#person-centred systems theory

[thejaymo]

World(view) | 2327

Written down this way, world(view) suggests that the world is outside of – and much bigger – than any single perspective of it from within. Full Show Notes: https://www.thejaymo.net/2023/08/13/301-2327-worldviews/

[cusimmrbrightside]

I have always liked the idea of the school for mutants being very literally a school, and I know yes it is but I mean in the sense of if you want to be an X-men, you have to be a teacher. They have exams at the end of years, they have Ofsted checks (for those who don’t know what they are, it’s essentially people coming to check that the school is good at being a school) and they have teachers for every subject, which brings me to my next point;

“I’m Right You’re Wrong, Here’s What The X-Men (‘97 specifically) Would Teach As Subjects”.

(Also this is based off of UK school system but I use American terms like “seniors” and “AP” and “Midterms”)

Maths Teacher Gambit is surprising, for a guy most assume to not being entirely smart, an idiot goof off who’s the comedic relief. But you need to know numbers to gamble, and that he does with being very well versed in mathematics way past an AP level. He’s made the promise for every senior class that he will teach them to play blackjack on the final day, and has only ever lost once. Which is when the rule of “no betting real money” came into place.

English teacher Jean reminds me of the kind of teacher who would let the social outcasts into her class for their lunch breaks. The kids more likely to be bullied and she will fight tooth and nail to make sure those kids bullies don’t come into that classroom. they’re loud and shout and shouldn’t really be in there but no one has to know and she certainly won’t be telling them to leave any time soon.

Physics teacher Magneto is very specific to my highschool experience I’ll be honest. I had a physics teacher who was an actual Dr with a PHD and he hated being there. His classroom has (well, had since the building was knocked down about 5 years ago now) this one cabinet that was never fully shut, it was always open just about an inch or two, and he’d stand with his foot hovering just above it and then slam down on it whenever we got too loud so the noise would shut us up. That’s very magneto coded. Erik Lehnsherr would purposefully make the cabinet always a little open so he can do that.

Biology teacher morph is just a funny concept, a person whose physical form and change and morph into just about anything. They are considered one of the “fun” teachers, you could easily convince them to let you watch a movie all class as long as it was biology centred, but with classics like Osmosis Jones, you’re not stuck watching a documentary about animals giving birth.

Chemistry teacher Storm does not fuck about with children’s education. She is not strict by any means whatsoever, she just will not bend to someone saying they want to watch a film or should do a practical instead of theory. She has a set curriculum. She knows what she will be doing by the first week of the summer holidays and already has the room set up all pretty and organised.

Geography teacher Scott has the unfortunate job of telling his students that, they just won’t be looking at memorising country flags and politics. But hey!! Rocks are cool!! Beach shores are cool! Lake formations are cool! He’s the vice principal and designated nerd teacher. He once beat the elite four for a student on their copy of Pokémon Red because the student promised they’d do well in their midterms. Yes, he was in his 30s when the game came out, he doesn’t care.

History teacher Logan is a walking fun facts book. He’s exhausted, goes on smoke breaks on every gap of time he has, dislikes his job and will randomly get passionate about one specific topic, and will then dedicate his next 4 classes to that topic. Having been through a lot of modern history with personal experiences, he’s able to bring a lot of souvenirs to show his classes. Bullets, helmets, clothes he once wore hundreds of years ago, his personal memories of basic inventions like the vaccine.

PE (physical education) teacher Rogue is full of fun sports games, you can join any kind of sports team you can imagine and if you ask nicely enough, she’ll put Just Dance on a projector in the sports hall so you can just play that instead of actually play an actual sport. As long as you leave her class exhausted and without time to have a shower before your next class then she’s succeeded in making whoever your next teacher is absolutely miserable (bonus points if it’s Logan with his enhanced sense of smell).

Art teacher jubilee does believe that there is a right way to critique art. And she can be a little in your face about it. She does think you can have wrong opinions especially when it comes to your own art. If she overhears you saying you didn’t something wrong, she’ll scream into a megaphone “adapt, improvise, overcome!”. There are no mistakes! She’s eccentric, bubbly, creative and brilliant, the only one suited for the job.

It wouldn’t be a school without budget cuts. That’s why Nightcrawler is both the languages and religions teacher and he’s beloved at both. He comes up with roleplay scenarios the students can play to help learn their chosen languages, he has varied religious texts in his room and when he says to the students “I’ll pray for toy during exam season” he’s not actually joking.

(I forgot about Hank I’m actually going to cry he’s one of my favourites and I forgot about him. He’ll be in pt two or smth.)

[i-wish-i-liked-tea]

spoilers for TMAGP 7

Doesn’t this episode sound like the fears coming into the TMAGP universe???

Cause we know hilltop road was where there was that rift in TMA, where the web prepared a path for the fears and where that one cleaning lady fell into at the beginning.

And sure, tmagp probably doesn’t use the same fear system as tma and they probably don’t work the same way. Personally I was really liking the “fears are desires now” theory but I don’t really see it applying to this episode.

Unless!!! This incident/statement marks the point in which the tma fears passed through the hilltop rift and manifested (maybe differently) in the tmagp universe.

Because we really see manifestation of almost all 14 fears: the volunteers and all of the taxidermy remind me of the Stranger, the pickled jar with human fingers is of the flesh, the coins, instruments and blood makes me think of the slaughter, all the dead animals and gunshots feel like the hunt, the black ooze might be the dark, there being so much stuff she’s almost buried alive, the hilltop centre burning down is very much the desolation…

I don’t know if they were all there but A LOT of them were, which makes me think that this might be how the fears passing into this universe manifested.

[canmom]

This was a fascinating video on the evolution of American acting from older, theatrical 'representational' styles to the more modern, naturalistic 'presentational' style.

A large part of it is dedicated to breaking down the history of the extremely poorly defined term 'method acting', outlining the different theories of acting of Konstantin Stanislavski with his 'System' and the interpretations put on it by his American followers such as Lee Strasberg and Stella Adler, and how they differ from the modern pop-culture conception of 'method acting'. It's fascinating stuff - I did not realise just how much Stanislavski's ideas have affected the way we think about acting, literature etc. (dude invented the word 'subtext'!).

But in Thomas Flight's view, he's bringing these up in part to deflate them - he's ultimately arguing that, instead of a specific new method of acting being introduced, it's more that the goals of acting changed as the style of film in general changed. There are many routes to a naturalistic performance, but you have to want to do that in the first place, and older films wanted a more theatrical style.

Besides just being an interesting thing to learn about lol, the big question when I look at the theory of acting is how do you apply it to animation, since that's my field lol. 'Acting' is a big part of animation, but it differs in one big way, which is that it's much slower and more deliberate. I don't want to claim that there's no intuitive aspect to it, if anything you gotta learn all the technical stuff (timing, spacing, weight, overlapping action etc.) so well that you don't have to be constantly thinking consciously about technical stuff and can focus on letting the performance flow and feel natural... but still, a lot of the ideas expressed about imagining inhabiting the scene, getting into character etc. happen at a remove from putting lines down on the paper/screen. In animation just getting to the point of 'moving like a person', the absolute baseline of real life acting, is an effort in itself!

Still, knowing about the different styles and theories of acting is helpful. What is it about a character's expression that tells us that there is something that they're not saying, and tells us to infer some particular emotional context behind their words? A lot of it has to do with 'voice acting' stuff - cadence, intonation, hesitation. Then there's the way they move, stuff like how much space they take up, how energetic they are, how much their centre of gravity moves around. The gaze, where they're looking and how their eyes move around, is a huge part of it.

A film actor probably is doing a lot of this intuitively. I'm sure there is some conscious thought about it but the link between brain and muscles is so strong that you can be moving your eyes before you've had time to fully think through 'I should look over there to communicate what's on my mind'. With an animated character, every motion requires you to think about start and end poses, what the arcs are, follow-through, how many drawings to give it, etc. etc. You're simulating the 'physics' of the animated world and trying to convey the emotion of the character all at once. But you can still absolutely have an expressive, naturalistic performance in animation - and all these extra things you control (abstraction, simplification, etc.) give you more expressive tools as well which aren't available in live action.

I'm not nearly at the technical level of drawing and animation where I can really apply all these ideas yet, but it's good to know what's on the distant mountain...

[yellow-yarrow]

director's commentary for this post (lmao) because I like yapping

the reason why I choose these artworks is not just because they looked good, I thought it was interesting how they treat colors, light and rot

Damien Hirst's Black Sun is made of many dead flies, people have said that this artwork smells gross up close. Its theme is obviously death and disgust (like most of his works), he has also said the flies represent people, and quotes Hobbes saying that people's life without a government is bad and tragic (which I HEAVILY disagree with)

Hirst sells his works for millions of dollars, it's highly commercialized, some have accused him of money laundering and such. Insert the Wompty-Dompty Dom Centre thought:

Problem It's Wednesday evening and something heinously exciting is under way. People have gathered beneath the billowing roof of an oddly shaped trophy building, sipping wine and exchanging opinions. 29-year-old wunder-twins Guy and Keith Joost are the stars of the show, with their bomber jackets and white sneakers -- head curators of this art exhibition. It's the wompty-dom-di-dommiest event of the year and all the cool kids have RSVP’d. Where are you, if you are not there? Solution You're at home, stupid cop, not with the art crowd. You hate them, everyone hates them, even they hate themselves. It's nauseating -- an industry built on sprezzatura and sparkling wine. And, let’s be honest, tax evasion schemes. The Wompty Dompty Dom Centre is the heart of this unholy symbiosis of esthetics and tax optimization, and now that you've internalized it – you can have a piece too!

personally, for me, it invokes disgust both on an aesthetic level (dead flies) and in a conceptual level (rich guy using death to make millions). Tieing this into black being the color of money in Elysium, and the end of the world.

Malevich's Black square is a painting without an object, it doesn't represent the material world, it is independent of it. but at the same time, black is the density of matter in the white empty space.

He said this about this art: "[Black Square is meant to evoke] the experience of pure non-objectivity in the white emptiness of a liberated nothing." "It is from zero, in zero, that the true movement of being begins." (x) ‘In the year 1913, trying desperately to free art from the dead weight of the real world, I took refuge in the form of the square.’ (x)

Important context for this work (like many other black paintings) is that it was made around the time of the world wars, and the russian revolution. Black paintings express the trauma of the world wars, and in this case the revolutionary approach to art too.

quoting from the article I linked:

Malevich had been collaborating with the musician Mikhail Matyushin and the poet Aleksei Kruchenykh on a manifesto which called for the rejection of rational thought. They wanted to overturn the established systems and hierarchies of Western society. Together with poet Velimier Khlebnikov they staged Victory over the Sun, where the characters aimed to abolish reason by capturing the sun and destroying time. The libretto used Kruchenykh’s zaum – a new language of sounds that had no meaning. This sparked something in Malevich.

Similar things apply to White on white. The Moma website describes it better than I would:

[Malevich] "wanted White on White to create a sense of floating and transcendence. White, Malevich believed, was the color of infinity and signified a realm of higher feeling, a utopian world of pure form that was attainable only through nonobjective art. Indeed, he named his theory of art Suprematism to signify “the supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts”; and pure perception, he wrote, demanded that a picture’s forms “have nothing in common with nature.” In 1918, soon after the Russian Revolution, the connotations of this sense of liberation were not only aesthetic but also social and political. Malevich expressed his exhilaration in a manifesto one year later: “I have overcome the lining of the colored sky. . . . Swim in the white free abyss, infinity is before you.”

These molding fruits made out of gemstones by Kathleen Ryan make me think of Damien Hirst's bedazzled Skull artwork, decadence, kitsch, death. The gemstones make the mold feel like it has value, importance, like it's almost sacred. The pale as a "sacred and terrible smell"

Rothko's paintings heavily empathize colors, paintings like these invite us to really experience those colors and be moved by them.

From the Disco Elysium artbook:

Eyes are direct, unmediated input to the brain. You like or dislike something before you have a chance to reason about it. It affects you emotionally without offering you a chance to throw up intellectual defenses first. Witnessing death and good art are materially equivalent experiences: they are visual information transmitted straight to the centers of emotion by way of the eye. This might explain why a person could tear up in the presence of a Rothko painting. If you’re a sensitive enough instrument, seeing his Orange, Red, Yellow in real life feels intense. It doesn’t work on a computer screen though, you’re just staring at some bright pixels imitating the appearance of the painting the same way seeing a dead person is different from seeing a picture of a dead person.

El Lissitzky was also an important figure in russian avant-garde, like Malevich. Well. I put this one in here cause it looked nice and because of the theme of light and the lack of (it's a gelatin silver photograph).

maybe this adds something to the discussion of the symbolism of colors and light in Elysium

[cippicat]

The Evie Freye's problem

Assassin's Creed Shadows is coming.

The combat system will be based on the Syndicate's one but with the big difference that the player will choose with what character fight, Naoe or Yasuke.

We know that Naoe and Yasuke apparently (because there have been a lot of leaks that in the main gameplay Yasuke's lore will occupy most of the screen time) will be main characters and will share the same amount of time on screen "like Evie and Jacob".

This is the problem.

People still think that Evie is the main character in Syndicate.

THIS IS NOT TRUE

She is a co-protagonist, while Jacob is the main protagonist. Evie was supposed to have an equal screen time, but in the end Ubisoft's marketing team decided to minimise her role to put Jacob in the centre.

We can see on the AC Syndicate's cover. Jacob is in the centre in a very manly pose, while Evie is in the background with the other characters.

In the main trailers on YouTube we only see Jacob.

Evie's missions will decrease to leave space for her love story with Henry (very forced in my humble opinion).

Also in the DLC Ubisof dwarfed Evie on the cover to give Jack more space.

Why ?

I have a few theories:

Sexism and misogyny

Sexism and misogyny

Sexism and misogyny (because three is better than one)

In 2014, there has been a huge scandal because of Elise de la Serre. Elise should have been a playable character, and should have taken part in missions alone (or with Arno). But in the end one of the developer came up with a stupid excuse regarding the animations, and the amount of time to create them for a female character, so Elise was decreased to a NPC. Everything was disproved, along with many polemics, so Ubisoft came up with Evie to butter up mostly the female audience.

The majority of AC players are males and many of them don't feel confortable* to play with a female character (or a black character, or a homosexual character etc...) even though these are pixels not real life person. Why ? We live in a patriarchal society where everything considered feminine is perceived as weak even pixels (this is a very very very strict summary).

Ubisoft marketing team sucks.

That is why Evie cannot be considered a protagonist but people seem to not understand, in 2024.

*Don't worry, your little friend down here won't fall off or reduce his dimensions if you play with a female character. I have scientifical evidences to prove it.

[mybeingthere]

Tapestries produced by the weavers at the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre near Cairo, Egypt.

Incredibly, these tapestries have been woven by individuals who have had no formal art training. The Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre continues experimenting in tapestry weaving.

The centre was founded in 1951 by the Egyptian architect, Ramses Wissa Wassef to test his theory that all children are born with innate artistic ability but this ability is stifled by traditional training and adult interference. At his new Art Centre, Ramses began teaching young Egyptian village children how to weave, then left them to develop their own artistry. He laid down three rules: no copying, no preliminary designs and no adult criticism. He wrote: “I had this vague conviction that every human being was born an artist but that his gifts could be brought out only if artistic activity was encouraged from early childhood by way of practising a craft. The creative energy of the average person is being sapped by a conformist system of education and the extension of industrial technology to every sphere of modern life”

[echoes-in-the-multiverse]

Truths & Myths: Pluralpedia Part 3, Analysis of the Binary Star system Metaphor.

Written by Olive. This is both an educational post and a personal post because it goes over the analysis of a metaphor.

At a minimum, a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder requires the presence of two distinct dissociative identities. This means that some individuals with DID may only have two identities, while others may have more. However, some individuals may believe they have only two identities, but in reality, there may be other identities that have not yet been identified due to amnesic barriers and communication disturbances, and these realisations may come years after the individual is aware they have DID.

The term "non-native" is not accurate, as all dissociative identities are formed within the brain of the individual, either as a child or through further fragmentation as an adult. It is not possible for dissociative identities to be created in someone else and then transferred to another person's system. In previous posts in this series, we have discussed how DID is formed and how dissociative identities can be identified through varying brain activity.

On the Pluralpedia page, it refers to the astronomical term Binary system. In this section, I would like to evaluate the use of binary systems as a metaphorical representation of systems.

Firstly, a binary system is a system that contains two stars in some type of orbit around each other, which could include an orbit around a distinct centre of mass or may appear more that one star is orbiting the other star even though it is still technically around a centre of mass of both stars. In the theory of one star orbiting another, this creates an idea of a dominant star and a non-dominant star. This reflects language used in the ICD-11 to describe Partial Dissociative Identity Disorder, where the individual will have a dominant distinct identity and a non-dominant distinct identity. 

Furthermore, to continue with the metaphor of dissociative identities being represented by stars, in binary systems, there are various types of stars. These different types of stars could potentially symbolise the difference in alters within an individual. For instance, a binary system could consist of a main sequence star and a red giant. In this scenario, the red giant, being larger, could represent a protector alter who is more powerful. Additionally, the fact that it is an older star could represent the protector's wisdom or heightened awareness of the individual's trauma. It could also serve to illustrate the varying ages of different dissociative identities. Other possible combinations could include a red giant and a white dwarf, or a main sequence star and a white dwarf.

There are varying levels of connections between stars in binary systems, which can mirror the level of communication between the parts of a system. In Detached Binary systems, two stars are completely separate, similar to how dissociative identities in DID systems may not have any communication at all or may have challenging communication, especially in early recovery. They may be aware of each other or only notice the influence other parts have on them. Like how both stars in a binary system will "wobble" around a shared centre of mass, which is influenced by the other star. This is one way that binary systems are identified in astrophysics. 

In Semi-detached binary systems, one star has a mass transfer stream to another star. This stream is similar to how some parts can have semi-fluid communication and even have the ability to be partially aware of what one part did when having executive control. This happens when amnesia is lower therefore black-out amnesia is less and more awareness is possible. 

In a Contact Binary system, the stars appear to be one big star with two main cores. This is similar to when dissociative identities are integrated, meaning they can function as one because amnesic barriers have been removed and there is a greater connection in memories. This may lead to fusion, becoming only one identity, but alternatively, a system may remain integrated and live under functional multiplicity.

However, even though this metaphor seems to be relatively good in describing the basics of Dissociative Identity Disorder in terms of dissociative identities, the big problem with comparing it to binary systems in the universe is that binary and multiple-star systems are very common. Our solar system is a large anomaly when compared to the rest of the universe in terms of our star, the arrangements of planets and well the fact it has life. Using this metaphor to someone who understands astrophysics may give them the impression that DID is more common than it is. Even though any percentage of the population will equate to a lot of people in a visualised sense, its proportion is not suitable for a comparison of the proportion of binary and multiple-star systems.

One potential issue is the formation of binary systems. When there is gravitational instability in the disk surrounding a protostar, it can lead to disk fragmentation and the formation of two stars from one disk cloud. While this accurately reflects the concept that dissociative identities stem from one whole rather than multiple wholes within one body, the use of the term "fragmentation" may perpetuate the misconception that DID is caused by the splitting of one whole personality. In reality, DID develops because the personality never fully forms as a whole. However, the larger concern is the fact that binary systems can also form through the "Dynamical Capture of a star," where two independently formed stars interact and begin orbiting each other due to their gravitational pull. This is not an accurate representation of how dissociative identities function in DID. It is dangerous to suggest that DID can behave in this way through the use of this metaphor, as it may lead some individuals to believe that they can gain or transfer alters or even choose to form a system as an adult. This can be harmful, as it may prevent individuals from seeking proper treatment for their symptoms or addressing underlying conditions that may be contributing to their experiences.

If you are interested in physics metaphors to describe DID, we have posts on the Grand Unified Theory and Black holes.

[bonesnake69]

MAGP 7 - GIVE AND TAKE

theories & thoughts and spoilers below the cut

thats OUR Celia for sure, right?? i thought that maybe any reoccurring characters would be alternate versions (given how in the ARG Gerard Keay was mentioned as having tests run on him by the Institute, and that doesn't match our gerry)! but!!!! she KNOWS

tape recorders?? being buried and meat? looking for a connection between the read-out statements? RECOGNIZING JON CHESTER'S VOICE? this is 100% our CELIA!

sam and colin should kiss. anywho. Colin knows we're listening, that's been obvious, but he's actually taken really solid precautions since the start of the series- SAM GOT AN EMAIL FROM WHO?!?!

i will say, in the transcript, this is spelled as "John" not "Jon", as the sender of the email. but? the potential?

i think it's a red herring, i think that John with an H is a different person from Jon who's stuck in windows 95, and that the transcript makes that distinction on purpose

(correction: they always spell it john in transcripts. whack! this point is moot)

that email!!!! HILLTOP CENTRE? all sorts of unusual relics being placed there?? i noticed that the date this email was sent, February of 2016, is around the time in the original series that it Martin first encountered Prentiss' little beasties and hid in the institute. This might be connected, time-wise? some kind of space-time breach bound to his first exposure to the supernatural? unlike though

4. LENA KILLED THE OLD I.T. GUY, probably because he figured out the secret to their system somehow. or at least, lena tried to kill him, and reported it as such. how gwen found out?? idk, maybe she's become some kind of Eye avatar, but she somehow has a source. AND SHE WANTS IN?? WHAT A NUTJOB. i love them though

really looking forward to next week. celia girl what do you know...

[undiagnosed-neurodivergent-chaos]

ADHD Long Information Post

Hello to any of y'all who chanced upon this post! Before I start, I would just like to say that I am not a psychiatrist, but rather just a minor who is questioning whether they do in fact have ADHD, which would actually explain a lot of my symptoms, so I have made the post below to delineate the majority of the information that I have learnt about the condition through a good deal of research. I have added the sources at the bottom of this post, though I must particularly thank the research by Julie Rawe for her research on structural differences in the brain. Additionally, if any of y'all would like any more information about ADHD or about another form of neurodiversity or mental health in general, do feel free to send me an ask, but also please acknowledge that it has taken me around a week to make this post and that my answers would take some time for them to be meaningful.

Introduction and Causes

ADHD, which stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder that is generally known for causing executive dysfunction. Originally, ADHD was classified under the name ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder), until the American Psychiatric Association officially changed its name in 1994.

Though the exact causes of ADHD have not been determined, with scientists coming to multitudinous theories regarding its origins, it is generally agreed that ADHD involves a certain genetic factor, meaning that it tends to run in families. Moreover, scientists have discovered that the brain of an ADHDer (an individual with ADHD) would have structural differences to that of neurotypicals. In particular, research has shown that the prefrontal cortex is slightly smaller and matures more slowly than typically developing kids, with it being thought that the cerebellum, hippocampus and amygdala are also smaller in size. According to a study by the National Institutes of Health, ADHD causes abnormal alterations in the structure and function of the left superior frontal gyrus and the corpus callosum.

As is elucidated more clearly from the diagram above, parts of an ADHDer's brain would take longer to develop, with some of the lags taking part in the brain's self-management system, which includes structures involved in emotional control, working memory and switching between one tasks from another, which occurs due to some neural networks (pathways between brain cells that pass information along neurons) taking longer to develop or being less efficient. For example, ADHD affects the fronto-parietal network, which is crucial in decision-making and learning new tasks, ergo why lots of ADHDers struggle with executive dysfunction. More specifically, in order to pass information, neurons release small amounts of chemicals called neurotransmitters, which have to cross across the synapse (which is a small gap and the site of transmission of electric nerve impulses between two nerves cells) to get to the tip of the next neuron. ADHD affects this process in a few ways, considering as neurons may not release enough neurotransmitters, the receiving neuron may have difficulty 'catching the neurotransmitter' and the neurotransmitter may get sucked back up by sending the neuron too fast. A particular example of such a neurotransmitter is dopamine, which is significant for memory, motivation, movement, mood and attention, meaning that it also regulates a person's 'reward centre'. Ergo, amongst other things, ADHD is associated to low-dopamine levels (which is actually due to many ADHDers having higher levels of dopamine transporters, which end up flushing out the dopamine before it can fully take effect), less serotonin and less norepinephrine, which deals with the 'fight or flight' response.

Introduction to ADHD Symptoms

There are three main types of ADHD: the inattentive type, the hyperactive and impulsive type and the combined type, which includes symptoms from both categories. One thing that is extremely important to consider for all of these systems is that people sometimes develop specific systems in order to not get into trouble. For example, if somebody knows they are prone to forgetting their phone or keys before going out, they might also meticulously check their pockets. In some cases, hiding these symptoms in order to act more neurotypical and to not face oppression is known as masking. In order to get a diagnosis, several symptoms of ADHD must be present prior to age of 12 and the symptoms must be persistent for at least six months and should take place in at least two settings (such as work, school and home). Also, some symptoms do not fit well in either and aren't easily classified, such as the below:

ADHD paralysis in the forms of mental paralysis, choice paralysis and task paralysis.

Mental paralysis refers to the difficulty that ADHDers often experience in organising their thoughts or generating mental focus, which can manifest as a sense of cognitive overload or brain fog.

Choice paralysis, rather like the name implies, is characterised by the overwhelming difficulty of having to make a decision or choose between various options (which often leads to the ADHDer procrastinating or avoiding the decision).

Executive Dysfunction (also referred to as task paralysis) refers to the inability to initiate, complete or sustain tasks due to overwhelming feelings of anxiety, stress or mental fatigue.

A wave of procrastination that hits ADHDers when they have almost completed a task or project.

Time blindness, which is the inability to sense how much time has passed and estimate the time needed to get something done (which can further prompt ADHDers to be commonly late for appointments or to be in a state of time paralysis.)

Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) is a common symptom of ADHD and it is when a person experiences severe emotional pain because of a perceived failure or rejection.

Enhanced pattern recognition.

Struggling with creating habits (this happens because the ADHD brain makes it harder to remain interested and to stick to structure).

Emotional Dysregulation, which is when the brain cannot properly regulate the signals related to emotions, making it harder for the person to cope with their emotions, which would in turn cause feelings of being overwhelmed, uncomfortable or even in pain.

Hyperfixations, which are strong and prolonged interests in or focus on something, in which the person would typically become oblivious to everything else, sometimes to the point of forgetting to eat, go to the bathroom and sleep.

Sensory overload, which is the overstimulation of one or more of the body's five senses.

Symptoms of the Inattentive Type of ADHD

Having a short attention span and being easily distracted, both by internal and external stimuli (other thoughts, background noise and textures, for example).

Making careless mistakes (as part of this, it is rather common for someone to know that they are prone to making silly mistakes, but also being incapable of checking things through because it is too boring to do the work all over again).

Constantly changing activity or task (particularly if they are under-stimulating and one is lacking in dopamine in that instant)

Having difficulty organising and prioritising tasks.

Appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions, which can include having to zone back in when being spoken to.

Appearing forgetful, due to low short-term memory (this can include names, past activities and also forgetting to bring things, which is partly due to object permanence and sometimes, as a symptom, is perceived rather as creating elaborate systems to not forget things, such as placing a necessary bag in front of the door so that it is impossible to leave without remembering the bag).

Losing things which are necessary for tasks or activities, due to lack of object permanence.

Being unable to stick to tedious or time-consuming tasks (again, due to a lack of dopamine and an ADHDer's brain desperately seeking something stimulating).

Symptoms of the Hyperactive and Impulsive Type of ADHD

Often fidgets or squirms in one's seat.

Leaves seat or gets up when being seated is expected.

Appears 'on the go' or acts as if 'driven by a motor', meaning that people with ADHD often feel restless and find it hard to rest (which can include feeling as though one needs to always be doing something, even when one is simultaneously experiencing executive dysfunction).

Pacing around a lot (this isn't an official symptom but is a common experience nonetheless).

Particularly in children, running about or climbing in inappropriate situations and maybe having difficulties with engaging in leisure activities quietly.

Talking excessively (or alternatively staying quiet as a way of masking, to the point of never speaking unless being spoken to and switching wildly between not talking and talking for a really long time, with thoughts that neurotypicals often find unlinked).

Blurting out answers before the questions have been completed (which often happens because ADHDers tend to have enhanced pattern recognition).

Interrupts of intrudes on others (for example, interrupting conversations and accidentally speaking over others).

Finding it difficult to wait for their turn (which can include having to spend a lot of effort in order to just wait, in order to not receive any backlash).

Acting without thinking (in a way that is generally deemed to be impulsive, which can often lead to regretting not having thought carefully about it earlier).

Little or no sense of danger.

Stimming

Stimming, which is short for self-stimulating behaviours or stereotypy, is defined as 'the repetitive performance of certain physical movements or vocalisations' and is common with people who have ASD or ADHD. Stimming can help an ADHDer to focus, process emotions, deal with boredom and reduce stress, and it can include:

Drawing.

Humming.

Finger-tapping.

Skin-picking.

Rocking.

Pacing.

Blinking.

Listening to the same song on repeat.

Rearranging objects.

Flapping of the hands.

Staring in a particular spot for a long time.

Leg shaking.

ADHD stimming is very similar to ASD stimming, considering as both types help the person cope with sensory overload and reducing stress, but it is considered that ADHDers also can stim to help with concentration. Moreover, ADHD stimming typically involves touching external objects or performing fidget-type movements, whereas ASD stimming usually involves bodily movements and vocalisations.

Masking

Masking is defined as 'when an individual hides or suppresses symptoms, behaviours or difficulties they are experiencing', with ADHDers often acting in a way that is 'socially acceptable' to fit in with others and risk facing less discrimination. For example, as a part of ADHD masking, individuals may try to camouflage their symptoms by controlling their impulses, rehearsing responses and copying the behaviours of neurotypicals. Sometimes, masking is done unconsciously, whilst others actively mask on purpose.

Examples of masking, particularly for people with the inattentive form of ADHD, include:

Stimming.

Coming up with excuses for being late or distracted.

Working harder in order to achieve a goal or to meet a deadline.

Checking work multiple times before submission.

Writing everything down.

Having multiple alarms or reminders set up.

Focusing intently during conversations and being extra early to events to avoid being late.

Instead, within the hyperactive form of ADHD, many people instead mask by doing the following:

Staying silent in conversations or being additionally cautious when speaking.

Suppressing the urge to fidget or stim.

Trying to appear calm by suppressing energy.

Bottling emotions up.

When thinking about ADHD masking, it is important to remember that it is not always harmful, with coping strategies like stimming or fidgeting being genuinely useful and helping the ADHDer to adapt and function better in multiple areas of their life. However, for many people, masking takes a lot of mental and emotional energy, which could lead to developing anxiety and depression, having trouble differentiating between what is real and what is an act, complicating or delaying a diagnosis, facing trouble asking for support, feeling burnt out and feeling isolated. For this reason, many people with ADHD find it useful to unmask, which allows friends and family to offer support better and also reduces the emotional mental effort of having to act and speak in a specific way around others. Unmasking would therefore involved identifying when one is masking, exploring alternatives for unhealthy masking behaviours, not being afraid to speak about ADHD challenges, seeking professional treatment and support, whilst also understanding that one is not alone and that there are many other people with ADHD out there, who are often more than willing to support and encourage fellow ADHDers.

ADHD Burnout

Burnout, which is defined as a 'physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress' is a common experience amongst ADHDers, considering the difficulty involved in living in a society that was primarily built for neurotypicals. In particular, ADHD masking can lead to burnout symptoms including feeling exhausted for no apparent reason, experiencing anxiety or depression, turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms and keeping oneself isolated. ADHD burnout isn't a mental health diagnosis nor a formal symptom of ADHD, yet it is a term that highlights a common experience for ADHDers due to the prolonged stress of simultaneously trying to manage their symptoms, living up to various expectations in their life, lack of self-care, overcommitment and perfectionism.

Signs of ADHD burnout include:

Feeling overwhelmed with responsibilities.

Feelings of fatigue and constant exhaustion.

Lowered productivity and poorer performance of expectations.

Irritability and mood swings.

Increased procrastination (which includes people, obligations, tasks and self-care).

Physical health problems associated with chronic stress.

Low self-esteem and higher self-criticism.

Lack of motivation regarding completing tasks.

Forgetting commitments, tasks and daily activities more often.

Increased sensitivity.

Sleep issues.

Feeling guilty for resting or for not resting.

Tips for Managing ADHD (including burnout)

Practise self-care, including a routine that includes adequate rest, diet, hygiene, exercise and recognising one's own limits.

Say 'no' too additional commitments and establish boundaries.

Take advantage of a support system and reach out to friends and family.

Seek professional help (which can include getting a diagnosis, asking the psychiatrist for tips and potentially also getting appropriate medication).

Breaking down tasks in such a manner that makes them less overwhelming, which helps with executive dysfunction due to less choice paralysis.

A wall calendar, to-do lists and regular reminders to stay organised and not forget commitments (for to-do lists, it might be good to limit them to five tasks a day to avoid getting easily overwhelmed).

Body-doubling in order to help productivity and motivation (this is the method of productivity by which two people both attempt to be productive, usually in the same place and at the same time, ergo motivating each other to complete their own tasks).

Whilst doing a task, it can be useful to put on a timer, making it easier to track the passing of time and to celebrate any progress that has actually been made.

If one has to bring something with them, leaving the item in front of the door or on the stairs (basically, on the way to where one has to go) serves as a reminder of the reminder.

There are many digital apps that include reminder alerts and calendars, which helps with meeting deadlines.

Melatonin supplements can help with falling asleep more easily.

Do different activities in specific places (for example, always working at the same desk, only using the bed to sleep and winding-down in a separate place).

Buying things whilst considering ADHD (for example, buying a planner with a format that is easy to use, rather than something that one would never have the motivation to use).

Putting away one's phone whilst trying to be productive.

The Pomodoro Method (in which one is productive for 25 minutes, followed by a 5 minute break, which is preferably phone-free).

Not being afraid to clarify the exact expectations of other people.

For under-stimulating tasks, it can help to listen to a podcast or something that does not require 100% of one's focus, so one can do both at the same time and struggle less from understimulation.

Making a note of groceries in the fridge and cooking accordingly in order to ensure that they do not expire.

Paying in cash in order to reduce the impulse of buying something unnecessary (with cash, it is easier to acknowledge how much money that actually equates to, rather than just seeing a number on a card-reader).

Find friends who also have ADHD and be clear with any neurotypicals about personal needs.

ADHD Medications

ADHD medications work in different ways depending on the type, with all of them working to increase the leves of important neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine and norepinephrine. Increasing the amount of these neurotransmitters helps improve the symptoms of ADHD, including reducing hyperactivity, managing executive dysfunction, increasing attention span and controlling impulsive behaviour. However, ADHD medications affect each person differently, with some side effects being bothersome, whilst others are a cause for changing the type of medication.

Some of these side effects include:

Decrease appetite (which affects about 80% of people who take stimulant medications).

Weight loss.

Difficulty sleeping (including falling asleep after longer and finding it hard to stay asleep).

A rebound effect, whereupon there is a short period of fatigue, increased activity or a bad mood as the medication wears off.

New or increased anxiety or depression.

Tics (sudden, repetitive movements or sounds) being more apparent than without the medication.

Minor growth delay, which can cause a growth reduction in some children and adolescents who take stimulants, though it doesn't affect their final height.

Upset stomach, nausea or vomiting.

Changes in blood pressure and heart rate.

Stimulants are the most common type of prescription medication for ADHD, which work by stimulating the brain into increasing the levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. Studies have shown that 80% of children with ADHD have fewer symptoms after finding the correct stimulant medication and dosage. There are two forms of stimulants, mainly in the form of immediate-release (which are short-acting, can last for up to four hours and tend to lead to a crash or rebound effect after the medication wears off) and extended-release (which are intermediate or long-acting, with some acting from six to eight hours, whilst others last for up to sixteen hours, and typically result in fewer 'ups and downs' during the day).

Stimulant drugs which are often used for ADHD include:

Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine (Adderall, Adderall XR, Mydayis).

Methylphenidate (Aptensio XR, Concerta, Cotempla XR-ODT, Daytrana).

Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, Dexedrine Spansule, Dextrostat).

Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin, Focalin XR).

Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse).

Non-stimulants are prescription medications, though they are not controlled substances, meaning that it is less likely to improperly use or become dependent on them. Non-stimulants for ADHD work by increasing the levels of norepinephrine in the brain and take longer than stimulants for the full effects to be felt. Non-stimulants are generally prescribed if stimulants are ineffective, if the ADHDer in question has intolerable side effects from stimulants and if they are combined with a stimulant to increase effectiveness.

Though the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) hasn't specifically approved antidepressants for the treatment of ADHD, healthcare providers sometimes prescribe them alone or in combination with a stimulant to help decrease the symptoms of ADHD, as these typically work on the dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the brain.

Diagnoses that are often Comorbid with ADHD

Low self-esteem (this isn't so much a diagnosis as it is a result of being shamed for not being 'normal' and for 'insufficient' masking).

Various anxiety disorders including Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD).

Chronic stress and tension.

Depression.

Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating Patterns.

Substance Abuse.

Headaches and migraines.

Sleep problems, which includes finding it difficult to get to sleep at night and having irregular sleeping patterns.

Dyspraxia, which is a condition that affects physical coordination.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), which is defined by negative and disruptive behaviour, particularly towards authority figures.

Learning difficulties, such as dyslexia.

Tourette's Syndrome, which is a condition of the nervous system, characterised by a combination of involuntary noises and tics.

Epilepsy, a condition that affects the brian and causes repeated fits or seizures.

Research Regarding Gender and ADHD

There has been some research done on how ADHD affects both men and women, with it being commonly noted that men tend to display more hyperactive and impulsive behaviour, while women are more likely to have inattentive ADHD. In fact, particularly because the symptoms of inattentive ADHD tend to be 'less disruptive', women are less likely to be diagnosed than men, which is considered to be one of the reasons for why men are diagnosed with ADHD more often than women.

Moreover, according to a study in 2014 suggests that people with ADHD are more likely to question their gender. In fact, within this study on gender variance in people living with ADHD and ASD, participants with ADHD were 6.64 times more likely to express gender variance. However, according to Cate Osborn, an ADHD advocate and certified sex educator, states that ADHD doesn't 'cause' people to question their gender or experience gender dysphoria, rather suggesting that individuals with neurodivergence are predisposed to reject rigid yet arbitrary social norms, including the gendered expectations of society.

Sources (excluding mere definitions)

[ignylinn]

TLT and actual science

Some time ago I posted some questions on the first resurrection and science here and had a wonderful discussion with @stranded-cryptid

We got stuck cause none of us knew enough physics :) so if anyone understands it better, I would so like an input or commentary.

But the ultimate question that came out of this discussion for me is:

Can TLT space necro magic be somewhat explained within the scope of our current scientific knowledge?

Or, can TLT be more or less hard sci-fi?

I know it can be so. Simmons explained religion and mysticism through science, and science through religion and mysticism in The Fall of Hyperion. The whole thing looked like err.. abrahamic space fantasy, right until the last part of the second book. And TLT can also be categorized as abrahamic space fantasy.

So, what do we know:

John DID have a scientific explanation for what was going on with thalergy/thanergy. He was going to write down his theory and to get it published. He turned it into a magic and a cult later because of circumstances and pressure. At least, that's what he says in Nona.

Thalergy, as far as it looks, is not directly connected to life. Jod murders completely lifeless planets in Solar system, and still gets his thanergy and Resurrection Beasts.

No thalergy/thanergy comes from moons, no Resurrection Beasts there.

Sun is not involved in thalergy/thanergy, there is no Sun Resurrection Beast. I suspect it applies to all stars and also to black holes.

Thanergy is somehow connected to wormholes (the River, might be also steles)

No necromancy in space. Yes necromancy on a planet.

Necros are able to produce additional mass out of nowhere (constructs made out of a single bone)

It does not add up for me, because I do not have enough knowledge, but what I think:

John and his team were working in cryogenics. I think they accidentally discovered not a solution for cryogenic, but some thing to keep thanergy (and possibly thalergy) within the body, when naturally it just dissipates. Prolonged exposure to thanergy is what gave John his powers. This also might explain why Augustine, Mercy and Gideon became necros - they were working with John originally and for a long time, and Alfred, Cristabel and Pyrrha did not - they joined much later.

I also think that thalergy is connected to gravity somehow. I mean, this explains lifeless planets but not moons - planets are gravitational centres of satellite systems. Stars are either too massive or maybe it is because of fusion in the core, or maybe it is cause stars a results of gravitational collapse, or idk. It also might explain why the Houses have artificial gravity. I mean, John is our contemporary or very close, and it looks like all resources were poured to FTL fleet. I mean, if they had artificial gravity and could build sustainable structures in space, why would they even consider leaving the system. Sounds cheaper to start terraforming Mars or just move to space.

River as a wormhole. Might be an actual wormhole and humans experiencing fifth dimension. We are not suited for 5th dimension. Mind just produces some supplement puctures, and that is why everyone sees Ressurection Beasts differently. But death-connected rivers or bodies of water is a very universal picture. Also, River is a cultural convention by this point. Also might explain why John was able to look into the body of other person and to easily change something in it.

Why thalergy is connected to life? Anoher theory I have is that it is connected to complex and developing structures (like, babies have more thanergy than an adult, and cancer is also), and thanergy is connected to enthropy?

Also, on thalergy/thanergy, it looks like thalergy is some form of particle, and thanergy is the decay?

So, all in all it just might look like some poking into fundamental interactions and theory if everything.

[creature-wizard]

Hello! If this is something that makes you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to ignore this!

DISCLAIMER: This is nothing against Christians! I have no problem with your religion!

Anyways. So I grew up extremely evangelical Christian and now I’m agnostic, I’ve been doing pretty good with dismantling certain ideologies that I was brought up believing, etc, but there’s one thing that I cannot get rid of and that is “rapture anxiety”.

Basically, the way Christianity was/is taught to me and the people of my church is very fear-based. “Be afraid of the devil and going to hell, but also be afraid of God and what’s going to happen to you if you don’t obey his orders” type shit.

And while I don’t usually even regress back to how I was when I was religious, when the Israel/Palestine conflict escalated this week, a bunch of the people in my community and in my family started spreading a shit ton of messages about how “the rapture is coming” and how “modern Israel is the the Nation of Israel in the Bible and the Palestinians are the Canaanites that God is destroying before the rapture”, etc.

And somehow all of this just took me back to my childhood in which I literally couldn’t sleep because I thought God was coming at any time because “no one knows the day or the hour of his coming” and I was going to go to hell if I wasn’t ready and all that anxiety just kept flooding back. Gosh, just typing this sounds so self centred, I feel like I’m making a literal genocide about me.

Have you ever experienced this? It’s so fucking debilitating, I hate that evangelical Christianity is so fear based. Sorry for venting and writing a whole book in your asks.

Hey anon, you're always entitled to talk about and seek support for your religious trauma from appropriate channels. Have you ever heard of ring theory? Ring theory essentially states that the important thing is to seek comfort from those further away from the crisis, and give support to those closer to it. Since I'm not more affected by this crisis than you, you aren't doing anything wrong here.

I haven't personally experienced rapture anxiety since the rapture wasn't part of my parents' belief system, but I know it's extremely common. I'm sorry you have to go through this.

I was, however, brought up with apocalyptic beliefs, and more than once I definitely found myself triggered when the topic - or even adjacent topics - came up. It took years of work to get past that.

If it helps, try to remember that much about this whole situation was actually engineered by Evangelical Christians. They literally want this conflict to happen because they think it'll catalyze the End Times and bring about the Second Coming. I can't imagine that the god who supposedly said that nobody knows the day or the hour of Jesus's second coming would be very amused by people being arrogant enough to think that they can actually set the End Times into motion themselves.

[thedreadvampy]

Rod for my own back, to be fair, but what I've learnt from the notes of that first poll is uhhhh lot of people are Big Mad that Scotland is so SELFISH and MEAN in REFUSING to vote Labour that it's all Scot's fault that we got the Tories.

to which I really gotta say a) no it literally numerically is not, there has not been an election in the last 15 years where Labour reclaiming historical strongholds in Scotland alone would have swung it

but also b) goooooo fuck yourself frankly.

Let me ask YOU a quick question. since Scotland moved away from voting Labour and towards SNP, what exactly have Labour done to earn those votes back except stamp their feet and complain that it's not faaaaair those votes are THEIRS BY RIGHT? Have they engaged with any of the reasons traditionally Labour voters moved away from Labour? Have they even bothered to ask what those reasons are? or have they just gone WHAT ARE YOU, TORIES???

Frankly, same for the Red Wall in the North. Same for Wales. Same for everywhere Labour's been losing historic ground.

See cause the thing is, I think you and I have a fundamentally different understanding of how democratic representation works.

I was under the impression that the theory around representative democracy was that voting was the means by which we hired people whose job it was to represent the interests of the electorate. They work for us, right? The transaction of democracy is that I give my vote to the person who I think will best represent the needs of the electorate, and in return they, you know, represent the needs of the electorate.

but see that doesn't seem to be the understanding that many Labour leadership and activists seem to have. They seem to be under the impression that I work for them, and that they are automatically entitled to my vote, which I am unfairly withholding, regardless of what, if anything, they actually do in government.

The thing is, if Scotland's vote is so important, maybe Scottish Labour should try a pitch more nuanced than "We Are Labour And You Have To Vote Labour". Like maybe.......a policy? an answer to a question? a candidate who has a strong voting record? a manifesto that contains more Policies Different To Those If The Current Government than it does pictures of the potato heading the party?

Cause see, what I seem to remember happening since the last New Labour government is:

An election where the clear and specific voting direction was "anyone but New Labour" where people were so hyped for a viable third party alternative that didn't mean a Tory victory that the Lib Dems swept the polls for the first time in decades (then promptly sold us down the river to the Tories rather than form a multipartite left government)

An election where Scotland, buoyed up by the presence of a viable third party that wasn't New Labour or the Tories, went over to the SNP en masse

Labour fronted an extremely popular leftwing candidate, then the centre right of the party spent the whole election cycle systemically undercutting him, to the degree that multiple Labour candidates explicitly said they didn't want him to be PM. Despite this concerted and well-documented smear campaign, Labour's vote share went up by a third and they pushed the Tories into a minority government.

After 5 years of infighting and attempts to oust the leftwing leader, and multiple failed no confidence motions within the party, Labour lost the next election (but still with a higher vote share and seat share than any leadership since the last Labour government)

After 14 years of this shit, for all they're worth, polls are showing both a Labour victory and possibly the lowest combined vote share between Labour and the Tories in almost a century. Polls are bullshit but until next week that's what we've got to go on.

See, what I take from this litany of woes would be that for my entire adult life, actually literally since Blair invaded Iraq, people have been desperately looking for an option that isn't Conservative or Blairite New Labour.

and if I actually wanted to win votes for my party, to the degree I was willing to """"hold my nose,"""" I would be asking "hey, what is it that's made people so consistently desperate for a third option that isn't right or centre right?"

but you know. if I was a Blairite public schoolboy who'd never earned less than £50k a year and saw politics as a team game, but fundamentally largely agreed with the other major party on most points, I guess I'd say "what if we did centre-right Blairism, BUT MORE?"

and if I was a fucking idiot who WANTED to lose an election I might say, "hey, I notice that for over 15 years people have been crying out for a third option. What if we make our entire election strategy just repeatedly yelling IT'S A TWO HORSE RACE IT'S US OR THE TORIES YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE instead of focusing on any policies or incentives? also if anyone tells us what their priorities are we will tell them to fuck off, and if they don't vote for us after that they're wreckers."

(I would especially do that if I was a rich white fucker who went to Oxbridge then straight into a career where a £93k a year MP salary was somehow a pay cut, because god knows that kind of guy has no framework for not getting what he wants)

so you know. if you want people to vote for you offer them Literally Anything. that's my radical opinion.

[lemonhemlock]

My favorite thing is TB stans calling you a sexist when you say Rhaenyra having bastards she passes off as legitimate (to the point of threatening his 11 year old brother with torture when he tells the truth) and plans to put on the throne is in fact, not the exact same thing as Aegon having bastards with whores in fleabottom.

speaking of myself specifically, TB hate it when i use the bastardposting tag. it gets them riled up like you wouldn't believe. it's always much easier to conserve brain power and chalk the whole discussion to misogyny and bastardphobia (LOL) instead of considering that the very material conditions of feudalism and manorialism, the lack of a diversified economy, the only way of obtaining wealth being via land ownership etc made inheritance laws the way they were. marriage between wealthy people being a literal financial contract that ensured the passing of goods and land and titles to a very specific person and not a rando child who is not related to both families. blood relation being considered the ultimate bond & deterrent from harm in the conceptualization of said culture (hello kinslaying).

they have a mental block in understanding that the reason (in western societies) today we have a much fairer distribution of wealth between living descendants, regardless of parental marital status, is because we are not so dependent on land in the accumulation of said wealth in the first place. generally-speaking, back then, the more you divided up a plot of land, the more power centres would appear - mini feudal lords who were much poorer than the previous generation and would engage in violent conflict with each other in order to acquire more land and wealth. on the other hand, when wealth is consolidated and a clear hegemon arises, the possibility of contestation diminishes bc it becomes much more difficult to displace that specific ruler.

does that make it fair? no, ofc not. there are many unjust aspects about that particular layering of society or about hegemonic stability theory. for instance, i stumbled upon an article that argues that feudal fragmentation sometimes generated technological advancements as a result of the reduced regulation capacity of landlords, which, in turn, stimulated competition between economic actors. however, as the author herself points out, "In the feudal period under investigation, the absence of a strong ruler who could abuse property rights may have made it possible to commit to investment in fixed capital, but the absence of contract enforcement may have thwarted those incentives". in addition, the historical period in question was characterized by great political instability, i.e. "warfare, the breakdown of authority, and a lack of central protection of property rights".

so, the topic is obviously much more nuanced and we should definitely leave some space for the discussion of actual avenues for lasting change, be they incremental or more ample in scope, but i'm not about to be having those conversations with TB any time soon, as they're too busy pretending that the laws and customs of a specific time had nothing to do with the technological advancements, the economic landscape and the interactions between different social spheres. that you could just click your fingers and change the world for the better, instead of considering for a moment that certain changes would require massive systemic upheavals that no one was interested in undertaking (or even had the resources or knowledge on how to initiate such an operation in the first place)

[fushiglow]

What is the best plotwist idea for jujutsu at the end of the work? 1.itadori reveals himself to be the villain. 2.nobara will hit the sukuna's soul. 3.sukuna stay good. 4.kenjaku merges with tengen. 2. do you think it's likely that if megumi came back again he wouldn't become a new suguru geto Why did he ''kill'' his teacher and sister Don't you think that if he really comes back he would be ''fine'' with everything he ''did''? I appreciate you answering my questions and thank you very much for always interacting with us.

I'm a big fan of the Yūji and Sukuna are twins/doppelgängers/the same person theories! So, I suppose my answer is number one, though I don't think it would make Yūji the villain on anything more than a technicality.

As for your second question, of course Megumi will be devastated by the blood on "his" hands, but I really believe he's going to come out the other side of this ordeal intact.

I see Megumi as the symbol of the new generation that Gojō was trying to nurture. He's a child from one of the three traditional jujutsu clans, and also the inheritor of the prized clan technique, powerful enough to defeat a Six Eyes user. Importantly, however, Megumi is also the son of the "black sheep" of that clan.

Tōji, who suffered greatly at the hands of the Zen'in clan, called his son "blessing". Thus, in Jujutsu Kaisen, Megumi is the physical representation of Tōji's hopes and dreams for a better future in this world of curses. When Tōji died, Gojō inherited his hopes and dreams and, indeed, his "blessing", picking up Megumi as his first student and saving him from walking down the path that perpetuates this cycle of suffering.

Because of this, I've always felt that the triangle of relationships between Tōji, Gojō, and Megumi is at the heart of Jujutsu Kaisen. Aside from the fact that Tōji is the man that set the story in motion during the events of Hidden Inventory, there's a lot of history and trauma between these characters. It's obvious how much of an impact Tōji had on Gojō, but the relationships between Tōji and Megumi, and Megumi and Gojō, remain relatively unexplored. I fully expect Gege Akutami to pick up those loose threads before the end of the story.

If Megumi is the symbol of the new generation that Gojō was trying to nurture, then I don't think he's doomed to follow in Getō's footsteps. For Gojō, Megumi is the bridge between the past and the present. His biggest regret was that he couldn't save his best friend. What will Gojō's legacy be if the very first student he took on in the wake of Getō's defection ends up the same way as Getō? It would mean he ultimately failed at resetting the system that led his best friend down that dark path and that would be a very bleak way to end the story.

We talk all the time about Gojō's many failures, but I think we're about to see the fruits of his labour (this also lines up with my personal theory that karma, fate, and cursed energy are inextricably linked in Jujutsu Kaisen — and Tōji, Gojō, and Megumi are at the centre of that!). While things look hopeless for Megumi right now, I think Yūji is the key to helping him out of the darkness he's undoubtedly lost in. They will ultimately become the proof that Gojō's efforts weren't wasted (though I still believe we're heading towards a bittersweet ending), because Yūji will save Megumi before the end of the story — just like Megumi saved Yūji at the start of it. Gojō had faith that his students could see this through, and so do I!

Thanks for the question, and sorry for taking a while to respond! ♥️

[theleotorrio]

You mention both titan anatomy and breakdowns of wormhole physics and expect people not to want to hear about it???

I would love to hear whatever infodump or general rant you want to share!

(Also on the wormhole part, agreed!)

Well looking at me weird is the usual reaction I get when I start talking about these things, but I am more than happy to yap about them, if you want to hear them.

The titan anatomy one is for the attack on titan titans, because they tell you a lot about it and not all of it fits together. (Turned out to be more about the titans in general)

So there are three different kind of titans, there are pure titans, abnormal titans and the big nine titans als known as the titan shifters and they all kinda work the same yet not. So what we get to know is that every titan come from a human, who is sitting in their neck, that kinda, depending on the kind, more or less serves as their neural centre (which is why they only die when that part of the titan neck is separated). When humans get injected with spinal fluid from a titan shifter they turn into the titans and stay that way and lose aöl their will and control, the pure titans seem kind of luke zombies in that way. The titans themselves are not really made of flesh, they regenerate very fast and create a lot of steam when they do but also dissolve very fast when they die and there is a whole yeast theory that says that the bodies of titans are kinda made of those, which causes them to expand so much and release steam and gas and so on. To that I am very sure that when a titan dies and the titan body dissolves the human body of the base shouldn't because it is made of actual flesh so when a titan dies there should be a human body left behind, which they never show, but it would just make sense.

Abnormal titans are the same but faster and more aggressive making them more dangerous opponents. I think they are different because their subconsciousness has more control over the titan making it more driven or try to follow a goal making them more determined or more subconsciously angry at what's happening with them. We can see that in Dina who said that she would always find her way back to Grisha before being injected and then her titan made her way to his house later, so that's where I got that from.

Titan shifters are the most interesting, there are nine and they can transform into titans by will by drawing blood on themselves but also can turn back to humans and have control over their titans. Those titans are more powerful than the others and each has a special ability. They all come from the founding titan, Ymir, and those titans can be given from person to person. A titan shifter after becoming a shifter only lives additional 13 years. A person becomes a shifter after becoming a pure titan and eating the former human who had the titan.

That's a 'short' exposition (i got carried away), now the issues and implications we can assume. Sooo, one of the first facts we get to know about titans is that titans do not have a digestion system. They eat humans and when they full they throw balls of humans back up owl style. So here's where the problem with that statement is. We get to see those human balls in the manga so I don't doubt that statement, BUT the titan shifters eat the former shifters they want to take the ability from ad a pure titan, which would not being anything, because they don't have an digestive system and couldn't take those powers over in that way because the titan can't absorb the bone marrow of the former shifter that way, but that is how they hand the titans over. Ymir, the founder, have her powers to her three children by having them eat her dead body as humans and as gruesome as that is, it makes more sense, but the problem they created for that is that when a titan shifter dies before giving the titan to someone else, those powers go to the random next born after the shifter died, so difficult, but it doesn't really work in any way which is frustrating.

Additionally, as they don't have a digestive system I wondered what organs they might or might mot have (i totally read my roomates medical books for this, without telling her, because how do you explain this). Ad they have the humans as their neural and neurological centre i don't think they would need a brain, they have the humans brain for that. They must have lungs and a voice box as many titans make sounds, the beast titan (and I think the armored too) can even speak and scream, so those must be there, but things like liver, kidneys and so on also most likely to exist as there's nothing to filter and the titans need space for the stomach pouches where the humans go that they eat (and they are big enough to swallow those whole). Also interesting is that especially for the shifters the humans subconsciously seem to have some sort of control over what organs their titans have or don't have, best example Berthold and Armin, both holders of the collosal titan, so their design is quite similar, but Bertholds titan has ears, so we can assume he can hear too, but Armins does not have ears and most likely can't hear because Armin does not like yo hear the suffering of the people he has to kill. I am on the fence about whether titans have hearts or not, because they have a lot of blood and bloodflow so their cells must also need oxygen to work, that they get from the blood because why have it otherwise? And to get that blood going there's should be a heart, but titans are huge so how big would that heart need to be to achieve that, so i think it's possible that it's muscular movement of the blood like how the necks of giraffes work to get it around, so I think both are possible.

Also there is just a lot (and this is not a critique on the author but really on the people in the story) of experimentation that you can do involving giving on titans. So Ymirs titan spirit of the founding titan got split into three and from there later into nine that build the big titans. But they know that those titans are superior so why did they stop multiplying them? Or you could try to cross them deliberately to make them each more powerful. Something that happens in the show on accident, when Falco ingests spinal fluid from the beast titan and later eats the jaw titan and from the design of his jaw titan, it has beast titan characteristics, so why did they never try that, it's such a waste and would have been real interesting.

Sooo, this got out of hand and I am very sure I am even now forgetting something, but I think a lot about attack on titan so there's a lot in this brain. Sorry, it's so much, but thank you so much for the ask! (I can also totally talk about my red sky issues too, if you want 😅)