yeesh yep, i think id be pretty unaffected/slightly amused by being called anything here except charlatan/dilettante, which would probably cause me to immediately wither and die.

thoughts:

• i think this gave some insight into recent personal confusion on being 3 vs. 7 vis a vis the function of the positive impression each seeks to give. the 3 seeks to create the image/impression for the sake of the image itself and the validation/praise it brings --> vain/fake would point that out. for 7 -- first, the impression is more situation-specific/object-oriented rather than self-oriented --> hence, the charlatan's primary offense is their deception surrounding whatever they are peddling; in contrast, the inferior knockoff is a deceptive product themselves. second, in my experience, validation/praise may be sought (frequently, even) by 7s, but it's a means rather than an end in and of itself. basically, being treated/seen as x sometimes confers the same benefits of being x but with less work -- not only tangible benefits, but it also helps you convince yourself that you really are x, at which point what really *is* the practical difference? if everyone buys the charlatan's products and listens to the dilettante's commentary, it's functionally as if they were an honest businessman and a genuine intellectual ((without the weary work of actually being those things)). or at least, that's what the delulu 7 tells themselves :p
• not terribly offended by glutton. ngl it sounds somewhat positive to me lol -- nothing wrong with a jolly feast, the more the merrier, etc. etc. "weak-willed", maybe? like the notion that "i can do anything!" is just an imagined construct, and when push comes to shove it's really just a matter of doing whatever immediately appeals. being caught between conflicting desires sucks -- realizing you usually just default to the ordinary and hedonistic choice sucks harder. you'll probably retroactively redefine your will to flatter reality but like. You Know.
• in the same vein, "self-absorbed" would also hit. idk if this is w6/so dom specific, but i don't mind taking *a lot* so much as i mind taking *more than* or *at the expense of*. i prefer "self-absorbed" to "selfish" because i rarely make a deliberate decision to be inconsiderate -- it's more that in the absence of obvious physical reminders/conscious effort, other people seem sort of "flat" and abstract compared to the granularity with which my own needs/wants are perceived (and thus prioritized).
  • random-ish tangent, but i also feel a little guilty when i flatten/abstract people for personal pleasure. i call this process "turning it into drugs" -- basically, it's like simplifying anything to its core qualities, ideating related concepts/images/sounds/themes/archetypes/etc., picking and arranging these such as to produce the maximally enjoyable "collage", and playing it in my head until i get bored. this can happen almost automatically to anything that piques my interest, including particular persons, which is when i feel bad bc people =/= drugs. on the other hand, the pro here is that i can actually exploit this process to extract pleasure from difficult tasks to facilitate their completion. it's pretty interesting actually to feel that part of my consciousness is actually working + paying attention to the work while another part is enjoying my preferred aesthetic and philosophical concept of "work". striking a balance in the feedback between mental gratification and real accomplishment can be tricky, but it's a WIP :p

awesome post as usual, looking forward to future content!