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cassatine · 16 days ago

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my conclave review i guess! i was going to gush in chat but then. too many words.

so literally all i knew about it going in was (1) a cardinal vapes in it (2) probably it's about a conclave?? (3) good vibes according to dashboard osmosis. the cinematography was a+, which i always appreciate. i liked that on one level it's a perfect comedy, really fucking funny in a sort of understated way. the beginning kinda reminded me of the death of stalin, what with the inciting event being the guy at the top of the hierarchy dying… somehow excellent comedy setup. at the very beginning, when lawrence & co struggle a bit to take the ring off the pope's corpse and it's all so ritualized, that's when i knew it was going to be Funny.

but beyond the fact that it was funnier than i expected... i liked the layers. most of all i think i liked the earnestness. ralph fiennes mid-crisis of faith, hating his job, trying to be a moral man in a system that is broken?? chef's kiss. the other cardinals of note were also nicely layered, like adeyemi? it would have been so easy to just stop at his being homophobic and treat his having had a kid being revealed as comeuppance but the way he cries and asks lawrence to pray with him… he sucks and it's a good thing he's taken off the race but it also happens for the wrong reason. bellini who's lying to himself and everyone else over not wanting to be the pope when he so clearly does and still letting himself be bought by the promise of a nice post… and yet he is not just an hypocrite. he sees he failed. he apologizes. he is only human. tedesco could have been a one note villain but he's the coolest dude around, and on a fundamental level that's part of what makes him dangerous: he's a reactionary and a bigot but he makes it kinda sexy. you want to like him; he's fun to watch and he has style, something the other cardinals probably wouldn't recognize if it hit them in the face. benitez. well. benitez is jesus. sister agnes was neat, it's a bit sad we don't really get to know her but she's indispensable and i love that for her. like. here's a bunch of dudes with all the decisional power who expect her to just exist in the background doing the menial work and then her printer expertise ends up being vital, and in general lawrence wouldn't have managed as well without her support… noice.

the end feels a bit easy, like lbr benitez being elected pope because he made a nice speech is ludicrous, but also… it works for me?

(1) on some level the film is about the difficulties of trying to be a moral person in a system that does not reward being moral. sure it's about faith and doubt and the limitations of organized religion. it's about catty bitches vying for power in a ritualized way that, on some level, speaks of an institution that ossified, that resists change (and on that note: benitez, obviously-the-best candidate only gets elected because people skirt the isolation rules, because the outside world intrudes. also because he is jesus.) it's stated near the beginning that the pope hadn't lost faith in god but in the church, and through the movie we can see why, all the machinations and the thirst for power and the fallibility of the men within the institution. through lawrence we see how much easier it would be to just… stop trying, to do the convenient thing, the easy thing, rather than the right thing, and to find justifications for that: better not make waves and better not make a scandal, for the sake of electing a blandly liberal pope rather than tedesco. and who would disagree? sure, better a bland liberal than reactionary tedesco. but then comes the ethical quandary: should the goal of avoiding one evil mean closing your eyes to another? should you forsake your sense of right and wrong for the greater good? too often i think we are told to prioritize the greater good, and maybe sometimes we should. but maybe sometimes we shouldn't. maybe sometimes we should hold to our principles. in the end, benitez being elected pope isn't going to miraculously make the catholic church and its agents unproblematic. but it is a win, and it happens because lawrence kept choosing to do (what he believes is) the right thing, the moral thing, even when it's not easy, even when it's inconvenient, even when he's told he's being naive and hurting the greater cause. and i appreciate that message.

(2) as i said: benitez is jesus. the film is a parable… it's a story about how jesus showed up, completedly unexpected, in the middle of the church his disciples built, and because the church is made up of people and people are flawed and faillible and too busy with things like power, they did not notice jesus walking among them. at least not until god (metaphorically) shone a light on him. like yes sure the way benitez ends up the one elected is ludicrous but!! it took an act of god. not the bombs per se. but the tragedy of it intruding into the isolated conclave? the windows exploding, the light coming in, this is what allows the true stakes to become clear again, and for benitez's love thy neighbour speech to take place at all - a speech contrasted with tedesco's own, all the style stripped from him, making it clear he is a man who reaches for hate and not compassion. it's a parable!! it takes a tragedy. it takes an act of god.

#conclave #spoilers #i may be an atheist but i read too many parables as a kid not to notice one i guess #the score was also!! noice

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a-confused-spoon · 4 months ago

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Jinx's haircut: how Powder and Ekko's story comes full circle

Hi! So, it appears Jinx will be cutting her hair short in season 2 (which is cool as fuck), and I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion on it, so I wanted to share my two cents 😊

I might refer to Jinx and Powder as if they are different ideantities, but I'm aware that's not how that works; it's just an easier way to express myself. Also english isn't my first language, so apologies for any possible wiritng mistake (this is a bit of a mess 😅)

* deep breath in *

As it has already been pointed out, this choice must have a deeper reason other than esthetic (I've been seeing the phrase "hair holds memories" used a lot), and what's even more interesting is that her new look resembles a lot how she used to look like as a kid; a bit bizarre, given how the entirety of season 1 showed us how Powder and Jinx's coexistence only brings the girl pain. As a matter of fact, the finale makes it clear to us that even she sees these two sides of herself as mutually exclusive.

So why and how exactly would this happen now?

What I keep going back to is the idea that maybe, just maybe, this has to do with her possibly "taking the lead" in Zaun; whether she actively becomes a leader or if she just "leads by example" (therefore passively), it doesn't change the fact that for better or worse she will be depicted as a leading revolutionary figure.

And fair enough: she singlehandedly killed half of the Council, the people who hold decisional power and have contributed to the misery on the other side of the river. After Vender's failed attempt on the bridge and Silco's focus on his own business dealings with Piltover among everything else he did, Jinx's attack on the city - something she does to ultimately solidify her identity as Jinx - opens a door that the Undercity was waiting to be opened for decades.

Here's the thing:

Being Jinx doesn't just mean acting on unbridled rage and being a menace to society; it means being feared by most, if not all, with the only possible exceptions being those who also accepted their inner monster. To put it in Singed's words, "If you take this path, they will despise you".

Being Jinx fundamentally implies loneliness.

Silco was consistently reminding her this: "I am your family; everyone else betrays us" / "Everyone betrays us Jinx! Vander! Her! They will never understand, it's only us".

In the official clip 'Enemy of my enemy' we find out that he only saw her cry twice, the two scenes we also witness as an audience, meaning he didn't see her cry once during the timeskip, and I'm sure it's safe to say that she most definitely did cry a lot given how she goes from episode 3 Powder (scared, couldn't grasp the concept of killing someone, heartbroken by the nickname jinx) to episode 4 Powder (a beast, kills in cold blood, has taken Jinx as her actual name)... it must've been an ugly transition, and it definitely didn't happen overnight; if Silco, who was the closest person she had all that time, didn't see it, then I think it speaks a lot on how alone Jinx really was in her darkest times.

For all the love he had for her, he reinforced this idea of isolation as an unescapable consequence of the right path, and I think this is also reflected in the lair that (supposedly) he found for her, especially when you compare it to the Firelights’ one:

The Firelights (this is important for later) are all about community and sharing joy as well as struggle and pain; they live in a place of healing, filled with life, without a roof so the sunlight can reach them during the day, and at nights living bugs that shine a light of their own fill up the hideout.

Jinx's place is diametrically opposed to this: it’s dark and looks cold, it's completely made of metal, the roof’s blocking any natural light and it hangs above an abyss with no bottom to be seen; the only company she consistently has are the puppets of her dead brothers and the only living thing that knows his way in is the only one that can understand, the only one she can rely on - aka Silco himself.

However, as Jinx herself knows, this may have worked for him, but it wasn't working for her for the longest time: she never stopped yearning for affection, love, friendship- that part of her never really went away; it was only being suppressed, suffocated, maybe unintentionally, and I strongly believe that it only worsen her trauma, and it's one of the things that made her spiral so bad into her depression, to the point of hallucinating.

I think that Silco's line in the baptism scene is particularly relevant here: "You need to let Powder die, so the fear of pain will no longer control you", where the fear of pain would refer to the fear of being on her own, of always failing and disappointing others, of being weak and never satisfying the desires, expectations, hopes that Powder carried within her to be “a valuable member of the team”.

If she lets Powder die (which again, she does in the final episode of season 1), this is no longer a problem: if she doesn't do teams, because teams don't want a jinx to begin with, that fear can't get to her; if she's a solo player, a self-sufficient loose cannon, she won't need to rely on anyone but herself because she's strong on her own and does not need the support of others.

If her power lays in the monster she is, the one everyone condemns her for being, then that childhood wish of hers just isn't a realistic option.

...but then this happens.

We know from the teaser trailer that in the operation Caitlyn's leading, 'finding Jinx' and 'neutralize any agent still loyal to Silco' are separate objectives. Which makes sense, since as far as they know Silco was the leader of a group of people, and now that he's gone Jinx is an individual under her own agency and her own agency alone. If initially she fights by herself, for herself because she can and fuck Piltover, then it all falls in line with what I stated so far.

But then we hear Sevika, who has hated Jinx's guts and who Jinx has hated back since day one, telling her to get the people together, to unite the Undercity as one because she can do that. Mind you, the girl has lived in Zaun all her life, she knows damn well that the end of Piltover is something the entire Undercity has been waiting for (“Imagine what the whole of the Lances could do!” from episode 2); yet despite this she needs to be openly told what is going on, that she’s not sizing the opportunity she’s created. She isn't, cause... her? Leading? A group of people? No. Not after the last time she tried to help, and most importantly, not after everything she learned under Silco.

Jinx can't fathom the idea of herself as a part of a part of a team. How can she? She literally just came to terms with isolation as ever present- and now, for some reason, the people of the city, who always either ran away from her or wanted her gone, are dying their hair blue in her image, trusting her, following her, painting murals of her as the bringer of revolution.

She isn't taking power forcibly like Silco did; she's just doing her thing, her Jinx thing, and Zaun, on its own, is choosing her as the leading figure.

Imagine how frustrating it must be for Jinx to look back and realize that Silco, her father- who has loved her, forgiven her, raised her, called her perfect, defended her, was there for her, saved her, guided her- was wrong, and put her in a condition of never ending existential pain when she could’ve had it differently the entire time; imagine how confusing it must be for her to look back and realize that it never mattered whether or not others understood her, 'cause she wasn't as unlovable or unforgivable as she thought herself to be in the first place, that Silco and Vi were never her only options.

Imagine how painful it must be for her to look back and realize that for all this time she could’ve had friends and be accepted and be trusted and rely on others because she never HAD to be alone.

...keeping this in mind, let's talk about Ekko and the missing flashback from episode 7 for a moment.

Admittedly we don’t have a lot of information, other than it took place not too long after the events of episode 3 (then again, to be fair, we don’t know a lot about their relationship as enemies as well: it’s all between the lines; I surely have my own opinions of how they feel about each other being on the enemy side, but I don’t believe it’s super relevant here). What’s for sure about this flashback is that it was a defining moment in both Ekko and Powder’s journey, especially for the latter. Someone surely died, and it 100% was Powder’s fault. It could be both the result of her very first crisis or her first intentional murder; in both cases it results in her deciding for herself to align with Silco as opposed to her best friend.

The way I like to see it is that, since the trauma was still very fresh, she might have been too scared of the idea of fighting alongside others after what happened last time, and she pushed herself to kill someone on purpose just to push Ekko away and prove a point (Silco’s point). I love the idea of the tragic irony of Ekko being the one person Powder managed to really save, and Powder being the one person Ekko couldn’t.

Personal headcanons aside though, the last part is the most important one here: Ekko couldn’t save Powder from Silco, and by extension everything he represents.

I’d like to point out that one of the most tragic aspects of the two becoming enemies (to me) is that, throughout those years, they reciprocally were the only living person the other shared a past with (well, Vi too, but she was in prison the entire time).

Silco not only takes over by force, he also marks as his all the places of said past: the Last Drop, Vi and Powder’s house… one line that always stuck with me from episode 7 is when Ekko tells Vi “All that’s left is Jinx, and she belongs to Silco”.

Not with Silco; to Silco. As if she too a piece of the past he turned into his property.

It’s like he understands that while yes, Powder made the decision by herself, that she wants to stay with Silco, he also knows that the man is the one to blame for... well, all of it; the kid was there when Silco showed up unprovoked at Benzo’s place, he knows things went downhill from there.

Ekko knows that he is the bigger problem and the bigger enemy. Even Vi, without knowing a thing about the past few years, can tell Silco put some shit into her sister’s head; Ekko can probably guess the same, difference being that Ekko has the responsibility of keeping other people safe, and he can’t risk it all for someone that, while possibly manipulated, ultimately isn’t collaborative. Ekko can’t jeopardize all he’s built and done for his former best friend, no matter how much it hurts him to be her enemy.

Back to season 2.

Like the entire fandom has already pointed out, there’s a 99.9% chance there will be an alliance between them and Jinx, especially when looking at Ekko’s new outfit.

Of course, this will not be immediate: my guess is that while Jinx works alone at the very start Ekko will be with Heimerdinger and following the arrest of the Firelights we see in the trailer maybe there’s a split. And even after Jinx takes charge so to speak, and possibly frees them, among others, from Stillwater, it’s possible there will be (and there should be) stages in the alliance: initial distrust, potential fight within the community- like yeah, let’s not forget what Jinx did to these people.

Even if they do go ahead with it, it is probably out of necessity more than anything else, with not one but two military forces against the whole of the Underground. It’s not like they’d be the most ecstatic faction about it, and the same goes for Ekko, which is why the new look will probably come in later.

But exactly like he could see Powder for a brief second on the bridge clearly enough for him to stop himself from beating her, he will, most definitely, see her again through Jinx's inner turmoil... that, and she also can’t keep her shit together when it comes to what she's feeling, the girl really is an open book.

And yeah, the situation would be pretty emotionally disorienting: she's being as Jinx as ever, but people like her now, which is something she used to want as Powder, who is supposed to be dead, and they're willingly following her like they willingly followed Vander and there's murals of her with him, though she's pursuing what aligns more with Silco's dream, but also turns out Silco was wrong about Powder, who might still be alive deep down- the whole thing is a big big mess.

Despite everything that I said about him, it’s not like Jinx would start to resent Silco. She could never, not after his last words to her. They mean the world to her, he means too much to her, and let’s not forget she probably hear his voice now too, along Mylo’s and Claggor’s; it might even be a calming voice to her, one she’s happy to hear even if she knows he’s not real… which makes it all worse and more painful to deal with.

In this scene from the trailer, it seems like Ekko’s talking to her (some have pointed out the blue hair out of focus). Since this is still the look in season, at this point in time Ekko (and the rest of the Firelights) are not truly committed to this alliance with Jinx, and vice versa, Jinx is still figuring out how to deal with all this unexpected appreciation.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Jinx’s way of dealing with inner conflicts, especially ones that deal with the memories of the past, is that it often leads to disaster. This is a bit of a long shot, but what if the reason Ekko’s so beat up Is because she unintentionally sabotaged one of their own attacks on Piltover? Or perhaps they were caught up in a tough situation because of something she did or didn’t do? My point is that if he really is talking with her while in this condition, she probably is in a similar one.

Regardless, they are on the same side, and they are having a conversation. This is very likely the first time they reach out for each other since the day she chose to not go with him.

And I think it’s believable that of all the people she now has beside her, she’d talk to Ekko: he has this leader stuff already figured out. He has and still is taking care of people and keeping them safe better than she ever will, and on top of that, he still is the only one in Zaun (again, aside from Vi) who has known her since before she was Jinx, and he spared her on the bridge. He’s the perfect person to open up to.

And, get this, not only Ekko understands the pressure of taking the lead: he knows what it means to look back at someone you were fond of and feeling the pain of being wronged by them. He knows what it’s like to look back at old memories of someone you trusted and wonder if all those moments together really were what you thought they were, he knows what it’s like to wish it could all go back like it was, just so that candid version of them you have in your mind can still be true, present and untainted by the ugliness that now ruins all those precious moments.

He knows, 'cause he went through it with her... and now he can finally reach her.

Ekko may have not been able to save her from Silco then, but he can save her from Silco now.

And since he has built a community that grieved together, went through pain and joy together, he simply does what he’s always done with the Firelights. Sharing.

He tells with her what has worked for him: “Sometimes, taking a leap forward means leaving a few things behind”- in the Franch dub he says “leaving a part of oneself behind”- meaning it doesn’t have to be all or nothing: she has the power to choose what to kiss goodbye and what can stay…

…and then she cuts her hair.

I think it’s important to note how these two moments are very similar in setting. I kid you not, the first time I watched the trailer I was convinced this was a scene where Jinx was burning Silco’s body after she killed him- which frankly could still be the case. I’ve also seen discussions being made for the little girl we see in the trailer being burned here, or Sevika, but I don’t think it’s either. Jinx is completely desensitized to death, even when Silco died her makeup isn’t this ruined. My guess is that this is something much deeper:

Jinx never properly grieved the past. Ever. So, maybe, she’s burning the part of herself she’s leaving behind. The hair she cut.

The hair Silco used to braid for her.

These two scenes parallel each other because “nothing ever stays dead”, but Silco must stay dead, for her own sake. For her own happiness: she is leaving him behind for good.

Only after this moment we get the new look for Ekko: he can work with this new Jinx, the one that now knows she can work within a team, even to the point of committing to the outfit (lol).

If in season 1 Jinx accepted her identity as it was defined by Silco, in season 2 she's re-inventing it under her own conditions: she gets to choose what "being Jinx" may or may not include. And it will always include a little bit of Powder.

Thanks for reading! 💚💙

#or I could be completely wrong #and someone just cuts it #but still #it was fun to write this #arcane theory #except not really #arcane #arcane season 2 #jinx arcane #ekko arcane #arcane silco #powder #timebomb #i ship it #but this also works platonically

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dreamygirl66 · 21 days ago

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Fanfic Jayvik

Sinopsis

En el brillante corazón de Piltover, dos mentes excepcionales forjan una conexión que trasciende la ciencia y el tiempo. Jayce, un visionario lleno de energía y ambición, busca revolucionar el mundo con su intelecto y carisma. VíKtor, un genio silencioso atrapado entre la fragilidad de su cuerpo y la fuerza de sus sueños, trabaja incansablemente para crear un legado que sobreviva a su mortalidad.

Mientras los avances tecnológicos los empujan hacia la grandeza, el peso de sus decisiones y sus propios demonios internos amenazan con alejarlos el uno del otro. Unidos por el deseo de cambiar el mundo pero divididos por la manera de hacerlo, Jayce y VíKtor descubren que su verdadero desafío no es solo conquistar la ciencia, sino enfrentar la profundidad de su vínculo y las consecuencias del sacrificio.

Entre Destellos y Sombras explora los límites de la ambición humana y el poder del afecto en un mundo donde los sueños más grandes suelen tener el costo más alto.

#arcane jayce #arcane viktor x jayce #arcane season 2 #viktor league of legends #viktor arcane #fanfic #wattpad fanfiction #wattpad #arcane s2 #jayvik #fanfiction #jayce talis #viktor lol

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esuemmanuel · 3 months ago

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Eres libre, tan libre de irte o de quedarte, tan libre de gritar o callar, tan libre de hacer o no hacer, pero libre, porque de nadie dependen las decisiones de tu alma, sólo de ti.

You are free, so free to leave or to stay, so free to shout or to keep silent, so free to do or not to do, but free, because nobody else makes the decisions of your soul, only you.

#el hombre de la soledad #escribiendo en soledad #escritores en tumblr #the man of solitude #writing in solitude #writers on tumblr #poetas en tumblr #poets on tumblr #pensamientos #poeticstories

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1mikel2 · 22 days ago

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🇪🇸 La realidad es que...

Ninguno de nosotros es totalmente fácil de tratar, claro que podemos ser buenas personas pero también somos personas con defectos, heridas, traumas, creencias, y características que forman nuestra personalidad, una personalidad imperfecta.

Algunos sufren de baja autoestima, otros de ego, quizá extrema sensibilidad o soberbia, algunos con sentido de inferioridad y otros de superioridad.

Nadie es perfecto aquí, cada uno de nosotros tenemos nuestra sombra y una historia, errores y decisiones que no nos atrevemos a decir en voz alta. Una mala acción no nos convierte en villanos pero tampoco una buena, en santos.

Tenemos que tener los pies bien puestos sobre la tierra, y aceptar tanto lo bueno en nosotros como lo malo, solo así encontraremos la manera de estar en paz con lo que somos, mientras nos convertimos en aquello que queremos. Ser

🇬🇧 The reality is that...

None of us is totally easy to deal with, of course we can be good people but we are also people with defects, wounds, traumas, beliefs, and characteristics that make up our personality, an imperfect personality.

Some suffer from low self-esteem, others from ego, perhaps extreme sensitivity or pride, some with a sense of inferiority and others from superiority.

Nobody is perfect here, each one of us has our shadow and a story, mistakes and decisions that we do not dare to say out loud. A bad action does not make us villains but neither does a good one, saints.

We have to keep our feet firmly on the ground, and accept both the good in us and the bad, only then will we find the way to be at peace with what we are, while we become what we want. To be

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 year ago

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By: SEGM

Published: Aug 13, 2023

Near-zero regret” findings among adults suffer from a critical risk of bias and have low applicability to youth

Recent research published in JAMA Surgery evaluated satisfaction and regret among individuals who had undergone chest masculinizing mastectomy at the University of Michigan hospital. The average patient age at the time of mastectomy was 27 years; no patients who were under age 18 were allowed to participate in the study.

The participants reported high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret at an average of 3.6 years following mastectomy. The study authors lauded the “overwhelmingly low levels of regret following gender-affirming surgery,” and framed their findings as in conflict with the “increasing legislative interest in regulating gender-affirming surgery,” referring to current legislative attempts to restrict or ban “gender-affirming” procedures for minors. Another group of authors provided an invited commentary on the paper, reinforcing the view held by the study authors, and asserting the presence of a “double standard:” “gender-affirming” mastectomies have come under undue scrutiny by states’ legislators, while other surgical procedures with higher regret rates do not appear to concern legislative bodies.

The study suffers from serious methodological limitations, which render the findings of high levels of long-term satisfaction with mastectomy among adults at a "critical risk of bias"—the lowest rating according to the Risk of Bias (ROBINS-I) analysis. ROBINS-I is used to assess non-randomized studies for methodological bias. The "critical risk of bias" rating signals that the results reported by the study may substantially deviate from the truth. The results also suffer from low applicability to the central issue the study and the invited commentary sought to address, which was whether legislative attempts to regulate “gender-affirming” surgeries are warranted in minors. Unfortunately, these highly questionable findings are misrepresented as certain and highly positive by both the study authors and the invited commentators, several of whom have significant conflicts of interest.

Below, we provide a detailed explanation of the key methodological issues in the study which render its claims untrustworthy and not applicable to the patient population at the center of the debate: youth undergoing gender reassignment. We also comment on the alarming trend: several prestigious scientific journals appear to have deviated from their previously high standards for scholarly work and instead have become vehicles for promoting poor-quality research, seemingly to influence judicial policy decisions rather than advance scientific understanding. We conclude with recommendations about how journal editors can restore the integrity of scientific debate and raise the bar on the quality of published studies in the field of gender medicine.

[ For in-depth analysis, see: https://segm.org/long-term-regret-satisfaction-mastectomy-critical-appraisal ]

SEGM Take-Aways

Although this study reports extremely high rates of satisfaction and low regret, the timeframe in which these outcomes were assessed is insufficient—just 3.6 years post-mastectomy on average. The sample is also highly skewed: 50% of the participants had mastectomies in the last 3.6 of the 30 years. This skewing of the length of time since surgery is expected, given the sharp rise in the number of people (especially adolescents and young adults) identifying as transgender and undergoing chest masculinization mastectomy. It is also a short time in which to assess regret, particularly since one quarter of study participants were younger than age 23 at time of surgery and the median age of first birth in the US is 30 years.

The conclusion of high satisfaction/low regret suffers from a critical risk of bias due to the high non-participation rate, important differences between participants and non-participants, and lack of control group. Problematically, the authors misuse the (critically-biased) results from adults to argue against regulations for irreversible body alternations for minors and do so with a decidedly politicized spin.

The only intellectually honest commentary is that we do not have good knowledge of the likely rates of detransition and regret following chest masculinization mastectomy, nor do we know how many people experience regret but remain transitioned. There is an urgent need for quality research in this area. Previously, detransition and regret rates were considered to be low: they may have indeed been low due to the much more rigorous screenings, or the results may have been biased by the notoriously high dropout rates that plague “regret” research. Regardless, there is now growing evidence of much higher rates of medical detransition.

A recent study from a comprehensive U.S. dataset with no loss to follow-up revealed a 36% medical detransition rate among females within just 4 years of starting hormonal transition. At least two recent studies suggest that average time to regret among recently-transitioned females is about 3-5 years, but there is a wide range. Much less is known about detransition among those who undergo surgery. A growing number of detransitioners now express regret associated with the loss of breastfeeding ability, with one case study detailing breastfeeding grief experienced some 15 years post-mastectomy.

The study and invited commentary exemplify three problematic trends that plague studies emerging from the gender clinics: problematic conflicts of interest of the authors; leveraging scientific journals to disguise politically-motivated pieces as quality research; and a conflicted stance by the gender medicine establishment on surgery for minors. We expand on each briefly below.

Conflicts of interest of study authors and commentators

The significant conflicts of interest of the gender clinicians who study and report on the outcomes of “gender-affirming” interventions cannot be overlooked. These clinicians are conflicted financially, since their practices specialize in “gender-affirming” interventions, as well as intellectually. While conflicts of interest among experts are common, such experts should still attempt to be balanced in their discussions and should acknowledge and reflect on their conflicts of interest.

The interpretations of the data in the study is neither rigorous nor balanced, and both the study and the invited commentary have a decidedly political spin. Further, the invited politicized commentary does not disclose that at least one of the authors is a key expert witness opposing states’ efforts to regulate “gender-affirming” surgeries for minors. This role alone precludes the ability to provide a balanced commentary.

There is a fundamental problem with research emerging from gender clinic settings. The same clinicians provide gender-transitioning treatments to individual patients in their practice; serve as primary investigators and custodians of data used in research informing population health policies; and increasingly, provide paid expert witness testimony in courts defending the unrestricted availability of hormonal and surgical interventions for minors.

As a result, such clinicians cannot express nuanced perspectives. Since any balanced statements may be used against them in a court of law when they serve as expert witnesses, they must resort to the lowest common denominator of the "winner-takes-all" adversarial approach. Such an approach does not tolerate nuance. Unfortunately, this approach contributes to the erosion of the quality of the published work in the arena of gender medicine and accelerates loss of trust about the integrity of the scientific process.

Misuse of scientific publications to promote politically-motivated articles disguised as scientific research

That prestigious medical journals now serve as platforms for promoting misleading, politically motivated research that aims to apply a veneer of misplaced confidence in highly invasive, irreversible treatment should worry everyone committed to evidence-based medicine and the integrity of science. Moreover, it impairs our ability to accurately assess and improve the long-term health outcomes of the rapidly growing numbers of gender-diverse and gender-distressed youths.

This is not the first time that a JAMA has been used as a platform for positioning advocacy for “gender-affirming” care as scientific research. In 2022, JAMA Pediatrics published a study that assessed bodily happiness in a group of subjects aged 14-24 three months after chest masculinization mastectomy. Despite the very short follow up and dropout rate of 13%, the authors argued that their findings supported the premise that there was no evidence to suggest that young age should delay surgery. They also asserted that their research would help dispel the misconception that such surgeries are experimental. The editorial commissioned to bolster the authors claims was descriptively titled, “Top surgery in adolescents and young adults-effective and medically necessary.”

Another troubling trend is the misuse of statistical tools to reframe research findings that contradict the author's own position. For example, a well-known study that claimed that access to puberty blockers reduce the risk of suicide disregarded the fact that individuals reporting use of puberty blockers use had twice as many recent serious suicide attempts as their peers who did not use puberty blockers. Like the finding cited above, the doubling of suicide attempts was not statistically significant due to a small underpowered sample—but the magnitude of the effect was striking and should have tempered the authors’ enthusiastic conclusion that puberty blockers prevent suicides. Another recent gender clinic study, widely and positively covered by major media outlets, claimed that puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones led to plummeting rate of depression—even though the rate of depression among youth taking those medications remained demonstrably unchanged. More information about problems with research originating from gender clinics is detailed in this recent analysis.

Gender medicine’s stance on pediatric surgery

More generally, the gender medicine establishment is in a curious state of internal conflict about its stance on “gender-affirming” surgeries for minors. On the one hand, it has become common for advocates of “gender-affirmation” of minors to insist that surgeries for minors are not performed and anyone who suggests otherwise is spreading “scientific misinformation” and “science denialism.” On the other hand, gender clinicians publish mastectomy outcomes for minors in major medical journals, and laud surgeries for minors as “effective and medically necessary.” It is not uncommon for these opposing claims to be made by the same group of researchers and clinicians, as they test various arguments, searching for the "angle" that is most likely to convince judges and juries--and public at large--that scrutiny of the practice of pediatric transitions, which is increasingly occurring in European countries, is not warranted in the United States.

Notably, none of the European countries that are enacting severe restrictions on the use of puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for minors have ever allowed surgeries for youth under 18. That the U.S. gender affirmation professionals continue to fight regulation of these problematic procedures speaks volumes about how far the U.S. healthcare has drifted when it comes to "gender affirmation" of minors.

Final thoughts

While it is challenging to determine how best to reduce the temperature of the highly politicized nature of the debate in gender medicine, the editors of scientific journals can begin to restore balance by recognizing how far the field has drifted from the standards of quality scientific research, and begin to expand their circle of peer-reviewers to those with diverse views. Inviting those concerned with the state of gender medicine (and not just the practices’ advocates) into the peer-review and commentary process is the first essential step to improve the quality of research published in the field of gender medicine.

The activists are predictably - and consistent with the superficiality of their own ideology - upset that anyone should look below the surface. It seems to be more troubling that anyone would notice the shoddiness of the research, than that the research is shoddy.

If this is supposed to be "healthcare," you would think that they would want the best healthcare, and be more alarmed at the misrepresentations of the study, than by people finding those misrepresentations.

Could it be that this is ideological rather than medical? 🤔

The conflicts of interest and funding sources alone are remarkable.

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shactividades · 12 days ago

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CAPÍTULO 08: UNA VIDA POR UNA VIDA

Ambientación: 17 al 30 de Noviembre.

Clima: Nublado/Tormentas eléctricas.

Vestimenta: Pañuelo blanco obligatorio.

Despiertas en el mismo lugar. La luz gris entra por la cortina, el reloj marca 6:32. Te levantas, sin sorpresa, como siempre. La misma rutina, los mismos movimientos automáticos. Te miras en el espejo. La misma cara, la misma expresión vacía.

La ducha te toca la piel, pero no te despierta. Sales y el día comienza, otra vez. Desayunas. Nada cambia. Todo se repite. Te arrastras al área de entrenamiento. Regresas al comedor.

No hay escape. El bucle sigue. Y otra vez, todo empieza de nuevo.

[...]

El tiempo dentro del refugio sigue siendo un eco, extraño y repetitivo. Los días se alargan, pero no avanzan. Todo parece transcurrir a la misma velocidad: las horas pasan sin que nada cambie, sin que nada se resuelva. Los heridos ya se han recuperado lo suficiente para participar en entrenamientos más intensos, pero las excursiones al exterior siguen suspendidas. El aire en el refugio se vuelve cada vez más pesado, cargado de una creciente ansiedad que nadie se atreve a nombrar. Los suministros empiezan a escasear lentamente, y la sensación de estar atrapados, inmóviles, se hace cada vez más palpable.

La rutina se ha vuelto insoportable. No hay descanso, no hay tiempo para detenerse a pensar. Los entrenamientos, las oraciones, las reparaciones de las defensas… todo parece un ciclo interminable. Sin embargo hay una actividad nueva que ha dominado los últimos días: la preparación de un banquete. No es un banquete cualquiera, sino uno que se siente como un ritual. Los ingredientes, escasos, se eligen con esmero, y cada preparación parece estar envuelta en un aire ceremonial. Los miembros del refugio trabajan juntos, pero el silencio pesa más que nunca. La atmósfera tiene algo solemne, como si cada gesto estuviera cargado de un simbolismo que muchos no logran entender del todo.

Mientras tanto, las tensiones internas crecen. Los murmullos se hacen más frecuentes, las miradas se cruzan más rápido, los pasos se aceleran. El refugio ya no es un lugar de paz, sino de agitación contenida. Y lo que todos sienten, aunque nadie lo diga en voz alta, es que algo se está acercando. El futuro es incierto y, por primera vez en mucho tiempo, la gente comienza a cuestionar qué les espera, no solo fuera de esas paredes, sino dentro de ellas.

En medio de este ambiente tenso, estalla una pelea. Dos hombres, visiblemente agotados por el confinamiento y la incertidumbre, se enfrentan en el comedor. Las palabras suben de tono, los empujones se hacen más violentos. La discusión, que comienza como un desacuerdo menor, rápidamente escala a algo mucho más grande, a una manifestación de la frustración general. Los demás observan en silencio, algunos con una leve incomodidad, otros con una evidente indiferencia. La violencia de la escena no es algo nuevo, pero esta vez es diferente.

Dos de los vigilantes, sin mediar palabra, se acercan rápidamente. Con una fuerza implacable, levantan a los hombres por el cuello y, casi sin esfuerzo, los echan al exterior. La puerta se cierra con un golpe seco, y el sonido del impacto parece resonar en los corazones de todos. Los hombres, ahora exiliados, no tienen tiempo para protestar. Sabían lo que estaba en juego. No solo desafiaron a la Madre Serena, sino también la autoridad de todo lo que representaba el refugio.

El silencio cae sobre el comedor, y la tensión se puede cortar con un cuchillo. Los ojos de los presentes se desvían al suelo, a las paredes, a cualquier lugar donde no se vean obligados a enfrentar lo que acaba de suceder. Nadie dice nada, pero todos lo saben: si no sigues las reglas, si te enfrentas a lo que la Madre Serena ha dispuesto, el exilio es la única opción. Y todos temen ese destino.

Al día siguiente, la Madre Serena se presenta ante todos, con su presencia serena y su voz firme. Se ha hablado de su fuerza, de su capacidad para tomar decisiones difíciles, pero nadie esperaba lo que diría ahora. Ella observa a la gente reunida, su mirada recorre cada rostro, asegurándose de que cada uno escuche lo que tiene que decir.

—La llegada de los sobrevivientes no es una casualidad —dice, su voz calmada pero autoritaria—. Es un mensaje claro de Dios. Nos ha mostrado el camino. Nos está diciendo que debemos salir al exterior. Es hora de enfrentarnos a lo que la ciudad oculta, a lo que el mundo nos pide que enfrentemos.

Un murmullo recorre la sala, y las miradas comienzan a cruzarse. Algunos se sienten incómodos con lo que está diciendo, otros claramente no están de acuerdo. La idea de salir al exterior, de enfrentarse a lo que queda de la ciudad, es aterradora. Los peligros son desconocidos, el riesgo es enorme. Y, por supuesto, el temor a lo que pueda suceder en el camino pesa sobre todos.

—Dios nos ha enviado una señal —continúa, su voz volviéndose aún más solemne—. Estos sobrevivientes, encontrados cerca del refugio, son prueba de que Él nos protegerá. No podemos seguir esperando dentro de estas paredes. Si no salimos ahora, si no buscamos lo que necesitamos para sobrevivir, no resistiremos el invierno.

Un hombre se atreve a levantar la voz, su tono cargado de frustración y miedo.

—¿Pero qué pasa si estamos condenados a salir? —su pregunta queda flotando en el aire, desafiante.

La Madre Serena lo mira fijamente, y en su rostro no hay ni ira ni miedo, solo una calma profunda que parece desterrar cualquier duda.

—La fe no siempre es fácil, hijo —dice con suavidad, pero con una autoridad inquebrantable—. Dios nos está guiando. La elección es clara: si nos rendimos a nuestros miedos, estamos condenados. No podemos vivir con miedo a lo desconocido.

Una pausa pesada cae sobre la sala. Nadie responde, pero el silencio está cargado de significados no dichos. Los ojos de todos se cruzan, y saben lo que esto significa. Si se niegan, si se resisten, serán exiliados. La decisión está tomada, pero el peso de ella aplasta a todos los presentes.

El refugio, que una vez fue su hogar y su protección, ahora se siente como una prisión. Y el banquete que han estado preparando, con tanto esmero, parece más un sacrificio que una celebración. Cada plato, cada movimiento, parece estar marcado por una ritualidad que deja entrever que no solo es un acto de gracias, sino una ofrenda ante lo que vendrá.

La decisión ya está tomada. La Madre Serena ha hablado. Y aunque algunos se resisten, saben que no tienen otra opción. Saldrán al exterior. Y lo harán bajo la protección divina que ella ha prometido. Pero, a medida que el silencio se extiende, una duda colectiva se cierne sobre ellos: ¿será esta una oportunidad de salvación o el último paso hacia la perdición?

Archivos anexos: Nuevos organización grupos y líderes, locaciones exteriores, cronología.

Tipo de desarrollo: Starters públicos y sentence starters.

Duración: 12 días, 18-29 de Diciembre.

TLDR; Ha pasado una semana desde que llegaron al refugio y por órdenes de Samuels tuvieron que permanecer encerrados después de haber perdido a varios miembros en una excursión el 9 de Noviembre. La paz en el refugio ya no es la misma. Los personajes están agitados e inconformes con el ambiente, los suministros escasean y todo ha empeorado al ser obligados a participar en un banquete ceremonial iniciado por Madre Serena. Mientras los personajes se acostumbran al cambio de ritmo en el refugio, un grupo de sobrevivientes aparece y se integra a La Nueva Era, siendo rostros conocidos para algunos de los presentes. Esta actividad es de sobrevivencia, unidad y dar gracias por la vida.

Cada usuario es libre de elegir qué tipo de starter publicar. Puede usar sentence starters, starter público o combinarlos. También puede darles una cronología que abarque todos los días de duración on-rol.

Cada pareja debe abrir un privado donde salgan al exterior a buscar suministros. En Discord se llevará a cabo una lanzada de dados para saber qué lugar deben recorrer y el resultado del a recolección. Les damos la oportunidad de hacer este privado + un starter aparte.

El código de vestimenta es libre pero deben usar un pañuelo blanco. Se les dio la oportunidad de entrar a las tiendas para conseguir mudas de ropa limpia. Los invitamos a subir sus ediciones al blog y etiquetarlos con el nombre de sus personajes.

¡Bienvenidos al inicio del fin! Esperamos la actividad sea del agrado de todos. Cualquier duda pueden consultarla directamente en el main de forma anónima o con cuenta.

#capítulo 8: una vida por una vida.

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owl-falls-au-gravity-falls · 3 months ago

Text

Inktober Challenge

Day 15 - secret | Día 15 - secreto

EN ESPAÑOL

"¡Stanford! ¡Haz algo! ¡Stanford!"

Cuando Stanley cae en el portal, Stanford sintió una enorme culpa...

Sabía que no podía traer a su hermano de vuelta sin poner en peligro al universo, así que desmanteló el portal entre lágrimas, sintiéndose peor al sentir que condenó a su hermano a cambio de la seguridad de todos en el mundo humano...

Por desgracia, tuvo que guardar muchos secretos, lo que le paso realmente a Stanley, la verdad del portal, probablemente haya dicho más mentiras que nadie, y guardar muchos secretos lo volvió alguien paranoico y temeroso...

Cuando Dipper y Mabel llegan a Gravity Falls de visita, Ford hace todo lo posible para que sus secretos jamás sean revelados, no estaba dispuesto a confiar en nadie de nuevo, no con el riesgo de que alguien más termine herido por sus decisiones...

Lastima que los secretos no duran mucho tiempo guardados bajo llave cuando compartes todas tus desgracias al único hombre en quién confías; Fiddleford...

Fidds en este universo fue cuidado por Ford, y ahora está mucho mejor, aunque entiende por lo que está pasando Ford, y ahora es su asistente, les da a los niños pistas del pasado de Ford para que los niños entiendan lo que está pasando.

A pesar de eso, Ford siempre preferiría ocultar todo en su cofre de los secretos, donde no tiene que afrontar las consecuencias de sus propias acciones, dónde puede culpar a Stanley por todo lo que pasó, donde puede jugar a ser el héroe que hizo un gran sacrificio por un bien mayor...

...

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardarás

en tu bolsillo con candado y a la tumba llevarás

Si te cuento y te lo enseño, sé que no lo dirás

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

¿Y por qué sonríes como si te hubieran dicho?

Mientes y te ríes porque juras no decirlo

y el secreto ya está dicho, todo ya está dicho

¿Por qué lo más oscuro que hemos hecho lo decimos?

Quema el cerebro y al infierno nos rendimos

Porque todos lo decimos, Todos lo decimos

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardaras

en tu bolsillo, con candado y a la tumba llevaras

Si te lo cuento, y te lo enseño se que no lo diras

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

Mírame a los ojos ¿Te sientes cansado?

¿Estás hipnotizado por secretos que tú guardas?

Sé lo que tú guardas Sé lo que te callas...

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardaras

en tu bolsillo, con candado y a la tumba llevaras

Si te lo cuento, y te lo enseño se que no lo diras

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

"¿Fiddleford...?"

"¿Si, Stanford?"

"Tengo algo que decirte, pero tienes que prometer que no le vas a decir a nadie..."

"Te lo prometo..."

"¿Lo juras por tu vida?"

"Lo juro por mi vida..."

Juraste no decir

Ahhh

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardaras

en tu bolsillo, con candado y a la tumba llevaras

Si te lo cuento, y te lo enseño se que no lo diras

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardaras

en tu bolsillo, con candado y a la tumba llevaras

Si te lo cuento, y te lo enseño se que no lo diras

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

Si te cuento un secreto, jura lo guardaras

En tu bolsillo, con candado y a la tumba llevaras

Si te lo cuento, y te lo enseño se que no lo diras

Que dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

Sí, dos guardan secretos, cuando uno muerto está...

IN ENGLISH

"...Stanford! Do something! Stanford!"

When Stanley falls into the portal, Stanford felt enormous guilt ...

He knew he couldn't bring his brother back without endangering the universe, so he tearfully dismantled the portal, feeling worse for the fact that he had doomed his brother in exchange for the safety of the human world...

Unfortunately, he had to keep many secrets, what really happened to Stanley, the truth of the portal, he probably told more lies than anyone, and keeping many secrets made him paranoid and fearful...

When Dipper and Mabel arrive at Gravity Falls to visit, Ford does everything possible to ensure that his secrets are never revealed, he was not willing to trust anyone again, not with the risk of someone else ending up hurt by his decisions...

Too bad secrets don't last long when you share all your troubles with the only man you trust; Fiddleford...

Fidds in this universe was taken care of by Ford, and now he is much better, although he understands what Ford is going through, and is now his assistant, he gives the children clues from Ford's past so that the children understand what is happening.

Despite that, Ford would always prefer to hide everything in his chest of secrets, where he doesn't have to face the consequences of his own actions, where he can blame Stanley for everything that happened, where he can play the hero who made a mistake. great sacrifice for a greater good...

...

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Swear this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket

Taking this one to the grave If

I show you, then I know you won't tell what

I said 'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

But no one keeps a secret, no one keeps a secret

Why, when we do our darkest deeds, do we tell?

They burn in our brains, become a living hell

'Cause everybody tells, everybody tells

Swear, this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket

Taking this one to the grave

If I show you (Secret), then I know you won't tell what I said (Keep it)

'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

[Verse 2]

Look into my eyes

Now you're getting sleepy

Are you hypnotized by secrets that you're keeping?

I know what you're keeping, I know what you're keeping

[Chorus]

Got a secret (Secret), can you keep it? (Keep it)

Swear, this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket

Taking this one to the grave

If I show you (Secret), then I know you won't tell what I said (Keep it)

'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

[Interlude]

“Fiddleford...?”

“Yes, Stanford?”

“I have something I want to tell you, but you have to promise to never tell anyone.”

“I promise.”

“Do you swear on your life?”

“I swear on my life.”

[Bridge]

You swore you'd never tell

[Chorus]

Got a secret (Secret), can you keep it? (Keep it)

Swear, this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave

If I show you, then I know you won't tell what I said

'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Swear, this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave

If I show you, then I know you won't tell what I said

'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

Got a secret, can you keep it?

Swear, this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket, taking this one to the grave

If I show you, then I know you won't tell what I said

'Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

[Outro]

Yes, two can keep a secret if one of them is dead

Yes, two can keep a secret if one of us is dead