#so i'd say the staff were just like 'okay none of these holds for Arden he's recovering from something'

[not-poignant]

Happy New Year! My question is for Arden in Falling Falling Starz. Does he compartmentalise when he practices Judo? I’ve never done Judo but I’ve done Jiujitsu and there is a lot of touching in that sport that I would think falls into his hard limit touching.

There is a ton of grappling in judo!

But it doesn't trigger Arden. First, he's very competent at it, so he's actually confident he can throw just about anyone that comes at him, and when he's putting himself in positions to be thrown it's specifically with newbies / people he's educating so he can control the situation.

Second, he started learning before he was molested/assaulted, so his associations with the dojo, and that kind of touch/pressure/movement, were already firmly in place as something safe and fun.

Third, it's non-sexual!

Fourth, triggers aren't logical. This one should probably have gone first, because it's the most important one. Triggers aren't logical. As an example, I have a C-PTSD and PTSD from a lot of different things, and as an example of a hit-and-miss trigger around surgical trauma, I can't watch any reality TV about medical stuff or surgeries but I can watch medical dramas if they're fictional and handle people talking about medical stuff they've gone through. I don't know why reality TV is the hard line, and I don't need to, and no one else needs to, that's where the trigger manifests (that and in real hospitals). You'd assume, using your logic, that because there's a lot of exposure to medical stuff and graphic surgical depiction in fictional TV on the subject, or in friends talking about it in detail, I'd find it equally as triggery but I don't not only find it less triggery, I don't find it triggery at all. That part of my brain simply doesn't wake up, and has zoned it into the safe zone.

Triggers don't have to be consistent - in fact it's more realistic if they're not.

Judo is a non-sexual sport that was brought into Arden's life before he was hurt by his brother, where Arden is very competent and knows what he's doing. Despite the proximity and physical closeness, judo helped Arden to feel safe and protected, especially in the chaotic aftermath of what happened to him. And also: triggers do not give the smallest shit about being consistent and/or logical. Like, sometimes, they do! And sometimes it's just...they do not care.