#introvert friendly networking

[mentorshelly]

Networking for Introverts: Making Connections Without the Cringe

Let’s be honest—networking can feel like a nightmare for introverts. The thought of walking into a room full of strangers, making small talk over lukewarm coffee, and pretending you’re not counting down the minutes until it’s over? Yeah… hard pass. But here’s the truth: networking is essential for career growth, whether you’re climbing the ladder, pivoting into a new industry, or re-entering the…

[mari-beau]

This is 100% true and absolutely devastating to introverts and people with social anxiety. Our society's default setting sets us up for failure because we just don't have the capacity to make a hundred friends and chitchat with every person we meet in the off chance they might be "useful" to us.

young me especially would have hated hearing this but networking is literally the most important thing you can do to improve your situation like forget economic barriers to education etc just keep making friends with different people and eventually someone will offer you a hand up just because they dig your vibe and that is exactly all that's happening when undeserving people surpass you anyway

[crazypanbookworm]

Hey there, I was wondering if you could do a Pietro x Reader where the reader is more shy and introverted and Pietro struggles with asking her out/getting to know her but they eventually confess their feelings after the heat goes out at the Avengers compound? I hope this is a good request and not too specific or not specific enough!

Confession in the dark - Pietro Maximoff

Pairing : Pietro Maximoff x Reader

Warning : none just fluff, swearing

PS : I hope I understood your request correctly (english is not my first language). You said heat so it's light and heating devices in the tower right?

Btw I tried to make this black people friendly, hope I didn't miss anything lmk if you find something bad.

"Wanda, please."

"It is the third time you've asked that today Pietro, and for the last time : I will not look through Y/n's mind to see if she likes you !"

"But-"

"No buts ! If you want her, you have to figure out her feelings by yourself. Plus, she is one of my closest friend, and I will not invade her privacy unless it's a life or death matter."

It was thursday afternoon in the Avengers tower, and the Maximoff siblings were in the kitchen of the fifth floor. Per usual, Wanda was cooking dinner for the team while Pietro followed her around, begging her once again to look in your mind and find the nature of your feelings for him. He had been dropping hints for quite a time now and you didn't seem to catch them. Every time he gave you a compliment or teased you a little you would smile and keep doing what you were doing. To be honest, he was starting to lose hope that you would ever see him as more than a friend. But his sister was right : if he never tried, he would never know. At that moment, he decided that he would tell you as soon as he got the occasion.

------------- Your POV ---------------------------------------

You were reading in your room on the sixth floor, relaxing after diner and the long training session you had done this afternoon. Although you loved your friends dearly, a bit of alone time was much needed for the introvert you were. But as much as you tried to focus on the words in front of you, your mind kept wandering back to a certain speedster, thinking about the interactions you'd had with him. You had already analyzed every scene and conversation, but you kept coming back to those memories, mentally cursing yourself for everything embarassing you had said to Pietro. You recalled a time when he'd called you pretty and you had started to stutter, mumbling a "Thank you" before fleeing as fast as you could. The idea that he might like you crossed your mind but you pushed it away : Pietro was flirty, outgoing and impatient, he couldn't possibly like you. Suddenly, the lights went off. Confused, you went to check the heater : off as well. As you walked out of your room with the intention of finding Tony, Jarvis spoke to you :

"Miss L/n, Mr Stark wanted me to inform everybody that the power went off and that he is working on it. As for now, the elevator is unusable, therefore all the residents of this floor are requested to go in room 5 since it's the only one equipped with an emergency heating device."

Curse Tony and his love for technology, there wasn't a single normal staircase in this tower

"Thank you Jarvis"

For a few second, you stood there trying to understand how Jarvis could still be working, but quickly remembered that the AI was supplied by a separate and secret network since someone tried to hack it a few month ago.

You were heading toward room 5 when it hit you that the only one living on the sixth floor except you was Pietro since Wanda moved to the third with Vision. "Shit" was the only word that came to your mind, but you couldn't stay in the hallway. Because of the huge windows, the temperature in the tower was going down quickly and you were rapidly going to be very cold wearing a t-shirt. Reluctantly, you made your way to room 5 and opened the door.

------------- Pietro's POV ---------------------------------------

He was sitting in room 5, trying to start the heater when the door opened. Startled by the noise, he turned his head to see your figure in the doorframe. Without light, he could only make out the reflection of the moonlight in your eyes and the outline of your body, but that was more than enough for him to recognize you. For a second, nothing could be heard in the little sitting room : both of you were frozen, looking at eachother. When he realized this, he cleared his throat and greeted you :

" Hi "

" Hey, you answered, how are you ? "

" Pretty good, except the heater is not working much"

" What ?!"

"No, I mean, it's working but it's still kinda cold in there"

He was fumbling with his words, trying to come up with something to say while also remembering the decision he had taken this afternoon. You were alone in a room, this was his chance. "How am I even going to admit that ?" he thought. Returning his attention to the heating system, he finally set it to the right temperature (or at least the best he could get) before turning back to you. In the meantime, you had sat on the sofa, visbly freezing as goosebumps appeared on your arms.

"You don't have a jacket ?" he asked

You turned your gaze to him : "No I didn't have the presence of mind to do so, maybe I should go back and get one"

"You can't, the temperature dropped very low in the hall. If you get out you'll catch a cold."

Unfortunately, he himself couldn't go either, wearing only his usual t-shirt. You shivered, and a protective impulse took him. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around you but was too scared to do anything. You wrapped your arms around yourself but another shiver shook your frame. "Oh fuck it" crossed his mind : he got up and sat next to you on the sofa, opening his arms

"Maybe we should share some warmth"

He was mentally praying that the atmosphere wouldn't become weird because of him. To his relief, you simply smiled at him :

"I suppose we could use some additional heat"

------------- Your POV ---------------------------------------

You never thought you would ever end up in Pietro Maximoff's arms but here you were, curled up into his side on the sofa of the room 5. Your cheeks were burning and you were praying that the position wasn't uncomfortable for him. Self-conscious in every way, you thought about your hair, your weight, the way you were seated and every little insecurity you had. Finally, the heat and the comfort the blonde was radiating got the better of your embarrassment and you let yourself relax a little.

"Hum hum"

Breaking the silence, Pietro cleared his throat :

"Can I ask you a question ?"

You tensed once again, scared of what he was about to say.

"Um, sure, go ahead"

The sokovian shifted in his seat to look at you, before asking

"Do you have someone ?"

"Excuse me ?" you nearly choked on your breath

"I'm sorry, forget it, that was stupid"

"Pietro why are you asking this ?"

Looking at him, you saw his face turn bright red while he stuttered

"I-I don't know, I'm sorry"

Your felt a wave of affection wash over you upon seeing this man in such state. The idea that he might like you came back to you, and you realized that if you let this opportunity pass, you woud never get it back. Breathing deeply, you tried to ignore the pressure on your heart and before being able to change your mind, you blurted out

"Do you like me ?"

"What ? No I just- it's - ugh okay yes I do, I'm sorry I can leave if you want I don't want to make this awkward-"

You cut off his rambling before he went on

"Hey Pietro it's ok nothing's awkward"

The young man stopped dead in his track, looking at you with a confused expression. You let out a giggle, amused at the look on his face. All the stress you usually lived with seemed to have disappeared as a wide smile took over your features.

"I like you too"

Bewildered, Pietro started again :

"But I thought you didn't, he said, frowning. I mean, everytime I complimented or teased you, you didn't answer or just thanked me"

"That doesn't mean I didn't like you, I simply thought you were being nice and that you had a flirty personality"

This conversation felt like you had switched places : usually so confident, Pietro was blushing and you became teasy, your habitual shyness going out of the window.

"Really ? You really like me ?" Pietro said, still suspicious

"I do, genuinely, and I have for a long time now"

A huge smile crept onto Pietro's face, a sweet expression appearing in his eyes. The both of you were now face to face, close enough to feel eachother's breath. Boldly, you took his hand in yours

"Can I kiss you ?"

Pietro didn't even bother to answer. Gently taking your face in his hands, he locked eyes with you and slowly, he approached his face until your lips brushed against eachother's. At the contact, you both lost restraint and kissed until you ran out of breath, butterflies wild in your stomach, forgetting about everything else.

Finally, you felt at peace.

[starillusion13]

Like We Just Met!

Alien AU ( Intro )

“MY MBTI is ISTJ.”

“No your MBTI is OURS.”

Pairing: nct dream(ot7) x reader

Genre: Alien au, Fluff

W.C: 5.7k

Warnings: This chapter contains just some emotions and some confusing meetings with the members.

Note: please I want to thanks to people for reading and reblogging. Reviews are always appreciated 😭. Applause to the ones who come up to me to interact and they know how friendly I am. Okay enough!

Network: @k-vanity @cultofdionysusnet

Girl let me explain (I will let NCT DREAM explain to me anything, Honestly.) I just love them so much!!!

“I don’t know them.”

“Girl. You are literally giving me so many details on them since yesterday and now you are telling me that you don’t know them.”

“Trust me, I really don’t know them.”

It’s just like you are ranting about your sudden encounters with seven boys. Well, who are these boys? Your friend was out of town for one month and your life has new stories like it has come past one decade. Living in this new town with your friend is okay but you being all alone in this place seems very uncomfortable when you are literally an introvert and approaching someone or to go out often for every need is becoming unbearable. As an ISTJ, you are very independent girl, enjoy maintaining your responsibilities and duties to have a decent life than others. Your life was pretty much going usual until these random boys came across your path. You haven’t seen them before but the way they approached to you, smiling at you and helping you seems like they have known you for so long. If you have encountered them before then maybe you would have remembered them somehow but NO.

Your friend has cut the video call when she finds out how you are zoning out and her being overseas is not really possible to be on the call for too long because of the differ in time zone. You haven’t notice yet the blank screen before you as the screen turned black under being no use for more than thirty seconds. You turn to look outside the window, the wind blowing slowly but enough to wave your curtains and your locks dancing to the breeze. You inhaled sharply before drifting to the flashbacks of encountering the boys in different places.

‘Skateboard’

The evening was pretty nice and so you thought to have some time for yourself, the activities you like to do on your spare time. Being in your room all alone was eating you of boredom so grabbing your skateboard from the rack, you made your way towards the skating zone of the park. You waited in a corner and kept yourself busy on the phone to kill some time before the place become a bit less populated and then you could have your skating time. Your skateboard kept leaning against the wall and you be watching some music videos of your favorite artist with your headphones on. Head bopping to the beats and feet tapping on the pitch, not taking in the surrounding how people were going back home with the passing of time. An add appeared on your screen and you took your eyes off of the screen to finally notice that you were out for so long. Locking the phone and fishing it inside your pocket, you grabbed your board and went towards your desired spot to ride your skateboard.

You just preferred it that way, away from all people and enjoying by yourself. Hairs flowing beside your face, hands spread wide and eyes focusing on the way in front and body keeping the balance on the board. A sweet smile adorning your face and you heard a ‘click’ sound with a flash from a side, you quickly looked towards the direction but didn’t see anyone. Getting distracted, you didn’t notice a tiny rock and you fell down.

“Ahhh!”

Rubbing your elbows, you investigate your hands and legs for injuries and well, there were some scratches due to the fall and it’s stinging. Your butt is paining as you fell on it and you didn’t think you could walk anymore like this but its not like someone would carry you to your house so you have to do everything on your own. You tried to get up but it was all in vain when you saw an extended hand in front of you. Eyes followed the hand to his face and damn, the boy was so cute but he didn’t look like any common guy from the colony, he looks different than usual, maybe he is not from anywhere around. Also, when did he approach you? You didn’t hear any footsteps and did he see you fall down? Thinking this you felt shy in front of him. The boy suddenly gave you a smile and honestly you thought that you have never seen such a cute boy ever in your life. He gestured to hold his hand and when you hesitantly accepted the offer, he quickly pulled you up. Before you could say anything, he started to brush off your hands and legs and your shorts but keeping himself decent from maintaining not to touch anywhere private. You shyly tugged your hairs behind and thanked him. He laughed, shook his head and patted your head like you are his pet.

“Come on, dude its okay. I feel like you needed my help. Its pretty late and why are you out in this hour?”

“Uh, it’s fine as I live down the streets and I like being alone here.”

“You skate so good. Can you teach me someday?”

“Yeah sure. If only we meet again then I will teach you promise.”

“We will meet again fore sure, myself Mark.”

He extended his hand for a handshake and you just stared at it. Biting your lips, you were deciding whether you should accept it or not and with a final smile, you shook his hand.

“Y/N. Nice to meet you.”

“Such a pretty name. I hope we will meet again.”

He gave you a printed band-aid from his pocket and when you rejected it, he bent down to put it on your knees.

“Thanks Mark.”

“Just be careful on skateboard next time.”

With that you both parted your ways but somewhere you hoped to see him again. He helped you to reach your house because you were limping and he insisted. Turning your back to him, a smile appeared on your face again and you ran inside. Since that day, you met often near the park and deep inside, without any reason you felt like to go there even just to get a glimpse of him playing basketball with his friends. Well, skateboarding is not your hobby but you are addicted to it for him.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

‘Blue waves’

Another day of your life and you feeling down for missing your parents. The memories of your happy moments all spent together running through your mind and tears running down your cheeks. You knew that if you spend some more time inside the house alone, you might think of all worst possibilities and so you made your way towards the bus stop. It was a calm afternoon with a pleasant weather and you made your mind to relieve yourself near a seaside. You took a bus to the nearest beach and meanwhile you noticed a child playing with her mother beside your seat. You sadly smiled at them and a tear fell from your eyes. Reaching to the desired location, you stood at the entrance of the path leading to the beach. Staring at the sea from afar somewhat felt like nostalgic. It reminded you of your father who used to wait with some candies or flowers for you and your mother near the shore and waving at both of you. Then, both of you used to run to him to give a tight hug to each other. Those bright happy days are just fading memories now.

Wiping your eyes, with slow footsteps, you walked towards the shore. Hands clutching your flowy knee length skirt. Pressing your teeth tightly and gulping the lump in your throat so that not a single sob could escape your lips. On reaching the shore, ears picked up the loud growling of the blue waves of the sea hitting the shore. You let your eyes closed to only listen to the sounds of the nature and how the breeze hitting your body as if it could take away all your problems away. The breeze caressing your cheeks as if your mother giving you some love after a stressful day.

“Mom...Dad…I miss you…” You whispered. It’s not like anyone could hear you as every other sound was getting lost due the loud waves.

“They miss you too, you know.”

Your eyes shot open on hearing the voice. Looking at the side, you could see a boy staring at you with a pitiful expression. His voice was so melodious as if a siren suddenly appeared from the sea to accompany you. You wanted to be alone but somehow you were appreciating his presence on your side. He had that calmness which can ease your racing mind and his voice was as if could just silence the loud waves. Well, when he spoke, the only sound you could hear was his and the shore was strangely silent.

“Huh?”

Giving you a soft smile, he gave you a paper. Taking the paper from his hand, you could see how beautifully painted was the view with a girl facing the sea under the sun in an afternoon. Just like you. The difference was only you were in a gloomy mood and the girl in the painting was somewhat happy.

“Do you like it?”

“Hm. This is so nice. Have you painted it?”

“Yes. Just now when you were lost in your thoughts.”

“Uh y-yeah. The girl in this picture seems so lively unlike me.”

“Nothing is there to be sad you know. We should leave behind the past and stay happy with the ones you are currently with. Like these blue waves always washing the shore and keeping it look so refreshing so let your sad thoughts flow away with these waves and lock your memories safe.”

He came closer to your form, palm resting on your cheek, fingers brushing the dried-up tears.

“Let someone guide you to the right path when you are needed. Blue represents hope and let these blue waves give you some hope to be cheerful always.”

With a last glance, he went away leaving the piece of paper with you. Glancing to the corner of the paper, there was a signature with a name ‘Renjun.’

You have a new memory and interest to come to seaside often. Well, surprisingly everyday you would find that the boy be painting there as if he waiting for your arrival. The blue waves must have some magic with hopes.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

‘pretzel’ and ‘yoghurt shake’

Craving for snacks is a daily part of your life. Glancing at the clock you found out its already late night but it didn’t matter when the convenience store would be open whenever you would go there. So, just picking up your phone and wallet, you made up your mind to head out. Locking the door, you walked down the streets towards the store. The night was chilly unlike other days and you hugged yourself, also your heart suddenly racing for how unusually the place was quiet and dark a bit. Calming yourself, you hurriedly made your way when the neo signboard of the store was in your sight.

Quickly getting inside the store, the bell ringing alarming the person at counter of your arrival. She frowned while getting up as why you were breathing heavily. Asking you if you needed any help, you shook your head and waved your hands in front, laughing awkwardly and told that how everything was fine. You were well aware of the place that how it was so safe to roam around in late hours but still you felt that someone was following you and you couldn’t ignore how your heart was racing. Was it due to the fear or it was signalling something else? Shaking your doubts, you went towards your usual snack centre.

Eyes taking in all the products available and you could see how some things were out of stock and many were newly arrived. Some things were very new to you as you haven’t seen them before so you squinted your eyes to read the names as it was on a top shelf and the way light was falling on it, making it difficult to read.

“Dream Pretzel.”

You got startled when a husky and dark voice spoke behind you. Your back hit his chest and you quickly turned around hoping he would move away a bit before you could reply him. But no. He remained on his place and now you were looking up to his height and him towering you with a dark expression. You looked around you to see if anyone was watching you or not but thankfully you were alone with him. Thankfully? Alone? No, I should tell him to move.

“Can you please move back a bit? Thank you.”

His eyes scanning your face and you could feel he was not having any intention to move. Gulping you tried to push him, hands on his chest over his black t-shirt. He quickly took a hold of your wrist and gripped it tighter, you winced under his strong hold.

“I have to take the item from that shelf so its you who is blocking my way.”

Releasing a heavy breath, you made your attempt to move to the side but before you could, he raised his hands and pressed his body in front to grab a packet from the top shelf. You panicked and your eyes went wide due to his actions. Getting the item in his hold, he scooted backwards, giving you some space to breathe finally. You were frozen and mentally screaming what just happened right now. He stared at you intensely and under his gaze, you were feeling so exposed even when you were fully covered in hoodie and trouser. You avert your eyes away from him and with slow steps, you went to the other shelf.

Deciding on the item you wanted to pick for your craving, your view got blocked when suddenly a snack was placed in front of your eyes. Annoyedly, you craned to look who was the person. And. that boy again, but he was gesturing you to grab the item from his hand. You hesitantly held it and without speaking a word, he turned around. You looked down to the item and it was the pretzel.

“Thank you……”

“Jeno…..it’s nice….you will like the taste.”

A smile appeared on your face and with that you went towards the drink section. Oblivion to you, he was smiling all the way out of the store. Arriving to the drink section, to your disappointment, your favorite drink was not available so you decided to leave the drink for that day and just go back with hot sauce snack or maybe some other snacks. Satisfied with your decision, you grabbed some other things in your way to the counter, the cashier smiled at you. Scanning the items, you noticed how she kept the pretzel packet on the other side with a yoghurt shake. A frown appeared on your face and the cashier told you about the total cost.

“That pretzel?”

“Oh sure. Its yours but the boy came here before has already paid for it and another boy who was with him paid for the shake and asked me to give it you.”

“Another boy?”

“Hm. They were together and they bought these for themselves too. You must be close to them that they bought these for you and they come here often but I haven’t seen you with them anytime. Are you, their girlfriend?”

“What? No no. I- I don’t know them. We just met few minutes back….”

“Oh. Here is your item ma’am. Have a safe night ahead.”

After greeting each other goodbye, you made your way back on the same road which seems more-lonely than before. You felt that creepy feeling rising up your spines and goosebumps appearing on your skin when you felt eyes on you. Someone might be watching from the dark. But who? And why? Isn’t this place safe for the people but that feeling of being watched could not be ignored. Your attempt to run was interrupted when you felt a hand resting on your shoulder from behind.

“AAAAAAAHHH.”

“Shhh. Wow. You scream so loud.”

“W-who are you?”

A ghost? A kidnapper? A murderer? No no no. please why me?  You just wanted to have some time for yourself with snacks and binge watch dramas but you didn’t think of getting yourself in such situation anyhow.

“I am not a ghost.” In a weird accent, the voice spoke up and you somehow hoped the person to be ghost.

“Please…let me go…I want to go home.”

“I wont hurt you. I just want to say you something.”

You slowly turned around to meet the voice. You stared to the smiling face and his shining eyes under the streetlight, he looking so cute with that smile. You nodded to tell him to proceed whatever he wants to tell you. He glanced at your hand which was holding the items you bought previously.

“Drink that shake. It is a rare one and I know that you will like it.”

You glanced at the plastic bag in your hand and in confusion, you look towards him. You were still thinking how he knew about the shake as it was not visible from outside then it’s only possible if he was stalking you. The eyes watching you all these times must be him. Oh wait. This shake was given by someone then maybe he is that person but why he is approaching you like a creep. He could have offered you in that store in person and not mentioning about it here in the lonely streets. Well, lonely…his presence was no more making you feel alone rather you were at ease and feeling…safe. I should not feel this right now.

“Are you the person who bought me this?”

His smile widened and he was grinning towards you like a little boy who got his candy after whining for too long. He nodded and pinched your nose.

“That’s a gift for you. We are neighbours and I thought I should start our friendship like this.”

“Oh thanks.” You offered a kind smile to him. “But you could have given me before then we would have been friends then and there.”

“well, I was scared of the rejection and I’m kind of shy and also my friend was in hurry for something.”

“Okay.”

You nodded on his words. Suddenly, he came closer to you than before and you became cautious of the situation and scooted back. He noticed your action and a hurt expression appeared on his face but quickly he showed you his sweet smile. You awkwardly mimicked the smile when he offered his hand for a shake. Your mind recalled the situation with mark and a thought came across your mind that after that event how you are meeting so many new people in your life. Maybe, without your friend in the town, you are finally socializing with people. Unlike before, you gladly accepted his hand and shook with a shy and awkward smile.

“We are friends now. Myself Jaemin.”

“Nice to meet you Jaemin. This is Y/N.”

His grip tightened and he closed his eyes with a sly smile resting on his face. He was memorizing how you sweet voice voiced out his name and he could never be happier than hearing his name from you. Opening his eyes, he brought your hands up to his lips to press a soft kiss on your knuckles. You were lost in admiring his features that you didn’t notice his actions until you felt his cold lips against your skin. Shy? He is a damn flirt.

“Let’s head back home. Its pretty late. Even if the place is safe, you don’t know what mysteries are hiding behind the dark.”

Agreeing with him, you both went back to your way. Then, you noticed how he really was your neighbour but you didn’t come across with each other’s path before.

After that day, you somehow felt an eagerness to pass through the convenience store everyday after having the skating lesson with Mark in the park. On arriving everyday to the store, you could see Jaemin drinking a yoghurt milk and grinningly waiting for you and also, Jeno stealing glances from the side while being busy playing games on his phone. The must be very close with each other that they always being together.

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‘Poison’

Waiting. That’s what you were literally doing for past fifteen minutes but still not seeing any sight of the person. It’s quite a late afternoon and you were so happy today. Why? Just because you nowadays feel happy after coming from your daily tour from the seaside. And today, you spent a bit more time with that blue wave guy. You chuckled on your own thought as what a silly nickname you have given him. With a little pout, you shrink in your seat. He usually comes running to you when he would see you sitting there. You casted a glance to your skateboard and well you could see the teddy bear sticker on it and that was what Mark had sticked on it last day.

“So, who is that lucky person you are thinking about?”

Craning your neck, you could see a guy chewing a gum and giving you a teasing smirk and shielding his eyes with a sunglass. With striking a pose, he brushed his hairs backward and when he felt your eyes on him, his smirk became wide. With a striking walk, he came beside you and sat on the empty place.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t know me? That’s so bad.”

He asked you and fake gasped when you shook your head. He was reacting as if it’s your fault in not being aware of his status. A frown appeared on your face and your expressions were totally how you were judging his over dramatic self.

“Why is it important to know?”

Clearing his throat, he turned his body towards your direction, placing a hand on head of the seat and placing the leg over another, striking a sassy pose. You pressed your lips just to prevent yourself showing your annoyance to him and being rude on your first meeting.

“Everyone in this colony knows about me and I’m honestly surprised that you don’t know me.”

“Okay?”

“Yah! Why are you so casual about it? Don’t I stand out among all the boys here.”

Honestly, he stands out. It was because you haven’t encountered any other boy with such a unique personality who acts like this on their first meeting even with a girl. Every guy tries to be formal or shy when interacting but this boy was totally over confident about himself and somewhere deep inside you were enjoying his company while waiting for Mark. You laughed lightly at his annoyed expression but quickly regained your composure when you saw him taking off his sunglasses and glaring at you.

“So how was your little ride from seaside?”

“What?”

How does he know about you? You were literally scared when he asked it and you thought that he might be some kind of stalker who was acting dumb in front of you.

“I’m not a stalker. That’s a very cheap name for me. Haechan is my name. I’m friends with Renjun and Mark so I know you.”

“oh.” So, they have talked about me among themselves. Why? They haven’t mentioned about being known to each other. Oh wait. You haven’t told them about each other then why they will tell you. But this boy is telling that they have talked about you then they must know now.

“Take this, you are overthinking too much. It looks like you don’t interact with people that much and that’s how you think about all the worst possibilities of everything.”

You watched how he took out a gum strip from a small pocket sized box and offered you to take it. You stared at that.

“What if it’s poison and then you might kidnap me?”

“That’s true. But to your luck, I don’t carry those cheap and useless stuffs in my precious and luxury jacket’s pocket. You are the poison to my mind you know. When they talk about you, after that you are stuck in my head and it’s so relaxing to see the angel in person.”

Again, that damn smirk reappeared on his face.

“Also, I would not attempt to pull out such a stunt in front of these much of people, right my Y/N?”

Gesturing with his open palm to all the people spread across the park. He pointed with his chin to take the gum and you accepted it. Satisfied with you, he gave you a teasing grin and eyes scanned your form.

“Haechan. What are you doing here? And.... oh Y/N?”

“I was waiting for you Mark.” you smiled.

“And me being a gentleman was accompanying her unlike you who kept her waiting here for so long.”

“Oh me. I’m sorry. I was just stuck in an important work and couldn’t make it on time.”

Haechan made a ‘tsk’ sound and stared at him to which the latter glared at him and it was of no effect on him because he smiled back to him.

“it’s okay Mark. I was….enjoying his company.”

Damn. His smug face was mocking his friend whose coming late was up to his satisfaction that he got to spend time with you.

“I’m sorry Y/N but I cant spend time with you today as I have to go somewhere and I thought you must be here so I came running here to tell you.” He awkwardly smiled to you and shuffled his hairs and honestly you found it too attractive.

“it’s okay. I can understand.”

Hanging his arm around Haechan’s neck, he bid you goodbye and your eyes followed how they were fighting and bickering jokingly while making their way out of the park. Looking down to the gum in your hand, your eyes widen when a paper folded into tiny folds was attached to it. On unfolding it, you found out the scribbles on it and you giggled.

‘This is my number below. If he makes you wait again, call me and I will tell you about his whereabout. Save the number, ~Haechan.’

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‘Broken Melodies’

Suddenly today you are feeling to go through the confession page of your office. One might wonder as if why you were suddenly wanting to go through that site when you are never really interested in those stuffs. Well, the real matter was that you heard a rumor that one of your mangers has proposed his employee and everyone was fangirling over the fact. Surprisingly, even you. You were not expecting something like that for you but was really curious on the fact that how does that page look like. How people actually confess there? As far as You heard, the manager was an anonymous character there then how come everyone knows about it? Did that girl inform them?

You took your laptop and sat comfortably leaning to the headboard with it on your lap. You remembered the name of the page and typed in your Instagram account. The account popped up and you quickly clicked on it. You opened the first post and read the confession. You giggled on the cute message. Eyes reading all the posts when suddenly a particular post made you stop. The person had mentioned his name, well only his account name on Instagram ‘Broken melodies’.

I fell in love again, with her...again. I tried everyday to teach me how to unlove someone. Looking up to the sky, I have told myself countable times that I am capable of leaving her there. But… I cant get her out of my mind even if I hate her. I hate when I see those eyes staring back at me as if I am a stranger and we never knew each other. Whenever she comes near to me, those memories come across my mind along with her presence. Huh! Then only I can realize how I have treasured every moment spend together. Maybe we have made some mistakes back then and I should keep in mind not to repeat them again when she is close to me again. Again, in my life. I want to keep her with me. She is my everything but I’m just a stranger to her. I want to spend my every seven days of a week with you. Can we turn it back again?

I want to sing to her and see her smile again. Those admiration for me in her eyes, I miss them. My songs were the most melodious tunes with her but they are just the broken melodies without her.

“Oh damn. Who is this? I want her to get back to him. I don’t want him to sing alone, she should see this. But I haven’t heard any break up story in our work place.”

Thinking on the gossips you heard all in the past and recently, you tried to remember any story like this. Oh wait. Then this person has a lover from outside the work place.

Smiling, you like the post and commented.

‘You will get her soon.’

Within two minutes, you got a notification from Instagram and it was of someone liked your comment and when you opened the banner, it was from ‘Broken Melodies’.

Somewhere in a cold room, a smiling boy smiling and staring at his phone in his hand on reading a comment. He quickly liked it and sent a follow request to the account. Found it. He shook his head when he realised how he was smiling like a fool, maybe a fool in love.

“Chenle…Why are you smiling at the screen? What’s there so interesting that you couldn’t hear me calling out your name?”

“I have found her profile.”

“Whose?”

“Y/N.”

The latter boy just shook his head but not because he thought his friend was silly but he was going to ask him for the profile and the owner of that account later that night.

“Are you coming?”

“YES. HAECHAN!”

“You didn’t have to scream so loud. Aish, my ears will bleed soon.”

Chenle started laughing on seeing his friend’s dramatic attempt to press his palms over his ears and fake crying that he couldn’t hear anything anymore.

You accepted the profile when you thought he must be another worker from your office as all other employees you know were already friends with him. This is how the story begins with the pages being turned over to the initial.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

‘Starry night’

“Have you ever wondered if anybody is looking back to from up there?”

You turned to your supposed to be high school classmate. He was already staring at the sky and was attempting to count the stars. Your thoughtful expression glanced at him and avert your eyes back to the sky.

Is there?

“I don’t know….”

“There is someone or should say some people.”

His eyes taking in the view, how the moonlight falling over you and you were still managing to glow. To some other eyes, you might be a common person standing to the side leaning against the pillar on the bridge with your boyfriend but to him you were the most shining star under the night sky at that moment. He met you at the bus stand few days back when you were returning from your work and he was so happy to meet you after so many years. You were confused when he first introduced himself but you then realised that he was the quiet and nerdy boy in your class.

It was Sunday evening when you both decided to have a meet up to chat and relive those old school memories. He was still a shy boy but you saw how he has gained so much confidence unlike before because of which he could approach you that day.

“You are telling it the way as if you are sure and can prove it if possible.”

“I can.”

“huh?’

“There are many things you still don’t know, Y/N.”

“And you know?”

“Perhaps yes.”

“Jisung?”

“Hm…”

“Have you lost someone to up there?”

Silence. That's what you got in return after you asked the question to him. You casted a worried glance towards him to see if you have crossed your boundaries and asked any question that might be too sensitive to him in some ways. When you were about to apologize to him, he turned around and cupped your face and you watched how a tear fell sliding through his cheeks, the end of tear line reflecting the moonlight.

“Yes. A very precious one.”

“Can’t you………get back them again?”

“I have got her back again. Very close to my heart and the person will be there with me all night long under this starry blanket of the night sky.”

“That’s really nice.”

……………………..

Your hands went up to touch your cheeks and felt tears falling, similarly the way you had seen on Jisung’s face. Why are you crying? It was not you who lost someone except your parents but the way he was saying those words while staring directly to your eyes felt so real like as if he was directing the words to you.

You glanced at the clock and it was already so late and you looked at the snacks kept on the table which you bought from the store before calling your friend. When the clock shows how late you were and the nest day you need to wake up early for your work, you realised you were zoning out for too long, thinking about the encounters with these seven boys. The encounters were like a dream occurring in the reality.

Arranging everything as per your routine before bed, you went on to have a sleep to rest your mind and body after having your little trips to different places.

You have to arrange the pieces to the puzzle of your life. These boys seem like the missing puzzle pieces and are to fix your life into a final piece.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Taglist: @mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @vvshere @anyamaris @yeoobin @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @dinonuguaegi @oreharuuu @eriny123 @jaehunnyy @is4b3ll3s @she-is-dreaming

(Open! Send ask/reply/dm)

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[thoughtfulchaos773]

Fishes, Water, & Dreams: Dominant & Inferior

Part II of This Jungian Series

"Man becomes whole, integrated, calm, fertile, and happy when (and only when) the process of individuation is complete, when the conscious and the unconscious have learned to live at peace and to complement one another." -― C.G. Jung, Man and His Symbols

I wanted to look into the dominant and inferior Jung's theory Richie was reading in the network script of 2x01, which brought him to question his purpose. Using this I wanted to write what I believe is each character's inferior function.

I'm not a therapist but I love the subject of stories and mental health.

Carl Jung - a leading figure of psychology that theorized how people view and act in the world is based on four psychological functions that are either dominant or inferior. (Four functions are thinking,feeling,sensation, intution)

But TLDR: We behave based on these four functions, and one of these functions is an inferior part of our personality that needs to be explored. Eventually, it seeps into co-consciousness, asking for integration, and can make us act in compulsive ways to compensate for our weakening dominant function.

The inferior function can come into consciousness when a traumatic event occurs. I believe these psychological types reveal each character's inferior function.

The inferior function breaks through the ego's attempts to dominate and exposes us to the unknown and unexplored. According to Jung, despite being perceived as a weak spot in the personality, this "treasure hard to attain" is also the source of our vitality, liberation, and enjoyment.

Descriptions of the rational functions:

Thinking:

Internally or externally, using logical consistency, understanding, and concepts and systems in a personal way (introverted), we make decisions and organize and structure the world objectively, and we implement systems based on outside data (extraverted)

Extraverted: Principled, idealistic, objective, rational

Introverted: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

Feeling:

 It is making decisions based on feelings and relationships. In an introverted way, it centers on internal values and personal emotions. It's about evaluating situations based on what feels right to the person.

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

Introverted: Sympathetic, pleases others, may be dependent, reserved.

Descriptions of Irrational Functions:

Sensation

We can recall and integrate our inner or external world to interpret our immediate environment and the present.

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

Introverted: Calm and passive, restrained, controlled and controlling.

Intuition

Focuses on internal insights that reveal patterns and future possibilities based on past experiences. It involves developing personal long-term visions and intuitively understanding complex ideas.

Extraverted: Enterprising, outgoing, can be irresponsible.

Introverted: Mystical, dreamer and artist. Can be obsessive.

I thought it would be interesting to apply these theories to Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and Natalie in the first part to get a quick profile of the characters. I also attached quotes from psychology types that go deep into Jung's theory on the four functions.

Carmen Bezatto- Inferior Function (Extraverted Feeling)

Dominant Introverted Thinker: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

"In the case of a human object, the man has a distinct feeling that he matters only in a negative way, i.e., in milder instances he is merely conscious of being superfluous, but with a more extreme type he feels himself warded off as something definitely disturbing."

I was back and forth between extraverted sensing being his inferior or feeling. But Carmy's desire to no longer be alone overshadows. He longs to have Claire and Mikey's extroverted nature and way of being with people. Carmy, not knowing his inner feelings, reflects why he can have trouble focusing on the feelings of others at times. Since Mikey’s death, his inferior function - the longing to connect, to no longer compete - is playing in a way where carmy is resisting. Heavily relying on processing systems - what introverted thinking types are good at instead of working on their relationships and feelings of themselves and others.

This also stood out to me for the dominant introverted thinking types resisting- they will stay in environments no matter the external conditions as long as it lets them focus on their work and projects.

“"Invariably the object has to submit to a certain neglect; in worse cases, it is even surrounded with quite unnecessary measures of precaution. Thus, it happens that this type tends to disappear behind a cloud of misunderstanding."

Years ago, to help his trauma, Carmy heavily relied on this function that helped him understand systems and logic - to swallow his feelings and become the best chef. But now his longing for feeling for connection is weaning his introverted thinking effect. Now, it's affecting the relationships around him. His obsession with meeting high standards creates further misunderstandings. The more Carmy resists intergration it is only hurting himself and those he wishes to be close to, the season 3 finale the chefs dialogue reminds Carmy the reason he is running a restaurant has to be about the people. Not the systems of stars but putting importance on relationships will get him closer to wholeness.

Sydney- Inferior Function (Introverted Thinking)

Dominant: Extraverted Feeling

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

"One can feel 'correctly,' however, only when the feeling is disturbed by nothing else. But nothing disturbs feeling so much as thinking."

Some sites consider Sydney introverted, but I say extroverted. Watching Season 3 highlighted for me that Sydney is an extravert. She can talk to a group of world-star chefs and include herself in conversation seamlessly- adding her humor to the mix- extravert. Also, the party she threw at her apartment, along with the desire to go out and explore the external world. Sydney needs social harmony amongst the team. Sometimes, she shows some socially awkward moments, but that plays into her inferior function, where she can sometimes overthink.

Also important to note is that being alone at her dad’s house was not great for Sydney's headspace. She has to be out in the world exploring and engaging with people.

Sydney is open to new possibilities. Carmy, though he wants to improve the beef, automatically resorts to old, tried, and accurate methods. Sydney presents how different and positive things could be. 

Her inferior function is introverted thinking. Sydney is working on this for the 3rd season. Her dad points out how excited she is about opening The Bear but wants her to still be cautious, and it seems she did this same thought process with her catering business. There seemed to be a sense of urgency? She did move out fast, according to Emmanuel, like that is second nature to her, and for her dad to be pre cautious, she considers it negative.

At the beginning of season 1, by meeting Carmy and being part of the beef, Sydney approaches things differently than what's in her nature. She’s patient (incredibly patient with carmy) and creates and analyzes systems that will work for the business. This, along with her feelings of enthusiasm that I'm sure she hasn't felt since the start of her catering business, has her leaping in despite what happened in review which wasnt quite resolved between Sydney and Carmu. Her feelings are in it. She sees that carmy is open to a new chapter, and her feelings for her team make her jump into opening The Bear.

But 2x10 brings her back down to reality. Because of the Berzattos' dysfunction, she takes a step back to see if she should actually sign the agreement. In this case, her inferior function is asking for integration. This explains why she suddenly wants to think logically when faced with this decision. It’s as though she’s trying to step back and analyze the situation carefully, but this may not come naturally to her, and it leads to internal conflict.

Sidebar: This was not on purpose! But seriously, it's funny that Sydney's dominant function is Carmy's inferior and vice versa. Sydney wants to create a new menu, and carmy says, "Give me a minute." Classic interaction of an extroverted feeling (I feel this, and you should too! Let's do it, carmy!) and introverted type- (I'm not so sure; I need a minute to think).

Richie Jerimovich inferior Function (Introverted  Intution)

Dominant Extraverted Sensing

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

"Upon the lower levels this is the man of tangible reality, with little tendency either for reflection or commanding purpose."

We don’t see much of Richie’s inferior function play except for season one. Since he’s extraverted sensation-dominant, he relies on external senses to connect to the world. Due to Mikey’s death, we don’t see this side of Richie. We only hear stories of the boisterous nature of Mikey’s sidekick, such as all-night partying and random trips. 

With the introverted intuition being inferior, there is anxiety towards thinking long-term. We see him consider long-term goals when Tiffany’s pregnant, but it falls through. His attachment to his immediate environment The Beef,Mikey- attachment to the delicate ecosystem Richie overcompensates with his dominant function - he’s louder and even more stuck in keeping his immediate environment the same. 

Then, in season 2 , Richie becomes more introverted and considers aspects of his personality yet to develop. A lack of responsibility runs inferior intuition, but Richie is on the integration steps when he asks Carmy for his purpose. 

In Forks, his inferior function plays out, mainly when cleaning forks, where he can’t see the purpose or have a deeper reflection of the repetitive task. It isn’t until Tiffany tells him the news of her long-term future happening that Richie again reflects and has a deeper introspection - working on his unconscious, he starts to understand what he can do for self-actualization.

As the episode progresses, Richie’s inferior intuition starts to realize when he begins to appreciate the high standards and purpose at Ever. He connects with Chef Terry’s story about her father’s journals, which helps Richie connect the dots between his life and the importance of how to spend his time, dedication, and purpose. 

Season 3 Richie has a different level of self awareness. He understands the causes of fear and how his dominant sensation function overcompensates (e.g., Carmy changing his environment, which creates fear in his dojo), and he notices Carmy's own need for integration.

You notice at Sydneys partner Richie wasn't as loud as season 1 Richie? He didn't celebrate immediately at Ever Funeral dinner. He connected to the decorations and showed his extraverted personality, which is more pleasant than we've seen him. Even through being in a group, his introverted intution comes into light when he asks Jess how she continues to find inspiration. Richie wants to move forward by still creating that meaning in his life that only the intution function can give him his answer.

Natalie Berzatto Inferior Introverted Thinking

Dominant:Extraverted Feeling

This made me see Natalie and Sydney's relationship in an even more positive light - they have the same dominant and inferior functions- no wonder Sydney naturally asked Natalie if she was okay. Natalie also cares about the well-being of her family and prioritizes relationships and those happiness around her - although this can be positive for Sydney. We see this as a negative for Natalie. She makes herself sick as she tells her mother. But this imo tells me that Natalie's dominant function of feeling for those around her was and drained by Donna, or it's an overcompensation for her upbringing. Maybe both.

Internal introverted thinking is her inferior function, and this plays out in season 3 when Natalie, like Sydney, is having a battle between her heart and her head. She wants to connect to her mother but knows the implications of bringing a child into the world she was raised in. Logically, Natalie knows her mom is who she is, and she must accept it from a distance, but she still longs for a close relationship with everyone around her—she longs for social harmony.

In the Ice Chips episode, we see Natalie's inferior function come out and integrate when she observes her mother during her labor. Natalie can think logically and see why she is the way she is, hold her mother accountable, and see everything objectively. She sees how broken her mother is and can move forward when she balances her head and her heart.

Thank you for reading! Season 3 really did a deep dive into psychology. I would not be surprised if the writers explored personality types and integration. Do you notice the show also uses a lot of symbolism, and a character is always discussing a dream they had? Well, Jung was big on dreams and symbolism as a way to connect to our subconscious to get closer to integration. I'll connect the symbolism and dreams with Jung in the next post.

Tagging @moodyeucalyptus @mitocamdria @vacationship @whenmemorydies @brokenwinebox @fresaton

[vroomian]

Who is Vocx friends with among the overlords?

Alastor and Rosie are his favorites, but he’s friendly with pretty much all of them. He’s got a charm to him, despite being very much an introvert who’d rather be working than networking lol.

One of carmillas daughters is a big fan of one of his shows, so even Carmella is more favorable towards him here.

(Idk if Valentino or velvet make it to overlord status without voxs influence or angels sheer charisma, but I think maybe. It takes way longer though.)

[ilovedthestars]

ilovedthestars OC masterpost

I'm putting this together for OC-tober art swaps, so I have all my reference material in one place! Most of this is lightly modified from what I made for ArtFight this year. I might update it over time, but for now, here are all my (major) Murderbot Diaries OCs :)

Polaris

These OCs are involved, one way or another, in an Underground Railroad of sorts that helps constructs escape their companies and flee to Preservation. The setting is ballpark 10 years post-canon, when constructs have gained full citizenship on Preservation and it's become a north star for rogue constructs looking to leave the Corporation Rim.

Relevant fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Niri

Niri is the founder of the Polaris program (the underground railroad). Its governor module was hacked by another free SecUnit, and once it got used to freedom on Preservation, it decided to go back for others. It disguises its hacked governor module to sneak itself onto companies' inventory and pass the hack to other SecUnits, then sneaks them away with the help of a network of allies. Aybee, Hope, Enigma and Unit 46 are all constructs it rescued in this way.

Ray of sunshine :)

Young, optimistic, and relentlessly hopeful

Nearly always smiling. Big body language / expressions

An artist! Makes abstract, expressive oil paintings. (Its favorite paint color is alizarin crimson, a bluish-red that mixes to a nice soft pink)

Likes loose, flowy clothes in bright colors, especially warm colors

Note: In the reference image above I forgot that SecUnit feet aren't organic. Niri has inorganic feet like Murderbot.

Appears in fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Other posts I've made about it: Niri and Aybee art, OC-tober post, new art, older art, ask game about Niri and OldUnit

Unit 46 a.k.a. OldUnit

When Unit 46 was a fairly young unit, it hacked its governor module and made a run for it. It was caught within minutes by a group of other SecUnits that were sent after it, and its memory was wiped. It spent the next few decades repressing its desire for freedom, requesting new memory wipes every time it remembered its escape attempt. It survived much longer than most SecUnits do by following orders to the letter and keeping its head down. Then it was approached by an undercover Niri and got another chance to run.

My nickname for it is OldUnit, but in-universe it continues to go by Unit 46.

Tired and jaded. Very good at keeping its head down and surviving day-to-day, but still figuring out that it might be able to build a life where it can do more than that

Stands very stiffly. Intensely neutral expression a lot of the time. Shows little emotion until it reaches a tipping point and completely breaks down

Very rarely okay with being touched

Once free, dresses nondescriptly, usually tight-fitting clothing because that feels similar to the suit-skin it used to wear under its armor. Hasn’t figured out its own taste yet

Appears in fic: Old Unit, Young Unit

Other posts I've made about it: artwork about its past, OC-Tober post, ask game about Niri and OldUnit,

Aybee

Aybee's governor module was hacked by Niri, and the two of them became best friends. They’re friendly and welcoming to other freed constructs on Preservation, and have helped build a community from the stray units that Niri brings back from its rescue missions. They're always a little worried for Niri when it’s undercover, and relieved when it returns for a break.

Extrovert who adopts all the introverts

Niri’s BFF and a fellow artist! Niri taught them to paint :) (Their favorite paint color is pthalo blue, a deep blue-green.)

Dresses comfortably in cool but vibrant colors. (I always seem to draw them in flannels.)

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! They'll appear in the sequel to OU,YU

Other posts I've made about them: Niri and Aybee art

Other people's art: awesome ArtFight attack by sunnytheopossum

Hope

Hope is a ComfortUnit whos governor module was hacked by Niri. Xe now helps it with its mission of freeing more constructs. Xe spends most of xyr time blending in as a human, helping newly freed SecUnits make their way to Preservation.

Cool and confident

Emotionally intelligent, can be both comforting and blunt when necessary

Great at acting and blending in anywhere xe needs to

No visible inorganic parts—xe was designed to be as human-like from the outside as possible, which comes in handy for espionage

Dresses fashionably for fun and profit (profit = respect and social capital).

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! The last chapter of OU,YU, when I finish it.

Other people's art: gorgeous ArtFight attack by souldagger

Enigma

Enigma hacked its governor module and hid it for almost seven years before Niri met it and helped it escape. As a result, it’s very good at hacking, but also very anxious. It's still trying to find its place on Preservation.

Anxious and introverted

Doesn’t like drawing too much attention

Brilliant hacker, although being under too much pressure reminds it of when hacking was the only way it stayed alive

Wears lots of dark, baggy clothes. Usually has messy hair

Appears in fic: Nothing yet! It'll appear in the sequel to OU,YU

Other people's art: awesome ArtFight attack by sunnytheopossum

Yuma & Crowbar

These two technically still exist within the Polaris universe, but they have their own fic so they get their own section. Yuma is a human mechanic who fixed up a scrapped SecUnit, and accidentally hacked its governor in the process. She set it free, and Crowbar returned a year later to help her escape her debts and find a new life on Preservation. They become an inseparable duo and eventually get involved in the Polaris program.

Relevant fic: Salvage or Repair

Other posts I've made about them: Writing snippet from after Salvage or Repair, writing snippet from a spin-off wip, the artwork above

Yuma

A human mechanic working herself into deeper and deeper debt on a backwater asteroid, salvaging and repairing broken machines. One day her boss gave her a damaged SecUnit to fix. Slowly she picked up on the fact that this SecUnit seemed a lot more alive and feeling than the other machines she fixed, and couldn't bring herself to hand it over to a new owner. She offered it a transport crate, a crowbar and a one-way trip off the asteroid, to hopefully have a chance at a better life.

Has been increasingly poor and trapped in terrible situations her entire life

Very tired, but still kind despite it all

Clever, and if there's anything she knows her way around, it's machines

Talks to things while she fixes them

Might not fully understand the whole deal with SecUnits at first, but they're a bit machine and a bit human, and she respects machines and treats humans as well as she can, so why should they be any different?

Crowbar

A SecUnit that spent the first part of its life in a remote asteroid mine, keeping indentured workers in line. An accident caused it to be severely damaged and discarded. It ended up in Yuma's workshop, and while fixing it she unknowingly hacked its governor module. Instead of selling it to a new owner, she gave it a chance at freedom. It disguised itself as a human for several weeks, terrified of being found out, before running into Hope, who gave it a ride to Preservation. It named itself Crowbar and eventually found its way back to Yuma, to repay her kindness and offer her a better life.

Its personality isn’t completely settled yet, but while it started out very shy and uncertain, it’s gained a casual confidence in itself.

I think it likes taking care of living things! Probably gathers a small garden of houseplants and an assortment of pets over time.

In situations where it doesn’t have to hide that it’s a SecUnit, it likes wearing clothing that shows off some of its inorganic parts

It still has the crowbar that Yuma gave it so it could pry itself out of the transport crate she shipped it in. It considers it a prized possession

That's all for now :)

[orangemocharaktajino]

Ai Di - ISTP

Ai Di is mouthy, impatient, inquisitive (as covered here), fierce, free-spirited, and strong-willed

He doesn't care about other peoples' expectations of how he should act, rules, or sugarcoating the truth. He makes a lot of sarcastic comments under his breath but he doesn't mind if he's heard. He doesn't mind conflict and in fact usually instigates it. Sometimes this is out of annoyance because his fuse is very short but sometimes it's just for fun. He is pretty observant and sometimes notices things other people don't. He knows how to keep information to himself so he can let it out at the right moment. He can be private about his personal problems but he likes to talk things through with his close friends. He lives in the moment and likes to make his own decisions. Having fun is one of his biggest motivators and he can be pretty impulsive and energetic, especially when indulging sensory experiences.

His primary target to annoy for fun is Chen Yi. He loves to bring up Chen Yi's crush on the boss and bust his balls about it. He doesn't limit himself to one type of provocation though. Whatever he needs to do for a reaction will work, like literally jumping up and down and obnoxiously yelling in Chen Yi's ear while he's on the phone, or making sexual comments to provoke him.

It's not a successful interaction unless he gets manhandled in response.

Self confidence is not an issue

He doesn't back down from a challenge so Chen Yi tends to follow him around to forcibly drag him away from any mess

Since he's so private with most people, including Chen Yi, he can be a bit much with the few close friends he does share things with

Two seconds later:

He's a pretty unhealthy version of his type at the start of the show but once he actually addresses his relationship with Chen Yi and widens his support network through his friendship with Bai Zong Yi, he becomes more easygoing and friendly.

I know most of what I focused on here is related to Se and not Ti but it's not uncommon for introverts to have a much more outwardly noticeable auxiliary function since their dominant function is more internal.

Next will be Chen Yi

Previously I also typed:

Bai Zong Yi

Fan Ze Rui

and also talked a bit about their dynamics as ISTJ x INFJ here

[novelmonger]

Hi! I found your blog while looking to see if Tumblr had anyone talking about working or training as a scopist. I looked through your scope tag, and I think you're doing the Internet Scoping School course, right?

I just signed up for this course and am going to get started studying after the holidays. I also got the Bad Grammar / Good Punctuation book & workbook and I think you also were working through that? Do you think it helped to finish that book before you did the punctuation section?

I hope this isn't too out of the blue! I'm also an introvert (with pretty bad social anxiety) so the Facebook group seems a little daunting.

:O Oh my goodness! Seriously?! What a small world! I never would have expected to find another ISS student on Tumblr, of all places!

Yeah, I'm going through the ISS course. Currently, I'm in Section 7, the practice transcript files. I actually just quit my job so I can devote more time to that final push and hopefully get started actually scoping in the next couple months. (I've been working on this course since like...2018, mostly because change is scary and I'm terrified of getting out there and suddenly discovering I'm underprepared. Thus, the drastic measure of taking away my safety net so I can finally get this thing done instead of dithering around forever. Please don't lollygag around as much as I have! ^^')

I loved Bad Grammar/Good Punctuation! When I first signed up for the course a million years ago, the punctuation section used Morson's as the textbook. It was good, and I'm glad I went through it, but I found BGGM a lot easier to follow. Like...somehow, both her explanations and just the way the rules were laid out made more logical sense to me. I went back and redid the whole punctuation section again when they changed it over to BGGM because I needed a refresher, and if I recall correctly, I think you're given specific lessons to work through in the textbook along with the material on the website. Or at least they cover the same material in the same order? Regardless, I recommend working through BGGM alongside the ISS lessons. They kind of reinforce each other.

As another socially awkward introvert, I hear you about the Facebook group. I rarely get on there myself (Tumblr is where my people are, not FB), but I've occasionally posted questions there, and I've always found the people there to be very friendly and helpful. I don't think anyone's obligated to be active on there (except for one lesson early on where you're supposed to post a list of reference sites you've researched), but it can really come in handy if there's something that's just not clicking, or if you need encouragement for a tough section or when it feels like it's taking too long. Also, it sounds to me like Facebook may be essential for networking once it comes time to find clients. Numerous times, I've heard people say, "Oh, I never even bothered making a website, I just post on such-and-such Facebook group when I'm looking for reporters to work with."

Anyway, I hope that's helpful! Feel free to reach out if you have more questions down the line, or just want some scopist solidarity from someone who's...well, not a boomer on Facebook ^^' (Not saying that everyone in the group is, but....) I'd also be curious to hear how you got interested in scoping in the first place!

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hi J!

This is my first question after months of devouring your blog which I absolutely adore. I don’t know if you have answered this before. What kind of friend do you think ASR would have been. What kind of dynamic do you think he shared with his friends group in Harvard if he had any?

Hey Anon!

Definitely not what Sheetal described (there were too many conflicts between the Arnav we knew and the Arnav she described). Arnav has never been friendly - not even to his business associates (and those are the people you're supposed to be most chummy with).

The first few episodes is close to what we get of Arnav in his younger days. He's very conflicted, very torn apart, very angry.

But that could be a result of him being back in the country that has given him pain.

He could've loosened up a little in the States because being away from trauma helps. Arnav feels like a guy to know a lot of useful acquaintances but not have a deep friendship with anyone.

Dry humor, intelligent, spoke less. He'd probably be that elusive quiet guy who killed it at classes and majorly kept to himself. His few friends would be similar to him - so he might've made friends who equally hated people and chose to keep to themselves.

The basis for his and Sheetal's friendship/dating is that they were both quiet and kept to themselves.

He definitely was a listener and networked a LOT - he seemed to have started his company during college days itself. And he probably used sports and music (drums) to keep his mind calm.

Arnav doesn't seem like a guy who went to university of explore himself and become more educated. He was a man on a mission. To get everything back.

So I think he pretty much threw himself in to build his business and credibility.

Arnav's life at Harvard could be a mix of strong networks, small circle of introvert friends, a casual date here and there, some sports and music to keep himself focused.

And the reason why I think he didn't have any solid friendships or the best of time in university is because having stable friendships and a good phase in your life changes you. It rubs you off in a good way. Having someone to confide to makes all the difference. But if you don't have someone to confide to, you turn bitter and angry.

Arnav seems to have never laughed, never danced, never shared his thoughts - these are all reflections of an incredibly isolated person. I share a lot of Arnav's viewpoints in life but I know my friends have played a critical role in my life.

The people I find to grow closest as his friends are Akash, NK and Khushi.

Best,

J

[allythegemini]

I literally hate being an introvert, but I’m not friendly enough to be an extrovert like sometimes I’d rather be on my phone than talk to people and like it’s so annoying bc there’s this hyper emphasis on networking and I’m continuously worried if I’m doing enough to make myself be seen but I also don’t care to be seen lol

[alteredsilicone]

Orokin Loid thoughts (parallels with canon version included):

-manages his wealth/resources better than Albrecht, Void research isn't the only thing he is working on.

-similarly to his canon counterpart, is interested in the preservation of history: has a real library (mocked by other Orokin, but something he and Albrecht bond over); is friendly with Drusus and is the #1 patron of the Leverian (Drusus lived quite comfortably during the Orokin era thanks to Loid).

-(this is to keep with the art nouveau theme); one of his less popular projects was themed around Earth reclamation. Canonically Orokin needed Void travel to escape their own mismanagement of Earth; Loid tried to invest into agriculture, but it took "too long" for the Orokin's liking. Still, Loid's estate has greenhouses, orchards and he is quite proud of his iris collection. Also a way to make some money on the side selling flowers and fruit (self-sustaining farming).

-good at politicking, is definitely very respected in society but also has lots of hidden enemies because Orokin are just like That. Has a network of contacts and knows many people and makes sure they owe him a favor or two. His survival tactic is to maintain a good reputation so that anyone who tries to go against him comes out as the villain. "Master Loid is so generous and supports many popular policies, only a fool and a heretic would go against him!"

-has an entourage of servants who maintain his estate; is a very guarded and introverted person but his servants like him; they live on his estate, work his farms and receive reimbursement both in ducats and in food -> a lot of his servants choose to settle down at Loid's estate and he has several families who have served him for generations.

-"Dignity, dignity at all times." is his motto; the concept of dignity is central to his aesthetic and his views on life, which is also why he manages to instill loyalty in his servants.

-abhors brutishness and hedonism, but is interested in the art of combat nevertheless. Interested in guns and "archaic" weapons (his Ekhein). Stronger than he looks, thanks to Orokin genes.

-despite all this, deeply insecure. He does not believe in his own inherent superiority as an Orokin, in many ways due to Archimedean Albrecht being a much better scientist. Being diligent and valuing hard work Loid would notice that even if all men are not born equal, Orokin have not "earned" their superiority in many cases and neither are humans undeserving of dignity and fair treatment.

[uraberika]

21 and 26 for the ask game? c:

Hello!^^ Thanks for the ask^^

21. Which characters would you be friends with irl?

I think I would get along well with the managers, especially with Aki; she is just so easygoing and friendly. I think I would mostly get along with the introvert characters haha

26. How did you first find ina11?

I saw the first season dubbed in my native language on Cartoon Network when I was 15 or so, and with such an ending, I needed more so I went and looked for fansubs. Sadly, the rest of the series was never dubbed in my language, which is a shame.

send me an ina11 ask!

[alarrytale]

Neurodivergent anon here. Of course I’m not diagnosing it’s just similarities I’ve seen with my own daughter. The anxiety and the possible social anxiety in particular. Looking overstimulated in big crowds and drinking perhaps to counter act. Preferring only a small circle of friends. I believe Louis knew about it and tried to protect him by guiding him in crowds and speaking for him in the early days. That’s just off the top of my head. It could be nothing but it’s just things that made me take notice.

Thanks for the explanation, anon!

Yeah, i think we should be careful diagnosing anyone. I think H is just an introvert, a perfectionist who puts a lot of pressure on himself. And i think H is actually good in social situations, unless he's alone in new and unfamiliar environments. He's a charmer and seems good at small talk. People mistake his friendliness for flirting. He makes friends easily (he's an aquarius). His social circle is vast and networking skills seems excellent. He's not afraid to stand out and try new things. He loves exploring and going out of his comfort zone, even though it might make him nervous or shy. People always feel seen around him. He greets everyone. So i see loads of things in H that you don’t see in neurodivergent people, quite the opposite.

I think what we see can be explained by the pressure H is under. He's nervous for a reason, because he's putting himself out there and being bold about it. He's non-conventional (most of the time). I think friends exploit him and he's scarred by the industry, so he's more guarded.

But hey, maybe you're right and i'm wrong. I do see where you're coming from.

[toonabby]

Three days until Christmas (sorry I skipped out on the first two days)

(April 2024 update to fix spelling mistakes)

Since Christmas is three days away I'm just gonna list out a bunch of foreign, non-Japanese animation that debuted this year. I'm just gonna keep this first entry short and sweet:

The Girl Downstairs

I really liked the more laid-back tone of the series focusing on the male lead, a drop-out idol who lives at his apartment downstairs, and his college friends. Speaking of which I adore stories that are set in college and I want more works from SoL genre (or any genre in general) to take place in college, ESPECIALLY anime. I am sick and tired of anime only taking place in high schools especially when the dreaded "fanservice" trope is involved... 😒 (I also found out it was based on an ongoing webtoon as well as being one of the two adaptations released this year - the other being a live-action Netflix series called Doona!)

Xyrin Empire

Rare harem W Maybe its me excluding this (and DAL) from the terrible harem animes solely because its made in a different country from the same continent AND has CG animation that isn't god awful, but from what I seen of the first few episodes or so its not that. Not that good either since it falls into the tropes common in anime (the "boring but overpowered" MC, the love rivals, the 'tsundere' childhood friend, "really 300+ year old" childlike character who wears age-inappropriate attire), but I can at least tolerate this show compared to other works from this genre and even with the tropes there not as awful and apparent as the other harem animes, but that's probably because I haven't watched much from this show.

Rainbow Bubblegem

If this was an anime, then I'll pay my life-savings for what would be a return of the traditional Magical Girl genre in a loooong while after we've been bombarded with PMMM wannabees that fall in the "ow the edge" territory while forgetting what made MadoMagi phenomenal for the genre in the first place, remakes of old Magical Girl animes (e.g. Sailor Moon Crystal and Tokyo Mew Mew New), and the Precure franchise being the sole survivor of the traditional magical girl genre. I really like the premise that is essentially a combination of H2O: Just Add Water, Miraculous Ladybug, and Sailor Moon, and how Red Ruby (on of the main characters) isn't just a stereotypical alpha bitch, no she's actually helpful and friendly to the main girl, if a bit self-centered.

As for the shows I started to get invested in....

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (2004)

This is a childhood of mine that resurfaced in my mind. Out of all of the Cartoon Network shows this one is my personal favorite, and I'm really excited on what the new preschool show spin-off will take us to. That, and me being a Bloo fan since I've started remembering this show. "It's hoooooot in to-pe-kaaaaaaaaaaaaaa."

Ba Da Bean (2021)

I adore the show's aesthetic of an arts and crafts-laden environment where everything and I mean EVERYTHING was made out of art (such as the houses being cardboard boxes or an impossible bottle) and the 'fish out of water' premise of a science project from a school's science lab transferring to an art class where he gets to meet and befriends the town's residents while also having a knack for science. I love the dynamic between Bean and Cosa too. Kami the origami bibliophile is my favorite solely because of how relatable she is (I'm also an introvert). That's of course mnot even mentioning the impressive voice cast of the English dub such as Stephanie Panisello (Resident Evil's Claire Redfield and Genshin Impact's Cloud Retainer/Xianyun), Suzie Yeung (Chainsaw Man's Makima, Genshin Impact's Eula, and HSR's Hanya), Amber "FoxyVox" May (Genshin Impact's Dehya and HSR's Yanqing), Dino Andrade (Zuzubaland's Zuzu, whose dub coincidentally was also recorded by the studio that recorded BDB's dub, BangZoom!), and Kelly Baskin (Genshin Impact's Amber and Azure Striker Gunvolt 3's Kirin), with four of the working on Genshin Impact and two on Honkai: Star Rail.

FriendZSpace (2021)

I'll be real. Had it not been for the official YouTube channel uploading all of the BangZoom dubbed episodes (plus the Discovery Kids LA YT channel uploading a few clips of the eps in Spanish), this show would've likely become lost media. When I first watched the show in English I enjoyed it, and I was actually surprised that one of the sealife characters in the first episode was voiced by Melissa Fahn, and I couldn't believe it at first glance she sounded nothing like the other roles Fahn played. Other than that I loved the show and wised I got more from it.

Underdogs United (2022)

For the most part, I didn't even acknowledge that this show was an actual thing until a year later; even the more obscure cartoons from South America at least had a cult following. Even less was me acknowledging this show is a TV adaptation/spin-off of Metegol, a movie with three of the main Foosball players (Capi, Beto, and Loco - the precursor to Kiko) being transplanted there with a bunch of original characters. Hell, the company and producer of the original film (MundoLoco CGI and Juan J. Campanella respectively) also made UU, and Metegol itself is an adaptation of Memoirs of a Right Winger - a short story by Roberto Fontanarrosa that film loosely based itself on. In other words, a TV series about Foosball figures living in a sport-centric world spun-off from a movie about said Foosball figures coming to life in the real world which was loosely adapted from a short-story by an author from Argentina who died 6 years before the movie came out....

Anyways, of the characters I like in UU, it's THE BETO! His personality can be basically described with any adjective for self-centeredness. He's so egotistical that his spot in the intro has him flexing his muscles after he kicks the ball, AND THEN looks at the camera with smug-ish eyebrows and puckered lips. But what I really like about him is not his selfishness but rather the fact that he is deep-down a kind and friendly individual who cares for his allies and would even put aside his arrogance to help others. That's what I like about him - he's selfish, but not too selfish to the point of being annoying. He's obsessed with his looks and popularity but when the chips are down, he'll prioritize the safety of his allies and his loved ones over his own.

[sigridhawke]

IMMA DO IT Kann: 🖊️🐈💘😞 Enfer: 😖🎮🤍🔺

YEAH YOU WILL!!! Details about OCs ask for our beloved Crimson character just for you!

Also cause I haven't shared any art of them yet and this is my dear co-author coming in with the great asks about characters we've been obsessing over over the weekend.

Enfer on the left, Kann on the right.

Kann:

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

Under the armour/sleeve of his right arm he has a full sleeve tattoo that is a mix of elven and dwarven stories and how Greater Ekatha came to be. He got it because it reminds him of his roots and what the kingdom stands for. It's not in colour, just a very pretty lineart.

🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends?

He has a pretty large network of friends, he’s one of those people others would direct you to cause he’s bound to know someone. He has a couple close friends but in general he is happy to just move from social circle to social circle.

💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

The people of Greater Ekatha mean everything to him. Not just those born there, but the people who come from afar to stay for a short time or a long while. Much like the Princess he desires a world where everyone is free to travel and intermingle as they please and celebrate the life they have. While many in Vespera think themselves above the Elvendwarves of Greater Ekatha he considers them all family too and makes fairly regular trips to the sunless kingdom.

Arguably Enfer is one of the most important individuals to him, while he tries not to play favourites, Enfer absolutely gets a lot of special treatment from him. If Enfer desires something he strives to find a solution to not compromise his morals while also meeting the faun’s needs.

😞 DISAPPOINTED FACE — does your oc attract others, or do they tend to be left alone?

Part of the reason Kann ended up being put into a position of power is cause he can befriend pretty much everyone. He’s that friendly neighbour that will bake you some bread and say hope you have a good day as you head out to work. He does thrive in that environment, he loves being around people. He just doesn’t feel cut out to run a kingdom politically but that’s what Enfer is there for lol.

Enfer:

😖 CONFOUNDED FACE — is your oc an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert? do they let people in easily, or are they more reserved?

Ambivert! Before he lost his standing as leader of the fauns he let people in much more easily, but after being challenged for the right to lead right before an important council meeting that would hopefully end in treaties signed to prevent war, he became much more reserved and cautious. Being Greater Ekatha tho and aiding Kann politically has made him much more cunning but also the general atmosphere of Greater Ekatha and what it stands for has been bringing him back out of his shell. Mostly he live vicariously through Kann when it comes to social interactions.

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc’s favorite hobbies?

- He loves experimenting with different tea blends. Between Greater Ekatha and Vespera there are a lot of different flora to try. With the Wildlands close by too it's just a goldmine. He often brings a new blend for Odin and Thane to try when he and Kann travel to Vespera.

- Practicing sword fighting. Not something he needs so much in Greater Ekatha, but it was something he took a lot of pride in when he traveled between the three faun settlements.

- Being on the water. Not swimming necessarily, but he loves just being on the water. Thankfully you can take a gondola from one side of the kingdom to the other. It is something he misses from his time in the settlements was being on the ocean so often. He loves the smell of the sea, the warmth of the sun, the feel of water against his legs.

🤍 WHITE HEART — what are three of your oc’s neutral/questionable traits?

- Enfer plays into the ‘poor damaged faun’ role which wasn’t hard when he showed up to Greater Ekatha hornless, bloodied, face and body gouged. But for 16 years he’s kept up this ruse, letting people believe he has been broken by the experience and Kann keeps him close because he needs that support/is too weak to look after himself.

-  Enfer is greedy and bitter, but mostly greedy. While he had the best intentions to keep the fauns politically neutral, he did very much enjoy the power and once he lost that he found a way to get it back by working with Kann. He is also greedy for Kann's attention and is prone to jealousy given Kann is very blatantly a people person and beloved by all.

-  in the words of my co-author: gaslighting, gatekeeping, girlboss

🔺 RED TRIANGLE POINTED UP — does your oc know how to use any weapons?

- Like many fauns their horns/antlers are their prime weapons. Horns being stronger but if they break they don't grow back, antlers being weaker but more dramatic and more likely to grow back if broken. Because of this fighting/challenging for leadership often includes weapons too. Enfer is particularly versed with a sword.