#actually she viewed him as an annoying rival who cheated his way to the top 😭😭 so I think there could have been a harder discussion about

[dyna-myght]

I think the Emily Wilde series as individual books have such well done pacing. I think as a series tho, the pacing comes out to be maybe too quick.

[popculturebuffet]

House of Mouse: Mickey and the Culture Clash (Commission by WeirdKev27) or “What the Hell, Clarabelle?”

Hello, hello, hello... I wish I could say I was in good spirits but i’m tired, have covid induced chills running down my spine.. and oh yeah there was an armed insurrection i the captial last night that showed just how broken this country was. And while Monster Bash would still be relevant... I couldn’t do it. I admit to being unable to do an episode where the millitant racist nutjob who harms people runs off into the night, and does much worse in later episodes, while the people she harassed are arrested the night after a bunch of millitant, racist, sociopathic, selfish nightmares sieged the captial, killed a woman, raised the fucking maga flag over the buildling and took pictures like they were goddamn heroes.  We got a stark reminder, not a wake up call, not an opening a REMINDER of just how badly broken our country is last night, and it wasn’t till this morning I found out just how BAD it was. The deaths, the flag, the fact josh fucking hawley, MY STAT’ES SENATOR and registered piece of shit, raised  A FUCKING FIST IN SOLIDARITY, which gives me the crippling fear his stupidity and unabashed racisim and support of a cou could mean riots at best and attempted uprisings at worst and who knows what kind of hate crimes against those of color and those in my own queer community. I am afraid, tired, and I am pissed and I feel we could ALL use something wholesome, warm and far removed from the shit going on. And in my hour of need to figure out something like that to put on the schedule.. Kev brought up a wonderfufl idea.  Every month this month till the end of it Kev is going to comission one episode of a show near and dear to both our hearts that has it’s 20th birthday this month. House of Mouse. He was intitally going to request Pete’s One Man Show, which is one of my faviorites, but was ironcially one I already planned to cover next month to celebrate both the show’s anniversary and Pete’s Birthday. But since he was happy to wait till then to comission it, he instead asked for another classic and one with easily my faviorite character on the show: Moritmer Mouse. 

One of the best things House of Mouse did was bring back Mortimer Mouse. Introduced in Mickey’s Rival, Mortimer was an ex of minnies who showed up for one short to be a dick to mickey before running off and leaving Minnie at the mercy of a bull he pissed off. He also weirdly kept electrodes and a car battery in his pants. The short itself is.. not great mostly because Minnie dimissies Mickey rightfully being pissed someone is hitting on his girlfriend in front of him, making jokes at his expense, and generally being a pillock as being jealous... which yeah, yeah he is. Most of the time jealousy and supscison of your partner is ugly, gross and damaging to a relationship.  You should trust them unless you’ve been given good reason not to, and if your paranoidly jealous about every friend she has she could be attracted to.. get some fucking help. Seriously, I need to, not for this for various other problems, but get some therapy to help with your trust issues or if your just being the kind of dick who naturally assumes men and women or men and men or women and women or men and nonibinary persons, or women and nonbinary peeps and so on and so on cannot be friends if they could possibly be togehter romantically... grow up.  I say all of that because those are serious underlying issues and I didn’t want it to seem like for a moment I was supporting them... and because sometimes i’ts OKAY to be jealous, to either just feel a little jealous of someone, or to you know be irate because your girlfriend’s ex is hitting on her in front of you and she’s being entirely receptive to it. 

So yeah i’ts really hard to feel bad for minnie’s bull attack or find the ending sweet after Minnie was you know, what ramona said for an entire short. However my point for this rant, besides giving out about the short again because I clearly didn’t enough in my Mickey Birthday Special, is that Mortimer is still pretty great. He’s a frat bro in the 40′s sense sure, but the idea of a local douche hoping to swoop in and woo minnie away, who has an oddly specific sense of humor and a bizzare, memorable and wonderful walk, seriously the short is worth watching for mortimier’s “I got two car batteris in my pants’ walk, is a good one. While he’d naturally show up in comics and what have you Mortimer just sort of vanished. But clearly someone on the House of Mouse staff, and Mousewerks before it, agreed because Morty was made easily one of the best and most recurring characters in the HOM, and often more prominent than Horace or Gus. While he still tried his old “I’m gonna do your common law wife act” a few times he was mostly there to be an annoying douche when the ep needed one and to be taken down a peg by everyone in the house. And that VERY MUCH includes Mickey. That’s also part of why I love this show bringing him back: It gives Mickey someone besides pete to give out too on a regular basis. He’s still his charming self about it but it’s lovelyt os ee Mickey sarcastically roast someone. And I honestly attribute the main factor of his sucess on the show to VA Maurice LaMarche. While his original VA, Sonny Dawson, was fantastic.. it’s Maurice who very clearly made the character his. While others like Jeff Bennet have taken over since i’ts Maurice who gave him his signature “ha-cha-cha” catchphrase, swagger and signiture voice. And no i’ts not lost on me that one of Maurice’s OTHER best roles is another cartoon mouse.. and I now very badly want him to meet Pinky and the Brain. But yeah, Maurice just oozes the smarm that defines mortimer for me, oozes condescinon and assholery and he, is., glorious. He was a faviorite as a kid, he’s a faviorite now, and Disney needs to use him more.. and also have Maurice voice him for wonderufl world of mickey mouse, though Jeff Bennett is not bad at all I just prefer the master at the role. 

So obviously, after the nightmare of an evening america had yesterday, an episode not only about how wholesome mickey and minnie are but about Mickey teaming up with Mortimer was EXACTLY what i needed. So pitter patter, this is Mickey and the Culture clash. As always for house of mouse i’ll be chonking it up and since this one starts right with the wraparound, and sicnce you know I spent a godo few pagraphs going over mortimer and he’s only IN the wraparound this episode... let’s start there

Mickey and the Culture Clash: Don’t Go Changin, To Try and Please Me So we open the episode and the review proper with Mickey performing a banjo sernade for Minnie, their song in fact. It’s a really sweet scene.. that’s quickly ruined by Clarabelle being an asshole, who says i’ts a bit crude. Minnie counters that while “It’s not mozart”, it’s nice and she clearly likes it and the gesture. Instead of you know leaving it there like a good friend, like she’s SUPPOSED to be to Minnie in most continuities, Clarabelle.. takes the things she said and her having to run out to wrangle pluto out of context, painting it as her thinking he’s not sophisticated and then running out because of it. Oh and she tops it by pointing to a classified add from a MM looking for sophisticated companionship. 

It just paints Clarabelle not as Minnie’s friend or a chatty gossip, but as a heartless bitch who has no trouble implying one of her best friends would cheat on her boyfriend TO HIS FACE, and is fine wrecking a perfectly lovely relationship just to have more to talk about. Seriously she starts gossiping to everybody on top of it just in case you thought Clarabelle was a decent person in any shape this episode. She’s the one thing about this episode that dosen’t work despite being integral to it.. well two but hte other thing is a small, end of episode gag we’ll get to. This.. this is an integral part of the plot. It also relies on Daisy and Donald being absent for the episode for what I can only assume is their annual sex decathalon because otherwise the second she heard about her friend doing this, before reassuring Minnie, Donald would be holdiing her while Daisy beat the absolute shit out of her for hurting thier closest friend and not bothering to take a look into anything when leveling such a rough accusation at Minnie. In a really stellar, really well paced episode, Clarabelle being so heartless stands out. It’s also, might as well get this out of the way, teh final episode not inlcuding the two holiday specials.. and it’s a good note to go out on otherwise, I just can’t ignore the obnoxious cow in the room.. in both senses of the word. 

So yeah Mickey’s trying to be fancy, and Mortimer gets a good dig in about him reading “You having trouble sounding out the words”, but once he hears what’s going on, or rather once he realizes mickey things Mortimer’s personal add is in fact his girlfriend cheating on him, he decides to help Mickey. And to his credit for this con.. Mortimer actually thought things out on how to trick his rival, and his plan here is douchey as hell but incredibly genius: he offers to help mickey and while that’d normally be suspcious he offers a genuine, and very mortimer explination for helping him become a bit more sophisticated to win minnie back: if Minnie finds a handsome, sophisticated guy to date, what chance does MORTIMER have against that? At least with Mickey, in his deluded egocentric view of things anyway, he has a shot at beating him. 

So Mickey classes it up a bit, taking some sopshitcated stances when announcing and trying to woo minnie by talking in ye olde english. When that fails, she just finds it silly but charming, Mickey finds Jose.. hitting on her.

Just.. I expect better from you man. Woo ladies all you like as long as your respectful but I expect better than to hit on someone else’s girlfriend.. which granted he has but given the last time we saw him do that, he nearly got stabbed a bunch and the last time he agressively hit on a woman he got punched in the beak as he should, you’d THINK he’d of learned something. Seriously once again Donald is only missing because this time Daisy would be holding Jose down while Donald hit him. Or possibly they’d take turns. Point is Jose REALLY shoudln’t be doing this and knows better.. marginally. But.. it is in character enough so ti’s not as bad as Clarabelle the homewrecker. 

So Mickey tries being fancy and goes on to do poetry instead of letting O’Malley and the Alley Cats play.. which is a nice running gag the series does as they NEVER get to play.. which while funny is a shame since I love the Aristocats. So then we finally get what Mortimer’s been playing at, he swoops in, claims MICKEY dosen’t need HER, and uses the same personal add to trick her. See, while what Mortimer’s doing is vile.. unlike clarabelle I can repsect it at least. I don’t condone it and i’m glad he gets foiled.. but as a bad guy plan it’s pretty clever and for someone like Mortimer whose usually pretty incompitent.. it’s pretty suprising he could pull this off. It’s still pretty damn low and scummy, no question, but props to being able to outwit and nearly outplay two people who deal with your crap on a regular basis and still convincingly conning both.  Thankfully while he tries to take Minnie out Mickey, in a great visual gag, puts two and two together, and busts out their song, with Mickey and Minnie heartwearmingly reuniting on stage as seen above. Then we get that gag I mentioned not liking: Mickey gets Morty back by planting a false marriage proposal from Moritmer to Clarabelle, again under MM and he gets carried off.. HAHA HE’S BEING FORCED INTO A MARRIAGE HE DOSEN’T. LAUGH. LAUGH AT IT. The gag just really hasn’t aged well, as otherwise it’s clever Mickey used Mortimer’s own trick against both him and the person who caused all of this but really.. Clarabelle gets no real compuance. At worse sshe finds out she was tricked.. but she again you know tried to break up her close friends relationship for shits and giggles. But .. it’s at the very end of the episode and very easy to ignore, so it dosen’t really bother me too bad, and compared to some gags of the type i’ve seen, it could be MUCH worse.  Overall this wraparound is one of the series best and a good one to go out on. it has a simple premise, a brilliant antagonist plot, some great bits from all involved, and even a great Belle and Beast cameo. All in all a really good wraparound only hampered by a sexist and dated ending and Clarabelle being portrayed as ...

She’s the worst, in the world. Okay onto the shorts.

Mickey’s Piano Lesson: That was a Fun One

It really was. It’s a simple premise: Minnie wants MIckey to do a piano recital and he decides “I don’t need practice i’m mickey mouse. “ And it’s REALLY nice to have a short that has, rather than aw shucks mickey, shenanigans mickey. While thanks to the new shorts we’ve had tons, it’s still nice to get one in the House of Mouse era, and it’s just fun to see Mickey take the usual donald roll of letting his overconfidence punch him in the face> It fits both though: Both are everyman and while I lean towards the duck, to no one’s shock, Mickey is just as capable, and his lack of practice comes off less like the angry and hostile way donald would dismiss it and mroe just loveable procastination. And as someone who REALLY struggles with procastination I related to this short, as Mickey does everything else he’d rather do from bathing the dog to skydiving till Minnie, in a great bit informs him everyone from the president, to several dignitaries from other countries, to a televised audience will see. We then get two really great and really beatuifully animated bits as MIckey wrestles with the notes on thep age then fights with his piano as he performs, still pulling it off but destroying the thing and rightfully earning a glare form his girlfriend. Just a fun, slapstick short with a great premise. 

Dance of the Goofys: Scary Children Set to classical music, this one has a bunch of goofys as Fairy’s, who are making the flowers go and the one who sleeps in ends up saving the king from a horrifing looking little brat. He reminds me of Montanna Max a bit.. speaking of which Creer Summer recnetly announced Elmyra won’t be in the reboot. And while this does make me fear actually good characters like Fifi, Montana Max, and more will be cut like the animanics reboot and I do feel for Cree not getting to be involved and hope they find another roll for her as, given her status in the industry she deserves better.. THANK FUCKING GOD. I’ll go into this in another review I have planned for the future but unlike the cuts made to animaniacs this was a REALLY good decision i’m really greatful for. Thank you crew thank you. 

Back on topic, it’s just a fun, really beautifully animated short about the goofies and hteir shenanigans with a really great high concept. 

Maestro Minnie: Brahm’s Lullabye: Simply Irresitable Another simple but clever and lovely to watch one, and one I like quite a bit more. Minnie is conducting some living violins to Brahm’s Lullabye to get a baby Violin to sleep, and we get some really beautiful shots of her as she does so.. only to get comically interuppted by other insteruments turning up the noise. Not much to say on this one as it’s short and simple.. but sometimes short and simple is just what you need and the fun premise nad really beautiful especially for tv animation at the time visuals really sell this one.  ONce again, good stuff. 

Overall: This was a REALLY good note to go out on. While as I said the Clarabelle stuff can eat my entire ass, everything else is really damn good and I highly recommend checking this one out. Next time, in about a month, we’ll be looking at Pete’s spotlight episode for his birfday. While you wait tommorow we have my first look at legend of the three cabs. But for now, goodbye, goodbye, goodbye. 

[suhlut]

Jealous Guy ✧ Seungyoun x Reader

pairing cho seungyoun x reader

genre angst / fluff

warnings swearing!!!!! heartbreak!!!! cheating!!!!

——

He hated him.

He hated the way you’d look at him with those big beautiful eyes of yours that even the stars would be jealous about. He hated that you’d sometimes trail your eyes down to his lips causing him to give you a kiss. He hated how much you’d gush over him. Seungyoun hated that he wasn’t the one you loved.

“Baby,” Seungyoun cringed internally at that, he honestly felt like he could feel each part of his heart crumble into pieces, forcing himself to return to hear your conversation with him. “You should hang out with Seungyoun, I really think that you’d both get along really well.” This caused Seungyoun to scoff, he would much rather walk on an endless line of hot rocks than be alone with the man he hated. “I’m sure Jin is busy.” he spoke through gritted teeth, trying his best to fake a smile, as he looked the man straight on for the first time since he arrived. “I would like that, actually. Especially if my lovely wants me to be close with her…. little friend.” If it wasn’t for you and that goddamn smile of yours, Seungyoun would’ve claimed he was busy or something to get out of this but with a small nod, he gave in. “Saturday night is good for me.”

——

Saturday night came far too quick for Seungyoun’s liking, it was almost as if god was out to get him or something because to him, this was hell on earth having to spend a night with his rival, expecting him to speak constantly about how much he loves you but Seungyoun planned in advance for his friend to call him and say there’s a fake emergency for him to leave immediately after an hour or so at least so until then, Seungyoun would have to put on the fakest show of his life and try to convince this guy that he likes him.

“What’s your poison?” Jin asked. Luckily his back was towards Seungyoun for a moment so it gave him time to roll his eyes at the previous question before plastering that fake shit eating grin back onto his face, “Uh. Water is good for me.” The other man let out a scoff in return, “Now I’m aware why Y/N is so fond of you.. A non alcoholic.” Seungyoun pondered on his words for a moment as the other left to get the drinks, trying to figure out what he meant because to him, Y/N not drinking didn’t mean anything, and she was always so fun to be around even without alcohol in the mix and Seungyoun didn’t mind it one bit but it was annoying him that clearly he had an issue with it. Not even a minute had passed before he had returned with the drinks but he wasn’t alone as there was a woman draped over him whispering in his ear before he smirked towards Seungyoun, “We all need a bit of a break from the old ball and chain, dont we? I’m sure you know what I mean. Being single yourself.” He chuckled before he began to kiss the girls’ neck, ignoring the fact he was doing this in front of his girlfriends’ best friend.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Seungyoun had enough as he gripped the glass of water title in his hand, “If I had someone as beautiful and wonderful as Y/N then I wouldn’t even breathe in the direction of another girl, let alone whatever you’re trying to get out of this girl. Let me guess, she doesn’t put out?” Seungyoun glared at the other taking in his features as the other rolled his eyes and nodded, “Exactly! Do you know how hard it is?” The girl giggled as she kissed his earlobe, whispering softly.. “A man has needs and I have every right to search somewhere else if my girlfriend won’t provide me with that.” Seungyoun had heard enough, slamming the glass onto the table that separated them, causing the rest of the water to spill up onto himself and the others, “You’re a piece of shit... but I guess this is really how you feel.... then you won’t mind me doing this.” Seungyoun being quick took the initiative to snap some photographs of the pair before quickly taking off and making his way to Y/N’s house to let her know exactly what went down tonight.

——

To say you were anxious would be an understatement, knowing that both your best friend and boyfriend were out together and internally pleading that they’d get along well so that it wouldn’t be awkward at social gatherings. You really just wanted them to at least be friends or civil. Either was fine with you especially after what happened before Jin left, he grew frustrated at you that you were wearing Seungyoun’s shirt, something that means a lot to you because he gave it to you so that whenever you felt down or upset, you had him when he couldn’t physically be there. Something about it made your heart tingle but your boyfriend hated it, causing him to smash one of the clocks before he left for the night. You were afraid that your dumb mistake would alter the way Jin would view your best friend who really had the kindest of hearts. 9:30 pm. You had been sitting for a couple of hours trying to fix the clock, reading the manuals was no use as they were in a different language and you had never locked in a piece when the doorbell went, pouting as you got up and peaking through the hole to see Seungyoun. This caused you to frown, a part of you feeling incredibly worried as you unlocked the door, “S-Seungyoun? Wh.. what’s going on?” You couldn’t finish your words before he walked in quickly, locking the door behind him as you stared up at him. “You’re scaring me... What’s going on? Tell me right now.” Seungyoun sighed at how small you sounded before looking you over, taking your hand and walking into the living area, “I need to talk to you... about Jin.” His eyes fluttered up to you as he slowly cupped the side of your face, rubbing your cheek softly, “And it’s not easy for me, I hate to be the one doing this to you. But I need to you, I’d want you to do the same for me if I was ever in this situation.” He spoke slowly and softly, feeling yourself slowly calm down but not entirely as he passed you his phone instructing you to visit his gallery and look at the recent photo so you did and that’s when your heart shattered, tears began filling up your eyes clouding your vision as you looked over at your best friend, struggling to find the words to speak. “Baby,” Seungyoun took you into his arms as he rested his chin on top of your head, “I’m so sorry. He didn’t care.. He kept talking about how you wouldn’t put out for him.” This statement made you sob more as you nodded, before pulling away from the hug. “I wasn’t ready, is that wrong?” Seungyoun quickly cupped your face, leaning his forehead on yours, “Not even a little bit. You deserve to choose when and with who.” He whispered before pressing a kiss to your head. “I’ll stay here tonight, make sure you’re okay and that he won’t come here okay?” He kissed your head once more and you felt your stomach fill with butterflies again like they always do when you’re around him. “Y-yes please.” You whispered softly, before getting up and moving the broken clock all the way to the bin knowing that it was the last thing you ever wanted to fix because of him.

Hours had passed and now you could’ve sworn you hadn’t laughed this hard in awhile, maybe it was because seeing Seungyoun had become less of a thing because of Jin. But here you are, laying side by side on the sofa as Seungyoun faces you, feeling himself fall in love even more every time you look at him a little bit longer than intended to. His fingers traced little circles, and stars on top of your thighs before noticing exactly what you’re wearing, he smiled brightly at you causing his eyes to curve into crescent shapes, at which you felt your heart tighten up at because he was beautiful. “Wearing my shirt, huh? You look gorgeous in it.” He played with the hem of it, totally not trying to hide how pleased he was that you were wearing it. “It gives me comfort when you’re not here..” You smiled at him, giggling slightly. “But I’m here?” He replied in a whisper leaning towards you, his eyes glancing to your lips before turning back to yours, “Mmhm. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” You whispered back to him before leaning in, attaching your lips to his and not long after, maybe like a second, he returned the kiss. It took around two minutes for you both to finally pull away as he gazed star struck at you, completely shook about what just transpired, “I love you.” You whispered against his lips, finally realising what the feelings inside all meant when you were around him. Seungyoun stared at you before a big dopey grin appeared onto his face, “God I’ve been waiting so long to hear that. I love you too.” He giggled before continuing the kiss, he had never felt this happy because for once, he was finally the man you loved.

[megashadowdragon]

bakugou will have some form of interaction with endeavor

endeavor was  the kind of horrible cruel jerk Bakugou could have turned into if he hadn't had a few slices of Humble Pie.

endeavors  a lot like Bakugou in that his first instinct when something annoys him is to start yelling or give a death glare

: both endeavor and bakugo  are obsessed with strength at the cost of actual heroism and both are determined to get the top spot .. When they do manage to win the top spot, however, it's due to their rivals being weakened at the time, and both get pissed  when they feel cheated of a legitimate victory and talk about not being able to accept it ( the sports festival number one position and  the number one hero title respectively)

Signs point towards Bakugou becoming his generation's equivalent to Endeavor. Both are exceedingly skilled lightning bruisers with all of the physical qualifications that make them great heroes, including powerful fire-based Quirks with logical weaknesses that they are more than resistant too, making them a sizable and ongoing threat to their enemies. While they make great heroes on paper, their biggest flaws are their egos and their abusive personalities, making them too unlikable to secure the title of #1 Hero compared to their respective foils  (deku

While both Bakugou and Midoriya idolize All Might and aspire to become a hero as great as him, they hold very different ideas of just what a hero is. Whereas Midoriya embodies the idea of a hero as someone who saves people in need, Bakugou embodies the idea of a hero as someone who never loses. This is most obvious in the entrance exam, where Midoriya gets in scoring only Rescue Points, while Bakugou gets in scoring only Villain Points.

 and all might 

While they are both very powerful heroes, Endeavor is only in it for the sake of winning and feels like becoming the best is the most important thing, while All Might is legitimately trying to do good. They also contrast in visual style. All Might has a more traditionally superheroic style with bright colors and a more silver-age style costume, while Endeavor wears a simple dark bodysuit whose details come from his flames, which include Shoulders of Doom in more typical dark-age fashion.

respectively) and leaving them unable to enjoy their victories.

Endeavor seems to be a representation of what Katsuki Bakugo could become in the future: a hero filled with pride and ambition who strives to be at the very top. Both he and Bakugo have also shown to have violent and aggressive tempers.

@katsudekuu

katsudekuu . tumblr . com/post/174644900938/the-fandoms-misinterpretation-of-katsuki-bakugou

¨the text compares and contrasts his character to Endeavor in a way that shows how they’re similar in motivation but different in action.

Sounds familiar?

The parallels between Endeavor & All Might and Katsuki & Izuku are very prominent, especially with drive. Izuku seeks to save others but neglects his physical health (like All Might does) while Katsuki and Endeavor share the similar views of what a hero should be.

It has already been presented that Bakugou overheard Todoroki’s conversation with Deku about Endeavor and the domestic violence he experienced. He knows, even if no one else knows that he does, and this is very significant considering he understands the type of behavior he must avoid. He shows disapproval of what Endeavor has done and he’s kept quiet about it for a reason.

The crucial similarity here is that Todoroki and Bakugou were both raised with violence, but Todoroki has matured in a way that Bakugou hasn’t. It’s quite possible that this is a result of his household’s strictness while Bakugou’s was far more chaotic, allowing him more freedom to do as he pleases. Todoroki refuses to be like his father and similarly, Bakugou will not end up like Endeavor either.¨

hamliet . tumblr . com/post/175217702324/falling-heroes

¨Endeavor has always been Bakugou’s negative foil, in that they are heroes (or a hero in training) but not great people, with bullying tendencies that’s blatantly abuse in Endeavor’s case. Bakugou could become just like him if he isn’t careful. All Might is, of course, a foil for Deku, but not so much a negative one… though in some ways he is, but I’ll get into that later.

There’s this idea of the new UA heroes in training surpassing the heroes currently in existence: Endeavor takes this literally, talking about strength and breeding his kids to do just that, but the story seems to be suggesting that the kids need to surpass the current heroes in terms of being better people and not making the same mistakes. For example, All Might is exactly whom Deku has always wanted to be, but he isn’t a perfect person, just like his mentor Shimura Nana was not perfect. Like, she sent her child to an orphanage ostensibly to protect him, but as a result of this, her grandson has become a villain, and All Might wasn’t able to save him (yet), and Shigaraki hates him for it.

If Nana’s neglect was pretty directly a response to tragedy that led to more tragedy, All Might’s desire to honor her request is far more understandable and less condemnable narratively. Yet a repeated motif in the story is that the UA kids will break the rules to save people, and while they do need to like balance that, the underlying principle thereof is something heroes could use a bit more.

Bakugou and Deku’s relationship parallels Endeavor’s and All Might’s: they’re rivals, and one of them is kind of a jerk in a lot of ways and resentful of the other, but they do care about each other and have a grudging respect.

¨

bloodycarnations . tumblr . com/post/169074569944/since-bakugo-knows-about-todorokis-family

¨the major character flaw that Bakugou shares with Endeavor: believing that everything should always, always go their way, and yelling and treating people like shit when it doesn’t.

Enji is Bakugou’s negative foil: the purpose of Katsuki’s character arc is that of not turning out like him, despite how clearly his ambition to be number one, to be stronger than anyone, sacrificing everything else in the process because of how blindsighted he was in that pursuit of unequaled strength, has been set up as a parallel to Endeavor’s.¨

saisai-chan . tumblr . com/post/175477860564/bakugouendeavor-parallels-i-mean-theyre-both

¨imo, Endeavor is what Bakugou could have become if he continued on the path he was on in chapter 1. it’s only because of the development Bakugou got during the series that curbed that behaivor and helped him see the fault in his ways, and allowed him to really grow as a person.

honestly, it was because of all the parallels they had that i knew something with Endeavor was coming up, because there were just too many for it not to lead to something.

the biggest similarity is how they both resented being “Number 1″ when it wasn’t earned properly, in their eyes. not to mention, they both hurt someone for 10 years for selfish reasons. they’re also both reaching for All Might in their own ways, and frustrated that they can’t catch up with certain people (All Might for Endeavor, and All Might and Izuku for Bakugou)¨

parallels between them

Both possess ignition-based Quirks, such as Hellflame for Enji and Explosion for Katsuki. Both aim to be the number one hero. Both have a rivalry with an One For All user, such as Enji to All Might and Katsuki to Izuku. Both are known for their hot tempers and aggressive attitude. Both were known for their lack of cooperative skills, having improved them throughout the story. Both act abusively toward a major character, such as Enji to his son Shoto and Katsuki to Izuku. Both express their remorse after understanding All Might's words. However, while Enji becomes calmer and patient to others, Katsuki still acts temperamental towards others.

saisai-chan . tumblr . com/post/151297857364/in-refering-to-enji-i-kinda-hope-he-gets-a¨

¨however, i am positive that Endeavor’s gonna get some character development in the future. There are just too many parallels between him and Bakugou, and we’ve gotten tons of development for the angry child, especially as of late.not to mention, both Bakugou and Endeavor are characters who abused/bullied someone in one form or another for a long, long time (Izuku, Todoroki). a major part of both character’s arcs is coming to terms with what they did and making it up to the people they hurt. ¨ ¨

I think given that izuku and all might have a relationship with each other both of their  foils bakugou and endeavor should end up having some form of relationship with each other 

like if endeavor will end up mentoring bakugou (like an internship ) 

   @hamliet

[gutterdreams]

Blindside PT 1 [R.M.]

An anon requested the prompt ‘you’re always late’ and @stylesdempsey put in their own Reggie request, so this is a combo of the two. Title from the song Drive by Oh Wonder.

Sometimes Reggie could be an absolute child. For a seventeen year old boy, he could throw a tantrum that would rival any toddler in any drugstore across the country. Sighing as you laid down, you let Reggie release his frustration through the phone that you were lazily holding to your ear. For him to stop texting you and actually call meant that he was past annoyed and well into unpleased.

“You're always late.” He groaned through the phone. It had been cute, at first, when you two started dating and you would fly into class at the same time as the second bell, or you would make it to his house a few minutes after you said you would show up. However, it didn't leave Reggie amused any more. It had turned into a habit that irritated him. “What is so hard about being on time?” Reggie was flawed, but was punctual.

“I will be there as soon as I can be there. The quicker we end this phone call, the quicker I can head back to Riverdale.” It wasn't as if you were on the other side of the state, you were just visiting your grandparents in Greendale. Of course, you had told Reggie that you would be back by five o'clock on Sunday and it was already ten to seven and you were still in the spare bedroom of your grandparents petite bungalow that they had lived in for the last decade. “I will make it up to you.”

“Don't bother.” Reggie scoffed. You could hear the sound of something being kicked through the phone, his feet hastily shoving at the gravel under his feet in the parking lot of Pop's where you had said you would meet up for dinner after spending the entire weekend apart. His response wasn't at all what you expected. Stunned, you stayed silent. “I'm going home.” He was embarrassed after waiting around the diner for over an hour, looking like a loner – one of Reggie's bigger fears. “Do you know how lucky you are to be with me? You don't act like it, [Y/N].”

Eyebrows raised, you shot up at the waist on the neatly made bed and shook your head. The arguments always went one of two ways with Reggie. He either began to tease you lightly, insinuating sexual innuendos in a cheeky manner, or he grew mean. Clearly, he was taking the latter route this time. It wasn't common that he chose that when it came to you. He usually reserved his cruel and unkind route for the likes of Betty Cooper or Jughead Jones,  but today was your unlucky day. You assumed there was a deeper issue going on, but since he was already worked up, you weren't interested in asking why he was making mountains out of molehills.

“If you're asking if I am glad we are together, the answer is 'yes'...” Cautiously, you chose your words. “If you're insinuating that doing me a favor by being with me then I'm sorry I don't understand...”

“Maybe, I am!” He wasn't thinking. Reggie was letting his anger take over his mouth. “You're not Josie or Cheryl, you know? What's so special about you outside of being my girlfriend, huh?” Reggie knew where to hurl his insults. Everyone had a weakness. When you two first started spending time together, you were outside of his circle. You weren't a cheerleader or a fancy family friend with endless money. If you hadn't been paired up for a history assignment, you weren't sure you two would have ever exchanged numbers or spent any time together.

“I don't know, Reggie!” It was your turn to snap at him and let your words snarl in an unflattering manner. He felt so free to be so vicious that you decided to not hold back either. “I will spend the whole drive back to Riverdale trying to come up with reasons I am good enough to be with motherfucking starboy Reginald Mantle,” He tried to interrupt you, a verbal eye roll ready in his throat, but you didn't let him get another word in. “but if I can come up with one reason to stay your girlfriend after this conversation, that will be a miracle.”

“Josie's been texting me all day. I can move on in a second.” It was a lie even if he felt he meant it in the moment. Truthfully, he just wanted you to sting like he had hunched over a booth at Pop's alone, checking his phone to see another excuse as to why you hadn't left yet, being nervous that it was too dark out to drive a route you didn't confidentially know.

“That's not nice, Reg.” Sighing, you felt the burn he cast over you. Your body deflated as you closed your eyes and imagined his hands all over the Pussycat. Everyone knew he found her attractive, but you always told yourself that they were just friends and he was human. You found other people good looking, too. “I am going to leave now. I'll make it up to you.”

“Whatever. I don't care.” Before you could say 'goodbye' or apologize again, he had hung up, leaving you to run your fingers down your hair from the front and search your grandparents place for the keys to your car.

* * * * * * * *

Reggie wasn't exactly surprised to fall asleep without a text from you saying that you were home. He couldn't even say that he was that bothered when he didn't wake up to any message from you at all, though he had privately hoped for a sexy photo of you tucked into your double bed as some kind of attempt at an apology for not showing up for your Sunday date. It occurred to him since he had calmed down after a late night work out that he probably owed you an apology as well. He had said things that were uncalled for, being mean for the sake of being mean. Archie Andrews was right, even if he would  never admit it, Reggie was a hothead and it was probably his worst trait. He typed out the five letter word only to delete it quickly. For the way he spoke to you and the way he taunted to cheat with Josie, Reggie knew you deserved a face to face apology, a grander gesture than an easy text that he didn't even have to leave his comfortable bed to send. He let Vader lick his face over and over before throwing off the covers and heading to his kitchen breakfast, trying to come up with a way to apologize to you before first period.

On the way to school, he made a stop at the bakery and grabbed a vanilla cupcake with strawberry icing. As much as he planned to steal a fingertip of the sugary topping for himself, he figured that an apology partnered with a sweet treat would increase his chances at forgiveness. Reggie slid the small brown box onto the top shelf of his locker and looked to his left to see if you were coming down the hallway. Even if you were still livid with him, you would have to pass by him in order to get to your own locker and that gave him ample opportunity to pull you in and woo you with his smoulder and pout combination.

Instead of being greeted by your glossed lips and sleepy eyes, Reggie's view was blocked by his best friend's chest. Moose had turned the corner sharply and leaned into the locker beside Reggie's, Midge sliding between them while playing with the ends of her short hair.

“Hey, I can't talk. I got to see [Y/N] before class.” Reggie grumbled. He was annoyed at himself more than anything. He was the one who created the mess he was currently in.

“You think you'll make it there and back in seven minutes?” Midge asked after checking her phone that she had tucked into the pocket of her tight leather jacket.

Reggie only tightened his brows over his eyes, unsure of what Moose's girlfriend meant. Your locker was only a grand total of sixteen steps away from his. It was just the other end of the hallway. He was a star football player. He could run yards in seconds.

“I thought you'd skip this morning. Is [Y/N] fine?” Moose continued, earning his own perplexed stare from Reggie. While Reggie had a habit of running his mouth when he was fired up, he had no recollection of mentioning his fight with you to Moose. He hadn't texted anyone after the argument. He just worked out until sweat was pouring from his chiseled chin and then watched TV in bed with his dog until he fell asleep.

“Probably. She never stays mad at me.” Reggie shrugged and reached up onto the top shelf again, taking the cupcake box out with one hand. He made sure not to accidentally crush it with his grip.

“Did Ethel not tell you?” Midge had heard the news from Veronica who had only heard from Ethel because she was standing behind Betty when she was being told. Ethel Muggs had been your neighbor since pre-school which made you close friends by proxy.

“Tell me what? [Y/N] wants to break up? I was a dick last night, I'm going to apologize - “

“No.” Midge cut him off, eyes wide while Moose rubbed his head behind her. They both knew to brace themselves for Hurricane Reginald. “She got into an accident in Greendale last night.”

His face was pale. A shade of white that Midge had only seen in feathers from the fancy pillows in hotel rooms. Reggie always had a healthy glow from working out, expensive moisturizer, or his greedy glass of orange juice every morning. His eyes widened on Moose's chest and the cupcake box fell between his Nike shoes.

“We just...thought...you knew....” Not sure what else to say, Moose murmured to fill the stiff silence that was holding Reggie still.

The bell rang signalling that class was to begin in minutes, that everyone should start heading to their respective seats, but like a gun shot warned a wild animal to run, Reg slammed his locker and raced down the hallway, past your locker, jumping over the small staircase, and flying out the door. It wasn't until he was fumbling with his keys in his shaking hands that he realized he didn't know where he was going. He had to run back inside and figure out what class Ethel was in first so he could ask her where to go to find you. Were you at the hospital in Riverdale? Were you at home resting? Were you dead on the road in Greendale? Reggie was spinning and he concentrated on looking in every door window on the first floor of the high school for Ethel in order to not throw up his nerves all over his black sweatshirt and new jeans. This was his fault. He knew he shouldn't have pressured you to come home when he knew you were scared to drive on the highway at night. He kept hearing his own voice, mocking him, reminding him how the last thing he said was that he didn't care. Now he knew for certain what everyone else figured to be true, he did care. He cared so much.  

[trendingnewsb]

How to Know If Someone Is Playing Dumb or Really Is Dumb

When you’re up against a business rival, a competitive member of your own family, or just an annoying friend who you suspect might be lying to you, it’s always in your best interests to find out exactly how much they know. If you want to know what you’re up against, you need to discover their true knowledge and capabilities.

For example, if you are going after a big promotion at work but your colleague also has their eye on the position, it’s a good idea to work out precisely what they know about the role, and whether they have actually taken the initiative and applied for it.

Or let’s say that you suspect your partner of cheating on you. In a bid to discover the truth, you meet up with their best friend, who you think might be covering for them. Their friend says that they have no idea whether your partner is cheating, and that they know nothing.

Here’s the problem – how do you know whether their friend is playing dumb?

Playing Dumb Is Often A Great Strategy

To put it plainly, playing dumb works beautifully when you are trying to throw someone off the scent. When you are up against someone else, you can gain an advantage if they underestimate you. Their guard will go down, and they may even share valuable information with you! Pretending that you don’t know much about a situation will encourage other people to open up first. You can then gauge their true character and communication skills.

For example, suppose you are a salesperson and you are competing with another member of your department for an end-of-year bonus. Pretending as though you don’t really care about the bonus, and acting as though you aren’t very confident in your sales abilities, may encourage your rival to become overconfident. They might even babble on about the great tricks they use to turn their cold leads into profitable sales. Needless to say, you’d have a great advantage over them in this situation!

Pretending that you are less smart than you really are will also endear you to others. A high IQ often makes other people envious, so it’s best to maintain that you have achieved your success through sheer hard work, a little luck, or a combination of the two.[1]

Although intelligent people are often capable of undertaking a lot of work to a high standard, they can suffer the burden of heavy expectations. For instance, if you are well-known as a competent person at work, the likely result is that you will be given yet more work to do. Playing dumb can work in your favor, because your boss won’t expect much from you! The smartest people know that it isn’t always a good idea to show your competence at every turn.

How to Tell Whether Someone Is Playing Dumb?

Of course, someone who appears to be playing dumb may just be, well, dumb. So how can you tell the difference?

The first clue is that someone who is playing dumb will take great care to allow other people to talk.

This lets them gauge their competition’s true level of knowledge. They also gently provoke other people in a bid to obtain extra information.

For instance, let’s take the example of a woman who has found evidence that her husband is having an affair, and decides to confront him. She has seen a photo of another woman in his wallet, and her friend has told her that he has been seen leaving a local bar with the very same woman in the picture.

If the husband in this scenario is smart, he’ll “play dumb” by denying that he has done anything wrong, and asking how she arrived at her conclusion. This approach will let him discover how much she knows, which will then help him make a decision – can he get away with lying to her, or does she have incontrovertible evidence that he’s been unfaithful?

He might use another tactic – asking dumb questions to make her underestimate him. For instance, he may say something like “Why do you think I’d have a photo of her?” when asked about the picture in his wallet. On the other hand, smart people sometimes overdo it, i.e. their questions are just a little too dumb. This is a red flag that signifies that they are trying to appear ignorant.

An intelligent person who is playing dumb will gradually bring you round to their point of view.

They are often assertive, put on a show of sympathy for your position, and then slowly convince you that your perceptions are wrong. By the end of the conversation, you may find yourself agreeing to go along with them. For example, a colleague who you suspect is stealing your office stationery might nod in apparent agreement as you relay your grievance, ask a few dumb questions (e.g. “Your stapler? I didn’t even know we used them in this office!”), then behave in such an earnest manner that you end up agreeing with them – there is no way they could have been stealing from you, right?

Finally, watch out for neutrality and flexibility.

People who play dumb are careful to keep their cards close to their chests. Revealing their true preferences and political allegiances could give their rivals some information to use against them at a later date.[2]

Play Dumb to Understand the Fake Dummies

To get closer to the fake dummies and understand what their real intentions are, play dumb too. This is what we call “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Though it’s not easy to play dumb, here we’ve got some techniques to make it work for you.

Never overdo it.

Do not pretend to be more ignorant or stupid than you really are too often, or people will either think that you truly are brainless, or that you are intentionally setting out to manipulate them. You should never tell anyone that you use this tactic, because they are unlikely to ever trust you fully in the future.

Be smart when choosing your moment.

Only play dumb when it will help you get valuable information. For example, if you pretend that you are oblivious to office politics, other people will start to confide in you. This gives you useful information about all the key players in the company.[3]

Playing dumb can give you a valuable opportunity to ask questions that might otherwise seem rude or inappropriate. For instance, let’s suppose that your manager has been blowing the department’s budget on pointless IT training and, as a result, there is a shortfall of cash.

Rather than asking them outright to explain precisely why they felt the need to overspend, and exactly how much they spent, you could ask them to tell you how the department’s budgets are decided upon. You could then ask them to take you through the department’s recent accounts so you can see an example of a budget in action. When you appear to be earnest and eager to learn, people will not question your true motives.

Practice your poker face.

If you are asking intentionally stupid questions or pretending to be far less smart than you really are, it’s easy to give into the temptation to smirk. Don’t do it, or you’ll give the whole game away. If necessary, practice remaining straight faced, even when confronted with an amusing situation.[4]

Go Forth and Act Ignorant

As you can see, those who know how to play dumb, and how to detect it in others, are in a strong position. When you learn how to tone down your intelligence, others will trust you more. When you can spot this tactic in colleagues, friends, and relatives, you’ll soon be able to tell when they have an ulterior motive in mind. Next time you need some information from someone, why not act a little dumber? The results will surprise you.

Reference

[1]^Huffington Post: 5 Ways Acting Stupid May Be Smart[2]^Quora: Atul Gupta’s answer to ‘What are signs of an ultra-smart person playing dumb?‘[3]^The Business Woman Media: 10 times playing dumb is smart[4]^Inc: 7 Smart Ways to (Literally) Play Dumb…and Save Almost Any Relationship

function footnote_expand_reference_container() { jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).show(); jQuery(“#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button”).text(“-“); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container() { jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).hide(); jQuery(“#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button”).text(“+”); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container() { if (jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).is(“:hidden”)) { footnote_expand_reference_container(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container(); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery(“#” + p_str_TargetID); if(l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery(‘html, body’).animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top – window.innerHeight/2 }, 1000); } }

The post How to Know If Someone Is Playing Dumb or Really Is Dumb appeared first on Lifehack.

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2C4Dthy via Viral News HQ

[ryanonwrasslin-blog]

Fast Lane 2017

SaSo, at some point over the weekend I saw a conversation taking place online about the coverage of wrestling and how so much of it is just shitting all over WWE’s product, especially the flagships itself like Monday Night Raw and the Big 4 PPV’s. And it struck me in that moment how miserable of a fan I’d become of something that I’d originally gotten into because it was fun in all of the best, most ridiculous ways.

So I’m here today because I want to hold myself to account on not being such a miserable fucking wrestling fan all the time, and my method for doing that is to write about wrestling. I’ve tried this before but it was mostly aimless ramblings. I’m hoping that this viewpoint to add a certain amount of structure to my wrasslin’ thoughts.

Long-term, I’m hoping for this to be a weekly thing (maybe every Thursday after all the week’s big shows have been aired), but as I’m excited about this, I thought I’d dive right in fresh after Fast Lane last night. Surely the PPV right smack in the middle of THE ROAD TO WRESTLEMANIA will be an easy win for someone trying to be optimistic about wrestling, right?

Right?

Oh God.

/Huffs Paint

Alright, let’s do this...

Theme of the Night:

Who is this show for, exactly?

I know, my supposed optimism lasted to the first sentence. But I swear, I’m going to go through this in a way that isn’t just shitting on the product. All I could think after that main event was, who exactly is this particular show for?

I know Wrestlemania is for the largest crowd possible, and there were obvious steps taken tonight to work toward that, but if you take this show in isolation, and I do think when you are a company dependent on monthly subscriptions you have to view it that way to a certain degree, I’m left feeling very confused about that show.

Was anyone happy to see Sasha basically cheat Bayley to a win? Were the months of booking BRAAAAAAAAAAUN as an all-time monster worth it for an L to Strong Roman at Fast Lane of all places? Did it help anyone for Kevin Owens to look like an idiot and lose in two moves to Goldberg? Did it help Goldberg to win like that? Did any of that bizarre Cesaro/ Jinder/ Handsome Rusev/ Big Show business help even one of them? Sasha rolling up Nia when a strong breeze ought to be able to knock Sasha off balance? New Day Ice Cream? I really struggled to understand the logic behind any of this booking.

Alright, I don’t want to do too much of this negativity, and this show wasn’t all terrible, so let’s get to the next segment I want to run.

Top 10 Moments of the Night:

10. Big E is a weird dude in all the best ways

9. Seriously, we’ve got to be close to a Handsome Rusev Face Turn, right? - He tried to help poor Jinder revive his career, most of his feuds have revolved around defending his wife’s honor, and then last night Jinder gets in his face and shows no respect for the only guy to give him a chance since he was in 3MB, then plays valiant babyface-in-peril against Big Show, who then hits like 11 finishing moves on Rusev for no apparent reason. Oh, and he’s the fucking man in the ring. Handsome Rusev face turn, please and thank you.

8. SmoJo’s Coquina Clutch - Man I love that old-school move.

7. No more “Queen of PPV” nonsense - I really thought they’d keep that going, but thank God they didn’t. It was such a stupid catchphrase.

6. Sasha getting to look like an actual wrestler again - I’ve gone round and round and round in my personal rankings of the 4 Horsewomen (At present it goes Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Bayley), and the way they’ve booked Sasha as a fragile baby-person has started to bleed into my perception of her. Nia still whooped her ass pretty good but she pulled off a crafty win and didn’t need to be like life-flighted out afterwards. That was a good step for her. And her next big step should be hitting a Backstabber on Bayley the night after Wrestlemania and giving us that sweet, sweet heel turn.

5. BRAAAAAAAAAAAUN vs. Strong Roman (until the finish) - This was an even better effort by Strowman than that really fun Big Show match a few weeks ago. It was the best match of his career. And honestly, I feel a tiny bit bad for Roman at this point. They just keeping making the strangest booking calls with this dude and all the while he’s keeps showing the ability to have an excellent match with just about anyone on the roster.

4. Charlotte’s in-ring taunts - Charlotte is downright loathsome in the ring. It’s infuriating and annoying and frustrating and it’s The Best. She has honed herself to a fine point as a heel in the ring.

3. A taste of SmoJo vs. Sami Zayn - I’d hoped they’d give these two like 15 electric minutes, but was also expecting them to ultimately make Joe into the Destroyer. They definitely chose the latter, but these two both play their roles so well, Joe as the asshole who just wants to beat the shit out of you and Zayn as the underdog who just needs an opening, that it was still a good match, and some day we’ll see those go 20+ minutes for big-time stakes and it will kick all kinds of ass.

2. Kevin Owens’ stall tactics - I’m a sucker for wrestlers incorporating strategy and tactics into their wrestling. It makes it feel so much more real and can help explain the changes in Win/Loss record over the years. This was a great example of those tactics.

1. Neville vs. Jack Gallagher - Unquestionably the match of the night. I went into this match badly craving a Neville squash, but WWE did right by goofy-ass Jack Gallagher and gave these two 12 minutes of fun wrestling. More of this in the Cruiserweights and less of Brian Kendrick doing the Captain’s Hook for 3 minutes at a time, please.

Let the Smark Out

Look, no one’s perfect and a 5:1 ratio of Optimism to Pessimism seems acceptable to me. And it’s just not healthy to keep my issues inside. That shit needs to get out and breathe a bit, you know? It took a lot of thought to figure out my two, though. However, WWE made it clear pretty early on when Steph was screeching at Foley that only two matches actually mattered, so let’s go with those two.

-Bayley cheats her way to a win - Ahh yes, the old trope of the biggest, most natural babyface character being helped by her tweener friend and former rival to victory over the heel who voluntarily fought without her lieutenant at ringside. I see no issues with this logic at all. Sometimes you’re booked into a corner, but this was just blatant malpractice against everything they built for Bayley’s character for years. Just baffling all around.

-You know what the other is. KO stalls and stalls to wear out Goldberg’s peaking intensity, a very smart tactic that shows he’s put tremendous thought into this match and that he’s a student of wrestling. But then the most obvious development ever occurs with a returning Y2J’s music hitting and KO getting distracted, Goldberg hitting his two moves and pinning him in under a minute. I knew it was coming, I suppose, but it was still a kick right in the balls. Sigh...

Where Do We Go From Here?

For my penultimate segment, I want to talk about what is often my favorite part of wrestling: Where things are going next. I’ll do my best to mostly steer away from fantasy booking things to hell, but that will be part of it.

I’m excited about not having anymore PPV’s leading to Mania. No more farting around and holding back, they’ve got to start building to the biggest matches and one of the things I’m most interested in seeing develop is whatever is going on with Triple H. There still seems to be legitimate uncertainty about Seth Rollins, and a couple weeks ago it seemed like maybe Trips was behind KO turning on Jericho, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were setting up some kind of action with Trips, KO, and SmoJo. Add to all of this that it would make sense for a returning Finn Balor to oppose such a faction, and some of these questions need to start getting answered.

In other news, we seem almost certain to be heading toward a Fatal Four Way for the women’s title, probably a pre-show multi-team Tag Title match, and we should be getting some fun Jericho-KO segments.

That leaves me uncertain how they’ll build to Roman vs. Taker, what they’re going to do with Strowman, if Shaq will show up for the Big Show match, and if this weird Mick Foley vs. Steph feud will lead to Foley being fired and how soon they might pull that particular trigger and if it will have ripple effects elsewhere.

Parting Thought

It’s obvious now that Goldberg can’t actually wrestle a match. If he could, they would have given him and KO at least a couple minutes before Y2J came out, right? To me, that means there’s no way they can actually put that match on last. No one is going to be hyped for a Lesnar/ Goldberg match that likely can’t go past 5 minutes and has a decent chance of being a mess.

[trendingnewsb]

How to Know If Someone Is Playing Dumb or Really Is Dumb

When you’re up against a business rival, a competitive member of your own family, or just an annoying friend who you suspect might be lying to you, it’s always in your best interests to find out exactly how much they know. If you want to know what you’re up against, you need to discover their true knowledge and capabilities.

For example, if you are going after a big promotion at work but your colleague also has their eye on the position, it’s a good idea to work out precisely what they know about the role, and whether they have actually taken the initiative and applied for it.

Or let’s say that you suspect your partner of cheating on you. In a bid to discover the truth, you meet up with their best friend, who you think might be covering for them. Their friend says that they have no idea whether your partner is cheating, and that they know nothing.

Here’s the problem – how do you know whether their friend is playing dumb?

Playing Dumb Is Often A Great Strategy

To put it plainly, playing dumb works beautifully when you are trying to throw someone off the scent. When you are up against someone else, you can gain an advantage if they underestimate you. Their guard will go down, and they may even share valuable information with you! Pretending that you don’t know much about a situation will encourage other people to open up first. You can then gauge their true character and communication skills.

For example, suppose you are a salesperson and you are competing with another member of your department for an end-of-year bonus. Pretending as though you don’t really care about the bonus, and acting as though you aren’t very confident in your sales abilities, may encourage your rival to become overconfident. They might even babble on about the great tricks they use to turn their cold leads into profitable sales. Needless to say, you’d have a great advantage over them in this situation!

Pretending that you are less smart than you really are will also endear you to others. A high IQ often makes other people envious, so it’s best to maintain that you have achieved your success through sheer hard work, a little luck, or a combination of the two.[1]

Although intelligent people are often capable of undertaking a lot of work to a high standard, they can suffer the burden of heavy expectations. For instance, if you are well-known as a competent person at work, the likely result is that you will be given yet more work to do. Playing dumb can work in your favor, because your boss won’t expect much from you! The smartest people know that it isn’t always a good idea to show your competence at every turn.

How to Tell Whether Someone Is Playing Dumb?

Of course, someone who appears to be playing dumb may just be, well, dumb. So how can you tell the difference?

The first clue is that someone who is playing dumb will take great care to allow other people to talk.

This lets them gauge their competition’s true level of knowledge. They also gently provoke other people in a bid to obtain extra information.

For instance, let’s take the example of a woman who has found evidence that her husband is having an affair, and decides to confront him. She has seen a photo of another woman in his wallet, and her friend has told her that he has been seen leaving a local bar with the very same woman in the picture.

If the husband in this scenario is smart, he’ll “play dumb” by denying that he has done anything wrong, and asking how she arrived at her conclusion. This approach will let him discover how much she knows, which will then help him make a decision – can he get away with lying to her, or does she have incontrovertible evidence that he’s been unfaithful?

He might use another tactic – asking dumb questions to make her underestimate him. For instance, he may say something like “Why do you think I’d have a photo of her?” when asked about the picture in his wallet. On the other hand, smart people sometimes overdo it, i.e. their questions are just a little too dumb. This is a red flag that signifies that they are trying to appear ignorant.

An intelligent person who is playing dumb will gradually bring you round to their point of view.

They are often assertive, put on a show of sympathy for your position, and then slowly convince you that your perceptions are wrong. By the end of the conversation, you may find yourself agreeing to go along with them. For example, a colleague who you suspect is stealing your office stationery might nod in apparent agreement as you relay your grievance, ask a few dumb questions (e.g. “Your stapler? I didn’t even know we used them in this office!”), then behave in such an earnest manner that you end up agreeing with them – there is no way they could have been stealing from you, right?

Finally, watch out for neutrality and flexibility.

People who play dumb are careful to keep their cards close to their chests. Revealing their true preferences and political allegiances could give their rivals some information to use against them at a later date.[2]

Play Dumb to Understand the Fake Dummies

To get closer to the fake dummies and understand what their real intentions are, play dumb too. This is what we call “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Though it’s not easy to play dumb, here we’ve got some techniques to make it work for you.

Never overdo it.

Do not pretend to be more ignorant or stupid than you really are too often, or people will either think that you truly are brainless, or that you are intentionally setting out to manipulate them. You should never tell anyone that you use this tactic, because they are unlikely to ever trust you fully in the future.

Be smart when choosing your moment.

Only play dumb when it will help you get valuable information. For example, if you pretend that you are oblivious to office politics, other people will start to confide in you. This gives you useful information about all the key players in the company.[3]

Playing dumb can give you a valuable opportunity to ask questions that might otherwise seem rude or inappropriate. For instance, let’s suppose that your manager has been blowing the department’s budget on pointless IT training and, as a result, there is a shortfall of cash.

Rather than asking them outright to explain precisely why they felt the need to overspend, and exactly how much they spent, you could ask them to tell you how the department’s budgets are decided upon. You could then ask them to take you through the department’s recent accounts so you can see an example of a budget in action. When you appear to be earnest and eager to learn, people will not question your true motives.

Practice your poker face.

If you are asking intentionally stupid questions or pretending to be far less smart than you really are, it’s easy to give into the temptation to smirk. Don’t do it, or you’ll give the whole game away. If necessary, practice remaining straight faced, even when confronted with an amusing situation.[4]

Go Forth and Act Ignorant

As you can see, those who know how to play dumb, and how to detect it in others, are in a strong position. When you learn how to tone down your intelligence, others will trust you more. When you can spot this tactic in colleagues, friends, and relatives, you’ll soon be able to tell when they have an ulterior motive in mind. Next time you need some information from someone, why not act a little dumber? The results will surprise you.

Reference

[1]^Huffington Post: 5 Ways Acting Stupid May Be Smart[2]^Quora: Atul Gupta’s answer to ‘What are signs of an ultra-smart person playing dumb?‘[3]^The Business Woman Media: 10 times playing dumb is smart[4]^Inc: 7 Smart Ways to (Literally) Play Dumb…and Save Almost Any Relationship

function footnote_expand_reference_container() { jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).show(); jQuery(“#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button”).text(“-“); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container() { jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).hide(); jQuery(“#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button”).text(“+”); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container() { if (jQuery(“#footnote_references_container”).is(“:hidden”)) { footnote_expand_reference_container(); } else { footnote_collapse_reference_container(); } } function footnote_moveToAnchor(p_str_TargetID) { footnote_expand_reference_container(); var l_obj_Target = jQuery(“#” + p_str_TargetID); if(l_obj_Target.length) { jQuery(‘html, body’).animate({ scrollTop: l_obj_Target.offset().top – window.innerHeight/2 }, 1000); } }

The post How to Know If Someone Is Playing Dumb or Really Is Dumb appeared first on Lifehack.

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2C4Dthy via Viral News HQ