#because emotions overriding logic is something that happens to everyone no matter how smart they are

[unordinary-diary]

Ensemble and Intelligence

Everyone in the main cast is really smart, actually. Every last one of them. But it doesn’t feel repetitive or unrealistic because they’re all smart in different ways.

Seraphina: is probably the most obviously smart. She’s capable of perfect grades, she’s a skilled liar, good at reading people and puzzling information together, and she’s really really clever. The moment that sticks out to me most is when she used clever wording to trick Nadia, the lie detector, during her interrogation in chapter 28, without hesitation or breaking a sweat. I’d argue that she’s actually the smartest character in the cast.

Blyke: is mostly academically smart. He gets good grades in school and finds the work to be easy. Beyond that, he’s also good at reading people. He’s not as good as Seraphina is, but he’s able to read his two best friends like a book, and he has a much higher emotional intelligence than I initially gave him credit for. He also uses his ability very creatively, even before his power up. A moment that sticks out to me is when Remi was secretly going after EMBER, and Blyke was able to read her and piece together what was going on, meanwhile Isen had no idea anything was wrong.

Isen: is not a high achiever in school, but he excels in writing. He is proficient at gathering, piecing together, and expressing information. He’s also the only character except maybe Seraphina who consistently makes the smart decisions (as opposed to the reckless, emotional, hasty or ill informed/advised ones). Most characters make at least some stupid decisions and mistakes, but Isen is pretty much always focused on logic and foresight. Notable moments include: being able to track down John’s records, tracking down Claire, choosing not to publish the article on fake Jokers because he knew it would exacerbate the problem, tracking EMBER’s movements and basically anything he does on his computer.

John: initially seems like a total birdbrain. He acts like a dumbass, and he gets fairly bad grades. However, it’s clear from the beginning that he’s a good strategist. He thinks on his feet well, he’s good at sizing people up, and when he chooses to, he uses his ability with incredible creativity and tact. His intelligence is largely fighting centered. However, much later in the story, after John’s suspension, we see another side of him. It doesn’t show up much when he’s acting like silly old hair gel John, and definitely not much when he’s too buried in his anger to think straight, but John is really clever. This side of John is a lot like Seraphina’s smarts— he’s good at reading people, and he’s good at putting pieces together and thinking critically. Things that come to mind are when he read Arlo like a book, (something along the lines of “But you do need help. You wouldn’t have lost your cool if you had things under control.) and when he immediately sniffed out Sera’s lies (She said she was talking to Arlo about “Safe House stuff”, and John identifies that as a lie because if it were true she would have kept Remi in the room instead of asking for a private conversation with Arlo).

Arlo: is very cunning. He’s constantly scheming and thinking five steps ahead. He makes many misguided decisions due to his naïveté and misplaced trust, but he’s also very often the voice of reason. He’s a great leader and an even better manipulator. He’s always thinking analytically and connecting dots. An example is the fact that Arlo is the only person who suspected that John was actually a high tier, and looked deeper for more info. He also provided valuable insight in the Spectre investigation, and, like Isen, often encourages others on the side of caution (advising Seraphina not to meet with Spectre, involving John with the Spectre issue, telling Remi not to go after EMBER, etc.) Now, Arlo actually does give off the impression of being stupid at times, which is something I’d like to look at. He has many areas where he acts purely on his emotions and against common wisdom, but that is something that every person does. I think the reason why Arlo’s emotion-based decisions come off as stupidity moreso than other characters is because of the image he upholds: Arlo hides his emotions, pretends he doesn’t care about anything, and portrays himself as a person who acts on logic alone. Because of this, the emotions he acts upon aren’t always immediately obvious, or the audience doesn’t perceive them as being intense enough to make him behave the way he does. Therefore, Arlo’s mistakes (namely: targeting John because he feels abandoned and unfairly burdened, and refusing to believe the authorities are EMBER because he loves his aunt) — can be mistaken for a lack of critical thinking as opposed to a strong emotion.

Remi: is probably the least smart by conventional standards, but she sure as hell isn’t stupid. She has good critical thinking skills, she’s able to come to logical conclusions on her own, and she has good leadership. She was probably the first to put together that the authorities and EMBER are connected, and she was the one to realize that the writer of the Kovoro Mall article (Terrence) had been following them (Ch. 52). Not to mention that it was Remi who came up with the idea for the Safe House. However, the most notable facet of Remi’s smarts is her emotional intelligence. Remi is very good at navigating social situations, understanding herself and others, and she is excellent at communication. Highlights include the way she handled the situation with John (being understanding of him, hearing him out and offering to help him, but without compromising her own values), and the way she expressed to Blyke that she wasn’t mad at him but rather, scared for his safety, which was a clear, concise and honest way of explaining a very intense and complicated emotion, which is difficult to do in the heat of the moment.

[edjectedly]

One Long Semester

So... a day later than I said (We are going to ignore the fact I said there would be a part two a year ago), but I realized this had to be three parts so, here is part two! A sequel to I Just Wanted a Good Grade which was inspired by @tsfanart so thank you again for starting this!! Shout to @fuzzypurplecloud for putting up with my complaining during this process, and @sanders-trash-4ever for editing!

Warnings: Lying, overthinking, minor self blaming

Words: 1291

Parings: Background Royality, Eventual Analogical

Tags: @irrelevantbutfabulous, @chemically-imbalanced-romance, @total-trash-emo, @llamaly, @himrachel, @a-wild-zaneta, @acrobaticcatfeline,  @fuzzypurplecloud @emphoenixcat @tree4life25 @vergeangst @ashrain5 @thisrandomperson102 @callboxkat @princelogical @meginoi @moxiety--sanders101 @poisonedapples  @say-no-to-this-but-its-laurens @kanejandkruge @lizaelsparrow 

Logan could barely wrap his head around the events of tonight. He was hopelessly infatuated with the purple haired, emo, graphic design major that just so happened to be the roommate of his close childhood friend. Said close friend had tried to introduce them several times, but Logan always managed to get out of those encounters and thus would never actually meet the person whom he admired so deeply.

He didn’t understand his feelings, similarly to how he didn’t understand the man who made him feel this way. He also didn’t understand why Roman was so insistent on him dealing with his feelings. Feelings were inherently illogical, but when Roman texted him begging for help, Logan just could not say no. Logan thought that maybe meeting the person of his affections would help him get over it, but no. Watching Virgil grow to understand a subject that had clearly just been explained poorly had only made Logan fall harder. And with Virgil’s newfound understanding should have come the end of their interactions, and Logan thought that would be the end of it. Then he had gotten that one fateful text.

Virgil had needed him again, and who was he to deny someone knowledge? So, he had made the trek across campus to see him, only for the other to start panicking when Roman came in. It had seemed so simple at the time, to just lie and say they were dating, except for the fact that  Logan decidedly didn’t want it to be a lie. He actually wanted to get to know someone that was not being pushed upon him by someone else.

Then everything just fell into place, the double dates with Roman and Patton, the study sessions with just him and Virgil, movie nights where Virgil always managed to fall asleep on him right before the end. Logan even learned how to help him through a panic attack, and though he’d never want Virgil to go through another one ever again, he was glad he was trusted to help. Everything was perfect, but Logan knew that eventually the semester would end and he did not know what to do. He didn’t want anything to change, barring his wishes possibly becoming a reality. Which lead Logan to do something he never thought he’d do. He went to Patton.

Logan hadn’t been sure exactly how to breach the topic to him without exposing their lie, but he was stuck in a loop of not knowing what to do, and so when he finally met with Patton, he had accidentally confessed everything. It had all just poured out in a way extremely uncharacteristic of Logan, which he would never admit to.

At first Patton seemed a little bit upset about the lying, but ultimately he understood why they did it, and he was willing to help Logan figure somethings out.

“So, you like Virgil, why not tell him?” Patton asked, as they sat in his dorm.

The question itself was simple enough, but Logan didn’t have any idea how to respond.

Logan sighed, running his hand through his hair, “I don’t want to mess up what we already have.”

“Logan, what you have right now is nice, but wouldn’t it be even better if it was real?”

“You’re correct, but I do not wish to stress him out before his final. That seems counterproductive to all the work he has put in over the semester and I won’t let my… infatuation with him cost him the good grade he’s worked so hard to get.”

There was a brief pause, enough for Logan to look up at Patton and for Patton to offer him a knowing smile, “Yah know he may be just as worried about this as you are? I haven’t known Virge that long, but he is my anxious child, and as such, I have a pretty good grasp on how he thinks and what he worries about. Just think about it for a bit and tell me this. Doesn’t it stand to reason that he’s worried about where you two stand as well?”

Logan shifted uncomfortably, not liking where this was going, “Are you suggesting he would be more successful if we were to ‘update our relationship status’, metaphorically speaking?”

“That’s for you two to decide Lo, I don’t want either of you feeling… low!”

It took all of Logan’s willpower not to let out a sigh at the pun, instead shifting his eyes toward the ground, focused more on making a plan than anything else. He knew Virgil, and he knew that Virgil’s final was coming up in two weeks. Between him and Patton they could keep him distracted, and knowing Roman, he’d contribute without meaning to. That way, he couldn’t stress about potential feelings, and Logan would have more time to make a decision on how to deal with them.

“Patton, do you think you could help me minimize Virgil’s stress this week and next, so I have more time to properly assess the situation? That way I cause him no further emotional distress, and he can focus on his grades, which are more important.”

Patton pressed his lips into a tight line, his usually ever-present smile disappearing, “You know, feelings are just as important as grades right? I’m all for helpin’ you both calm down kiddo, but your feelings are important too.”

“If you didn’t understand earlier when I explained the situation, this is my fault, and therefore it is my job to resolve this mess in a way that will cause everyone the least amount of turmoil.”

“From what you told me,” corrected Patton, “All you did was give him a way out of a sticky situation where he just wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was going on. Sure there were other options, but you both thought that was best in the moment. It wouldn’t be smart to blame yourself for this.”

Logically, Logan knew Patton was correct, but for some reason he still felt distressed in regards to the whole situation. He didn’t feel right keeping his secret hidden from Virgil, but he knew he couldn't come clean to him today. He was too afraid, despite knowing that his fears were irrational.

Upon sensing the other’s growing distress, Patton quickly spoke up, “I’ll help you Lo, don’t worry. But, you have to promise me you’ll talk to Virgil before we go home for Christmas break. Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, of course,” Logan exclaimed, standing up, “Thank you so much Patton. I am certain that I can handle this situation, I just need some time.

“I’m sure you can,” Patton shrugged, smile returning to his face, “Just remember you aren’t alone anymore, and Virgil is your friend. He won’t just turn his back on you.”

“You are quite right, sometimes my emotions simply override my intelligence,” Logan paused for a moment before blurting out, “I’m sorry I have never come to you before for advice on matters such as this. You’re a lot wiser than I gave you credit for.”

“I know I met you because of Roman, but don’t forget I’m your friend too. I’m always here to help!”

With that, Patton opened his arms, and despite the fact that Logan normally did not participate in such displays, he felt himself subconsciously leaning in to embrace his bubbly friend. When he pulled away, Logan could not help but notice how much higher his tolerance for affection was now, as compared to the time before he had actually met Virgil.

A lot of changes had occurred when he grew closer to the purple haired emo, and hopefully they would continue to change for the better. Now all he had to do was wait.