✈️ FLIGHT SCHOOL: Q & A with Flight Officer Adrija
“A real conversation from the cockpit — March 19, 2026
Flight Officer Adrija: “Captain Q, I have a question. What happens when we get close to the bulls — like 680, 674, 675 — but we’re still below the Flip?”
Captain Q: “Good question, Adrija. When the market is in RED — meaning we have LH and LL on structure — you should always look to hug a bear. Provided you have all conditions met, of course.”
Flight Officer Adrija: “But what about the bulls up there? Don’t they matter?”
Captain Q: “They matter — but only ABOVE the Flip. And even then, you need a hold and a retest before you can trust them. Below the Flip? The bulls are just mirages in the desert. You see them, but they can’t help you.”
Flight Officer Adrija: “So today… we never had a chance to go bullish?”
Captain Q: “Look at the chart. LH was never broken to the upside. When that happens, and price drops, you never trade the middle. The middle is no man’s land. Today was all bear territory. The Flip was way above. There was no magnet 🧲 on top pulling us up. And Max Pain? It was at 668 — below where we started. The bears had gravity on their side.”
Flight Officer Adrija: “So the lesson is…”
Captain Q: “The lesson is this: Don’t chase bulls in bear country. When structure says LH + LL, when the Flip is far above, when there’s no magnet pulling price up — you hug the bears. You wait for the bears to finish their job. And if price ever reclaims the Flip, holds, and retests? THEN you can trust the bulls. Not before.”
Flight Officer Adrija: “Copy that, Captain. Hug the bears until the Flip says otherwise.”
Captain Q: “Now you’re flying. ☕✈️”
The Lesson:
| Condition |
Action |
| LH + LL (bearish structure) |
Look to hug bears |
| Below Flip |
Bulls are mirages — don’t trust them |
| Above Flip |
Requires HOLD + RETEST before trusting bulls |
| LH not broken |
Never trade the middle |
| No magnet above |
Gravity favors bears |
“In bear country, the only friend is the bear you planned for.”
— Captain Q ☕
Now The Feature Presentation
📌 Friends, Traders, and Newbies…
Lend me your eyes! We’re sitting on a MONSTER.
SPY: 660.94 Closed | Max Pain: 677 | Flip: 677.52
👆 Above 665 → 667 → 670 → 674.44 (LH)
👇 Below 660 → 658 → 655 → 650 (Mama Bear -233M)
💡 WHY MAX PAIN MATTERS FOR ZERO DTE
Max Pain is the strike where option sellers (Market Makers) lose the LEAST money at expiration.
For Zero DTE, this is critical because:
- Options expire TODAY — no more time to wait
- MMs will push price toward Max Pain to minimize their payout
- The closer we get to 4:00 PM, the stronger the Max Pain magnet becomes
- Today’s Max Pain = 677 — we’re 16+ pts BELOW it
Translation: Massive gap to Max Pain. MMs have HUGE exposure at 660. Price is pinned to the monster.
🧭 STRUCTURE CHECK
1H Structure:
| Structure |
Level |
Status |
| LH (Lower High) |
674.44 |
Break above = HH (bullish flip) |
| LL (Lower Low) |
661.36 |
Structure target — JUST ABOVE US |
3H Structure:
| Structure |
Level |
Status |
| HH (Higher High) |
674.44 |
Liquidity — No Structure |
| LL (Lower Low) |
655.17 |
Structure target |
Q ALGO™ Status: 🔄 SHIFTING | No key level | No bias
What this means: 1H is still LH + LL (bearish). 3H is shifting. We’re between structure targets. The 660 MONSTER is the gravity well.
📊 DECISION TABLE
| Level |
What It Is |
Action |
| 677 |
🟠 FLIP / Max Pain |
Above = Bulls alive |
| 674.44 |
LH / Structure |
Break = HH = trend flips |
| 670 |
Resistance |
Major wall above |
| 667 |
B1 / Daddy Bull (+5.4M) |
First positive — tiny |
| 665 |
Resistance zone |
Break + hold = bullish sign |
| 661.36 |
LL (1H) |
Structure target |
| 660 |
☕ WE ARE HERE / S1 MONSTER |
-465M 👹👹👹 |
| 658 |
S4 / (-92.4M) |
Next bear level |
| 655 |
S3 / Baby Bear (-162M) |
LL (3H) nearby |
| 653 |
S5 / (-95.8M) |
Extension |
| 650 |
S2 / Mama Bear (-233M) |
Deep bear target |
🚨 THE MONSTER AT 660
This is not normal.
| Strike |
MM Exposure |
What It Means |
| 660 |
-465M |
👹👹👹 MONSTER — MMs massively exposed |
| 650 |
-233M |
Mama Bear — half the monster |
| 655 |
-162M |
Baby Bear — still huge |
Total negative below price: -860M+
Total positive above price: ~9M
Bear/Bull Ratio: 95:1 🐻
This is the most lopsided exposure we’ve seen. Price is PINNED to 660.
⚠️ LEVELS = YOUR EDGE
No levels = No trade.
These levels MUST be read with:
- ☕ Morning PRE-MARKET briefing
- 🧭 Structure (LH/LL or HH/HL)
- 📊 All 6 structure points
Levels alone don’t tell you to buy or sell. They tell you WHERE to watch.
☕ Also read the PRE-MARKET update in your VIP room.
⚖️ DISCLAIMER – READ FIRST
This is not investment advisory. I’m not calling trades. I’m teaching you to think. These levels are NOT buy/sell signals. Trading involves substantial risk of loss. If you can’t afford to lose, don’t trade. No guarantees. Full disclaimer at bottom.
📋 To Be Fair to All:
- Do not post your trades publicly — only share with Gary or Q confidentially.
- The levels are key levels, but price can always change — no one controls the market. No crystal ball. No guarantees.
- We will post the tape after the fact — to avoid any misunderstanding during live calls.
- IF you create a student zoom room and you are bringing in paid members you are supposed to take permission. IKIGAI, Q or G and our associates and undertakings are not liable in any manner whatsoever directly or indirectly. Please review your agreement.
- We will not cherry pick. You will see the good, the bad, and the ugly.
- We’ll continue doing weekly calls to help you maintain clarity with structure.
🚨 WHAT ARE Q LEVELS? (READ THIS OR LOSE MONEY)
Q Levels are NOT support and resistance.
Q Levels are strikes where Market Makers who are EXPOSED will HEDGE. When price reaches these levels, MM activity creates reactions — but that does NOT mean you enter a trade.
Q Levels are 1 of 6 structure points. You need ALL 6 to make a trade decision:
| # |
Structure Point |
What It Tells You |
| 1 |
Q Levels (Exposure) |
Where MMs are exposed and will hedge |
| 2 |
Liquidity Zones |
Where stops are sitting (LQ Green / LQ Red) |
| 3 |
Market Structure |
CHoCH, BOS, Higher Highs, Lower Lows |
| 4 |
Volume |
Is money flowing in or out? |
| 5 |
Time |
Opening range, power hour, lunch chop |
| 6 |
POI Confluence |
Do multiple points align? |
❌ Q Levels alone = You will lose money ✅ Q Levels + 5 other structure points = You have an edge
🚨 THE 5-MINUTE RULE
WRONG: “Price hits 660, I wait 5 minutes, then I enter.”
RIGHT: “Price hits 660, I watch if it HOLDS above/below for 5+ minutes while checking structure. If it holds AND structure confirms, THEN I look for an entry.”
The 5-minute hold is CONFIRMATION, not a green light.
⚙️ Q ALGO™ TIMEFRAME PRESSURE
| Line |
Value |
Color |
Meaning |
| MM Flip |
677.52 |
🟠 Orange |
Above = Bulls. Below = Bears. |
| MM Ceiling |
667 |
🔴 Red |
Break + hold above = See structure for LONG |
| MM Floor |
650 |
🟢 Green |
Break + hold below = See structure for SHORT |
📍 TODAY: Price at 660.94 = 16.58 pts BELOW Flip = 🐻🐻🐻 MONSTER BEAR COUNTY
🔴 CHART IS ALL RED. Biggest negative exposure of the month.
📊 YOUR LEVELS
TradingView String (Copy & Paste):
668,667,678,660.94,677,677.52,655,650,660,660
Options Flow (Strike, Calls, Puts):
678, 25.6K, 0
670, 78.4K, 0
667, 15.6K, 0
665, 15.1K, 32.9K
660, 12.2K, 138.1K
658, 5.3K, 19K
655, 3.8K, 48.7K
653, 4.5K, 24.2K
651, 4.7K, 17.2K
650, 24.6K, 106.8K
🎯 THE THREE BEARS / THREE BULLS
THE THREE BEARS (SHORT LEVELS):
| Bear |
Strike |
MM Exposure |
| S1 = DADDY |
660 |
-465M 👹👹👹 |
| S2 = MAMA |
650 |
-233M 🐻 |
| S3 = BABY |
655 |
-162M 🧸 |
THE THREE BULLS (LONG LEVELS):
| Bull |
Strike |
MM Exposure |
| B1 = DADDY |
667 |
+5.4M 🐂 |
| B2 = MAMA |
668 |
+2M 🐂 |
| B3 = BABY |
678 |
+1.8M 🐂 |
🔴 BEARS DOMINATE. -860M bears vs +9.2M bulls. Ratio = 95:1 bears.
☕ RANGE ZONE
| Zone |
Why |
| 660-661 |
Sitting ON the monster. 661.36 = LL (1H). Decision zone. |
🔥 FRIDAY FACTOR (OPEX WEEK)
| Thursday |
Friday |
| 664.41 |
660.94 (-3.47 pts) |
| Deep bear |
MONSTER bear |
| LL at 665 |
LL at 661.36 — testing NOW |
Monthly OPEX pressure. Biggest negative exposure of the month at 660. Price is PINNED.
🎯 WE DON’T TRADE EMOTIONS — WE LOOK FOR CLUES
The Q ALGO™ Checklist:
| Step |
What We Check |
| 1 |
LEVELS (from newsletter) |
| 2 |
15-Min chart |
| 3 |
5-Min chart |
| 4 |
1-Min chart |
| 5 |
BANDS |
| 6 |
River |
| 7 |
Volume Line (Fair Value) |
| 8 |
Candle for Entry |
| 9 |
Flip Line |
| 10 |
Trend Context (Trend Engine) |
| 11 |
Pivots |
| 12 |
LQ Areas |
| 13 |
Entry Candle |
| 14 |
Flow |
| 15 |
VSA + QVDD |
Not all checklist items need to align = build your edge based on your own edge.
⚖️ DISCLAIMER
This is not investment advisory. I’m not calling trades. I’m teaching you to think. Trading futures and options involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The IKIGAI Algo and any associated indicators, tools, or educational materials are provided for informational and educational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. You should consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any trading decisions. Q Levels and affiliated parties are not registered investment advisors, broker-dealers, or financial planners. By participation, you acknowledge you are solely responsible for your own trading decisions and any resulting gains or losses. No guarantees of profit or specific results are made or implied. All sales are final. Please trade responsibly and only risk capital you can afford to lose.
— Q Levels Trading | Coffee With Q ☕🐻🐻🐻
That’s why we use Q ALGO… and for everything else, there’s Mastercard. 💳😎
— Q ☕
