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In honor of me no longer having covid, I decided to write down how I mentally coped with having the plague  some headcanons about our boys and a sick MC. Because I’m all about the hurt/comfort life.

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Lucifer: “You should be resting.”

The human scowled. Of course Lucifer was standing guard at the bottom of the staircase.

“I’m just going to get some water,” their voice sounded like sandpaper against wood as they spoke. They felt like the living dead, and judging by the cool stare Lucifer was giving them, they looked it, too.

“No, you’re just going back to bed.” He caught them by the elbow as soon as they were within reach. “I’ll bring a pitcher of water to your room for you.”

“Lucif–” their complaint was cut off by a sudden coughing fit. The force of it made them double over, and they clutched at their chest with one hand while the other went to cover their mouth. Demons couldn’t catch human illnesses, but old habits die hard.

It wasn’t until their lungs stopped trying to eject themselves from their body that they realized that Lucifer had sat them down on the bottom step. He was rubbing slow, soothing circles on their back, a rare look of concern in his dark eyes. “Easy now, my dear,” he murmured as they caught their breath. “You’re shaking, are you chilled?”

“…Just a little,” they wheezed. They must not have sounded very convincing, because Lucifer quickly removed one glove and gently pressed the back of his hand against their forehead.

“Your fever has come back.” In one quick, fluid movement, he had taken the cloak from around his shoulders and wrapped it around them like a blanket. “Go back to bed, now. I’ll bring you water and something to bring your fever down,” he spoke softly, like raising his voice would trigger another coughing fit.

It was too bad they were too sick to appreciate Lucifer’s soft side.

Mammon: “…A’ight, that should be everything.”

Admittedly, he might have gone a bit overboard. But, could you blame him? He’d never nursed a sick human back to health before!

…Okay, so Lucifer may or may not have let Mammon use his credit card to get stuff for them. And he may or may not have taken a few liberties. It was for the human though!

“Mammon, holy shit,” they mumbled, poking their head out from the blanket burrito they had cocooned themselves in. “Is there anything left at the convenience store or did you buy them out?”

“Shut it.” he set the last six-pack of Gatorade (well, the Devildom equivalent of it, anyway) at the foot of their bed. “Ya’ weren’t specific, so I just got one of each!”

Their room looked like a doomsday prepper’s bunker. Cans of soup, a myriad of flavors of instant noodles, a portable heater, the works. Maybe they should have been more specific.

“Do ya’ need anything else?” Mammon sounded vaguely annoyed, but underneath the gruff tone he spoke with, his concern was obvious. They had given him a scare when they first came down with the flu two days ago, temperature so high that they ended up collapsing on their way to RAD. He had been fussing over them since. They weren’t even sure if he had slept.

“…Just one more thing.”

“Yeah?” he perked up like a dog waiting for an order from its master. “Whaddaya need?”

Instead of speaking, they wiggled their arms free of the blankets and held them out. For a moment, Mammon just stared at them in confusion. When what they were asking for finally clicked, his face grew so hot they could use it as a space heater.

“What are you, a little kid?” he grumbled, but there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation as he climbed into the bed with them. They settled themselves against his chest, sighing contentedly. Sleep had taken over in a few heartbeats.

“…Get better soon, you hear?” they didn’t, obviously, and Mammon took the opportunity to gently pat their head, like they so often did for him. “If you’re gonna be all cute and stuff, I want ya to be conscious of it.”

Leviathan: “You know, I really thought you would take longer to go through all of these.”

The human looked like a whole new person compared to the last time Levi had seen them. They were sitting upright, although they looked ready to slide back down into their previous coma-like state any minute, and the number of blankets wrapped around them had been reduced to just one instead of three. They managed to shoot him a weak grin as they handed over the manga he had let them borrow.

As much as Levi loved staying locked away in his inner sanctum, it was only an enjoyable experience if one’s source of entertainment was also locked away with them. And he couldn’t, in hood conscience, let the human die of boredom instead of dying of illness, so he had ventured out of his lair armed with his collector’s edition box set of I’m A Scholarship Student At An Obscenely Rich School and Now I Have To Work Off A Debt Because I Broke A Vase That Belonged To A Host Club!

That had only been a few days ago, but this morning he had gotten a text from them saying that they were finished.

“It’s not like I have anything else to do, Levi.”

“Pretty sure you could have been sleeping, but okay.”

They stuck their tongue out. “I couldn’t put it down.”

“Right?” Levi nodded enthusiastically, clutching the box to his chest like it was worth his weight in gold. Actually, knowing him, he probably paid his weight in gold for it. “I definitely bawled my eyes out at the end. You have to watch the anime next, the music really brings the scene together. And, like, I’m not usually into pastel themes, but the color scheme actually really fits the mood, and - “

Somewhere in the middle of Levi’s overly-excited info dumping, the human’s eyes had slipped closed. By the time Levi realized he was geeking out, their breathing had evened out and they had slumped against the headboard.

…Oh. They looked really cute like that.

“Sheesh, c’mon, normie,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I bored you to sleep.”

He set down the box on their nightstand and, very carefully, so he didn’t wake them up, inched them down to lay were laying against the mountain of pillows they had. Once they were settled into a position that wouldn’t give them a crick in their neck, he pulled the blanket up to their chin.

“There,” he nodded to himself. “You rest up, because you and I are going to have an anime marathon, and I won’t forgive you if you fall asleep in the middle of it.”

They mumbled, but otherwise stayed unconscious. Levi had definitely seen this in an anime before. His heart was pounding somewhere around his throat, but he wasn’t getting this opportunity again any time soon. Gently, like he was approaching a wild animal, he leaned in close and pressed his lips to their forehead.

“Seriously, get better soon.” he murmured. “I don’t like seeing you sick.”

Satan: His leg was falling asleep.

He had been sitting in the same position for at least an hour, and if it were anyone else he simply would have shoved them off and went about his day. But, how could he push the human away when they were curled up like a kitten in his lap?

They had been complaining about being bored, since they had been too feverish to attend RAD for the past few days. So Satan, always the man with a plan, had arrived in their room ready to binge watch his favorite crime drama. Even though he had seen this show at least eight times, he still found himself getting absolutely sucked into the plot. So much so that he didn’t notice the human starting to nod off until they landed against his side.

“Honestly, you could have just told me you were tired.” he muttered, gently rearranging them so their head was resting in his lap. They made a small noise in their sleep, but otherwise remained unconscious.

It was so rare that the human was still. They seemed to have an endless source of energy, able to be embroiled in all of the shenanigans that tended to happen around the family without absolutely disintegrating. To have them finally at rest, even sick, was quite the treat. Satan couldn’t quit help himself as he reached down to pet their head.

Well, if he was going to be stuck here until they woke up, at least he had a good show to watch.

Asmodeus: “Asmo, I can bathe by myself.”

“Yeah, no, don’t even try it.” Asmo shook his head as he ushered the human into his bedroom. “You passed out in the shower the other day, darling. This is the only time I’m grateful for Mammon’s snooping, because you might still be there if he hadn’t heard you fall.”

They subconsciously touched the sore spot on their shoulder where they had collided with the wall. The pain blended in with the rest of their body aches, but the bruise certainly didn’t.

“Besides,” Asmo sat them down on the chaise lounge. “A nice, hot bath with some quality oils will rejuvenate you like nothing else. Now, go on, strip.”

When they gave him a clearly unamused look, he just laughed. “Not while you’re sick, darling. You know full well being with me requires you to be at peak energy.”

With a sigh, they began peeling themselves out of their days-old pajamas. Admittedly, they did feel like a bath would help them feel a little better. They were pretty sure they read somewhere that the steam from hot water would help clear out all the gunk in their chest. And if anyone knew the intricate rituals of bath time, it was Asmodeus.

While they were stripping, Asmo had made his way over to the Grecian temple that was his bathtub and turned on the tap. After a few moments of running his hand under the stream to test the temperature, he stood and began browsing his impressive collection of bath accoutrements. “Hm, let’s see, let’s see…here it is!”

Asmo turned around, holding up the little bottle like he had just found buried treasure. “Eucalyptus, to help clear out the lungs. It’s good for muscle aches, too!”

With a flourish, he put a few drops into the water. “Alright, ready. Can you get in yourself or do you need my help?”

“I’ve got the flu, not the plague, Asmo.”

“You. Fell. In. The. Shower.” he punctuated each word with a poke to their cheek before holding out his hand to help them. Although they grumbled, they were still feeling kind of weak, so they allowed Asmo to pull them up.

“There, now, easy does it,” he spoke softly as he guided them to sit on the edge of the tub. If this were any other situation, they would be painfully aware of the fact that they were completely naked in front of the Avatar of Lust. But, the fragrant steam rising from the water was beginning to ease the ache in their chest, and Asmo’s soft hands had begun massaging their shoulders. They barely even noticed when they were fully seated.

“You’re not coming in?” they murmured sleepily as Asmo sat himself along the edge of the tub. He just laughed.

“Next time, darling. Now, you just relax and let me take care of you.”

Beelzebub: The phrase “don’t have much of an appetite” just didn’t make sense to Beel. How could someone not want to eat? Maybe he was a bit biased, being the ever-starving Avatar of Gluttony, but still. Humans needed lots of nutrients to get better when they were sick, right? He was pretty sure that was what Satan told him.

Beel scowled, scrolling through the eighteenth listicle about foods to eat when sick. Honestly, he was making himself hungry, but he was starting to get the general idea. Looks like he’s making them some soup.

The kitchen was separated into “human” and “demon” sections, after the one time that they almost used cyanide instead of salt. Human cuisine took less time and involved less magic, so Beel knew his way around the human spice cabinet. Making the soup was the easy part, making sure it got to its intended recipient was another matter.

Climbing the stairs to the human’s room felt like a Herculean task, but he did it - mostly. He may have taken a few bites here and there. But he had purposely put more in the bowl than he knew they would be able to eat, so it was fine, right? He knocked on their door twice, listening to them shuffle around before they finally called out weakly that the door was open.

“I brought food.” he said, shutting the door behind him. “You haven’t been eating much lately.”

They poked their head miserably out of the blanket burrito they had wrapped themselves in. A thin sheen of sweat covered their forehead, but they were shaking, which meant their fever hadn’t broken yet. Did humans always take this long to get better? Another question for Satan.

“I’m not really hungry, Beel.” they mumbled, voice thick and gravelly due to the sore throat they had. “You can eat it.”

Shaking his head, Beel sat himself down on the bed beside them. “I had some already.”

“Have some more.”

“No, I made it for you.” his stomach growled, completely undermining his words. “It’s basically just broth, you can drink it.”

They wiggled around for a bit before they managed to extract themselves from the absolute cocoon they had made. “…What kind of broth?”

“Just chicken, I promise.” he laughed. “I wasn’t about to try to get you to eat a Devildom recipe.”

Finally, they got themselves into a sitting position, but even that seemed to wear them out. They flopped against Beel’s shoulder, and he definitely didn’t like how hot their skin felt against his. Their breathing was ragged as they tried to get the energy to sit up.

“Here,” Beel dipped the spoon into the broth. “I’ll help.”

“I’m not a baby…”

“No, but you are really weak.” he replied gently. “Let me help you.”

He could feel the urge to protest vibrating through their body - their independence was definitely an endearing quality of theirs. But, eventually they must have come to the conclusion that a content of tenacity between the two of them was going to take longer than simply waiting out their illness. With a huff, they opened their mouth and let Beel feed them.

“Oh, wow, this is pretty good.”

“I’m a good cook if I don’t eat the ingredients first.”

Belphegor: “I thought humans slept a lot when they got sick.”

The bags under the human’s eyes were almost as intense as they glare they gave him. When the rest of the brothers had begun arguing over something stupid, Belphegor had taken the opportunity to bundle them up and whisk them away to the peace and quiet of the attic. His intent had been to take a nice long nap with them, but apparently their lungs had a different plan.

“We should,” they groaned, sounding like their throat was made of sandpaper. “Every time I feel like I’m going to fall asleep, I start coughing.”

“That sounds counter-intuitive.”

“Tell me about it.”

Belphie rolled over so that he was lying on his side, facing them. “Well then, you picked a good nap partner.”

They blinked blearily up at him. “Why is that?”

“Come here, I’ll show you.”

He reached out, tugging them towards him until they were settled comfortably against his chest with their head tucked beneath his chin. Although he wasn’t the tallest of the brothers, he had enough height to basically surround the human. “Can you hear my heartbeat?”

“I’m too tired for you cheesy lines, Belphie.”

“No, seriously, just listen.”

He could practically hear them roll their eyes, but they quieted down. Once he was sure they were synced up with the steady ba-bump, ba-bump of his heart, he began to work his magic - literally.

He brought his hand up to cup the back of their skull, fingertips tingling as he focused his magic their. They squirmed for a moment before sighing as the cool rush of Belphie’s special brand of sleep magic washed over them.

“I told you, being tired isn’t the prob - “

“Hush,” he murmured, letting them feel his voice rumble through his chest. “Just relax for me, okay?”

Belphie massaged their scalp like he was washing their hair, working his magic into their skin. Slowly but surely he felt them soften, the tightness in their chest easing. Finally, their slightly labored breathing evened out, and the poor human finally succumbed to sleep.

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Nightbringer Surprise Guests

Lucifer

I'm feeling good. Why don't we open a bottle of my prized Demonus?

1. Tap Face

2. Rub Head

3. Rub Chest

I know you want to give me a high five, don't you? Fine, just this once. Call it a special occasion.

1. High Five

2. Rub Chest

3. Tap Arm

Mammon

We'll be invincible if we Team up!

1. Rub Face

2. Rub Face

3. Rub Face

Hey, hey, hey! The Great Mammon makes his mark!

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Rub Head

Leviathan

Haha, let's experience tha taste of victory together!

1. Tap Head

2. Rub Face

3. Rub Head

Let's great each other like Normies would!

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Tap Face

Satan

We won thanks to me.

1. Rub Face

2. Tap Chest

3. (Rub/Tap Chest, Tap/Rub Arm, Tap/Rub Head, Rub Face) Tap Face (couldn't get one with more hearts???)

Is this how one shares happiness? Give me a high five.

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Tap Chest

Asmodeus

A win for me is as natural as breathing air!

1. Rub Head

2. Rub Chest

3. Rub Arm

Come on, hold out your hand. High five <3

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Rub Face

Beelzebub

Thanks to you, I was able to get through it despite being hungry.

1. Tap Head

2. Tap Head

3. Rub Chest

Not bad, huh? It's time for a victory hamburger!

1. High Five

2. Rub Chest

3. Rub Arm

Belphegor

You want to hang out with me? All right, you got it.

1. Rub Head

2. Rub Face

3. Rub Head

All right... you want me to hold up my hand, right?

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Rub Head

Diavolo

It really does feel good to win, doesn't it!

1. Rub Head

2. Rub Head

3. Tap Head

All right, let's savor the joy of victory... Just you and me!

1. High Five

2. Rub Face

3. Tap Face

Barbatos

Was I of any help to you?

1. Tap Head

2. Tap Head

3. Rub Head

Is this where we do the so-called "high five"? Someone taught me how to do it.

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Tap Head

Solomon

You're my best student, you know? As your teacher, you make me proud

1. Tap Chest

2. Rub Chest

3. Rub Chest

Hey! It felt good to win like that, huh? We make a truly amazing teacher and apprentice team, am I right?

1. High Five

2. Tap Chest

3. Rub Head

Simeon

I'm super excited right now, but how about you?

1. Rub Head

2. Rub Face

3. Rub Arm

How about we see whether exchanging greetings will deepen our bond?

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

3. Rub Face

Luke

...So how was it? Did I look cool?

1. Rub Head

2. Rub Face

3. Rub Arm

Okay here we go! It's time for a high five!

1. High Five

2. Rub Head

how they sleep with you

content warning: Luke's part is purely platonic

Lucifer rarely sleeps in his demon form. but when he does, he's got his upper set of wings draped over your chest, and his lower set draped over your legs. he's most likely sleeping in his demon form because the two of you had a fight (he could never stay mad at you, and he doesn't want you going to bed angry or upset with him) if he's extremely tired he will drape his arm over your waist and bury his face in the crook of your neck. usually, he has you lay your head against his chest with your legs tangled up in his. his hands have to be touching some part of your body, he's always in protection mode.

Mammon has got to stop falling asleep in his car, it's such a pain for you to wake him up and drag him to his bed. he sleeps on your stomach with his hand resting on your thigh, you're just so comfy to sleep on! if you fall asleep on your stomach he'll poke you awake until you curl back up in his arms (seriously MC, how could you deny the Great Mammon cuddles!) he'll let you sleep in his jacket, cause his scent will be all over you in the morning and it annoys his brothers during breakfast. when he can't sleep, he'll lay next to you and play with your fingers, especially the one adorned with one of his rings (he likes twisting it or taping his fingernail against it)

Levi stopped sleeping with his Ruri-Chan pillow in his arms once he became comfortable with you sleeping in the tub with him (it stays in the tub though) he covers his head with a blanket so that the light from his gaming device won't bother you, he won't forget his headphones either. he really likes to sleep with his head on your chest, and sometimes his nose rubs against your collarbones (he's even blushing in his sleep!) he wraps his tail around your ankle because he thinks you'll leave him. he subconsciously adjusts his tail and body whenever you move in your sleep. when he's up waiting for a premiere for one of his anime or game releases, his tail will be draped over the edge of the tub and wrapped around your wrist.

Satan will never admit to you that he sometimes props his book up against you when you're asleep (also, don't question it when you wake up and he's got a book open on top of his face, just make sure it's bookmarked after you remove it!) he reads to you before bed most of the time. he'll have you in his lap and laid back against his chest so he can wrap his arms around you. this way you can read along with him and he can rest his head on top of yours. he will sleep on top of you and entwine his hand with yours. he got embarrassed one time because he drooled on your shirt in his sleep, his face was so red when you laughed at his reaction.

Asmo will rub your back, or run his fingers through your hair when you don't want him suffocating you with cuddles. he gets you into the habit of having a nighttime routine, you gotta keep your face clean and moisturized, he cannot stress that enough. you get SEVERAL kisses all over your face before bed. if you're not in the mood for all that, then he places soft kisses on your knuckles and fingertips (don't forget to give him some goodnight kisses too, he'll pout if you don't) he likes to sleep with his leg draped over yours, and vice versa. no matter the position, he's gotta be as close as possible to you, he just wants to feel warm and loved. you're the ONLY person who gets to see what he looks like when he wakes up (you should feel honored)

Beel has you sleep on top of him. with your head rested against his chest, and one leg nestled between his thighs (poor baby worries he might roll over and crush you in his sleep) basically you get gentle sleepy bear hugs every night. he gave you one of his shirts to wear as a nightgown, he likes when you're engulfed in his scent. if you're sick, he'll sleep next to you with a long pillow between the two of you. he'll hold your hand over the pillow, he needs some type of physical contact to get a good night's sleep. he will 100% get up in the middle of the night to make you soup or fetch you some medicine, and he keeps water bottles for you under his bed so you stay hydrated.

Belphie will pass out in ANY position whether you're with him or not (one time he fell asleep with his legs up against the wall, tangled up in a blanket with a pillow over his face) he will ALWAYS have his fingers linked with yours or his tail wrapped around some part of your body (sleepy baby just wants to make sure you're still there in the morning when he wakes up) he softly snores and denies the fact that he does it. tangled up in each other's arms underneath a mountain of pillows and blankets is the most common way the two of you sleep. hits snooze on your alarm and does not care if you have somewhere to be.

Diavolo cocoons you in his wings and rests his forehead against yours. his hand grips the bottom of your shirt when he wraps his arms around you, you're his safe haven MC. please give him kisses, he'll melt into the sheets if you do. he just wants to sleep in with you without the thought of his royal duties or paperwork weighing on his mind. he would cuddle with you all day if he could. he's harder to wake up than you are on the weekends.

Barbatos will whisper sweet nothings in your ear until you fall asleep if you've had a rough day, his voice is just so calming. he'll wrap his tail around your waist and pull you flush against him. you have no idea how he manages to not make a sound or disturb your position when he wakes up early. he moves loose strands of hair from your face and kisses your forehead as a silent good morning. you should try to get up at a decent time because he makes a mean breakfast (will cook for you regardless!)

Simeon holds your hand against his chest at night, close to his heart so you can feel how much his heart beats for you. give him soft kisses in the morning, and his cheeks will probably be rosy for the rest of the day. please rest your hand on his cheek, and rest your forehead against his, it makes him feel so connected to you. he softly snores too.

Solomon loves the way you slowly trace his pact marks when he's laying in bed doing research or if you're having a hard time sleeping. he finds it funny every time you complain about him taking all the blankets. you send him empty threats about how you hope his side of the pillow is warm, but then you realize the two of you share a pillow- will mercilessly tease you in the morning because you're so hard to get out of bed, you'll mumble incoherent sentences in response to his teasing (he finds it so adorable)

Luke will rest his head on your shoulder when he's sleepy. he hooks his arm with yours, and you rest your head on top of his cause you're just as sleepy as him. Simeon often catches the two of you napping after studying so much for an upcoming exam. he sneaks a picture because the two of you are such an adorable sight. he sends it to the group chat with Lucifer and his brothers (Mammon never fails to blow his phone up because he's so jealous of Luke)

✄ ——————————————————————

feel free to shoot me a message to my inbox since I can't reply to comments, on my posts or reblogs. I would love to interact with my readers, so shoot me a message or ask and I'll respond <3

Fandom: Obey Me Pairing: Lucifer x MC x Diavolo, Satan x MC x Belphegor, Leviathan x MC x Simeon, Amso x MC, Asmo x MC x Solomon, Mammon x MC x Beelzebub. (Female MC). Warnings: Threesome’s, Female heat, Mild Dubcon, Voyeurism, Mild Exhibitionism, Toy use, Oral, vaginal, anal penetration. Squirting, Double Penetration, mild Yaoi, Polyamorous relationship. Notes: The Dickening Part 2. The biggest thank you to @theshove​ for having so much faith with me for this piece. Not only for your generous donation but also for beta-ing the whole piece within a day! And also to @theinariakuma​ for all your love and support. Also thank you to all those who donated for early release as well and all your wonderful feedback. 💛 Tagging: @starry-starry-night24​, @0-miles-away​, @pixiestick0924, @iloveobeyme, @ghoulgirlradio, @raymiazaki. 

Kink: Masochism || Hair-pulling || Orgy 

Pairing: 7 Demons x MC (F) [Lucifer x MC, Mammon x MC, Leviathan x MC, Satan x MC, Asmo x MC, Beelzebub x Belphegor x MC]. 

Fandom: Obey Me.

Warning: Fingering, Oral (Male and female), vaginal sex,   over-stimulation, breath-play, multiple-partners, spit-roasting, marking, rough-play, internal cum-shot, aphrodisiac. 

Day 14 of  @alloveroliver​.

Including prompts from @xxsycamore​​​

Thank you once more to @theinariakuma​​, @crystal13unny​​ and @andinewton​​​ for beta-ing (You are all angels).

Tags: @thequeenofotakus-blog​, @kumovii @fairstival @acr2m @lilliansstuff @coldnachopeace @omg-mz-fanfic  @mammonsmainsimp​​​ @0-miles-away

Marlon:

Louis:

Violet:

Mitch:

Tenn:

Aasim:

Ruby:

Omar:

Willy:

Brody:

I got this message from an account I didn’t follow - their blog looks very authentic because the owner was fooled into giving over their password and then locked out of the blog

If you click on the link (on mobile) it takes you here

No official tumblr post NEEDS to be viewed in a web browser, EVER!

It takes you to the page below, where it asks for your account details.

Whoever started this will then steal your info and lock you out of your blog!

It should go without saying - do not enter any account info into this or anything like it.

Ten core principles necessary for the remodeling of your brain to take place:

1. Change is mostly limited to those situations in which the brain is in the mood for it.

If you are alert, on the ball, engaged, motivated, ready for action, the brain releases the neurochemicals necessary to enable brain change. When disengaged, inattentive, distracted, or doing something without thinking that requires no real effort, your neuroplastic switches are “off.”

2. The harder you try, the more you’re motivated, the more alert you are, and the better (or worse) the potential outcome, the bigger the brain change.

If you’re intensely focused on the task and really trying to master something for an important reason, the change experienced will be greater.

3. What actually changes in the brain are the strengths of the connections of neurons that are engaged together, moment by moment, in time.

The more something is practiced, the more connections are changed and made to include all elements of the experience (sensory info, movement, cognitive patterns). You can think of it like a “master controller” being formed for that particular behavior which allows it to be performed with remarkable facility and reliability over time.

4. Learning-driven changes in connections increase cell-to-cell cooperation which is crucial for increasing reliability.

Merzenich explains this by asking you to imagine the sound of a football stadium full of fans all clapping at random versus the same people clapping in unison. He explains, “The more powerfully coordinated your [nerve cell] teams are, the more powerful and more reliable their behavioral productions.”

5. The brain also strengthens its connections between teams of neurons representing separate moments of successive things that reliably occur in serial time.

This allows your brain to predict what happens next and have a continuous “associative flow.” Without this ability, your stream of consciousness would be reduced to “a series of separate, stagnating puddles,” explains Merzenich.

6. Initial changes are temporary.

Your brain first records the change, then determines whether it should make the change permanent or not. It only becomes permanent if your brain judges the experience to be fascinating or novel enough or if the behavioral outcome is important, good or bad.

7. The brain is changed by internal mental rehearsal in the same ways and involving precisely the same processes that control changes achieved through interactions with the external world.

According to Merzenich, “You don’t have to move an inch to drive positive plastic change in your brain. Your internal representations of things recalled from memory work just fine for progressive brain plasticity-based learning.”

8. Memory guides and controls most learning.

As you learn a new skill, your brain takes note of and remembers the good attempts, while discarding the not-so-good trys. Then, it recalls the last good pass, makes incremental adjustments, and progressively improves.

9. Every movement of learning provides a moment of opportunity for the brain to stabilize – and reduce the disruptive power of – potentially interfering backgrounds or “noise.”

Each time your brain strengthens a connection to advance your mastery of a skill, it also weakens other connections of neurons that weren’t used at that precise moment. This negative plastic brain change erases some of the irrelevant or interfering activity in the brain.

10. Brain plasticity is a two-way street; it is just as easy to generate negative changes as it is positive ones.