I Am BlackCat

And I am a Fool

[yorozumarugallery]

Happy new year🐈‍⬛🐾

[passionpeachy]

wizard kiss

[gauldframes]

some more ink stuff cause it's been a minute

[palaeosinensis]

Never walk into a cage willingly. If you're already in one: break out.

Digital faux linocut.

[zuccninis]

More goat

[funkymbtifiction]

Writers: NFP

What would say are some of the difference between an ENFP approach to writing and an INFP? I realize that they may be too similar to separate in this way, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Hm. I thought I had my INFP friend answer a similar ask to this in the writing tag, but now I can’t find it. Since we’re both writers, I can tell you the difference.

For an ENFP, the ideas come first – and they come fast and furious, characters change, situations change, rabbit trails pop up, and if they are not consciously careful and utilizing Te to decide which characters / subplots are unnecessary or would distract from their main plot, they wind up with 30 under-developed main characters because “I had all of these ideas and they were too good to pass up.” When I write, there’s a constant struggle between Ne-dom running wild and giving me a whole bunch of possible outcomes, characters (what if I changed their profession, how would that shape the plot? should their name be something else? they tend to “name themselves,” hah), scenes, etc, and a low Te desire to keep myself on track, make sense of it, narrow down options to keep the story manageable, etc. I just… start writing and find a plot after a lot of trial and error, because I have vague conceptual ideas of what I want but am not sure of the main thrust yet… so I “learn by doing” (writing) – I founder around until I find the right (strongest) idea and then take it in a new direction or start over with that. I can sometimes have as many as 12 false starts, each 20,000 words, before I make up my mind, simply because I have too many half-baked ideas before I’m a single chapter into a novel. I then spend massive amounts of time writing, rewriting, going back and drafting in new things (retrospective writing) as a BETTER idea presents itself midway through the process. Basically, full on perceiving dominant go with the flow and adapt, no I don’t have any attachment to that idea, it’s obviously dead to me now.

INFP had to learn to trust her Ne and let it improvise; she was trying to go at it from a planning perspective (and she still admits that she has to come up with a workable outline and test all her ideas with Te to figure out if any of them are worth doing), based on how she felt about things. She keeps her plots smaller and more intimate, often focused around people’s emotional dynamics, and they very much reflect her own personality (she imprints on everything – I can see her “in” what she writes, whereas I’m more obscured and philosophical). She is more meticulous and doesn’t work nearly as fast, because her ideas are more gradual and tied to the individuality of her characters and “who they are.” She is more resistant to criticism and not as easily able to change on a dime and re-shape a story (I can do that, since I instantly see how to “fix” everything and make it build toward this inevitable conclusion / better approach), but also needs less rewriting because she doesn’t get carried off by rabbit trails.

[funkymbtifiction]

INFP develop Te

Is there a way to suppress the tertiary function and use more The inferior function? For example, if I learn economics, manipulation, persuasion I can use more Te than Si? If not, what happens If I try It? I’m INFP

Don’t suppress any of your functions; use your entire function stack working in tandem with itself, as you move from Fi (what you value most / prioritize in life) into Ne (creative and unique ways to share your ideas) into Si (the details involved in your project, and awareness of what will work based on what has worked for others in the past) and then into Te (taking action, coming up with a plan, marketing your product / idea / artwork / whatever, and researching to find out how much it is worth).

If you suppress and/or avoid functions, you risk going into an inferior Te “grip” experience, which would mean you lose track of what you most value in life (Fi), you no longer have awareness of new ideas and fresh possibilities (Ne), you do not have good detail retention or self-awareness (Si), and you are only focused on “getting things done,” and/or chasing after external success. But without being true to yourself, you can never achieve worthwhile success.

Economics could help you, but studying marketing and business techniques would give you better skills for long term results.

Study whatever you want, but if what you have to offer is solid, and you are truly passionate about it, you will not NEED manipulation or persuasion, because a Fi excels in INSPIRING others through their passions. Their enthusiasm and authenticity is infectious because people instinctively know it isn’t fake.

- ENFP Mod

[funkymbtifiction]

Hi! So I was trying to figure out a fictional character's type (Professor Layton) and just need to know something, not just for this one character, but basically, for any kind of detective who gets to solve mysteries. Does having sudden insights into an ambiguous situation necessarily point towards a use of the Ni/Se function axis? If not, how could a Ne/Si do this too? Reaching the final, singular truth, among all the other (overwhelming) possibilities, I mean.

Both can do it, but NeSi is more likely to run with whatever idea comes to mind / whatever the evidence suggests, and then change their focus quickly if proven wrong and/or evidence comes in to contradict it. They will ‘think on the fly’ and hypothesize, often discussing ‘what if’ scenarios with another detective / character (their version of sharing and testing the validity of the theory). The NiSe detective is more inclined to work alone / not bounce their ideas off other people, trusts their “hunches” (and cannot tell others how they know things), and cling to a single idea or intuitive perception in the face of external evidence; unlike the Ne, they will not quickly change their hypothesis when someone throws a ‘better idea’ at them. The potential blind spots are also different – the NeSi running with a new idea or hypothesis too soon and missing the details, vs the NiSe clinging to a single perception and/or conclusion and being unable to adapt to new information, leading them to a misstep.

Good contrasts are Hercule Poirot, Olivia Dunham from Fringe, and Fox Mulder from The X-Files (all NiFe) vs Endeavour Morse from Endeavour, Rosemary Boxer from Rosemary & Thyme, Veronica Mars, and Dr. William Bell from Murder Rooms (NeSi).

Se/Ni and Si/Ne work similarly but differently; Se/Ni will still reach and hold to single conclusions but be more adept in handling situational changes and/or the environment altering with more competence than low Se; Si/Ne is more inclined to build up a gradual understanding based on collecting all the facts before moving into severe hypothesizing. Offhanded examples are Sherlock, and Nick Burkhardt from Grimm (SeNi), Laura Thyme from Rosemary & Thyme, Scully from the X-Files, and Christopher Foyle from Foyle’s War (SiNe).

In a nutshell: Ni = gradual forming of a singular conclusion; Ne = many suspects, many motives, all considered before the end.

- ENFP Mod

[funkymbtifiction]

Detective Contrasts

So, a friend has been nagging me to do this for weeks. :P

Since there is so much confusion over Sherlock’s type online, he suggested I compare / contrast four different introverted detectives with good N usage to show different cognitive interactions. The four I’m going to use are Morse from Endeavour (INTP), Hercule Poirot (INFJ), Sam Ryan from Silent Witness (INTJ) and Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock (ISTP).

The NJs:

Ni/Se means a preference for intuitive insight / singular conclusions / reading between the lines imbalanced with detachment from sensory reality (Se). INXJ characters all struggle with making impulsive decisions under pressure, never knowing when the right moment to act is, and often, a sense of fussiness and/or unrealistic demands from sensory reality. This is extremely apparent in Poirot, who must have everything ‘just so’ / is a total perfectionist, trying to force reality to conform to his higher ideal. It is also, to an extent, seen in Sam whenever she proves inept in her sensory environment / misjudges situations.

Poirot has a habit of forming an internal impression about a crime and then either waiting for it to happen as he predicted (so he has a case) or in sitting everyone down and impressing them by airing his final judgment – with a Ni, that’s all you see: the end conclusion, not the audible process. Because he is a Fe, he wants to impress other people with his intelligence, and he is influenced by emotional appeals, as well as completely understands human nature. Poirot is good at understanding emotional motivations and not discounting them.

Sam has a similar methodology in the sense that her impressions are all internalized and do not often change course, but unlike Poirot, she does not care about the credit – her Te/Fi objective is to solve the crime, and put the bad guy behind bars, and it does not much matter to her who gets the credit. Her ego is not based on the opinions of others, and she sees no reason to use emotional appeals – instead, she finds one or two cases with which she can relate (Fi) and becomes intensely internally emotional because it resonates. She can defy authority to close her case, because her ‘hunch’ overrides her respect for political hierarchies.

Where Poirot wants credit and affirmation and airs his feelings freely (FeTi), Sam wants progress and closure and does not air her feelings (TeFi). Where Poirot will target someone’s emotions (Fe), she does not (Te).

The IPs:

Ti/Fe detectives have a habit of discarding any potentials and/or evidence that does not make logical sense to them – and we see this both in Sherlock and in Morse; Sherlock refuses to even consider that a hell hound might exist, or that ghosts could exist, because in his mind it’s not rational (judging dominant). In episode one, Morse is berated by his superior officer for not including all the evidence in his investigation and report because “I judged it as unimportant.” It made no rational sense to Morse, so he threw that line of possibility away.

Their approaches differ; Sherlock becomes aggressively sensory-invested in his environment whenever something takes his fancy, where Morse remains detached and somewhat awkward in his environment. Sherlock notices the smallest possible detail (Se); Morse speculates and theorizes on motives (Ne). Sherlock reaches immediate conclusions based on the sensory evidence (SeNi) and Morse reaches likely conclusions based on instinct (NeSi). Sherlock becomes so fixated on a single conclusion that something he did not expect catches him off guard / throws him for a loop and he resorts to physical violence to counter-act it (SeNi). Morse… changes his theories completely; it was you for this reason… no? Okay, then it was him for that reason.

Both men have inferior Fe issues, but they dramatically differ given the aux-function; Sherlock is prone to violent / erratic outbursts / bad sensory behaviors / tantrums (Se with poor Fe) and Morse is prone to occasional mope-sessions in which he relives past hurts / girlfriends who have gone (Si loops). Sherlock has a constant need to show up other people / have others impressed with his intellect (similar to Poirot) and baits / manipulates / emotionally torments people sometimes to provoke emotional reactions (unhealthy inferior Fe); Morse on rare occasion moralizes at someone and/or tries to establish an emotional connection to them to earn their trust (healthy inferior Fe).

Not surprisingly, since shows love contrast, both Sherlock and Morse have STJ higher ups to keep them in line; Morse and Sherlock want understanding / have little regard for the hierarchical rules (TiFe) and their bosses (for Sherlock, Mycroft) want closure / bottom lines / mature behavior from them, similar to what Sam demands from herself and her working companions (Te/Fi).

- ENFP Mod

[funkymbtifiction]

The Paradise: Denise Lovett [ENFP]

OFFICIAL TYPING by Charity / The Mod.

Extroverted Intuition (Ne): Denise can walk into any room in the store and know immediately how to improve it and exploit its full potential. She is a bastion of ideas that she longs to see brought into reality; she can take any problem and find a way to showcase and improve on it. Her many ideas for immediate change put Miss Audrey off, and intrigue Moray, but some of them are fanciful and unrealistic. She can be somewhat naïve about others, but also have incredible insight into their true motivations (“you do not see me as your equal!”). She can come up with ideas very quickly, and implement them with only a few hours’ notice.

Introverted Feeling (Fi): She is kind and considerate, reluctant to challenge or threaten her coworkers and uncomfortable firing people, but also has a strong sense of individuality that rebels whenever Moray or anyone else tries to control her. Denise makes decisions that she believes are right and that fits in with what she wants, regardless of how Moray takes it (deciding to put herself forward for a promotion, despite him telling her not to). She is very assertive in knowing what she wants, and what she doesn’t like, and is somewhat free-thinking in refusing to judge too harshly others’ decisions.

Extroverted Thinking (Te): Her motivation is advancement, to earn higher positions in the store and greater responsibilities; she comes alive when put in charge of a project and allowed to organize and arrange things to her satisfaction. Denise also wants to make a profit; she considers her ideas a success when they bring in financial gains and sell whatever she is promoting. She often acts on her feelings, for better or worse.

Introverted Sensing (Si): Though her own past holds little interest for her, and she doesn’t like to preserve things as they are, Denise does follow the successful footsteps of her predecessors; she believes that if a particular technique worked for someone else, if she emulates it in some small way, it will have similar results for her. She sometimes points this out to Moray (“you did it…”).

Note: Denise is the most mature, realistic ENFP I’ve ever seen in terms of balanced cognition. Use her as a perfect sample for ENFPs.

[funkymbtifiction]

Who is the healthiest ENFP character you’ve seen? And who’s your favourite ENFP character?

The healthiest one I’ve seen is Denise in The Paradise, because her functions are working well together. She uses her Ne on the fly to create and re-invent great ad campaigns for the department store where she works, her Fi to know what motivates and drives her and to show others kindness, her Te to focus on end results and professionalism, and her Si to hold onto what has succeeded in the pat and follow up on her projects.

My favorite ENFP is Claire from Elizabethtown. She is the kind of person I aspire to be -- someone who moves in and out of people’s lives like a ray of sunshine, who encourages them to stay cheerful and keep moving forward (”So you failed. Give yourself a moment, and then make the world wonder why you keep on smiling.”), and who is kind, selfless, helpful, and funny. The only reason I wouldn’t consider her the healthiest ENFP I’ve ever seen is because she has boundary issues. Claire, like a lot of 9 fixed NFPs, has a hard time asking for the things she needs from others and gives too much in return, and thus has come to see and accept herself as a “Substitute Person.” As Drew tells her, she’s worth more than that and shouldn’t settle for scraps.

- ENFP Mod

[funkymbtifiction]

Hi Charity, 

Do you have any examples of characters with well-developed tert-Te, or who learnt to strengthen and effectively use their tert-Te?

The heroine from The Paradise is the one that comes immediately to mind – it’s a sweet little Victorian drama about an ENFP who figures out how to market her ideas and make a profit off them, by focusing on how to make them ‘sell-able’ rather than just living in her imagination or dwelling on her feelings. Though it’s a raunchier program, Harlots’ Charlotte Wells is an ESFP with a good sense of what her time is worth who can put aside her personal feelings to accomplish her goals (take down her mother’s rivals, live in a house where no one likes her, etc). Tert-Te is about learning time management, to charge what you are worth, to discard ideas or behaviors that are ineffectual, and learning to streamline a process so that you can make more rational, conclusive decisions.

[astro-synastry-blog]

💘💘JUNO IN SYNASTRY 💘💘

JUNO ASPECTS⭐

💢Juno in aspect between two people indicates a strong attachment, in other words true love. Usually is the planet person the one that represents what Juno person in looking for in a relationship.

💢The strongest aspects are conjunctions and oppositions. Trines and sextiles are not so strong, but are still very strong.

Juno – Ascendant: With this aspect we have most likely an ideal relationship between two people. Above all is this relationship full of love, romance, care and passion. The Ascendant person presents an ideal mate for the Juno person, in addition the Juno person was probably instantly attracted to the Ascendant person.

Juno – Descendant: Possibility of having an ideal relationship between two people with this aspect increases tremendously.

Juno – Sun: With this aspect the Juno person is the one who sees the Sun person as a perfect match. In addition, they can commit to each other easily and build long-lasting union on a strong ground.

Juno – Moon: This aspect shows many leves of emotions between partners. The Juno person is attracted to the Moon person, in addition they can commit to each other on emotional level easily. The way that the Moon person expresses her emotions, suits to the Juno person very well and make her emotionally comfortable.

Juno – Venus: Relationship between people with this aspect is based on a strong romantic level. The Venus person activates the Juno person’s feelings of commitment. Therefore, the Juno person sees the Venus person as an ideal spouse.

Juno – Mars: There is a lot of sexual charisma between two people who have this aspect. They commit to each other on sexual level extremely fast. Additionally, they will have for sure an amazing sex life even after marriage.

Juno – Jupiter: Juno and Jupiter are natural partners for each other, like Eros and Psyche, Pluto and Proserpine, Isis and Osiris. This aspect certainly shows a soul-mate connection. The Juno person sees the Jupiter person as a perfect match and wants to commit. Therefore, marriage is very likely with this kind of aspect.

Juno – Saturn:  With this aspect between two people it’s all about building long-lasting and stable relationship. While Juno indicates marriage, Saturn is about commitment – you get the picture. Therefore for these two people it is quite logical that they commit to each in a form of legal bond (marriage).

[funkymbtifiction]

If Si handles the physical world/senses, then would lower Si users more easily reach sensory overload (or it hits more suddenly?) For example — could an INFP tolerate more noise/physical sensation/etc without becoming stressed than an ENFP? Or is it more a matter of introversion vs extroversion? Of course the ENFP is more comfortable interacting/socializing, but in terms of environment, does their inf Si make them less tolerant?

I’ve seen this sort of thing most often linked with inferior Se users (INXJ), but I don’t see why it would not be the case with inferior sensing in general, which would include ENXPs. The higher the Si, the more self-aware you are in terms of sensing, the more you’re able to remain ‘separate’ from the environment in terms of not feeling overwhelmed by it.

INXPs seem able to socialize well for a fair amount of time; their true stress point comes from too much change all at once, from having no anchor or sense of sameness. I don’t mind change, I adapt to it quickly (inferior Si) but am much more easily drained by heavily sensory-based environments (like amusement parks).

I suspect some of it may be based in tritype stackings – there are “inward”-focused Enneagrams (1, 4, 5), ambiverted ones (6, 9), and extroverted ones (2, 3, 7, 8). My 7w6 2w1 9w8 ENFP sx/sp friend seems more able to sustain long periods of stimulation than myself (6w7 1w2 4w5 so/sx).

It’s better to avoid stereotyping (that an ENFP is more comfortable interacting / socializing than an INFP; what if the ENFP has social anxiety? ;) and think of it in terms of how much external focus the individual has – extroverts keep busier than introverts, in terms of liking to be constantly doing / improving / working on / absorbing something. Their dominant function is outward. It’s not about socializing, it’s about focus. :)

- ENFP Mod

[smithingwitch]

Smithin' Witchery: Nails, screws, and fasteners in withcraft

Okay, here we go! 

So, I often see out there a lot of spells and other witcheries that call for “cut iron nails” in their spells. I’m sure a fair number of people are looking at that and going “the fuck? why so specific? I mean, I get why I need coffin nails for that curse, but why cut iron nails for this one?”

Here’s the scoop on nails: They are almost all commercially made of steel (brass and copper ‘nails’ are more properly called tacks or brads), but what type of steel is dependent on the job. Most nails you buy in a hardware store are either stainless steel or plated with zinc, aluminum, or occasionally chrome to prevent them from rusting. Coated steels should not be heated for health reasons, but can be stripped of their coatings by soaking in a vinegar bath for up to 48 hours, effectively etching the coating away. 

Nails: I tend to use nails of various types for spells and magics needing sealing, to fasten the other elements of the spell together, or to add an edge. 

Used Nails: I keep all nails that I find, noting where I gathered them from. This is because they retain a certain amount of energy from their previous uses, and that energy can be put to good use. As an example, I get a lot of nails used to hold shipping pallets together, and so I reserve those for use in spells needing efficacy affecting travel and communication. 

Roofing/Flooring Nails: These I use for anything that needs to be sturdy and hold its own ground. 

Brads/Tacks and Finishing Nails (the ones that basically don’t have a head): I use brads and tacks for spells and magics that need tact and subtlety. Depending on how subtle I need the spell to be, I may use copper or brass brads. 

Screws: Aesthetically, I don’t like screws, but I do keep them around anyway. I use screws for magic that needs strength, but that may also need to be potentially dismantled later (Because screws are much more effective at fastening certain things together, but are also convenient because they can be removed relatively easily). 

Did I forget anything? Do you want to know anything more specific? Let me know! :) 

[funkymbtifiction]

I am almost certain my friend is an ENTP based on the cognitive functions but they appear very socially anxious, and shy in a way due to this awkwardness. They don’t hang around many people, too. In fact, they seem a bit codependent with their spouse. But when comfortable in their environment, they are absolutely charismatic, talk a mile a minute about their ideas, and are very playful jumping from one topic to the next. They also get this way when drunk, so I noticed. Also, when they share their ideas they get almost manically hyperactive and want to talk to all. Anyway– is it possible for an extroverted type to be this introverted and timid to the eye?

An extrovert can have social anxiety or be shy, yes. Social extroversion simply means you gather information from the external world before putting it through an internal filter. You need external stimulation. A shy, withdrawn, or socially anxious extrovert will still feel better having people (and external stimulation) around but may not necessarily be social, outgoing, confident, or “look at me!”

Ne’s think so differently from most of the general public (their brains connect in all different directions) that, because they ARE extroverts and seek to “fit in” to some degree (in order to maintain relationships), some of them may choose to be more withdrawn and tone down their Ne-ness in order to seem “less weird” around people they do not know that well. With those ENXPs, only the people who really know them, who they trust not to judge them for their Ne, will see them open up and show that side of their personality.

I’m reserved and a little shy. I wait for people to talk to me, and talk back … but I tone down most of my Ne except around other Ne-users in real life (and since there aren’t many of them… I am quiet a lot of the time, and eventually it comes out of me and I talk my mother or best friend’s ear off randomly one afternoon). I can even be reserved with people I’ve known for a long time, particularly when I get tired. I’ve noticed around bubbly Fe’s, after about six hours I start pulling back / closing myself off. It’s too much of a drain on my Fi, so Fi shuts down.

If a shy Ne is themselves around you, feel special indeed: you have earned their trust enough to be their zany true self and they aren’t holding back for fear that you will reject them. :)

- ENFP Mod

[funkymbtifiction]

ENFP/INFP

I know some people have confusion over being an I/E type. I’ve said this before, but it bears mentioning a second time:

Whatever function you can intentionally avoid using is your aux.

One of my Fe-dom friends describes meeting dominant feelers like a “wall of emotion, even if it’s not deliberately shown.” It seeps out of their pores.

She cited me as an example of a non-dominant feeler – “I thought you were a thinker for a long time, since your emotions hid so well. I got a sense of their existence and strength but I rarely saw you respond directly with them, whereas your Ne never shut off. You responded to insults or slights with sarcasm and wit and then, by your own admission, could choose whether or not to process them and feel hurt over the insult.”

You know when Lizzie overhears Darcy calling her “not tolerable enough to tempt me” in the ballroom and makes a joke out of it, not only to Charlotte, but later to Jane? Aux-Fi, bypassing the insult, and using Ne to turn it into a witty gag, while not being comfortable discussing it with anyone else. Lizzie is ignoring and suppressing Fi in favor of Ne, something she can do as a Ne-dom.

So, if you are stuck between types – think about what you can intentionally shut off and frequently do, either in times of stress or everyday occurrences. Turning it off is not the same as managing it well – a Fe-dom cannot shut off Fe, but they can learn to control it, because that is their primary manner of interacting with reality. Much in the same way, lower Ne is more unpredictable, uncertain, and uncontrolled than Ne-dom, which confidently reads between lines and forms conclusions (but keeps a window open to possibilities and may change their mind quite quickly when presented with new information, as Lizzie does).

Sometimes I wonder if I’m an introvert because I’m not that socially extroverted – but just this morning I got an e-mail that annoyed me. I shut off Fi, and immediately started planning logical counter-arguments. That’s something you will find with me – I rarely bring emotion into any of my “intense discussions.” Other people hit a cold wall of Te, without being able to read how I feel about anything – and that freaks them out.

Not that I enjoy that or… anything. ;)