someone of interest.

...Y’know, once he actually managed to speak to you. Crippling shyness on your end, a lack of patience for the living on his…

He perceives everybody in his lands as something to be used, and you are, unfortunately, no different no matter how many soft feelings you insist on wringing out of his dessicated black heart. Such a spark as yours cannot be wasted. But you are not suited for the battlefield.

It seems you might have a knack for statecraft, if the frankly boggling rate at which you read is any indication. You have an ability to catch loopholes and find solutions that actually help him run his ramshackle forces, and keep the castle running smoothly.

It turns out you are invaluable - and prone to making little nooks of book towers and blankets in his library. Which is adorable.

But only when reading. Spoken word renders you so anxious you can miss important details and become a doormat. A pity. But not an insurmountable issue.

Until they rot, his ears and mouth work perfectly well. You can be his sweet little shadow, and he the face of things.

He'd have it no other way, honestly.

Dr. Facilier

Now darlin, why so shy?

He’s watched you scurry away from his table more times than he can count. He gets the feeling that you’d cross over three streets and the river if you could, to avoid catching his eye on the way to work.

And yet… you always pass by. Watching as he shuffles his cards.

He’s mid scam on some hapless tourist, fingers deftly spinning though tricks as he pulls them into a tidy little scheme, when he catches you watching intently from the side.

Your eyes twitch down to his left sleeve. If he’d have been less of a showman he’d have frozen.

You sneaky little card counter – he tries a couple different tricks, catching where your eyes narrow as he slips cards under the table, into pockets and swaps coins out with dazzle enough to bamboozle even the slickest citygoer.

Your eyes track every single one.

Damn. He has GOT to get you on side. Can’t have such a cute clever thing like you out where he can’t see you…

He ignores the fact that his shadow has been leering at you for weeks and already knows where you live. Give a man some leeway if he likes to hear a cute little thing squeak when they trip over ‘nothing’ once in a while.

And it’s even cuter when he steps from the shadows and smoothly slips you under his arm.

After all! He couldn’t help but notice you don’t seem to have many friends, cher. And he can absolutely help you with that…

[solxamber]

request idea, (sry u have another idia one); idia adopts a cat (somehow), yuu brings grim over bc adeuce cant watch him at that time and whille yuu games with idia, the cats fight eachother over who is the better cat (kinda like how lucius and grim get into fights/the lilo and stitch event) and yuu and idia have to somehow break up the fight 😭😭

Grim vs Cat (Idia x reader)

hi! thanks for the request, i love it, and had so much fun writing it. and I always welcome idia requests!

Idia wasn’t really a “people person.” But cats? That was a whole different story. He had always wanted a cat, and now, somehow, despite the chaotic nature of his life, he finally had one. A sleek, intelligent little creature that glared at you with calculating eyes from its perch on his desk. It was the ultimate dream for Idia—now if only he could get his cat to stop starting turf wars.

Grim, as expected, was not thrilled.

Ace and Deuce were unavailable for Grim-sitting duties, which is how you ended up in Idia’s room, controller in hand, while Grim sulked on one side of you and Idia’s cat, smug as anything, lounged on the other. The air between the two was thick with tension, like a battle waiting to happen.

Idia, meanwhile, was all too happy. “Isn’t he the best?” he gushed for the 50th time, scratching the cat behind its ears. “I’m telling you, cats are, like, the ultimate companions—super chill but totally awesome. And, uh, I might’ve installed a motion tracker in his collar, just in case.”

Grim’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Ultimate companions? Excuse me? I’m the ultimate companion, thank you very much. That furball couldn’t fight a dust bunny.”

Idia’s cat, clearly picking up on the vibe, casually hopped off the desk and rubbed against your legs. Grim’s fur bristled, his whole body tensing as if ready to pounce.

You sighed, already seeing where this was going. “Grim, don’t start.”

Grim ignored you, his eyes locked on the smug feline. “I’m not starting anything. But if he wants a challenge, I’ll gladly show him who’s boss!”

The cat, as if sensing the growing tension, decided to up the ante. It rubbed against your leg once more, then hopped into your lap, purring loudly. Grim’s outrage reached new heights.

“YOU TRAITOR! HOW COULD YOU LET THAT THING SIT ON YOU?”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” you said, gently petting the cat, which only seemed to make Grim angrier. “It’s just a cat, Grim.”

Idia, who had been watching with wide-eyed fascination, was practically vibrating with joy. “Look at that! He’s making himself at home! This is amazing!” He leaned forward, practically giddy as he watched his cat settle comfortably. “He’s so smart. It’s like he knows how to get to Grim.”

Grim growled, puffing up like a furious little balloon. “Oh, he knows all right! He’s trying to make me look bad!”

Before you could respond, Grim lunged, claws out, ready to defend his honor. And just like that, chaos erupted. The two were a blur of fur, hisses, and screeches, rolling across the floor in what could only be described as an epic showdown.

“Hey! Break it up!” you shouted, scrambling to separate them. But they were too quick—Grim yowling like a demon, and the cat swatting at him with a smug look on its face, like it was bored with the entire ordeal.

Idia was frozen, controller still in hand. “Um... do we... like, call an adult or something?”

You grabbed Grim by the scruff and hoisted him into the air, glaring at him while he squirmed. “Stop picking fights with a cat, Grim. This is embarrassing for all of us.”

“That cat... is mocking me! Mocking me, I tell you!”

You held him up to eye level, exasperated. “Grim, it’s a cat. It’s not plotting your downfall.”

Grim bared his teeth. “Oh, it’s plotting. I can see it in his beady little eyes. He thinks he’s better than me. No one is better than me!”

Idia’s cat, now lounging on the bed like nothing had happened, gave a slow blink and yawned. It might as well have been a victory lap.

Idia, clutching his controller in defeat, sighed. “Maybe the cat’s, like... asserting dominance? I’ve read about this. It’s like a... mini-boss battle for cats, right?”

You rolled your eyes, still holding Grim as he simmered in your arms. “It’s not a dungeon raid, Idia.”

By the time the dust settled and Grim begrudgingly agreed to stop trying to “end” the cat, you found yourself back in the world of gaming, though Grim kept casting dark, suspicious glances toward Idia’s cat, who was now curled up in your lap, purring like it had won some grand prize.

Idia, still petting the cat every few minutes, was over the moon. “I think this went pretty well, all things considered. Cats are, like, totally zen, right? So peaceful... when they’re not... you know... fighting.”

Grim huffed from the corner, clearly not over it. “Yeah, zen. Right.”

Hours later, back in the relative safety of Ramshackle, Grim was still sulking. “You betrayed me, you know. Petting that stupid cat like it’s some sort of prince. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

You crouched down to his level, giving him a fond scratch behind the ears. “You’re my best friend, Grim. Always have been. No cat could ever replace you.”

Grim puffed out his chest a little, the sulk fading ever so slightly. “Well... good. Just don’t go getting any ideas. Cats... ugh.”

You smiled, ruffling his fur. “No worries, buddy. You’re irreplaceable.”

And that seemed to be enough—for now.

Masterlist

[littlesparklight]

Ancient Greek culture/mores for deceit and archery is like

Male-coded intelligence vs. female-coded trickery, FIGHT

Male-coded intelligent warfare (fighting from afar is smart and minimizes injury so you can do more of it) vs. female-coded fighting from afar because of trickery and cowardice in not standing up to close combat, FIGHT

Myth-wise, then you've on the one hand got all those female characters resorting to trickery to achieve their aims (Hera, Klytaimnestra, for example) = bad. And on the other hand you've got characters like Odysseus, where the deceit of the wooden horse, which would be the modern-day war crime of perfidy, is smart and good.

And you've got instances like an author writing a dialogue between Chiron and Achilles, where Achilles is scorning archery for being a cowards' method of combat and Chiron rebuking him that it's smart fighting. And in extension/connection, we've got Odysseus who is archery-coded (even if he does not do any archery in the war, at least in our surviving source(s)), and, in the Odyssey, using it to win the day, contra Paris, our ur-example of ~bad coward archer~