80 Signs You're An INTJ: A Response to Buzzfeed, Part I

Hey, everyone.

As you know, one of my favorite things to do is to read articles where people claim things about INTJs, and then I bring them here to either refute or support them. This time around, I found a rather lengthy article from Buzzfeed called "80 Signs You're an INTJ." What else could I do but pick up the challenge? But because it is 80 signs, I'm going to split this bad boy up into four parts. It's easier to digest that way and it helps increase my blog views. But I would say that the original article is worth a look as it contains a gif or picture for every sign as well as further commentary on some of the signs.

So, let's take a look at this bad boy, but before we do that I want to remind you all that you can support my blog through Patreon. One dollar a month goes a long way to supporting it, and five dollars goes even further. That's just 17 cents a day. Also, I just reworked my Patreon so it's more appealing to readers of my blog.

Anywhoozies...

1. You feel like an alien visiting a distant planet. (It's equal parts amusing and disenchanting.)

I really don't know what to say to this one. It isn't unusual for me to feel like the people around me are either stupid or beneath me in some way, but I never feel like an alien. Unless this sign is from the perspective of others, in which case I can't comment because I'm not other people. But as for the amusing and disenchanting part, that seems to be true enough. People either find my company and brutal honesty entertaining or weird.

2. You didn't have to look up disenchanting just now.

Seriously? People need to look up the word "disenchanting?" (You get a pass if you're younger than 11.)

3. Meta-judging.

I don't know what this is. I had to look up the word "meta" just to make sure I knew and understood what it meant. We really don't question it anymore now that people can master in metaphysics. But according to Wikipedia, meta indicates "a concept which is an abstraction behind another concept, used to complete or add to the latter." So, is meta-judging judging beyond judging? Or is it the practice in trying to figure out the concept of judging? Is what I'm doing right now meta-judging? I can't freaking tell. Who came up with this concept? My brain is starting to hurt.

4. The prospect of research gets you excited.

I wouldn't say it gets us excited. We do enjoy doing it so long as we're interested in whatever we're researching and so long as we're doing it of our own accord. I never really enjoyed doing research for my college papers, but I do like researching MBTI, archery, and sex techniques. But I don't get excited.

5. Delusional people bring out your misanthropy.

There's a lot of different kinds of people who bring out our misanthropy.

And that's another word I didn't need to look up.

6. You come across as aloof on first meeting.

First meeting? I thought we were always aloof unless we liked you or you somehow found a way to tap into our passions.

7. Since appeals to emotion leave you cold.

I wouldn't say it leaves us cold so much as we don't allow emotional appeals to affect us. We're not necessarily cold, we just stay rational.

8. You have a secret rebellious streak.

It's obviously not that secret. INTJs are kind of like assassins from Assassin's Creed. Everyone knows who and what we are and what we're about, but we don't go around broadcasting our presence or announcing our arrival, ergo our rebellious streak always seems like a surprise when it shows up.

9. You have immutable principles.

This is very true. As I found out recently, this is due to our tertiary cognitive function, introverted feeling (Fi), which is hilarious. It's actually extremely ironic that we have an Fi as it is also the cognitive function that allows for a strong sense of empathy and types with it are supposed to be very in touch with their feelings. So, how is it that we have one aspect of Fi, but not the other? Or is it that most INTJs, those with an underdeveloped Fi, have moralities based off logic rather than a sense of right and wrong? I'll be speculating further on this in a later post.

10. You're blunt when you respect someone.

That's sort of true. I mean, some of us try not to hurt a person's feelings when it's a person we like, but we do always try to be honest. And we are more likely to be honest with someone we respect. Whereas with someone we don't respect...

11. You habitually converse in layers of sarcasm, lofty reference, and riddle.

Hoo-boy. Ain't that the truth? The only difference between the sarcasm, lofty reference, and riddle we give to a person we respect versus a person we don't respect is that the sarcasm, lofty reference, and riddle isn't laced with insults. Or at least, insults that are actually meant to insult rather than just tease. But either way, it's a very fun way of conversing. This might be one of the reasons why I became an English major. I love speaking in Shakespearean and other poetical dialogues.

12. Your pet peeve in others is incompetency.

I wouldn't call it a "pet peeve." More like "something that pisses us right the f*ck off." And there are a lot of things about others besides incompetency that has that effect. Not to mention, we loathe incompetency in ourselves just as much as in others. Possibly more so.

13. You keep expectations low and downgrade accordingly.

I don't know about this one. Maybe that's true about events, but I don't think it is about people. After all, would we not be so disappointed in the human race if we didn't think it could to do better? 'Course though, nothing really surprises us, but I think that has more to do with us being so open-minded.

14. Your pragmatism can be scary to sensualists.

What the hell is a sensualist? Is that like one of those capital offenders in Equilibrium or 1984?

 

(After looking up sensualist.)

No wonder this one confuses me. What the hell does pragmatism have to do with a person who excessively pursues sensual pleasures and interests?

(After looking up pragmatism to make sure I knew what it meant.)

I'm still f*cking confused. Are you telling me pleasure seekers aren't pragmatic in their pursuit of pleasure? Or that they're willing to go beyond what is practical just for the sake of pleasure? ...Okay, that makes some sense. In which case, yeah, f*ck those people.

15. When you decide on a course you are unwavering.

This is mostly true, but as unwavering as we can be, while that might be admirable in the face of certain adversity, there are times when it is just plain stubborn, especially when your intuition is telling you that you're making the wrong decision.

16. You are hasty in doling out consequences.

At first we are. Hell hath no fury like an INTJ who is made a fool of. But, if we take a step back and allow our brains to work for a while, we can usually come up with better and fairer consequences. However, there will always be consequences.

17. You have a low tolerance for the norm.

Not quite. We have a low tolerance for the mundane. The norm doesn't really bother us unless we really don't like it and it's being thrust upon us. But some of us deal with the norm quite well. That of course depends on what norm we're speaking of, like the norm of having a regular career versus wanting to do something that will actually make an impact even if it doesn't really pay.

18. You experiment with social taboos to see what will happen.

To some extent, yes. I have posted several Craigslist personals that weren't exactly kosher, or normal, or even what you would expect from someone who grew up in a conservative, Christian household. Unfortunately, they've all be fruitless.

19. At least, try to be less smug about the fallout.

Fallout of what? My social taboo experiments? There really hasn't been much fallout from those. I mean, there is occasionally fallout when I choose to go against the social norm, but I don't really do these just to see what will happen. I generally believe I'm in the right when I do these things, so what you're mistaking for smugness is actually validation.

20. Disrupting formal groups for personal amusement isn't good for your career.

Well, that sort of depends. Number one, what's your career, and two, are you the sort of INTJ who believes in professionalism in formal career settings? If that's the case, then no, the disruption is not good for our careers. We do try to maintain a professional attitude and keep a dignified reputation out in public, but if I end up getting somewhere in life due to my writing or blogging, I don't think dropping an F-bomb on Oprah will be all that damaging.

Well, you guys, that was the first twenty. That actually went quite quickly. I was expecting something much more intense to respond to. Anyway, that'll do it for now. I'll catch you all next time.

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

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The Top 7 Gift Ideas for INTJs: A Response to Psychology Junkie

Hey, everyone.

So, my birthday is Thursday, the 22nd. I'll be 29. I'm not telling you because I'm digging for birthday wishes, after all, why should you give a sh*t? (That's how I often feel about other people's birthdays.) I'm telling you because it coincides nicely with this week's INTJ post: the Top 7 Gift Ideas for INTJs. Originally, this was an article by Psychology Junkie, so as you can guess, this is another response post.

But, the original article by PJ is interesting. They didn't spout off a bunch of crap that they assumed they knew because they think they know what an INTJ is. They actually did research by asking INTJs what they thought about gifts, gift-getting, and gift-giving. The general consensus is that INTJs hate receiving gifts and prefer to give them. INTJs also don't make "Wish Lists" preferring to give into indulgence and just buy whatever they have a hankering for when they get said hankering. I guess this is another way I buck the INTJ stereotype because I love getting gifts and hate giving them. Sure, if I like the person, it's not a big deal and I hope they're pleased with what I give them, but I much prefer getting a gift than giving one. I'm unfortunately extremely materialistic, and I can always come up with a list of things I don't have and want when someone asks, but that just might be because I'm broke as f*ck.

Anyway, they also asked around 100 INTJs what sort of gifts they like, so this list is researched, however I would like to make a few tweaks and give each item a rating out of five in terms of how good I think it actually is. And before we get into this, here's my obligatory Patreon plug. Want to decide what I should write about or just believe in me? Show me the love on Patreon. Every single dollar keeps me from a mundane job. Alright, let's take a look at these.

1. Cash

There's a reason why they say "cash is king." It's mostly because credit doesn't actually exist, and checks have to be cashed or can bounce. But because cash is accepted everywhere in exchange for everything, it's the most practical gift you can give an INTJ. With cash, we can buy something we want or may need, and because cash can be used on anything, it's flexible and surrenders to the mad whims of whomever wields it! Ha ha! I can desire one thing when making my birthday or Christmas list a month before said day, but desire something completely different the day of. (It's actually happened before.) Hence, with cash an INTJ can always get what he really wants.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for flexibility.

2. Gift Cards

Ah, gift cards. They're a lot like cash in that they're extremely flexible, except they're only accepted at the store where you bought them. There might be prepaid credit cards now, but I don't think everyone accepts those. (Although, more and more places are accepting them everyday.) But I really shouldn't undermine the usefulness of gift cards just because they're slightly less flexible than cash. An INTJ might want Video Game A when he makes his list, but come the big day, he might want Video Game B instead. And having a Gamestop gift card, an INTJ can make that switch and no one be the wiser. And in terms of an iTunes gift card, instead of getting a CD which may only have 5 tracks out of 16 an INTJ likes, with the gift card, he can make sure he only gets the best of the best regardless of how many artists he buys from. So, gift cards, still pretty valid.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 for being only slightly less flexible than cash.

3. Technological Gadgets

Hmm, technological gadgets. If you've been a reader of my blog for a while, you'll know that I buck the INTJ stereotype here as I don't give two sh*ts about gadgets. I mean, I have a PS4, a Nintendo Wii U, a laptop, a smartphone, and I've had many previous iPods, but the problem with those is that I don't consider them to be "gadgets." A "gadget" to me is something small and high-tech, but you really don't need it. With the way the modern world is, I need a laptop and smartphone, whereas gaming systems, I don't consider them gadgets because of the hours and hours of entertainment they provide, like a DVD player and TV. And you need to have fun.

Under my definition, the only thing that I can really call a gadget is my iPod. Unfortunately, I've been without a working iPod since about late spring, so I don't really "have" one. And I can't really think of anything else that I have that is gadget-y. I have a wireless mouse, but good luck finding a mouse these days with a wire, and I do have a calorie counter, but I need one for when I workout. And, I would also say a gadget is something that was made high-tech for the sake of being high-tech--it's an exercise in technological masturbation. Now, my PS4 might have gadget-y things about it like being able to connect to YouTube and Netflix, but it's a gaming console first.

Gadgets can be cool and unique, but unless they have some other day-to-day function, the novelty of a gadget wears off pretty damn fast. So, unless it's a watch that can tell me the time in every other time zone or a pen that writes with a laser, I would never suggest getting anyone a gadget. Unfortunately, gadgets made PJ's list at number 3, which means I must be in the minority of INTJs who feel this way.

Rating: 3 out of 5 because other INTJs like them.

4. Hand-Made Gifts

Now, this seems like a weird one. INTJs are cold and brainy. Why the hell would they be into hand-made stuff? Well, INTJs are kind of huge softies on the inside. (Shh! Don't tell them I told you that.) So, when someone puts a bunch of effort into something that's specifically made for us, we're extremely touched, especially because we're usually under the impression no one likes us and we assume we aren't on anybody's radar as we try to stay in the shadows as much as possible. To give someone something hand-made, it means you were thinking about them even when they're not around and you really like that person... even when they're such a pain in the ass.

However, before you rush off to Michaels to get some crafty crap and start making us something, I should tell you that we have restrictions on hand-made gifts. Like, we don't want your home-made macaroni art. We are not your mother. If you're going to give us something hand-made, practical stuff is best, like a scarf, a sweater, pair of gloves, or a blanket. My godmother once made me a quilt which I quite like. I told her I still had it, but I wished it was longer. She went and made me another one just 'cause.

Old quilt on top of the new, longer one.

Although, art pieces aren't necessarily completely off-limits. Just make sure they're good quality and have had some effort put into them, and it's something we want. My sister once gave me a chalk drawing of the Guardian Force Bahamut from Final Fantasy VIII. It's pretty cool. Unfortunately, I can't find it right now. But it's something arsty-fartsy that I wanted, and not a fusilli Bryan.

And what about hand-made gifts that you didn't make yourself but instead just bought, like a whip or a PVC bow? Well, those are still pretty cool. Not as cool as if you had done it yourself, but you still went through the trouble to buy something that takes a while to do, so it's still appreciated. (Just not as much if you had done it yourself.)

Rating: 4 (or higher) out of 5 for being so damn touching.

5. A Book About Their Interest

Ah, books. I love'em. Love'em! From where I'm sitting, I can see more than a dozen right in front of me. If I spin my chair around, I'll see a bookshelf and a half of books. And if I further spin my chair, I can see a storage unit under my bed full of books that I didn't want taking up room on my bookshelves. Yes, INTJs like books. There's no finer form of entertainment or knowledge gathering.

I know, that's a pretty big claim to make, but books are so rich with words and details that make a thousand different nuances and spins, and in terms of knowledge, they're just so damn practical. You've got an index and you can flip between pages quite easily. PDF files might have a "Search" option, but you can't always take a computer with you and not everyone owns a tablet, plus they're not much good in raw sunlight and they automatically dim if they're not constantly in use. Which means, if you're practicing HEMA and you're teaching yourself  guards, a tablet and computer fail where a propped up book excels. And books are just classy. So, books are practical, and both mentally and aesthetically pleasing. What fun. Not to mention, an INTJ's interest can also be in fiction or poetry, so prose isn't off the table either.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 for being practical, entertaining, classy, and beating the hell out of technology most days.

6. Wine and Chocolate

Wine and chocolate? What's that? A young adult supernatural romance where the girl's the monster? Wait, no. That's Blood and Chocolate. Silly me. (But seriously, the movie was better.)

Anyway, I start this one off with a jest because it threw me for a loop. All the others make some sort of sense, but wine and chocolate seems to come out of left field. PJ explained this one as such:

"Feed your INTJs inferior Extraverted Sensing (Se) with a delicious gift of the food variety! Many INTJs said they enjoy getting wine, beer, or homemade whiskey as a gift. Others loved teas, coffees, and chocolates."

Oh, boy. Inferior Extraverted Sensing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: all that cognitive function crapola is... crapola. It never ceases to confuse the hell out of me. It all just feels more complicated than it needs to be. However, I have started to look into it in case it offers up any interesting insights. And here's one: Se is our last cognitive function, so how high up on the list of things we want can wine and chocolate be? Speaking of which...

Well, I do like tea and milk chocolate, and while I would appreciate a gift of the tea variety, I might feel slightly emasculated if someone actually gave me chocolate. Unless I was in Japan on Valentine's Day. (It's actually tradition for the girls to give guys chocolate. Although sometimes it's crappy "obligation" chocolate.) But anywhere else, I'd kind of be like, wait, what the f*ck?

As for coffee and booze, while I would appreciate good coffee or homemade liquor, I would never actually ask for either since I don't drink coffee as I don't want to get addicted to the caffeine and I don't drink spirits ever since I found out how bad it they are for the brain. But-but-but, the health benefits! Not worth it as every little bit of booze kills brain cells. Not to mention, all the health benefits that can be garnered from alcohol can be had in other, better, more efficient ways that don't kill brain cells. In the end, I can't plug chocolate, coffee, and booze as being good gift ideas. However, I would greatly appreciate cannoli, scones, paczki, cheesecake, homemade cookies, and I'm an absolute slut for brownies.

(Wine and Chocolate) Rating: 3 out of 5 because other INTJs like them.

(Tea, Baked Goods, and Other Desserts) Rating: 4 out of 5 because what monster doesn't like brownies?

7. Quality Office (or School) Supplies

This is another queer bird. I mean, I definitely appreciate a good pen and as a writer, I'm always going through notebooks, but I really wouldn't be down for being gifted with either.

Unless it was one of those tip and strip strippers pens.

The problem with office and school supplies is that these are things INTJs need, and if we really need them, we'll go out and buy them for ourselves. The only office supplies I can really think of that I would really want is like a leather briefcase or pimped out business cards. I could also make due with a superb dictionary and thesaurus, but it's not really something I'd ask for.

Rating: 3 (or less) out of 5 unless we're talking a leather briefcase.

Alternative Ideas

Alright, so because those last two are kind of stinkers, let me offer two alternative gift ideas. I know I'm not the stereotypical INTJ, so I might be the only one who feels this way about these things, but it's worth a shot.

8. Music

Dude, I f*cking love music. Well, I'm sure everyone does, but as we all know, INTJs aren't very good at expressing themselves outwardly despite the emotional chaos on the inside. And at times like those, sometimes our thoughts and feelings can only be expressed through a certain song or band. Take me for example, I feel like heavy metal just "gets" and describes me in a way very few things can. A funnier example is the way I feel about Kid Rock's "So Hott" because it tends to describe my feelings toward my "friend" Mary quite well.

"I don't wanna be your friend, I wanna f*ck ya like
I'm never gonna see ya again!"

But, music brah, it's a legitimate gift-giving strategy. Just make sure you ask what your INTJ likes. Our tastes in music are as eccentric as the rest of our interests.

9. Mystic Artifacts

People like to say INTJs aren't religious or spiritual. That's bullsh*t. If we weren't the slightest bit spiritual, we wouldn't be "otherworldly." That's how you acquire that trait. But that's a rant for another time. The point here is that INTJs do have mystic and occult interests. I know finding a legit artifact can be difficult, and you should always use caution around items that may be cursed or contaminated by evil, but if you know an INTJ with an interest in Tarot, runes, crystals, incense, or prefers a more wholesome rosary or crucifix, these are all legitimate gift ideas as they help an INTJ solve the deeper mysteries of the universe as we reach out to touch the ethereal plane.

10. (Bonus!) Yourself

It might sound trite, but it's true. Just like how we're touched by the sentiment of hand-made gifts, the gift of you is the greatest thing you can give us. We're big softies on the inside and we know we can be a pain in the ass, so spending some quality time can mean the world to us. I've been out with friends and let them do most of the talking as well as choose the activity, but I still enjoy myself because I'm with someone I like. I also read somewhere that the love language of INTJs is quality time, and we wouldn't have that as our love language if we weren't terribly fond of you.

Conclusion

In the end, except for three of these: office supplies, wine and chocolate, and gadgets, they're all good gift ideas. However, you really don't need a gift ideas list for an INTJ; all you need to do is ask us what we want and we'll tell you. We appreciate the direct method, and honestly, wouldn't it make you happier knowing that you got us something we actually want rather than guessing and getting it wrong? I wouldn't try the surprise method unless you know your INTJ really well.

Well, that's it for this week. For next week, I'm going to try to write my theory on why ENFPs and INTJs seem to be destined for each other. I think I have enough research and resources to back my claims. But we'll see. Until then...

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

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6 Ways to Be a Good Partner to an INTJ: A "Response" to Truity

Hey, everyone.

So, with today being Valentine's Day, I thought I should do something love themed. Originally, I was going to do a post about INTJs and ENFPs, specifically on why ENFPs are so important to INTJs, but it would be a long post and I ran out of time.

Instead, I found this article "11 Ways to Be a Good Partner for an INTJ in Life and Work" from Truity and I decided to streamline it. I got rid of the "in life and work" perspective to keep this romantic, and there were quite a few redundancies in the original article. Five of their listed items were the same and another two were also the same, so as a result, I narrowed the list down to six. But before I get into this article, I just wanted to remind you all of my Patreon. I know it isn't really geared toward my MBTI audience, but I'm willing to switch some things up if some of you sign up. For just a dollar a month, I can make sure I write quality articles for you guys, especially original material, as I won't need to focus on more mundane methods of getting paid. Also, I'm thinking about launching an INTJ t-shirt line. I've got a few ideas and if the prospect is as promising as it looks, you can expect me to roll on this sometime soon.

Anyway, let's get on with these six ways you can be a good partner for an INTJ.

1. Share your long-term vision.

(This is the one where two items were the same. The other they listed was "Discuss the future.")

So, why should you discuss the future and share your long-term vision with your INTJ? Well, INTJs like to think about the future. They think about it quite often. In fact, I often joke to myself that the reason why I don't have much of a present is because I spend too much time thinking about the future and not doing anything about the future. But this point goes further than that.

INTJs have goals for the future as you are likely to have as well. If you're close to an INTJ, he will want you to accomplish those goals and he'll want to help you accomplish them. By telling him what they are, he can aide you in taking your goals to the next step and accomplishing them. What's more, is that by knowing your plans, it will help him to understand his place in your world and in the relationship.

2. Be prepared to keep up with their formidable logic and willpower.

There are quite a few reasons why they call us "masterminds." One is due to our ability to reason and the other is due to our unstoppable force of a mind. We can jump from information to conclusion to conclusion and from connection to connection faster than most other types. Every little piece of new information and revelation is added to our "database" and our "computer" reaches the next obvious conclusion at the speed of light.

As for our willpower, well, we quite enjoy making the impossible possible or bringing a new premonition to fruition. And part of the reason why we're able to achieve such things is because we're stubborn jackasses. We know what we want and we go for it, acquiring it by almost any means necessary. And the whole time, we focus on it, almost to the exclusion of everything else. (Which can be dangerous.)

For those of you who are up to the challenge, you will need to learn to adapt to these two qualities. It's all right to be a little slow or hesitant in the beginning, but if you want to be our lifelong partner, you're going to need to deal with it, meaning, you either be as quick as us and help us to more effectively concentrate on a goal, or you just wait for us to tell you the answer and allow us to pursue whatever we want by ourselves.

But if you're looking for that true, sweet, and rare INTJ love,
the former option is the way to go.

3. Understand their complex minds.

(This is the one where four other items were listed, but all fall under this idea. They were "Ask them about their 'theory' on everything," "Listen to their contingency plans," "Be prepared to discuss and argue about abstract ideas," and "Be aware that INTJs can take deconstruction too far.")

So, why should you understand our minds? Well, you don't have to. You could "just go with it," but you'll be missing a lot of what makes us who we are, and it'll likely be an end to the relationship. Although, when I think about, it may be impossible for you to completely understand our minds, so why bother trying?

Well, for the same reason you want us to understand you. It makes us feel validated, like we're important. You'll also be aware of how deep and crazy our minds can become. This can be a scary experience for the uninitiated, but if you've been around for a while, you'll learn the difference between when we're just having fun, when we're pursuing something important, and when we're going to hurt ourselves and how to bring us back from the brink. A moody INTJ who has turned his ire on himself is a very dangerous thing indeed.

4. Be straightforward, never be passive-aggressive.

This is sort of ironic advice because INTJs are both straightforward and passive-aggressive. So why should you be any different? Well, there are times for passive-aggression, but when there are real problems, "honest, plain words best pierce the ear of grief" (Love's Labour's Lost). INTJs are the same way in this regard. We're really only passive-aggressive toward people we don't know real well, hate, or find annoying. With those we care about, we're always direct. We may soften our words, if we have some tact, but you can trust us to be forthcoming. And we appreciate the same sort of tact, honesty, and respect from you.

5. Be prepared to earn their trust and loyalty.

Since we're almost always alone, because most other people can't handle us, and because small minds often reject or ridicule that which they don't understand, we don't give up ourselves easily. INTJs are known to be distant, but trust me, we don't want to be. We long for friendship and a significant other as much as anybody. We want to open up, we want to trust, but first, you'll have to earn our loyalty.

You may think that such a condition isn't all that different from other people, but believe me when I say that the tests you'll have to pass for us will be much more intense than the tests others set. Just about every part of who we are is tied to the center of our identities; you cannot remove one part without affecting the whole. Just like how we make connections all over out in the world, we are similarly connected within ourselves. If you're smart, all you would need is a single foothold, a single insight, and you could completely unravel us. It is for this reason that our trust and loyalty is so hard to earn.

6. Be prepared (to be encouraged) to be your best.

INTJs loathe weakness and stagnancy. What's the point of living a life stuck in one place and being dependent on others? Why look up to a hero when you can be that hero? You've likely heard the saying, "Be the change you want to see." Well, INTJs believe in being the role model they'd look up to. But that's a difficult battle, no doubt about it. However, with an INTJ at your side, you won't have to make the journey alone. Every INTJ is striving to be the best version of himself. We seek the highest form of evolution for ourselves, and believe it or not, we strongly desire to see that same evolution for you. We know you can do it. We know you can be better than you, that you can be everything you want to be, and we're going to help you along the way just as you would help us.

Well, there's not much more to say about this. I have written two other similar articles on what it's like to date an INTJ, you can find one here and the other here, but I think this one may be better focused. Anyway, there won't be a second article for this week as I have a few other opera I need to focus on, but next week, I will be covering the top seven gift ideas for INTJs. It should coincide nicely with the fact that my birthday is next week. So, until then...

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

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13 Spot-On Traits of an INTJ Personality Type: A Response to POPSUGAR

Hey, everyone.

So, I don't really know how to introduce this article. All's I can say is that this is a response to a POPSUGAR article called "13 Spot-On Traits of an INTJ Personality Type." Most of these are true regarding me, but as I have found in a lot of these INTJ articles as of late, they're full of stereotypes or they give you the basic-bitch information with none of the deeper explanations. The response articles therefore, have become me explaining the underlying reasoning and issues as to why INTJs have these characteristics. Anyway, let's get into this article, and if you enjoy my writing and would like to support it, you may do so over on Patreon. Even just a dollar a month, would go a long way toward ensuring my independence and making sure I bring you quality writing every month.

1. You were a bookworm as a kid.

Not true! I totally wasn't. Well, it depends what part of my childhood you're talking about. After reading The Hobbit and the Harry Potter series, I did sort of become a bookworm, but before either of those, I really didn't care much for books and I hated reading. Why read when I could watch TV or play video games? And after I had read The Hobbit and Harry Potter, I just went back to my old tricks. Although, I did have a brief stint with the Animorph series when I was in elementary school. But I would never call myself a bookworm. Do I like to read? Sure. But I don't always have my nose in a book.

2. You're a cynic.

This is quite true. However, our cynical natures are not derived from the fact that we're natural douchebags, but rather from a series of constant disappointments in the human race. As I pointed out last week in one of my articles, one of the reasons why we hold others to such high standards is because we know they're capable of being better than they are. From this perspective, we aren't cynic by nature, but it is rather a learned trait and we are actually hoping humanity will one day remove its head from its ass and figure out what this whole life thing is actually about.

3. You don't like rules or tradition.

That's not entirely true. Some rules need to exist because some people can't be trusted to act in a manner that is in the best interest of the universe, i.e. murderers, thieves, rapists, pedophiles, commies, nihilists, liberals, etc. Those rules I quite like. Similarly, some traditions are also good. I'm a practicing Catholic and one of things that keeps the Faith the Faith is its long-standing Tradition. It's "heritage," in a sense. It's actually a lot more than that, but I'm not here to discuss theology.

What we actually don't like is pointless rules or useless traditions. Some things do change with time, and some things need to change. Some rules are superfluous or only in place so that one party may unfairly benefit over another. And some things can just be done in better ways than already imagined. INTJs merely seek to keep everything even-Steven and at peak efficiency. And some things just don't make sense when you actually stop to think about them.

How is wearing my hat indoors rude?

4. You're always a step ahead.

Not always. I have been pwned pretty badly in the past for thinking I was ahead of the game, but generally speaking, we are ahead. Sometimes it's not even that we are ahead of the game, just ahead of the conversation and able to see where you're going before you get there.

5. You think with your head, not with your heart.

Well, no duh! I mean, how do you think with your heart?!

No, but seriously, leading with you heart almost always backfires and is incredibly painful. You lead with your head, and even if you do fail, the worst that is hurt is your pride, and who cares about that, but the main advantage with leading and thinking with your head is that you stay focused. That's actually how we stay a step ahead. It's a combination of recognizing patterns, thought power, and intuition, which all happens in the brain. There's no need during any of that to stop and ask ourselves how we're feeling.

6. You keep it real.

Yo, yo, yo! We keep's it r-eal, dawg! You dig?! Here's a shovel!

Yes, we do keep it real. This is due to a couple of factors. 1. We don't really know how to be anything than what we are, and we can't stand being something or someone else, unless we're up to something dastardly, 2. The virtues of truth and honesty are so deeply ingrained into us that after a while, using them is no longer a practice, but a habit. In fact, when we try to go against them, we almost cannot because our brains and bodies refuse to, and 3. We know we're sort of weird and don't really fit in, so we're completely apathetic about how people view us. It's like, "They already know I'm bald, so why bother wearing a toupee? I ain't fooling anybody." At the same time though, we may still wear a toupee and not care that everyone knows just for the simple fact that we like to pretend we still have hair.

7. You know what you want.

True. I would like millions of dollars, a buxom, devilish-saucy wife, and for my writing career to take off. Although, I'm not really sure what the advantage is in having this trait. I mean, my sister does drive me crazy when she can't make up her mind (she's an INTP), but out in the world, I don't know how I benefit from this.

It may give one focus and direction as I once was interviewed for an insurance salesman position and the interviewee asked me what I wanted in the future and I gave him a very detailed vision of my perfect home. He believed I would work well in the industry because I was able to have so detailed a vision, meaning I really wanted what I wanted, meaning I had a goal I wanted to achieve.

 Obviously though, I didn't pursue that career.

8. You're self-confident.

Generally. I had my self-confidence shattered back around Christmas and I'm still recovering from it. But, there's very little doubt in my mind about what I should do with my life. As I like to say these days, I didn't choose writing, writing chose me. And I feel that way about many other aspects in my life. That is to say, I have so much confidence in those aspects that it almost seems like I'm destined for them. (Although, I don't believe in destiny.)

9. You're open-minded.

Sort of. Depends how you define it. We can definitely entertain a new line of thinking or a new perspective without rejecting it immediately. However, that is not to say that we won't reject it at all or that we won't reject it pretty damn quickly. Once that has happened, it's no longer up for discussion unless new evidence can be brought before us. Otherwise we close our minds entirely to it after that perceiving it to be nothing but the drivel of lesser minds, poor choices, or some feelings bullsh*t. (Don't get me started on the liberals again.)

10. You have difficulty expressing your emotions.

Enh, not really. If it's the right person, I can express my emotions just fine. Believe me, I've got plenty of melancholy poetry that proves I'm just an emo, Goth kid at heart that was never totally accepted by society. Although, in person I do find it awkward to talk about my emotions, or even talk at all. Writing is much easier.

11. You're a hard worker.

Sometimes. Other times, it's just that we're so good at something that we just don't feel the effort we're putting in. Example: I've been helping my uncle with a writing project. One day, it took him three hours to write 500 words. Before Christmas, while working on one of my opera, I wrote 2000 words in one hour. Now, I'm not always capable of that, but that's not the first time it's happened.

However, there are other times when hard work is necessary for us. I'm not entirely sure why we have a propensity for hard work. To some extent, it feels good. It makes us feel accomplished. Other times, it's fun and pleasant to get into a flow while working at something hard. It's like a meditative trance. I guess working hard can be an mental experience for us. Also, because we feel accomplished when we're done, we may feel like we've improved ourselves in some way, and you know what high-esteem we have for self-improvement.

12. You're independent.

People let you down. Not necessarily on purpose, but when you're by yourself, you only have yourself to blame which isn't easy to do, so you're more likely to push for success and often get it. As a result, independence looks infinitely more appealing than working with others. Not too mention, with fewer people involved, there are fewer possible complications. It's a hell of a lot more efficient.

13. You have a dark sense of humor.

Phew! I just tried committing suicide. I'll never do that again. I almost killed myself!

I guess you have to have been there.

CONCLUSION

So, as you can see, there are twelve of these traits that I definitely agree with. If you see one or two of these in a person, I wouldn't say he or she is definitively an INTJ, however, if he has at least ten or more, I'd say it's a pretty likely he is an INTJ. Problem with that though is whether or not you'll know this person well enough to say if he has ten of these qualities. Good luck with that.

Anyway, for my next article, I think I'll be taking a look at the top seven gift ideas for INTJs. Some people out there have the balls to say we're difficult to shop for--I disagree. But, anyway, until then...

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

My Works:

Amazon: My Author Page, My Influencer Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar

RWBY Volume 5 Chapter 14 Critique and Review

Hey, everyone.

So, finally after a long, long wait, Volume 5 Chapter 14, "Haven's Fate" was released this past week and it was... quite disappointing. Seriously, this is the worst RWBY season finale ever. That's not to say that there still weren't parts about it that I liked, but it was pretty meh or less. So, let's talk about it. I'm going to treat the entire episode as one scene, and to keep things that I thought could've been better short, I'm just going to cover all the things that bothered me the most. So, if I don't mention something in "What I Liked," then you can safely assume I either don't care about it or I outright didn't like it.

Critique

What I Liked

1. Blake and Sun: Although this is a very small thing, I did sort of like the way Blake and Sun interacted in this episode, especially the part where Blake stops Sun from running after Adam and the part where Sun turns Blake with his tail. In the former, there was something tender about Blake that I quite liked, almost as if we saw a softer side of her. As for the latter, I just think Blake's squeal is cute. I can't explain why I think that, I just do.

2. Raven and Yang's Confrontation: So, I totes thought there was going to be an epic battle between these two, and you could argue that there was a battle, it just wasn't epic. Anyway, it was nice to see Yang stand up to her mother and push Raven to her breaking point. Not because I wanted to see Raven cry or hurt, but because it's nice to know that for as bad and as tough and as powerful as she is, she's not wholly invulnerable and what her daughter thinks of her does mean something to her. And it's nice to see she has some regret and remorse for the way she left Tai and Yang.

3. After Credit Scene: Speaking of Tai and Raven, this is the last part of this episode that I tentatively like. I say "tentatively" because it depends on what CRWBY is going to do with it. Now, after credit scenes haven't really been considered canon until Vol. 3's, but even then, only Vol. 4's where Oscar meets Qrow in the bar is the only one that has been confirmed since we got to see it in Vol. 5. So, who knows whether or not CRWBY are actually going to make a scene where Raven and Tai have a heart-to-heart, but I honestly hope they do. If it happens in Vol. 6, I'll say I like this scene. If it doesn't, then screw this scene.



 

What Could've Been Better

1. A Bad Ass Case of Battle Blue Balls: It's incredibly disappointing that we never got to see a proper fight in the Haven hall between Team Good Guys and Team Bad Guys. It always happens off screen except for a few key moments, and what action there is seems to be stinted or forced or there's just something off about it, like when Hazel destroys Weiss' Queen Stinger and she just stares at it. Was that supposed to be shock or fear? I don't know because Weiss' face is neither of the two and she doesn't make any vocal reactions. There's not even a gasp or sharp inhale. It's such a wasted opportunity that we never got a big, properly budgeted battle scene in the hall.

2. Black and Yellow: So, we finally have a reunion for Team RWBY, but in all honesty, it doesn't feel good; there's no emotional payoff. It doesn't feel like there was any struggle for the girls to reunite which sounds weird because there was a struggle and an emotional payoff when Weiss hugged Yang, and then when Yang hugged Ruby, but now that all four are together... there's nothing. And I don't know why. It could've been because of the awkward and clunky dialogue, "So, Blake: what are you doing here?" Or it could've been because Yang just accepted that Blake was back without there being a resolution between them. It's too simple, too quick, too dirty. Yang and Blake need to have a long talk, and that's what should have happened. I would've gladly given up some of Cinder and Raven's battle to have a more fitting RWBY reunion. I know RWBY is about the fighting, but these characters are, well, characters, and they need to be developed along with their relationships, and this reunion wasn't properly developed.

This moment ruined the reunion.

Questions/Insights:

1. The Haven Relic: I find it quite fitting that the relic of knowledge should be designed like a lantern as if to "light the way." And I'm guessing that it can be used as a weapon by bestowing upon the beholder knowledge about whatever that person wants. In a war, that's very useful intel. But, these are mere speculations. We are still forced to ask the questions what do they do with it now that they've got it, and will having it make it more difficult for them to hang onto it?

2. Atlas: At the end of the battle, Oscar tells Qrow that they now need to protect Atlas and I have to ask, why Atlas? Why not Vacuo? How does Ozpin know that Salem is going to target Atlas next? Did he read next season's script? Or is he just saying that because Atlas is the next closest? Well, that doesn't make all that much sense since I'm going to assume Remnant is round which means the distance between Haven and Atlas or Vacuo is probably about equal. Not to mention, if distance is a consideration, why didn't Salem attack Haven first instead of Beacon? Maybe it was because Salem new Amber was too young and inexperienced and would make for an easy target, or maybe she didn't want a fully developed Ozpin coming for her sweet ass? Actually, that makes a lot of sense. But it doesn't explain why Oz thinks Atlas is next. If it is Vacuo, that would subvert everyone's expectations.

And what will happen to Cinder when she runs into Salem again?
I hope it's quite painful.

Review

 

Well, what can I say? I've already made note of what I liked and what I didn't, and I mentioned that if I didn't bring it up, I probably didn't like it, so what can I say? The episode sucked. But, I'm not going to say what I think of Vol. 5 in general. Not yet, anyway. I want to re-watch this volume and do an overall critique and review. I'll try to keep it as succinct as possible seeing as how I've already picked out all the small things, and I'll try to analyze what this volume did right, what it did wrong, and whether or not it was effective.

 

But, anyway, you guys, that's it for this week. I'll see you next week (hopefully).

Keep writing, my friends.

More About Bryan C. Laesch:

My Works:

Amazon: My Author Page, My Influencer Page
Facebook: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar
Patreon: Bryan C. Laesch
Twitter: BryanofallTrade
Youtube: Bryan C. Laesch, Bawdy Scholar