#burnt bird primary

[wisteria-lodge]

burnt lion primary + burnt secondary

hey!! so back in april i sent in a sortme submission, and you ultimately said that u think that i’m a slightly burnt lion primary + bird secondary (snake model). i just wanted to thank u again for taking the time to help me with that! but i just have some doubts still, and some more to say, i’m so sorry if it’s too much or all over the place!

i’ve always turned to other people in my life that i trusted and loved the most to help guide me in almost every situation, because i just get so indecisive, and i feel like i need an outside source to either affirm or deny my choice. but i feel like i usually end up going either with my gut feeling and feeling satisfied, or go with what “sounds” right but end up getting hurt.

If you didn’t say the thing about gut response, I would have described all this as Exploded *Bird.* If you really do feel better/safer/more satisfied going with your gut response, then that’s still a Lion. (Although I’m keeping open the possibility that you’re a Bird who thinks they need to be a Lion for some reason.)

but either way i just feel so guilty, like i can’t help wondering if i made the wrong choice or if i can turn around and choose the other one. so i feel like the whole process is just very burnt lion-y.

It does, yeah.

also, when i said that i felt like everyone develops some sort of improvisational model as an adult, i actually meant to say foundational (i think that’s the term?) secondary models.

I think you wrote the first submission early enough that the terms were still in flux. If you meant to say that you think all adults have learned to model built/prepwork secondaries, that’s completely different, and skews me in the direction of thinking that your Bird secondary might in fact be a model.

also, on my bird secondary, i feel like i might have some lion in there? when i was young, i was quite shy, but when i would get comfortable enough i wouldn’t think as much before i acted. 

That’s a human thing, but I’ll keep an eye on it. 

and then in middle and hs, there was this internal struggle of not being comfortable enough around certain people to be outgoing and social, to show that side of me to others, and i would be jealous seeing other people just be themselves so easily. 

This specific thing most likely relates back to your Burnt primary. Burnt Lion are often jealous of un-Burnt Lions, that’s a thing. 

i think back then i viewed it as either not being yourself at all or completely showing yourself to someone. 

This could be evidence of Lion secondary… but it could be Lion primary. I’m starting to think that your secondary might have been very Burnt, and you were just living in your primary for a while. 

it takes me so so long to open up to people and truly be myself, and even then i may never be my true self, but just peel back certain layers. i feel best when i don’t have to think about what to say, or when i don’t have to think about what’s worked in the past. 

This could describe Lion, Snake, Badger mirroring… but I don’t think it actually describes Rapid-Fire Bird. 

it can be useful, and i definitely use it more and more every year. knowing what i’m going to do/say helps. 

So you model a Built secondary (probably Bird) 

especially because i get so stutter-y and scared

Like this is burnt secondary… but it seems like there might also be anxiety or something else going on here. It’s not ethical for me to armchair diagnose though. 

but when i peel it all back, i feel like i might be an improvisational secondary. one of the things that i’m proudest of is when i got my first job. it took me longer than my peers to get one because i would get so scared to go to the interview, so i would back out the day before. but during all of those times.

Ouch. Burned secondary (and anxiety?)

i would turn to my family and best friends for help, constantly asking them what to do. 

That’s your Burnt Lion again. (Little words in there like ‘constantly’ give this the feeling of… out of control.) 

but when i applied for the job that became my first job, i was sure of myself and i didn’t tell anyone until i was going to the interview, in which i told my parents. i felt so much better to act alone and when i was sure of myself,

Oh that’s a Lion primary, unBurning. 

and to just go and do it. it was a big step for me. idk if that points to any one secondary, or that still applies to bird.

Gee, that just sounds like a unBurnt secondary. Not even sure which kind exactly. Feels good, right? 

i’ve always looked to other people for direction. i get so indecisive or overwhelmed and end up getting overwhelmed and just laying in bed all day, so other people guiding me, specifically my mom and best friend, helps a lot. 

I would really, really look into mental health resources and getting yourself a therapist of some kind. The debilitating level of fear you’re describing, and something like lying in bed all day, is starting to sound like clinical anxiety and depression. It isn’t supposed to be that hard, I promise. 

but when it comes down to it, nobody can really make me do anything but myself. i’m not gonna do something unless i care about it. 

Lion primary.

i find that i do enjoy the process of certain things, like cleaning, learning a new piano/choir piece, or even just driving somewhere. i enjoy doing things for people that i care about (which are a very select few) and enjoy the process of that.

This, this is good. This is a secondary starting to unBurn and take pleasure in things again. Little bits. Little things. But it counts, and it’s a huge step. From this little list, I’m starting to think maybe Badger… but I honestly have no idea. You’ve got a very delicate, healing secondary, and you should nurture that. 

i feel like i could be a snake primary with a slightly burnt lion model? i definitely do have a hierarchy of people whom i care about and prioritize in my life, and i get very defensive over certain people in my life. the only thing that i’ve ever felt really strongly about in life has been my family, and making sure that nobody bad mouths them, even if i agree with what they’re saying. but for everyone else who isn’t family, i’ll prioritize certain things over them. for example, when there’s an argument involving my best friend and our other friend, and the other friend is right, then i’ll side with the other friend, but sometimes the best friend could guilt trip me into making me be on their side just because they’re my best friend. idk it’s all so complicated. i can usually see both sides of an argument, and have trouble choosing because they both are valid or true.

Also because you’re Burnt, and because you’re not used to trusting your own takes on things and your own responses to things. I’m not even sure I can responsibly pick though all that. Because you say the only thing you’ve ever felt strongly about is your family, but I strongly suspect that the only thing you’ve allowed yourself to feel strongly about is your family (and your best friend.) And that doesn’t seem to make you feel good and strong, it seems to make you feel… guilty. 

At this point I do think Burnt Lion is most likely… but if you came back in a month and told me, I think I’m a Burnt Bird who really likes Lions and was trying to be a Lion… I’d buy that too. 

i also like i could be a snake secondary. i feel like i’ve always been quite avoidant since i was a child, but it’s never felt wrong. in fact, it’s felt quite good, to be able to get myself out of a situation, or something that i had to do. i would usually pretend to not be aware to get out of doing something or to hide something, and it usually worked. now, i do it more regularly, specifically to get out of doing assignments for school, or i’ll find a way to get out of giving a presentation but still get points. actually it could be bird still because i try to look at what i’m working with before acting.

Honestly, too Burnt to tell. Because you’re not telling me about how you did things, you’re telling me how you didn’t do things. And of course there’s carry-over, but that’s an important distinction. You easily could be a Burnt Snake secondary, sometimes called the “driftwood” snake. This could be Burnt Lion, shutting down. This could be Burnt Bird secondary even. Badger is the *least* likely I think, because Burnt Badger secondaries like to overwork themselves, especially when it comes to school… but this is an example of Burnt secondaries kind of looking similar. Which they do. 

sorry if that was really long and rambly and all over the place. thank u for taking the time to help me!

I hope I did help, a little. Mostly, I hope things will turn around for you. 

[the-phoenix-heart]

How would you sort the cast from Miraculous Ladybug ?

(I was gonna hold off on posting this until I was absolutely certain about the sorting, because sorting this show is like pulling teeth. But then last night I had a dream about Lila trying to ruin Marinette’s birthday with the usual lesbian subtext you would expect from two girls who hate each other and when I woke I had this second ask in my inbox so I figure the universe is tryna tell me something)

This is a hard one. There are some things we have to consider with Miraculous Ladybug. (warning this gets long)

1. It’s inconsistent with its characters on a good day. 

2. The creators are very much pushing an unhealthy-keep the peace and be nice to everyone including bullies and toxic people because they are people to-Badger primary narrative.

3. While it’s not unhealthy like the primary, the show also pushes a Badger secondary narrative. They like their Badger secondaries and what show wants to teach is that Pure Badgers are the best sorting possible. 

So it becomes hard to see what is an actual character moment, and what’s the creators using a character as a mouthpiece. Marinette gets fucked over by this because the show deliberately has her do things wrong so they can enforce lessons. This is especially hard with Adrien because he is the show’s golden boy favorite which means he does everything right and almost always spouts out the lesson of the day. It’s safe to say that if Marinette and Adrien aren’t already Badgers they have badger primary models. Adrien because showrunners, Marinette because Adrien’s peddling it to her.

(I wanna make it very clear that I’m not insulting Badger primaries in this post, but unhealthy Badger primaries where bad people get away with bad things just because they are people)

So MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG/LADYBUG...I think she’s a burnt Bird. She can’t be naturally a Badger because she has to constantly be told by people to act like a Badger. Give Chloe a million chances even if she bullied you for years and is horrible to everyone around her and has no desire to change. Don’t expose Lila for being a liar who gives out false promises and also wants to destroy Ladybug and teams up with Hawkmoth. 

It also explains her unhealthy Snake primary she has for Adrien. A lot of the time her motivation, her why, will be because Adrien! Why does she get Adrien to come with them on the trip to New York? Because if not he’ll be left alone with Lila and she’s jealous! And also I guess because Adrien should get to do fun things. Why did she choose Adrien to be Aspik? Because she’s in love with him and he’s perfect! But that’s not her, it doesn’t work for her. Part of that is the world telling her if she ever tries to pursue Adrien it’ll backfire in her face, but also it’s not natural for her. She fell for Adrien and because her primary is burnt she placed meaning in him, building a Snake primary for him-and then a drowned Badger primary model once he started lecturing her about it. 

And yes I do think her Badger primary model is drowned. She gives her all to everything, and is always convinced that doing anything seemingly selfish is bad (which is weird because the narrative also has Alya constantly trying to convince her to be selfish and date Adrien). She won’t let herself confess to Adrien because that will literally lead to the end of the world. She also gives up trying to pursue Adrien because she wants him to be happy with Kagami. She gives up a job opportunity to help save Paris (which was the right choice but doesn’t disprove my point). She is told by Mme. Bustier that she has to be an example and that she has to stay calm and keep the peace and give everything for other people. She is slowly over the series starting to drown. 

Now admittedly she could be a burnt Lion originally, we don’t ever see her before her burning. But, the reason why I say Bird is because she seems more eager for people to tell her what is right and what is wrong. What is true? Burnt Lions, I can say from experience, don’t like as much to be told what is right and wrong. They want to know of course, but there will be a part of them that is unhappy and when they are told by other people they’ll be more sad about it if it doesn’t gel with their gut. It’ll just be another reason why they’re wrong and they’ll stay burnt longer. On the other hand, Marinette is eager to be told what is true from people, she wants to know and when people tell her she takes it in and immediately follows it. I say she’s a burnt bird because she doesn’t trust herself to make the right decision unless it’s black and white, akuma v. hero. The snap judgements she makes are because she’s burnt and therefore she flounders when unable to ask what she should do and just does because if she thinks she’ll come to the wrong decision. So impulsive decision time. (Miraculous Ladybug is a really depressing show if you think of Marinette as a real person)

Or she’s a burnt Lion and I just went on a tangent for no reason. 

 Now you’d think think that sorting out her secondary would be easier, but NO. The only thing easy about her secondary is that she is definitely not a Lion secondary. 

Now she definitely has a two models. One of her models is a Badger obviously. She takes on projects and works herself to death. She also takes on a caring role usually and works as a leader. She manages to charm people almost instantly and then she has them on her side for basically forever. I only say this is a model because her plans never really include other people or calling in favors. 

But now I have to decided if she is a rapid fire Bird or a Snake originally and which one is her model. I wanna say that she’s a Snake originally. Her plans are usually incredibly under the fly. She’ll just look around the area, see what she has to work with, and then immediately have the plan. It’s not usually based off of prior knowledge (although that happens a fair amount to). She also does things like steal phones and bicycles a fair amount (classic Snake traits) and has on more than one occasion lied her way out of a situation. 

Now her Bird model is not unimportant. I say she isn’t originally a bird because she never has a back up plan. Plan A fails and she has to freak out for a bit before she makes a new plan on the fly. Her bird model is something she used to play with before she became a hero I think. She gained many skills in the art world-especially fashion-, baking, gaming, etc. just for the fun of it. Then she became a hero and used that planning skill to good work. How do I defeat the akuma and convince Chat Noir that I’m not Marinette? Obviously I’ll shrink myself down into many versions of me wearing all the miraculouses so I can climb in the kwamis’ mouths, take Chat Noir’s ring from him, get sucked into the kwami pack so I can break it from the inside with the Cat miraculous, then I’ll make an illusion of me as Ladybug getting the akuma and me as Multimouse taking off my miraculous because I’m just such a goof and then when Chat leaves I’ll capture the real akuma and transform back. 

Compare that to Chat’s plan of, say the school is a elementary school. 

But honestly it could go either way.

Adrien is much easier to sort compared to Marinette’s spastic characterization.

ADRIEN AGRESTE/CHAT NOIR has a strong Badger primary model, which is hilarious because he sucks at it. The boy is actually a Snake primary just like his father (he ALSO has an unhealthy primary but we’ll get to that). Lila lying to his class-his community-and giving them empty promises? He doesn’t care, he wants to keep the peace! He’s gonna be nice to her and try to sway her the side of good from the sidelines-wait what’s this? Lila made his friend Kagami jealous which caused her to be akumatized and also tried to get Ladybug killed? What an outrage! He’s not gonna try to be friends with her anymore! Wait, Lila got Marinette expelled through bullshit?! How dare she! Now he’s going to force her to take it all back so Marinette can be happy!

He doesn’t get upset when his community is threatened, he only gets mad when his people are threatened. In Chat Blanc he is forced to choose between killing his father or killing Ladybug (who is his girlfriend because it’s another timeline), which is a classic Snake problem. Chat doesn’t think about how if he kills his father instead he’ll save all of Paris, he just can’t decide and ends up destroying the world with his indecision. “Our love [destroyed the world]” he says to Ladybug. That’s very Snake primary and seems to me like an unhealthy Snake primary. His dream is to move away to an island alone with Ladybug, which says something about the differences between them. Marinette’s dream is have a large family with Adrien. 

His secondary is harder because I can’t tell if he has a Badger secondary or a Lion secondary. The thing is the way the shows treats the different identities is that Ladybug and Adrien are the masks for Marinette and Chat (I did not do this for Marinette though). That means that a more accurate reading for Adrien’s sorting should theoretically be looking at Chat. Chat definitely has a Lion secondary. His first instinct is always attack first attack attack attack. Most of the time the reason the battle drags on is because Chat is jumping in too soon. When he doesn’t jump in it’s because he’s pissed at Ladybug for rejecting him. Also, the one time we see him do a plan, the plan is dress up in a makeshift suit and attack the enemy. 

But he definitely has a Badger secondary model. How will he make Lila stop antagonizing Marinette? He’ll act like he’s her friend and let her model with him. How does he try to impress his father, by taking a bunch of classes and modelling for him. It’s a model though, one I think he built after his mother “disappeared” to try and cheer up his father. 

I know you probably wanted more so rapid fire:

ALYA CESAIRE is a Lion primary who makes impulsive decisions and only doesn’t when the plot needs her to. She’s got an immature Bird secondary as well, immature as in she gains a piece of information and her Lion primary then makes her go crazy over it. 

CHLOE BOURGEOIS is snake primary who cares about herself and those closest to her until she doesn’t, and a Lion secondary who charges in because she’s stupid with a shitty Snake secondary model she adopted from her parents.

GABRIEL AGRESTE/HAWKMOTH is a Snake primary who cares only about his wife, sometimes Natalie, and sometimes Adrien. Also a Bird secondary who makes big elaborate plans that always fail.

NATALIE SANCOEUR/MAYURA is a Snake primary who does things for Adrien and Gabriel because she loves them, and another Bird secondary who has a very nice skillset and and helps Gabriel with his plans. She does also have a Badger secondary because she works very hard and uses herself as a weapon, but it’s not her go to. 

(yes I know I didn’t sort Nino or Lila, but Nino is practically a non-character and Lila might have a Lion primary and I don’t wanna have to put much more thought into this post. Maybe later)

so...

Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Ladybug - Burnt Bird primary (maybe burnt Lion) with a drowned Badger model and an unhealthy Snake model for Adrien/Snake secondary with a Bird model (possibly switched) and a (possibly unhealthy) Badger model

Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir - Snake primary/Lion Secondary, double Badger model

Alya Cesaire - Lion primary/immature Bird secondary

Gabriel Agreste/Hawkmoth - Snake primary/Bird secondary

Natalie Sancoeur/Mayura - Snake primary/Bird secondary, Badger secondary model

Chloe Bourgeois - Snake primary/Lion secondary

[air-in-words]

My Sorting Hat Chats Journey

So, hi! I'm back!

I've been doing fun stuff off in the real world, but I decided to talk a little bit about my own Sorting Hat Chats sorting journey, and how it says a lot about self-acceptance, and how understanding who you really are can sometimes only come from being an active participant in life. Here we goooo...

The Beginning

So, my initial sorting was a Burnt Badger/Bird. This had struck me, because I'd never considered myself a Badger in ANY media. I was seen by my friends as a borderline loner, someone who didn't need anyone else. And yet, all the signs were there.

Looking back on my life, I've always migrated in groups, always looked for a nesting ground, and truly that's all I want. A place to nest, a place to rest, where I can feel safe and surrounded by people who love me. But, after a childhood filled with bullying, I found myself embarrassed of my bold face need for friends, and, for some reason, decided getting too close to people for too long was unwise, so I could probably never have a permanent home. And yet, I always found myself in these little "groups," little packs of people that all travel together.

I've always had these friend groups, where everyone knows each other, we all hang out together, and yet it always manages to eventually fall apart. I asked one of my friends how this keeps happening, and who keeps setting up these groups. She blinked sort of vaguely and said, "uh, you do." It was such a strange realization to look back and see myself as the "shepherd" I was, always creating a flock wherever I went. I had always been the spoke of my friend wheels, the only one that was friends with everyone, or actively tried to be friends with everyone. And I would attempt to hold it together, but it would always ultimately shatter, and I'd leave to find and form another. Family is important to me, and it isn't enough for me to bond with one person. I like for all my friends to be friends with each other, for us all to hang out together and enjoy each other's company.

So, although I still struggle, Burnt Badger came out on top, and I believe is still at the top to this day. I still search for belonging. I still search for family. And, yet, my heart seems to have no intention of unburning. Until recently, I had no idea why.

On the other hand, the secondary I received, Bird, seemed to fit like a glove, and was very obvious to me. I've been called the Encyclopedia before, I was made fun of for being caught reading the dictionary like it was a book, and I always seem to have a "fun fact" for every occasion. And all of this seemed to flow directly into me trying to use these facts and this knowledge to win people over, to get to see me as someone that could be their friend, or that I could be reliable as a member of their "group." So, Burnt Badger/Bird simply made sense. The reasons for me avoiding unburning my primary were irrelevant.

The Now

I'd been gone from this side of Tumblr for a bit, and decided to return on a whim. Saw @wisteria-lodge still posting as much as ever, and saw a lot of my posts had been passed around in the meantime (thank ya by the way) and decided to dive back in, because since then, so much of my life has changed. I've had certain people out of my life for a while that were a hindrance on my self-acceptance, I've moved out of my childhood home, and left a job I've had for the past 5 years. I've been forced to constantly LIVE, to make choices, actual choices, and have been offered the chance to be who I truly am, unapologetically.

So, I took the quiz again, curious if I would come up any different.

I got Burnt Badger/Burnt Snake.

This time, I was almost insulted. A flush of memories, of past feelings came to me, most of all the need to push back, to insist in exasperation I'M NOT A LIAR, as though I was tired of defending myself. As hard as I tried, I somehow couldn't seem to get Bird secondary to reappear.... at all. Which was so crazy, because before, that was pretty much all I could get.

So, I went to the experts, the aforementioned wisteria-lodge and @sortinghatchats .

I looked through the Snake secondary tags and found myself lost in memories I had pushed down, so far down even I couldn't find them, wracked with shame and a need to hide this side of myself, something I'd hidden so well I'd pretty much convinced myself it had never existed.

Being a Bird had always been a choice for me. I decided that was what people must want, becoming intelligent, knowing all of these things, showing off, that would make people like me. But, although I can devour books like nobody's business, and I tend to worry and whinge before every major decision, feeling unprepared, I would always find myself falling short of my own expectations. The amount of times I'd promised myself and others to create a plan and study hard, ultimately fail to do so, and then lie to everyone about it was astounding. My public image continued to be "air-in-words the smart girl" but my private image was still LIAR and FAKE.

I would still somehow get all A's. I was very good at remembering facts and excellent at taking tests. I always thought of them like little tricks themselves, meant to trip you up, but if you paid attention, you could figure out the patterns and be able to bluster your way through stuff you might not even fully understand. You can figure out certain words through context clues, and I was always very comfortable trusting my memory with little preparation beforehand. And yet, I still lied and told everyone I'd studied, at least as a child, before high school.

Math was what eventually messed me up, and sent my self-image whirling into the ground. My grades suddenly went from straight A's to D's and F's. My parents were aghast, what had happened??? I was so intelligent, so smart, such a good student. What had gone wrong?? And, although I never admitted it outloud to them, I knew the answer. With math, you can't trick your way out. You either know how to do it and give the right answer, or you don't. And I had never studied a day in my life, never practiced, never worked hard at all. It was my horrible little secret and math had outed me. It continues to out me, because rather than actually work at it and get better, I managed to keep my grades through high school afloat by leaning on my other grades and taking remedial math courses with a teacher who loved me very much and would let me off easy. To this day, honestly, I can barely count. I might actually have some form of dyscalculia, but I know that if I were willing to try a little harder I could get better. But, why would I do that, when this way works just fine? Just coasting through? But, again, no one could know. Not even myself.

Through high school, I began letting people in on my secret Snake, because being a "slacker" was suddenly cool. I still couldn't let my parents know, or the teachers, but coming clean about not being a keener was what earned me new friend groups. I wasn't some weirdo who actually studied all the time: I was a kid who maybe did 60-70% of my homework and slid by on my good memory and general interest in learning. And my reputation. My reputation was key to my success.

College would be the thing that completely threw me to the ground. There were simply too many sirens singing at me, distractions pulling me away from my work. I'd never looked less like a Bird than in college. I was always skipping class, always not studying, and in fact, would openly fail most of my courses. And I just didn't seem to care. I slid into what I guess must have been a sort of neutral zone, but I wasn't happy. The mask was slipping off and I needed out. I couldn't keep up this charade anymore. It was stifling, trying to be a Bird, going to college for a very Bird degree, surrounded by actual Birds, it was all very much what I didn't want. I wanted something less "academic," less, well, boring. Maybe more Snake like.

And, so, here we are. Currently dropped out of college, living in an apartment with my friend, away from my parents' prying eyes, and with a new job that I chose for myself. On the brink of finally understanding myself, and maybe accepting myself as I am.

My Badger primary is burned because of my Snake secondary. Because I thought I was a sham, a liar, a con, and I didn't feel like I deserved to have people close to me. Those traits are bad, and I was a bad person. No one should be tricked by me.

But, after reading some of the stories from the experts and other Snake secondaries, I found this crazy thought, that perhaps being this way isn't a bad thing. Maybe I'm not a bad person. Maybe it's okay to be who I am. Maybe I can use these "powers" for good, and they aren't inherently evil.

So, at least for now, I'm choosing to identify as Burnt Badger/Burnt Snake with Bird Model. Seeing how it feels to accept myself and not try and force myself to be who I think I should be, or who others want me to be (which is a Snake secondary thing in the first place. Lol!)

For Fun, Here's Some Crazy Actual Snake Secondary Things I've Done That I'm Trying to Be Less Ashamed of Now

When I was little, I used to make up crazy stories about things I'd done to seem more interesting. The one that makes me cringe the most is that my uncle has a statue in his backyard that comes to life and goes on adventures with me. My uncle DID have a statue in his backyard that I really loved but no, it didn't (and still hasn't) come to life.

Some of these, I can't explain, like this one, where I somehow had more than one teacher convinced I'd handed in every piece of homework before the one I was giving them the sob story about that day. I literally had a teacher look me in the face, tell me I'd been handing in my homework really well thus far and knew I was trustworthy, so they'd let me slide with no mark against me. Meanwhile, I had missed the homework for the past THREE WEEKS IN A ROW. I just smiled and let it go. Variations of this situation happened throughout high school and college. And, no, I had no good reason not to do the homework. I just didn't want to do it. Lol.

I usually live in the "neutral state" around my close friends, since I think it's disrespectful not to be straight with them, but I have had to turn it on to help them occasionally. One of my friends was having issues with an ex of hers, she was thinking that maybe she should go back out with the guh, and I had been my blunt, neutral self the whole time, telling her flat out that that was a bad idea. But, it wasn't working. "Neutral state" isn't like a Lion's forceful natural state, I guess. So, I decided I would have to push her in a certain direction to help her get through it. I told her she should go back out with him, and although she did sort of call me out for lying, knowing I didn't actually want that, I told her she should if she really think she should. The dude didn't last one date without showing his ass again, and she thanked me for making her do that. Lol.

Finally, at least for this list, my most prized shameful memory, is when I was taking an acting class in college. We were supposed to create a wordless scene as our final, and I hadn't prepared anything, so I just skipped the day we were supposed to do them. But, I decided to show up for the last day to see if I could still somehow pass. She's going through the grades, and looks up and asks me, "I don't have anything written down for you, I can't remember, did you give a performance or not?" I knew I hadn't then, but decided to give one now. I told her yes I had done one, don't you remember came up with a name on the fly. The same friend from the last story was staring at me like she was about to burst. She thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "ah, of course! Yes, I think I remember. I remember you'd done pretty well. What grade did I give you?" I hedged my bets and said A-. Lol. I had never been filled with more pride shame in my life.

[mooglesorts]

finally came to terms with the fact that i'm a snake secondary who was really self-hating until now. remembered the pattern-of-favorite-characters sorting trick. ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE WITHOUT FAIL IS A SNAKE (or strong snake model).

i feel giddy with relief about all this for a lot of reasons, and i'm just sitting here wheezing at myself over this in particular for a) how predictable i am and b) the fact that i Did Not See This Sooner. oh my GOD

[keeskiwi]

A blackpoll warbler in a valley oak tree! We had a lot of eastern birds over here this migration, for some reason. 

[sevilemar]

What would you say are some tell-tales signs of someone being a Snake Secondary even when the person is unaware of it ? I’m a Lion Primary but my Secondary is a mystery. I don’t know whenever it’s burnt, buried under model(s) and / or performance(s), or if I’m just unable to have a clear picture of myself, probably a mix of all this, but I know it’s not Badger Secondary.

What I'm about to list is neither conclusive nor exhaustive, and you still can be a snake even if nothing on this is you. I tried to give non-clicheed answers, everyday stuff instead of stereotypical things, because hopefully that's easier to identify with.

Here are a few things I have in common with other snake secondaries in the community.

- making weird connections nobody else sees, and having them work only in that particular situation

- asking 'Does it work?' more than 'Is this the (right) way to do this?' [birds also do this]

- not studying or prepping for an exam/a presentation/etc. much, and still coming out alright somehow

- enjoyed making up stories as a kid, about cool stuff you did, or cool friends you have, or cool people you met, etc.

- being good at individual conversations, but bad at networking

- getting frustrated if people don't want to try new things, especially if their old approach is obviously not working or you have just shown them a better way

- figuring stuff out while writing about it -> discovery writing [lions also do this]

- enjoying/don't minding weird solutions that work, being proud of coming up with these clever ideas on the fly

- getting opportunities you have not asked for, and for no apparent reason

- feeling like an asshole if you're too exhausted to bother with people-pleasing any longer

- getting annoyed and contrary with any advice that includes 'plan' or 'prep', because you know from experience that it will not work for you [lions might also get this]

And here are a few things I do that I think is also snake secondary:

- getting along well with very different people I don't necessarily like or agree with in a professional context (different temperaments, political opinions, upbringings, etc.)

- hopping from one personal project to the next without feeling guilty about not finishing any; it will get done, it's just not its time yet.

- getting antsy if things get too set in their ways, too predictable, too boring

- loving snake secondary characters

- wanting to have at least three different kinds of clothing styles in my wardrobe, because it's fun to look like you're someone else on any given day

- being constantly surprised when people aren't professional enough to leave their personal grievances behind while trying to work together

- not being surprised when you get to know coworkers in a private context, and they turn out to be very different from their work-selves

- making up words in the moment that don't really exist, but hopefully people understand in the situation [though I think that's also the German in me]

Snakes of the community, what did I miss?

[thelongestway]

Sorting the Slayers: Gourry Gabriev (Initially Burnt Snake Primary (Badger Model)/Snake Secondary)

Sorting Gourry Gabriev (spoiler - he is the chillest Double Snake ever) was difficult for two reasons, one for the Primary, one for the Secondary. First, Gourry's Primary starts out Burnt, even though it's not obvious. Gourry's family continuously fought over the artifact Gourry now carries - the Sword of Light, so he left them and at the start of the show he's just... Drifting and emulating his idea of a noble swordsman - which, tellingly, isn't Idealist (no ideals of Knighthood or Chivalry, even though they are very present in the universe, see bands of would-be heroes), but Loyalist. At the start, Gourry basically presents as a Badger, instantly taking charge of Lina while completely missing that she didn't really need to be taken charge of (for like the first 10 minutes). Notably, the moment Lina shows her true colors, Gourry adapts - just as instantly he begins treating her as an equal. There's no denial, not even a moment of resistance. You change - I change. Another point in favor of Snake Primary is that while Gourry displays a basic level of empathy - he is generally down to help people and is the epitome of Neutral Good - he's just... Not that interested in people outside of his circle. Yeah, he'll be decent to them. Sure. But those he really cares about are right here, and the rest of the world just isn't as important. He sticks by his own through thick and thin. And as the show progresses, Gourry's Snake begins to Unburn through his relationship with Lina - whose toes he never steps on. He is always adapting to her, and is perfectly happy with that, and stays in his own brand of Neutral the rest of the time. For Secondary, the difficult part is that Gourry is the emblematic low Int/high Wis D&D character, which makes it hard to identify a preference for methods. While often presenting as Dumb, Gourry is nevertheless keenly observant, identifying Xellos as a Mazoku well before the rest of the team (mages all!) and Word of God has it that if he had the intellect, he'd be a mage easily as powerful as Lina... But he doesn't. And he doesn't need it to feel good in his skin. He's neither a Bird nor a Badger. He doesn't take pride in working smart or working hard. He's not a Lion, either: he doesn't take the direct way just because he can. Instead, Gourry Gabriev is the chillest Snake Secondary ever. He follows His Person and just takes in life as it comes, rolling with the punches. He fights by observing the enemy and reacting, and he's perfectly happy while His Person is happy. While Gourry doesn't really have masks, he does very consciously allow people to project on him, playing up the stupidity just a little bit, very subtly. He also much more comfortable with the various role-taking hijinks that the crew sometimes gets up than the rest of the team. Unlike a Badger, he doesn't really have to become those things, even though that's sometimes played up for fun - it's very much "that's a presentation", even when he is spouting stock dialogue like "I have no name to give to the likes of you." It's very much not a "I have to believe this myself" vibe. Gourry Gabriev is a "live and let live" grass snake, and he is perfectly fine with that.

[repetitionsings]

I know you have stuff for burned Lion to help unburn about what do I think could help the other primaries unburn? Like would a snake unburn just by going out a making friends? But like talking to people can be scary and it takes time to make friends... And I suppose Badgers could maybe join new communities I suppose. I have no idea what Bird would do other then make/fix their system but I have no clue how one would go about doing that.

Confused? Pretty sure this was sent to a different blog? @wisteria-lodge had a lot of asks to answer and asked for some help from the SHC community, so I’ll be answering a few they sent my way!

Not to get too serious here, but I think it's important to note this anyway: The first steps to unburning are the same for everyone, and it's getting yourself in a position where you can unburn, and working on what caused that damage. Something hurt you in a very important place. You need to get away from the thing that hurt you, and it's entirely possible there's going to be something you need to deal with about it before you can fully fix it. You might be able to get a little better, even if that's not immediately possible, but at its core, unburning is more about being able to deal with what caused you to burn than it is anything else.

But, if that's a road you can get on, there's likely to be things you can do along the way. I can’t tell you how to let people in, join new communities, or build a system, not the least because that’s gonna depend on your person who, what, and how too much for me to say generally. Also, I don’t see that as the process so much as both the consequence -- as you unburn, you’ll probably be able to figure out how to connect to these things in a way you had trouble doing when burnt -- and the eventual endgame. There are baby steps to go through first.

What I can offer is some generalities, and make some educated guesses at how they’ll apply to Snake and Bird Primaries, and some slightly more informed guesses from my position as a Burned Badger, but if anyone else -- any actual Snakes and Birds in particular -- have some insight on things that helped them or thoughts on what they think might do so, I'd love to hear it. Under the bump, because this post grew kinda long:

➢ Engage with fiction and media that feeds your primary.

Snakes can try attaching to characters; Birds can think about the rules underpinning a different life or universe; Badgers can borrow that found family feel from media to feed that need. Look up characters that share your primary, and think about how their stories make you feel. Make a playlist and stick songs that make your primary hum on it. Start keeping a document full of quotes or a bookmark folder full of images that hit your brain in that way.

You don’t need to be able to explain why you feel that way, especially not immediately. Get as tenuous and weird with those connections as you want! But spend some time listening for what your primary clicks with. From there you might want to dissect the why, or you might just want to wallow in it -- that’s probably a secondary thing, really -- but either way, the stockpile can be useful.

➢ Find low-impact things that feed your primary.

Which may not be the best phrasing, so let me give you an example: as a Badger who’s burned and a little hesitant about actively engaging in community, one of the things that really soothes that need for connection for me is livestreams. I don’t even read along the chats on most of them, but having that sense that other people are participating in the same thing I am gives me the warm fuzzies and makes me feel like a part of something. Timed challenges can do it too -- I like to participate in things like NaNoWriMo and NaPoWriMo, because there’s a sense that everyone’s in it together. These don’t require me to directly tackle the burn -- I’m not fully engaging, and nobody ever has to know I’m there, but it still feeds that part of me and keeps me attached to it.

I gotta admit for this one I don’t know necessarily what this might look like for Birds and Snakes -- I don’t even know if the things that work for me here would work for other Badgers! But if you can find something that stirs those feelings, while being non-important enough that you still can engage, hold on to it, make a note of it, and try to set aside time for it as best you can.

➢ Talk about important things with people who share your primary.

This might work better for some than others, but for me, being part of the SHC community has been a big help in helping me feel like my Badger could someday get healthier. Seeing other Badgers say things and going “oh! yeah! I get that!” feels really good. Now, maybe this is a Badger-community-seeking thing, so if any Birds/Snakes feel differently and want to chime in, go for it -- or it might look differently there! for Birds it might involve healthy debate, for Snakes listening to other Snakes gush about their loved ones -- but it may be worth giving a try.

And narrowing down the broad topic of healing specifically aimed at your primary, these are easier said than done, but the applicable ones probably need doing nonetheless: ➣ Accept that unburnt you may interact with your primary differently than memories you might have of pre-burnt you. ➣ Forgive yourself and don’t beat yourself up for being burned. ➣ When you do feel your primary stirring, learn not to doubt and shout it back down.

But as I said, these are just my thoughts as a Badger who’s still working on trying to unburn, so -- anyone else out there have suggestions or things that worked for them?

[somehwere-between]

So I THINK I’m a double snake who spends most of the time modeling a lion secondary (mostly to my own detriment) but I was wondering if there were some ways to be more sure?

Like I have one or two people, mostly because I’ve lost most of my others just because I don’t have the energy to spare keeping more than a few people close, and I’d do anything for them.

I can’t plan ahead worth a damn, it’s just not natural for me, so I spend most of my time filling a gap as well as I can. Like is this what you need? I can do this. Please let me do this. I’m good.

But that^ seems very badger, minus not having a plan. So like am I burnt or am I missing something obvious on wisteria’s list?

I’m by no means an expert, so take this all with a grain of salt. I’ll tag @sevilemar as they’re a double snake who might have more insight than I do as a bird badger. (Also if I messed up your pronouns, lmk and I’ll edit this part!)

Biggest thing that sticks out to me— “I only have a few people because I lack energy to have more than a few.” It begs the question, and one only you can answer: do you desire a large circle but lack energy, or are you satisfied and proud of your people? I think this can help you indicate your primary. Try to determine where you get your energy from rather than how you use it.

Secondary wise— the planning (or lack thereof) does make you seem like an improvisational secondary, but your statement of “I can do this, please let me help” is, indeed, extremely badger. As a burnt badger secondary myself, it sounds very much like something I’d say, and probably have said in some capacity in the past. I suspect you have an improvisational model, but are actually a burned badger underneath all that. However this is mostly secondary stuff, and I can’t determine your primary based off of what you’ve provided.

My take: unsure primary (probably burned), burned badger secondary with a lion or snake model.

[ethereal-skye]

Burnt Badger Primary // Bird Primary Model / Snake Primary Performance

“’I feel terrible, like there’s a heavy weight on my chest.’ ‘A heart’s a heavy burden.’” - Diana Wynne Jones, Howl’s Moving Castle

[wisteria-lodge]

Hello, I know you're not a Bird but I was wondering if you could talk about what happens to Bird primaries when they burn? I'm pretty sure I'm an idealist and I think I may be burnt so I've been considering Lion but honestly the way I reach my conclusions is very Bird and that doesn't seem to be hurting me to the degree of seems to hurt actual Burnt Lions. So could you please talk about burnt Birds of you have time/are interested?

I’m actually going to open the floor to any Bird primaries in the SHC community, because I’d also like to know more about what being a Burnt Bird primary feels like. And how exactly does it feel different from “welp, turns out that thing I used to believe is wrong. Better run a re-calibration.” Lions find that sort of thing incredibly emotionally taxing and stressful, but it doesn’t even seem to *bother* most Birds.

[the-phoenix-heart]

Is feelings some things very strongly but hating the idea of acting on any of those feelings until I have rationalised them in a neat little flowchart with nice explanations about how and why I feel that way a Bird or a Lion thing?

I'm thinking Bird, but this could be a burnt Lion thing. I think more Bird however because you don't seem that bothered by it, "neat" and "nice" frame this as something you feel comforted by.

Speaking as a Burnt Lion, instead of rationalizing something I'm nervous or feeling strongly about I usually turn to someone (usually my unburnt Lion primary mother)* and get her opinion on it before I go ahead with it. This doesn't really comfort me though, because I feel weak for not being able to stick to my guns or wrong for feeling my feelings.

So I think what you are describing is a Bird thing rather than a Burnt Lion thing.

*The SHC system really taught me that as a Burnt Lion I've been using my Unburnt Lion mother as my moral compass, like a lot of burnt Lions do. I also listen to her more so than my Bird primary Dad which IS A GOOD THING.

[starry-sky-stuff]

Sorting Obi-Wan Kenobi

I was talking with @reds-burrow about Obi-Wan's sorting in his new show (which is super burnt), and I mentioned how I sort him as a Badger/Snake. Now that I've done a rewatch of the prequels and some Clone Wars episodes, here are my thoughts on his sorting.

Check out @wisteria-lodge for an explanation of the sortinghatchats system.

Obi-Wan's Badger Primary is less in contention than his secondary, which I'll be focusing on. The Jedi order are his community, and he lives and breathes their tradition and way of life. He's also got his smaller circle inside the Jedi Order of Anakin, Qui-Gon, and Ahsoka. His Badger Primary is why he burns so completely after the Jedi Order falls, because he's lost his community almost in its entirety.

The Phantom Menace:

There's little in this film that gives any real indication about Obi-Wan's secondary, since he mostly follows Qui-Gon's lead and doesn't really act independently. Nevertheless, at the end of the film following Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan is insistent on keeping his word to his master and taking Anakin as his Padawan. He doesn't demand the way a Lion might, but simply quietly announces his intention to train Anakin with or without the Council's permission. Such stubbornness sounds more like a Snake than a Lion to me, more an immoveable object than a battering ram.

His Badger Primary is obvious in his conflict with Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan, attached to his community of the Jedi Order, is a bit more concerned with following the Council than Qui-Gon. He's the one that brings up the Council and speculates about it's opinion, whereas Qui-Gon is more confident that he'll be able to turn them to his point of view (I think Qui-Gon is either a Lion/Snake or Bird/Snake).

Attack of the Clones:

Here's where Obi-Wan's Snake Secondary shines through the clearest, probably because it's where he has the most autonomy over his methods.

His investigation into the assassination attempts on Padme and Kamino is conducted using different models. He uses his Bird Secondary model to follow the clues and conduct research, and a Badger Secondary model too, in how he looks to his connections for information and outsources the investigative process. But his investigation is ultimately conducted without any clear plan, he simply follows the clues where they take him, ultimately taking him to Kamino.

Obi-Wan goes to Kamino with no plan, no real idea what's going on, and no idea what to expect. He simply waltzes in, takes stock of the situation, and goes with the flow. He doesn't come up with a cover before hand, but when presented with the information that a Jedi was expected he jumps on it, going along with the assumption that he's there to survey the troops. He's only momentarily stunned, before he quickly takes advantage of the opportunity to learn more.

Obi-Wan's scenes with Anakin also make his Snake Secondary more obvious. It could be that he's simply a rather chill Lion (especially considering Anakin is a very unchill Lion), but he doesn't engage with Anakin like a fellow Lion might. When Anakin argues, he doesn't argue back, preferring to avoid or subvert, where a Lion would be more inclined towards arguing by saying (or yelling) true things at each other. Instead, Obi-Wan tries different tactics in communicating with Anakin. He doesn't charge in like Anakin either, preferring to hold back and wait until an opportunity presents itself.

Revenge of the Sith:

His secondary is a little less on display here, mainly because he's generally reacting to events and his character rather takes a backseat in favour of showing Anakin's descent to the dark side.

However, this scene just screams Snake Secondary to me. The absolute glee with which he says "spring the trap", how he just expects that if they walk into a trap they'll be able to turn the situation to their advantage, is all signs of an opportunistic Snake. And on Utapau, when he needs to stall for time until reinforcements arrive, he simply leaps down into the hangar where Grevious is and engages the General in combat. This could also be his Lion Secondary model, which most often comes out during fights, especially fights where he's working with Anakin.

The Clone Wars:

Obi-Wan's Snake Secondary is on full display in two particular arcs in this series, namely the Zygerian arc in episodes 4x11-4x13 and the Hardeen arc in episodes 4x15-4x17.

In the Zygerian arc, once again, Obi-Wan needs to stall for time (on this occasion he needs to give Anakin and Ahsoka time to defuse the bombs), so he agrees to the meeting with the Zygerian slaver. He goes into the meeting with no real plan, simply noticing the slaver's hatred of the Jedi and playing on it to taunt him into combat. After he gets captured, enslaved and sent to the mines, Obi-Wan's Badger Primary takes a battering when he finds himself unable to help others, and he's forced to comply to prevent other's coming to harm. Compare this to the actions of Badger/Lion Katara in Avatar the Last Airbender, who, when she finds herself in a similar situation in a prison, makes a rousing speech that inspires the prisoners to action, allowing them to otherthrow the guards. Obi-Wan, in contrast, simply waits for the opportunity of rescue to arise.

A Lion Secondary would have found the Hardeen arc incredibly difficult to pull off - faking their death, assuming a new identity, and lying to their loved ones. But Obi-Wan never really struggles with this. He actually enjoys going undercover, saying that he likes playing the bad guy, and doesn't go into the situation with any real plan other than a general goal. He simply rolls with events as they come - the prison heist, being left behind, Anakin and Ahsoka tracking them down, the bounty hunter competition. He uses his Bird Secondary model in the competition as well, relying on prior skills and knowledge to face the tests. His Badger Primary and Badger Secondary model is also on display in the competition, as he immediately turns the other bounty hunters into a team to work together. (On a side note, Cad Bane is absolutely a Lion Primary. He abhors Hardeen killing Obi-Wan with a sniper rifle because he thinks it's cowardly, and saves Hardeen when Ival tries to skirt the rules of the game to kill him because it's dishonourable).

His Badger Primary also comes into conflict with Anakin's Snake Primary in this arc, because Obi-Wan is loyal to the Jedi Order above all, whereas Anakin wants Obi-Wan's loyalty to be first and foremost to him. Obi-Wan probably has a Snake Primary model he built for Anakin (because you couldn't have a Snake Primary like Anakin as your Padawan without one) , but it certainly never influences his decision making.

Obi-Wan's Snake Secondary is also probably why he gets along so well with Hondo in the show, since their shared secondaries just get along. They each understand the other in a way that makes them like the other (somewhat begrudgingly in Obi-Wan's case).

Furthermore, as @reds-burrow pointed out to me, Obi-Wan mastered the lightsaber form of Soresu, which focuses on defensive improvising, analysing an opponent's attacks and waiting for an opening to arise.

The Original Trilogy:

Obi-Wan's Snake Secondary is on full display in the OG Trilogy. He's sly, cunning, and opportunistic, with an attitude of 'let's find out'. He lies about knowing R2D2, although he did technically never own a droid, and tells Luke just enough of the truth about Anakin and Darth Vader whilst obscuring the most important information. Obi-Wan walks into the Mos Eisley canteen with no plan as to how to get them off the planet, he simply meets Chewbacca and from there buys a ride from Han. When they get confronted with stormtroopers, he doesn't fight them, simply uses his powers to make them go away.

The line 'from a certain point of view' is the epitome of a Snake Secondary. Obi-Wan tells the truth, but in such a way that it's both the truth and a lie by omission. That's not to say that Lions are incapable of lying, but Obi-Wan does it with such ease, and never really feels bad about it. It's just another tool is his repertoire for him.

Summary:

Badger Primary, Snake Primary model/Snake Secondary, Bird Secondary model, Badger Secondary model

[readingbooksinisrael]

She Who Became the Sun SHC Sorting

Zhu-Double Snake, very obviously. She explicitly loves two people other than herself and likes one more, and while Snake primaries can like and love a large amount of people the small amount makes it clear that she is loyal to herself first, then her people, and not a group. And she finds it easy to change into who she needs to be, not viewing it as a change of self.

Ouyang-I thought at first a Double Snake, like Zhu, but I think now he is a Snake Bird. He’s a lot less able to improvise than Zhu. He’s always planning everything to the smallest detail. He also has an Exploded primary. He, like Zhu, has one desire, but, unlike her, he is willing to hurt the one person he loves for that goal. There is nothing left for him but that, which is a super sad way of living.

Wang Baoxiang-Like Ouyang, he has a Bird secondary. I actually think that this is one of the reasons that Ouyang relates, though he doesn’t realize this reason. Wang’s incessant planning at his desk may be less ‘manly’ than Ouyang’s incessant war planning, but they are similar. His primary was harder for to figure out but I think that he is a Double Bird (Burnt primary).

(spoilers) Ma Xiuying-Was there ever a stronger Badger primary? She helps change who Zhu is through this. At the end, yes, she chooses Zhu above her ideals, but I think it is possible to see that as her dehuminizing everyone except Zhu. As for her secondary, she and Zhu seem to be entirely on the same page through this and it’s why their relationship teasing works. In conclusion: Badger Snake.

Xu Da-Like Zhu, Ouyang and Ma his primary practically screams itself to the world, but his is a Bird primary. He has set ideas about the rules he lives his life by and when he accidentally breaks one of them he feels that he has to change his whole self. As for his secondary, we don’t see his do or decide much so I’m not going to comment on that.

Esen-I was thinking Badger primary for him at first, based on the way that both Ouyang and Wang describe him as friendly and outgoing, but the more I thought about the more I realized that Ouyang and Wang were just extroverts describing an introvert. He feels loyal to his group because that’s the right thing to do, but when push comes to shove he has his people and an order within those people. I think that he is a Snake (Lion model) Lion.

( @wisteria-lodge for the character sorting post?)

[keeskiwi]

I’m back from vacation! Here’s a quick painting of some black-necked stilts I saw in Puerto Vallarta. 

[reds-burrow]

Sorting Star Wars: Rebels

The natural follow-up to my Clone Wars sorting (other than The Bad Batch which is currently sitting in my drafts). For those unfamiliar with this system, please take a look at the official Sorting Hat Chats site curated by @sortinghatchats, or check out this awesome guide by @wisteria-lodge. Shout out to @starry-sky-stuff for listening to me babble about all this and especially for helping with Sabine and Thrawn.

Kanan Jarrus: Badger/Lion

Throughout the show, Kanan is shown struggling with the trauma of Order 66, trauma that burnt his Badger Primary. After the order, he was forced into survival mode, to do what was best for himself, even if he never felt right turning his back on those he saw in need. One of his greatest regrets is running away to save himself while his master died ("Fire Across the Galaxy"). His Burnt Badger Primary latched onto the Spectres as the only group he truly had a chance of protecting from the Empire. Hera constantly tests that assumption, pushing against Kanan's initial reluctance to accept Ezra ("Spark of Rebellion," "Rise of the Old Masters") and later insisting they join the greater Rebel Alliance when Kanan says he wants to go back to protecting just the six of them and Lothal ("The Siege of Lothal"). The beginning of season three is the turning point for him, however. After isolating himself completely, Kanan recommits himself to Ezra and the others, and opens himself up to trusting the Force to guide him again ("Steps into Shadow"). By season four, his Badger Primary has healed in many ways, and when the time comes to choose between what he wants, to rush in and save Hera, or what the Force demands of him, Kanan chooses to trust in the will of the Force ("Rebel Assault").

His Lion Secondary helps make him a natural leader, especially when the dangerous work of a rebel so often requires throwing out the original plan and thinking something up on the run. Kanan and Ezra are often in sync as they improvise, like when both of them immediately recognize that with the Inquisitors cornering them, the only way out is by cutting a hole in the ceiling ("Future of the Force") or when the only way past some troopers is by playing the fool and the fool's son ("Empire Day"). Kanan also expresses a general dislike for boring protocol, one of the many reasons he butts heads with Double Badger Rex ("Stealth Strike").

Hera Syndulla: Lion/Lion + Bird

Hera left her home to follow her Lion Primary's cause, the rebel cause, even against her father's wishes that she stay and fight for the freedom of her homeworld ("Homecoming"). The decision strained her relationship with her father, but for Hera, fighting the Empire on a galactic scale was the right choice, the only choice she could make. Among the Spectres, her Lion Primary gives her perhaps the most unwavering optimism and surety that fighting is worth it. This translates to her Lion Secondary with her ability to inspire. Her crowning Lion moment is when she bursts in to interrupt the rebel leaders' meeting on whether or not to mount an attack on the TIE Defender factory on Lothal, proceeds to give a rousing speech on why they needed to act, and wins the rebel leaders' agreement that the risk was worth it ("Crawler Commandeers"). Her Lion is also obvious in the way she flies, improvising and often reckless, although her Bird Secondary model balances out her occasional rash actions, making her a formidable strategist and an effective leader of Phoenix Squadron. This Bird model is one of the main reasons Thrawn views Hera as a threat, and so addresses her as the tactician to defeat ("Hera's Heroes," "Zero Hour"). The relationship between Hera's two secondaries is best described by Hera herself when she is explaining what it's like to pilot a ship (The Bad Batch "Rescue on Ryloth"). The instruments, and her Bird model, are there to help, but it's her feelings, her Lion instincts, that guide her.

"Chopper" C1-10P: Snake/Snake

Chopper is a Snake Primary who listens to his own wants above all else. The only times we see him sacrifice for someone else is for one of the Spectres or for AP-5. Anyone outside of his circle gets no love, like the Imperial-droid-turned-friend Chopper threw out the airlock ("Rebel Resolve") or when Chopper suggested they blow up the Inquisitors' ships even though he knew there was a baby inside ("The Future of the Force"). Even Ezra early on had to deal with Chopper's dangerous sense of ambivalence when Chopper knocked Ezra off the side of the Ghost for fun ("Rise of the Old Masters"). Of course, Ezra grows on Chopper, earning the intense loyalty he shows his people, like when Chopper follows Ezra into the desert against his better judgement ("Twin Suns"), when Chopper refuses to leave Sabine behind even though the ship she's on is about to blow up ("Blood Sisters"), or when Chopper only leaves Hera's side after they crash in Imperial-held territory because she commands him to go ("Rebel Assault"). Otherwise, he only helps strangers because that's what Hera would want him to do. If Hera had ever decided to leave the rebel cause, Chopper would be right there with her, not looking back.

His secondary is clearly an Improvisational Secondary, given how often he improvises when pranking Ezra or Zeb, or when he's rolling around undercover in the unfamiliar setting of an Imperial cruiser. He is notably an open read, grumbling so that everyone knows what is on his mind, but when he needs to, he's comfortable putting on an act, cementing him as a Snake Secondary who prefers being in Neutral. The most obvious instance of him masking his intentions is when the crew first meet Lando ("Idiot's Array"). Chopper ingratiates himself to Lando with small favors, but all the while he is ready to betray Lando by stealing Lando's fuel for the Ghost. There is also a pattern of Chopper avoiding inserting himself into situations until he has to, dodging missions until he finds that it's up to him to save the day. The moment he recognizes his friends are depending on him, that's when he'll finally plant his ambulatory struts and respond, often with surprising ruthlessness.

Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelius: Badger/Lion

Zeb has the most obvious "charging" Lion Secondary energy of all the Spectres. He prefers intimidation to charm, and is most at home running to someone's aid or jumping into battle with a few bucket heads. Like Kanan, Zeb's Badger Primary burned after experiencing the genocide of his people at the hands of the Empire. As a member of the Lasan honor guard, Zeb felt it was his duty to protect his people, and his failure to do so forced him into more pragmatic expectations about who he could save. This is why he leaves Ezra behind in the first episode, despite how awful he clearly feels about it ("Spark of Rebellion"). Learning the Lasat weren't wiped out was a healing experience for him, and the way he struggles to overcome his guilt and learns to open himself to the ritual to find Lira San, echoes Kanan's healing journey with the Force ("Legends of the Lasat"). Also, it's worth noting that Zeb is the one to bring Kallus, another Badger Primary, into the fold ("The Honorable Ones").

Sabine Wren: Lion/Bird

Growing up on Mandalore, Sabine was taught Badger Primary values: devote your loyalty and service to your clan, and follow tradition as law. Because of those values, Sabine followed orders blindly as a cadet at the Imperial Academy, a situation she later describes as a nightmare ("Out of Darkness"). Between that trust and the desire to take on a challenge, a sign of her young, glory-seeking Lion Primary, she created a super-weapon ("Heroes of Mandalore"). When she spoke out against the use of the weapon and her family sided against her, she distanced herself from her Mandalorian Badger values, fled the Academy, and became a bounty hunter who dreamed of money and power ("Blood Sisters"). She scoffed at that dream when Ketsu later reminded her of it because could hardly believe that that was what she had wanted before joining the rebels, that her Lion Primary yearned for power before finding a more noble cause. Being a part of the Ghost crew gave Sabine the room to find her own voice, allowing her to take on Fenn Rau and later Garr Saxon on her own terms, to spare their lives because while killing them may be the Mandalorian way, it was no longer hers ("The Protector of Concord Dawn," "Legacy of Mandalore").

As for her secondary, Sabine has a highly efficient Bird Secondary. Whenever planning a mission the Spectres look to Sabine for her expertise on Imperial protocols and strategies. When something inevitably goes wrong with the plan, she either looks to one of her Improvisational crewmates for suggestions, or can Rapid-Fire a solution, provided she's in her element of weapons, explosives, or Imperial tactics she learned at the academy. She much prefers to go into a situation prepared, however. Even when she is furious over seeing Hera injured, she goes to confront Fenn Rau with a careful plan in place and effectively cripples the Concord Dawn fleet before addressing Rau ("The Protector of Concord Dawn"). The Spectres know they can count on her to be prepared and to always pack enough explosives.

Ezra Bridger: Snake/Snake

When we first meet Ezra, his Snake Primary is Burnt. When the Empire took his parents, it not only left him with nobody to depend on, but also taught him that sticking your neck out for others will only hurt you. So, he's all about himself at first. Sure, he'll help a merchant getting harassed by troopers, but only so he can take some of the merchant's goods ("Spark of Rebellion"). Meeting the Ghost crew helps him heal and trust again. When he encounters Tseebo, it's only with their encouragement that Ezra can admit he still cares for and forgives the Rodian ("Gathering Forces"). The crew very quickly becomes like family, and once Ezra opens his heart, he starts taking in other rebels and even the whole of Lothal into his circle. Having such an expansive circle may make him appear like a Badger at first, but consider how he reacts when he's repeatedly told that the rebellion has to focus on helping other planetary systems first. He struggles to understand the decision and feels betrayed, like the Rebel Alliance has abandoned his home world. A Badger Primary would be more open to to the reasoning of the Alliance, even if it is painful to see their loved ones suffer. For Ezra, however, Lothal will always come first. And it's this determination to always protect those he loves that both saves them, like his refusal to give up on Kanan at the end of the first season ("Rebel Resolve"), and draws Ezra to the dark side of the Force. The reason he starts listening to the Sith holocron is because he wants the strength to protect everyone, especially after what happened to Kanan and the loss of Ahsoka ("Steps into Shadow"). It's only through Kanan reaching out again that Ezra turns away from the dark side, and by the end of the series, he comes full circle, from a Burnt Snake only out for himself, to a Snake that has inherited the importance of self-sacrifice from Kanan ("A World Between Worlds").

Ezra's secondary is clear from the moment we meet him ("Property of Ezra Bridger," "Spark of Rebellion"). He's quick with the charm, chatting people up so they look away as he slips around their defenses to steal a bit of food or something to sell. He finds the same sort of techniques just as effective on Imperials, and so has a knack for escaping from the detention cell by using distractions or feigning illness ("Spark of Rebellion," "Stealth Strike"). He's a believable actor, like when he pretends to be a bounty hunter in an attempt to rescue Kallus ("Through Imperial Eyes"), or when he mimics others' voices over comm channels in an attempt to bluff his way out of trouble ("In the Name of the Rebellion," "Crawler Commandeers").

Grand Admiral Thrawn: Bird/Bird

I would be remiss if I didn't note here that, while I have not read any of the Thrawn books, what I have heard about them suggests Thrawn may have some form (innate, model, or values) of a Badger Primary, with his loyalty going to the Chiss Ascendancy. In the EU, he expressed Authoritarian Badger views by suggesting a strong government was the only way to keep so many different species and cultures protected and in order. In the current canon books he outright says how important he considers all life and is repeatedly shown working to protect civilians in battle. That said, we don't see any of these Badger ideals in Rebels, suggesting that these are only Badger values that he never taps into on screen. In fact, at one point he opens fire on the civilians of Lothal all to force Ezra's hand ("Family Reunion—and Farewell"). His only clear goal is to perfect the art of war, and he has built his Bird Primary around it. He works on this goal by collecting intel with his Bird Secondary, studying everything he can about his enemies, from their tactics to their art. After learning about Hera's history and ingenuity, he lets the Ghost flee Ryloth without pursuit, a move that may have looked disloyal to those around him, because he felt he had learned enough about his opponents to consider it a win ("Hera's Heroes"). He also holds no qualms about using his troops as pawns on a chessboard, moving everyone into carefully calculated positions. The only things we see that anger Thrawn are when people get in the way of his preparation and plans for victory, like when Konstantine disobeys Thrawn and breaks formation ("Zero Hour"), when Slavin suggests they destroy the Syndulla Kallikori instead of studying it ("Hera's Heroes"), or when Ezra pulls a move so unexpected that Thrawn has no counter ("Family Reunion — and Farewell").

tl;dr

Kanan Jarrrus - (Burnt but healing) Badger/Lion

Hera Syndulla - Lion/Lion + Bird Model

Chopper - Snake/(Neutral) Snake

Zeb Orrelius - (Burnt but healing) Badger/Lion

Sabine Wren - Lion (shed toxic Mandalorian Badger values)/Bird

Ezra Bridger - (Burnt but heals early on) Snake/Snake

Thrawn - Bird (Badger values)/Bird