Metal Monkey

Lunar New Year fell on Feb 6. Anyone born before that date belongs to the previous year (Goat).

Monkeys think faster than they talk and talk faster than they act. They can explain something complicated in three sentences and find the most interesting person in any crowd within minutes. Rules read to them as defaults: route around if possible, comply only when cornered. They come off as quick, funny, restless. What is hidden is that jokes are often a lid, and the loudest laugh in the room may be sitting on top of the least certain feeling. They are also the friend who fixes your phone, then explains the joke you missed three days ago.

Ren is the great water that will not stop, Shen the monkey with quick hands and a habit of copying whatever it sees. Water poured over a blade makes it sharper each time it is quenched and ground. People like this think fast, learn a thing after one look, and enjoy taking another person's method apart. They resist being managed and need somewhere to experiment. Hand them a hard problem and they wake up, testing a route in a few moves. They learn fast and tire fast, needing something new to chew on.