#amnesia as a plot device

[hawkinsbnbg]

Steve woke up remembering absolutely nothing besides Robin and the kids and that oddly intense, handsome man whom he was pretty sure was his boyfriend.

Though everyone else (except Eddie) kept telling him otherwise, he wasn't convinced. Steve might be a bit slow on the uptake, but he knew love when he saw it. And every fiber of him had melted when he saw Eddie Munson’s face upon opening his eyes.

There was no other reason for his heart to threaten to punch through his ribcage whenever Eddie looked at him. So yeah, boyfriend.

Dustin: He's not your boyfriend, Steven!

Steve: Are you like, homophibying me?

Dustin: Wha– I'm not homophobic! Eddie! Tell him you're not his boyfriend!

Eddie: Sorry, sweetheart. I'm not your boyfriend.

Steve: Oh.

Dustin: See? I told–

Eddie: I'm actually your husband.

Dustin: Dude.

Eddie: We've been married for ten years and these are our children.

Dustin: Dude!

Steve: Who's the mother?

Eddie: You, obviously.

Steve: Yeah, that tracks.

In the end, when Steve finally regained his memory and had another bathroom heart-to-heart with Robin, he silenced Eddie's profuse apologizing with a kiss. French style.

Steve: Will you be the father of my children?

Eddie: Hell yeah, baby.

[coline7373]

[humanundead]

Oh thank god. releases the very deep breath ive been holding

[kakushusband]

Out of all my fish out of water OCS kit is definitely the most dangerous but also the most anxious. The poor bastard literally only got Curt to go near him bc thunder scared him into hiding like a fucking dog. He's really powerful but also so so so pathetic and sad

[scorittanius]

i always use the term dissociative memory disorder despite the fact dissociative amnesia disorder is the actual name of the condition for two reasons exactly

-people get really fucking weird and fakeclaimy when you call yourself an amnesiac but haven't lost every single one of your memories like in the movies and i don't wanna deal with that shit. not in this economy

-the dissociative amnesia disorder acronym is DAD and i don't have one of those other than my ex-father who i hate (also DMD just rolls off my tounge easier...)

[armatization]

God I forgot that music gives me Thoughts and ideas. Anyway I thought about a Persona AU where 3 4 and 5 crossover in a certain way. Basically they forget everything and are placed in a normal school setting. Then ended up thinking about the P3 MCs and the lore breaking implications bc of course there's two routes (kinda)

Just the P3 cast slowly remembering. Diverging routes. What's real and what isn't :) the MCs also losing their minds because one of them must be fake and 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 anyway I'm gonna lose myself in this for the next year asks come when my brain detaches from this for long enough

[jymwahuwu]

-cw: yandere, dub-con, non-con, hypnosis, mind control, aventurine's eyes don't have such abilities in the official plot of course!!

Am I the only one who felt that Aventurine's eyes were like those of a Incubus while watching the plot…? Slowly approaching us and possibly hypnotizing us in the next second?

Your memory is intermittent, like an interrupted video or a lost film. You often woke up in different places and sore, but no matter how you thought about it, it was all a blank. It could be amnesia, but they all have one thing in common. You remember that you met Aventurine before each memory loss!

For hours you were not allowed any covering, just sitting on the Aventurine-sized dildo and rocking yourself. Your hands were clenched into small fists and placed in front of your chest. A small red love heart was always shining in your eyes, and you were obedient like a loyal and obedient puppy.

Aventurine is sitting in the rocking chair next to the bed, investing casually with the device in his hand. The credits in his account were like a roller coaster, plummeting all at once, then rising again as you squirted. He had a sly and mysterious smile on his face, admiring your gasps and desperation.

"I can't believe it!! IPC really should be shut down because of you!" were your last words before this lascivious session began. He stole your customers. You point in his face and rant about his dodgy business practices and contracts. You are too righteous. It is completely out of place in this profit-oriented business market in the universe.

Aventurine can only convince you to calm down…in his own way.

Hypnotizing you is really unexpectedly fun. Witnessing your expression gradually becoming emptier and then sticking out your tongue lustfully, he couldn't help but masturbate as a reward for you. Pushing you to spread your legs on the bed. He pushes his swollen, pre-cum-prone glans into your smooth insides. Your body was so frightened that the light in your eyes dimmed, then brightened again. You screamed in pleasure and bliss as you were being fucked-

"I-I'm sorry…!! Please allow me to cum!!"

Another spurt of semen filled you deeply. He didn’t forget to push a few more times to ensure penetration was complete before pulling out and looking down at you.

"Okay. You did a great job."

"After I breed you, you don't remember anything. You only remember that you had a comfortable dream, in which you had unimaginable blessings and heavenly pleasure."

"After I leave this room, you will get dressed obediently, go back to your room, and forget about these things."

"But you're going to come over at the same time tomorrow because you need me."

"That's all."

dividers @/cafekitsune

[lurkerjenmish]

Hello! Yeah he was supposed to be in the finale, as Jimmy. He’s said it at a few panels over the years but he was also saying it pretty soon after 15.18 dropped in those virtual panels. Wigglebox posted what Misha told her and she links to another person who got the same answer.

I think he -expected- to go back yeah and something happened last second where for some reason he and Alex couldn’t do it, and I think that Jack’s grieving scene in 15.19 and Sam/Dean’s “If Cas were here…” “He isn’t.” Lines were cut really late in post production because it was too obvious an emotional set-up that they couldn’t resolve without the actors. My theory is that they planned on filming a lot for that entire OMITTED heaven montage leading into the Jimmy fake-out, and maybe Jimmy and Dean were going to be able to reconcile too and pay Cas his respects. Iirc Misha said in an early panel (maybe a zoom panel?) that he liked three Jimmy ending better because it made it a *real* death, and didn’t invalidate the sacrifice that he made for Dean and the world.

okay no but we have said this before. but. okay but WHY show the collins children the finale.why did i receive a texted message on my cellular phone at 9:52 est on november 19, 2020. me n the kids settled in to watch the finale of hit cw show supernatural. me n the kids watching trheir first full episode of hit cw show supernatural starring me misha collins. and then

[angelpuns]

Donnie practically pushed Mikey out of the way to get through the door, squeezing past him just in time to see the fading blue of one of Leo's portals. 

He’d barely had time to grab his bo, head still fuzzy from sleep and pajama pants uncomfortably askew from Being woken suddenly. 

Mikey was in a similar state of disarray, his shirt riding up his shell and his eyes wide and glancing around the room wildly. 

They'd both been woken by Leo's shouting, rushing out of bed to help their brother only to find Raph in a Leo-free train car. 

“Raph? What happened? Why was he yelling?” 

As his brain woke up, he was reminded of their mission for the day: reverse Leo's ‘family-forgetting’ curse or whatever it was. 

So it probably had something to do with that. 

“I dunno! I came ta wake him up like he asked me to yesterday and he just- he started shoutin' at me!” Raph turned, holding his hand to a small cut on his arm. It bled sluggishly, and Donnie quickly opened a drawer in Leo's desk that he knew had band-aids. 

“ He musta had a nightmare or somethin’, I tried to help but I think I only made it worse “ Raph worried, letting Donnie slap the band-aid over the cut, “ he didn't seem ta recognize me or know where he was or anythin' “ 

They were silent for a moment, before Mikey piped up. 

“ But he’s never made a portal during a panic attack before….are you sure it was that, I mean-”

“ oh my banana pancakes,” Donnie slapped a hand to his head. His mind had been running through every possible Leo could have ‘woken up and chosen violence’. 

It could have been a nightmare. But the answer was so obviously related to their current curse-relted predicament. 

“ The curse! It’s not- He didn’t just forget us the one time, “ He explained, starting to pace. An uncomfortably hot feeling pooled in his stomach, anxiety bubbling up from there. He shook his hands out in an attempt to dispel the feeling, the lingering worry about Leo now being somewhere totally random making him nauseous. 

“ It's- its like he resets! He must have forgotten again when he went to sleep- like- like he just got reset overnight!” He rambled, grimacing, “ This complicates everything, how’re we gonna get him to cooperate if he wakes up with a different reaction to three strangers every single day!? How are we gonna fix this is if he forgets the curse even exists!?”

Raph stopped him, hands on shoulders. 

“ Donnie, take a breath,” he sighed, and Donnie reluctantly stopped and shut his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath in and letting it out slowly. 

“We can get him back, no problem,” Raph smiled, “ ya still got that tracker in ‘im, right?” 

Donnie blinked. Right, how could he forget? 

“ of course! TO THE LAB!” he whipped around and hurried for the door, trusting they'd follow him. 

“ I'm sure ‘Nardo can fend for himself, he does have his swords,” He noted, if only to make himself feel a little less anxious, “ but I would rather him not be wandering the streets of NYC without half of his memories.” 

He continues to ramble, even as he stepped into his lab and  whipped out his keyboard, quickly pulling up the tracking device coordinates and corresponding map. 

“What if he doesn't come home before night? Will he just forget us again?” Mikey asked, swiping some stuff off of Donnie's desk and taking a seat on the surface.

Mikey suddenly gasped, grinning, " this is just like that one movie! With Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore!"

Donnie grimaced, but he had bigger concerns right now. Even if those were parts to a pretty important project. He opted to ignore that and just think harder about the actual matter at hand. And the plot of 50 First Dates. Just in case it could actually help them somehow.

“ I assume so, yes. And that amnesia-riddled plot is more medically related, so sort of but not really."

"What's more concerning is that he probably won't remember why he's out there, and that will probably introduce more anxiety to the mix,” Donnie murmured, watching as Leo's indicator moved slowly through the streets of New York. He was on then other side of the river, and seemed to be hopping rooftops for now, “ like I said, he can take care of himself, but we should at least try and convince him to come back to the lair before nightfall. I don't know if his amnesia is progressing or not yet, which is also concerning.” 

Silence again. There was also the obvious concern about Leo being gone. Which, unfortunately, seemed to be one of the more difficult things they'd been collectively working through. 

The first six months or so, Leo was never left alone. Not for lack of trusting him or thinking he wasn't capable of taking care of himself ( although he was fairly injured for most of that time ) but for the fact that none of them seemed to want to let him out of their sight. It was partially why Donnie had upgraded the trackers to track their vital signs down to their blood pressure. He didn't like not knowing. He didn't like remembering the feeling of Leo being gone after- 

Donnie let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It was gonna be okay. Leo wasn't gone, he just wasn't in the lair. And he couldn't possibly know how anxiety inducing that was due to the aforementioned amnesia-curse. 

But they knew where he was, and they knew he was okay for now. 

The computer suddenly let out a beep. then another. Donnie looked up, watching as Leo's dot stopped moving. His heart rate increased, and the beeping increased with it. 

There was one thing that they hadn't really accounted for, after all. 

The chance of Leo ending up in a fight.

-----

Part 3 to the unnamed fic/au/whatever this is

I don't like this part as much, but I really am just trying to get the idea out of my head and into writing, haha! So I hope the OOC-ness of everybody isn't too bad :)

I think this would def work better as a fic, but I am kinda wanting to explore it as a comic too. Comics just take a lot of time and I can't do all the fun thought-stuff I like to do on fics so :/

Ah well I will simply keep doing whatever I want, so enjoy.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4

[hayatheauthor]

can you write some tips on writing amnesia for a character? <3

Note: thank you for your ask! I'm sorry for replying so late I took a break from Tumblr for a bit.

In this guide, I'll be covering a balance of information on amnesia and how to write it. Some topics I mention are the types of amnesia, how they impact characterization, and how to write a believable portrayal of memory loss. I hope this blog is to your liking anon.

Understanding Amnesia: Types & Realism

Amnesia is not a one-size-fits-all condition. There are many different types of amnesia and each has unique effects on a person’s ability to recall past events or form new memories. You should research the type of amnesia you're going to use in-depth before incorporating it into your writing, but here's a quick breakdown of the types: 

Retrograde Amnesia – The inability to remember past events while still being able to form new memories. This is common after traumatic brain injuries.

Anterograde Amnesia – The inability to create new memories while retaining past ones. A well-known example is the film Memento, where the protagonist loses the ability to form new long-term memories.

Dissociative Amnesia – Memory loss resulting from psychological trauma rather than physical injury. In extreme cases, this can lead to fugue states, where a person travels or assumes a new identity with no memory of their past.

Selective Amnesia – The loss of specific memories, often linked to a traumatic event.

Transient Global Amnesia (TGA) – A rare, temporary condition where a person suddenly loses memory for a few hours or days before recovering.

Many fictional portrayals of amnesia tend to exaggerate its effects or resolve it in unrealistic ways. In real life, memory loss is rarely total, and individuals often retain habits, motor skills, and emotional reactions even if they don’t recall specific events.

Choosing the Right Type for Your Story

Amnesia can be used in various genres, from psychological thrillers to fantasy epics. It's often a plot device or opportunity for character development, so it's important you pick the right type of amnesia.

A thriller or mystery might use amnesia as a tool to conceal crucial information, allowing the protagonist to uncover the truth alongside the reader, in which case Selective Amnesia might be a good fit. A romance could explore the emotional toll of memory loss on relationships, where one partner remembers everything while the other has Retrograde Amnesia and forgets them.

If your story revolves around identity and self-discovery, dissociative amnesia or retrograde amnesia may serve the plot best. If you want to create suspense by limiting what the character can learn over time, anterograde amnesia can add significant tension.

Take some time to consider why your character needs to have amneisa, what you plan on achieving with it, and whether or not you want them to recall what they've forgotten. 

Characterization & Emotional Impact

Amnesia isn’t just about forgetting—it fundamentally changes how a character interacts with the world. A character suffering from memory loss might experience:

Fear and paranoia – Who can they trust if they don’t even trust their own mind?

Grief and loss – The realization that they’ve forgotten people or parts of themselves can be devastating.

Frustration and helplessness – Simple tasks may feel overwhelming, and social interactions may be fraught with confusion.

A shift in personality – Without their past experiences shaping them, they might react to situations in unfamiliar ways.

Relationships also play a crucial role. Loved ones may struggle to reconnect, while old enemies may take advantage of gaps in memory. This emotional complexity adds depth to an amnesia storyline, making it more than just a convenient plot device.

Medical Insights on Amnesia

To write a realistic portrayal of amnesia, it’s essential to understand its medical and neurological foundations. Memory formation involves various brain structures, particularly the hippocampus, which plays a key role in storing long-term memories.

Causes of Amnesia

Head trauma (e.g., concussions, strokes, aneurysms)

Psychological trauma (dissociation due to extreme stress or PTSD)

Infections affecting the brain (e.g., encephalitis, meningitis)

Substance abuse (alcohol-induced blackouts, drug-related memory loss)

Neurological disorders (e.g., Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, brain tumors)

Memory Recovery & Treatment

While some cases of amnesia are reversible, others can cause permanent memory loss. Treatments often include:

Cognitive therapy to help the brain form new associations.

Medication for cases linked to neurological disorders.

Hypnosis or psychotherapy for trauma-induced memory loss.

Fiction often portrays amnesia as something that can be instantly cured by another head injury or a dramatic emotional revelation, but in reality, recovery is often slow and uncertain.

Writing Realistic Amnesia Symptoms

When crafting an amnesiac character, it’s crucial to depict their symptoms accurately. Some of the most common effects include:

Confusion and disorientation, particularly in familiar settings.

Difficulty recognizing close friends and family members.

Emotional reactions to people or places they don’t consciously remember.

Trouble forming new memories (in cases of anterograde amnesia).

Physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, or fatigue.

By integrating these symptoms into your character’s behavior, you create a more immersive and believable narrative.

Unraveling Memories

Memory recovery should feel natural rather than forced. Instead of a sudden, convenient realization, consider gradual memory restoration through:

Sensory triggers (smells, sounds, touch that evoke forgotten memories)

Therapeutic methods (therapy sessions, hypnosis, journaling)

Unreliable memories (false memories, altered recollections)

Emotional breakthroughs (re-experiencing an intense emotion tied to a memory)

It’s also worth deciding whether your character will ever fully regain their memories. Some narratives work better when the character must move forward without ever reclaiming their past self.

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

While amnesia can be a powerful narrative tool, it’s easy to fall into unrealistic portrayals. Here’s what to avoid:

Instant cures – Memory loss doesn’t resolve itself with a single emotional moment or another head injury.

Overly selective memory gaps – Forgetting only plot-relevant details makes amnesia feel contrived.

Ignoring emotional consequences – Memory loss isn’t just about lost facts; it’s about lost identity and relationships.

Lack of research – A poorly researched amnesia storyline can feel lazy and inauthentic.

By steering clear of these clichés, you can create a well-rounded and compelling narrative.

[a-sparrows-melody]

Things I Would Change About PJO

(I might write a fanfic based on these points):

The whole Hunters-Of-Artemis thing. Like what do you mean Artemis hates all men. What about Orion and all the rest. What do you mean she hates Apollo. She loves him so much. Stop already. That whole thing was just erroneous interpretation of Greek Mythology and it felt really weird and toxic.

Annabeth and Percy's trauma bond. Annabeth is pretty toxic in a relationship, especially in the HoO books when she and Percy get together. Love their relationship as a concept but the way Rick writes it is just... not it. To show Annabeth as a "strong woman" he continuously makes her put Percy down - and not only in COTG and WOTTG. She literally judo-flips him when they met after that long traumatic period where Percy was suffering from amnesia and being killed so many times. I would love to see more of their dynamic as friends and make it a longer, healthier, equal-footed relationship.

Thalia Grace joining the Hunters and never leaving. What the hell. She only joined to escape the Great Prophecy 1. She can leave right after the Battle of Manhattan and take Percy's place in Great Prophecy 2.

Bianca being alive, only "lost" (never specified dead!). It's a pretty big plot-point for Nico and I think it would probably have a bigger impact on him to lose his only care-giver and watch her come back into his life after he's grieving greatly and he's in the process of learning how to live life without her. It would truly change up their entire systems and I would love to see Nico and Bianca coming to a point where they realize it's time to live their own lives. ALSO STOP TREATING BIANCA LIKE A PLOT-DEVICE FOR NICO. COME ON. DO BETTER.

Make Nico better. In general. The character has so much potential but is just reduced to "sunshine character's grumpy emo goth boyfriend" or "kid whose type is NOT PERCY HAHAHAHA SO FUNNY". Give him some more development.

LUKE WAS A GROOMER AND ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU JUST FORGIVE HIM AND NOT OCTAVIAN, WHO WAS LITERALLY BULLIED AND MANIPULATED INTO DOING THE SHIT HE DID. If you want to hate Luke, hate Octavian too. If you want to forgive him, forgive Octavian too. Stop hating complex characters.

CALEO. OH MY GOD CALEO. LIKE ACTUALLY DIE. THAT IS SO HORRIBLE.

Piper does not need to be gay.

Jason does not need to die.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN GROVER DID NOT USE HIS EMPATHY LINK TO SEARCH FOR PERCY IN TARTARUS. SMH.

Percy should NOT have become Praetor.

Reyna should not be aro/ace or she's just horrible representation of both those things. STOP PUTTING EVERY ARO/ACE CHARACTER IN THE HUNTERS OF ARTEMIS.

Why would Nico search for Bianca and bring Hazel back? That thing makes no sense. His whole arc in TLO was to accept the loss of his sister. Instead, bring out Ethan Nakamura who is still angry and jealous and wants to bring balance to the world. He comes out on his own, BTW.

The whole "Wilderness school" plotline thing. OF COURSE monsters would come for Pipes and Leo. They're really damn powerful and really damn young. What the hell do you mean by they never knew anything till Jason? smh.

SOLANGELO. CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THIS BUT IT'S OUT THERE. Will is just a blank character to show that Nico's gay and prove he's over Percy (STOP WITH THE "NOT MY TYPE" JOKES OH MY GOD GET OVER IT ALREADY WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU). If you're doing this, at least give me a good, long slow-burn. Or don't show it at all. Nico decides to live in normal life after being shunned and confused all his life in the magical world. Now he finds a mortal boyfriend and is actually thriving. His character is so beautiful like stop ruining him and using him as a goddamn plot-device all the time. Ugh.

CHANGE NICO'S COMING OUT SCENE! LITERALLY WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT.

Jason and Piper breaking up was such a good plot point because not everyone falls in love but you need to make it heart-wrenching. Jason doesn't know what's going on. He's just dating Piper because that's what he's being told, that's what he did his whole life. MAKE IT HAPPEN IN HOO.

NO FRAZEL AND LEO LOVE TRIANGLE. ALSO JUST NO FRAZEL IN GENERAL. STOP WITH THE FRAZEL. THAT'S SO UNHEALTHY.

MAKE LEO ARO/ACE GODDAMN. He has so much potential. Like he always feels loveless? Like a failure? Feels a need to have a partner to prove his worth? DIE. MAKE HIM ARO/ACE. MAKE HIM DEAL WITH ALL THAT.

Actually valgrace is a pretty good plot point as well. valdangelo as well.

WHY AREN'T THERE ANY POLY SHIPS IN PJO? SMH. SERIOUSLY. SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

Don't kill me but... perachel is pretty good. I've written a small post about it here.

Welp this is officially too long. Anyway. I wanted to add more but this has been sitting in my drafts and collecting dust a long time so here you go.

[companion-of-the-dragonmark]

Agreed, the amnesia plot was very well done and helped show Hiccup's resolve to become King. Especially since, after his amnesia, he could've leaned on that excuse to decline the kingship, if he felt like it. But he didn't. Once he regained his memories, instead of hesitating, it strengthened his resolve to become King and make his world a better place for everyone to live in.

How Forgetting Almost Everything can Help You Reach Tomorrow: The Importance of the "Amnesia Plot" of Book 12 (and how it might be Dissociative Amnesia)

The amnesia plot at the start of Book 12 is more than often seen as out of place, unnecessary, or even ridiculous. Sure, why have the main character lose his memory all of a sudden? To make the story more intriguing, perhaps, or to show his determination to become king and his willpower?

But as we all know, accidents happen for a reason.

The same applies to the amnesia of Book 12.

Suppose that Hiccup did not get amnesia, he will know that he had lost the Things, and the possibility of him becoming King has been severely reduced.

It has always been one of Hiccup's deepest fears that the Lost Things he had found would fall into the wrong hands, enabling Alvin to become king, causing the destruction of dragons, and the suffering of the humans. Now, it seems that this fear is very close to becoming reality.

To add to all of it, Snotlout had just sacrificed himself so that Hiccup could live and become King. If Hiccup did not become King, then Snotlout’s death would be in vain, and he would be failing Snotlout's trust and faith in him. We see more than once in later parts of Book 12, where he repeatedly states that he is doing this because of Snotlout. (“The very least that Hiccup could do was to make absolutely sure that Snotlout's sacrifice was worth it./ He HAD to do this.”-Book 12, p188; “I take this Crown in honor of Snotlout.” -Book 12, p221) (Not to mention that he was probably traumatized by Snotlout's death -any thought about this must have been very painful.)

But how, exactly, was he going to do so in this situation? He had none of the Things, only about one day's time until the coronation, and the borders of Tomorrow will be closed, so he would not be able to enter. This really seemed hopeless now- He had been in seemingly hopeless situations before, but none as dark and with stakes as high as this one.

If Hiccup was to go on without amnesia, then he would be under great pressure to become King, while facing serious difficulties, and yet this burden of fear and grief and guilt would be so much heavier than anything he had ever experienced. He could easily fall into the “all my fault” loop of self-blame and despair. If so, then how hard would it be for him to gather all the remaining strength in him to make himself continue to go forward?

Even if he had all his memories, he might have to try to suppress some of them (“I’ll think about it tomorrow”-Book 11, p308), in order to prevent himself from sinking into the pain of them, and keep himself going.

So, ironically, the amnesia could be seen as the kindness of Fate, or a rare example of the remaining bits of kindness in Cressida.

So you see, the amnesia plot was necessary to the story.

But wait- there's more to this plot.

What if the amnesia was not, or not only, caused by a hit to the head?

What if Hiccup himself, consciously or unconsciously, induced that amnesia on himself, to block out the pain, so he could go on towards Tomorrow? Though this would imply that he already knew he lost the Things before he woke up. But it is possible that he had already realized it subconsciously.

(I know I'm going more into speculative grounds now, but since Cressida wrote it as so, then it is open to interpretations, as long as they are logical enough within the story.)

Searching on the Internet, I found this:

Dissociative amnesia.

You see how this could actually fit into the story?

(I am no expert about dissociative amnesia, if I get anything wrong feel free to correct me.)

Forgetting one’s identity; memory loss of everything within a long period; amnesia affecting events but not learnt skills (such as speaking Dragonese or tying a kind of knot)- these are all characteristics of dissociative amnesia.

Especially the part where Hiccup regains his memory with help from Toothless- all memories returned, suddenly and forcefully, like a door swinging open. This happens with dissociative amnesia, where the memories are intact but blocked from consciousness to protect the person, but not with organic amnesia, where the memories are damaged, and usually cannot be completely cured.

(A small detail: with this approach, the fact that his memories about Snotlout returned later than the rest, might suggest that this was part of the trauma that caused the amnesia.)

In addition, in his amnesia state, Hiccup still seems to know that he must get to Tomorrow. Even though he was exhausted, ragged, barely alive, and had no conscious idea of why he was doing this, "something within him" made him push on towards Tomorrow. This fits in with the dissociative amnesia hypothesis.

Of course, I'm not saying that this is the "correct" explanation, Cressida might or might not have intended it to be dissociative amnesia, but since she wrote it in such a way, then it is open to this kind of interpretation.

However, this approach, interpreting the amnesia plot as dissociative amnesia, would be logical and connected with the previous events and Hiccup's character. And of course, it brings forth much more pain and emotional angst.

[brawltogethernow]

I dreamt the other night that there was an extremely mid live action Murderbot TV show adaptation. That's not my retroactive assessment in the daytime. In the dream I was like, "This has multiple very avoidable or outright comedic flaws. I am going to binge all of it." (I'm aware that this is very meta.)

It had a "life on a starship" structure in the style of Star Trek, though it may have technically been set on one of the satellites orbiting Preservation.

The core relationship was SecUnit and Mensah, which was executed with absolute sincerity that couldn't not be charming, and was also where a lot of the more narmish moments were centered.

SecUnit would hack devices by focusing on them, cuing the camera to zoom in on the relevant machine—then the zoom in would continue with a transition to aggressively average CGI of the inside of the machine, which would animate it...being hacked or whatever. I got the impression that happened at a pivotal moment at least once an episode.

Some of the canon characters were present and were well-cast and characterized. However, the "crew" had also been padded out with a handful of original side characters. There was a gruff ship's doctor type (more Kelso than Bones though), a cook SecUnit had an arbitrary rivalry with, and for some reason two teenage boys who were BFFs. The cook existed to facilitate interpersonal comedy, the teens to have sci-fi concepts explained to them, and the doctor to solve like a third of the one-off plotlines at the end of the episode once whatever emotional arc they'd been facilitating was concluded. The new characters were almost all played by white guys like after they cast the canon characters thoughtfully and considerately they ran out of energy/wanted to work in people who were already on the lot.

I dream-watched three random episodes, but unfortunately the only one I remember specifically is the last one, where the plot was Murderbot getting amnesia (because of sci-fi reasons) to back when the company owned it before it hacked itself. The emotional climax was it deciding to help Mensah even though it didn't remember their friendship, by disabling a machine that was harming her—which it did by triggering the hacking animation by slamming its hands against it several times. Like you do when you hack stuff. The amnesia was fixed after this by the medical doctor administering a liquid for it to drink that reportedly had nanomachines in it. I'm pretty sure the prop was one of those plastic cups dentists give you stuff to swish around your mouth in with water in it.

Murderbot was played by a tall and gloriously buff...enby woman...? I don't exactly recall. —Who in behind the scenes content had a startlingly sweet demeanor and higher vocal register than the character.

10/10 dream I am laughing my socks off. I miss the fake show.

[emieben]

This is an illustration of the the leading protagonist of the plot before the Great Amnesia, showing a crucial moment in his life:

His groundbreaking discovery— the beginning of the end for the old world.

Niklaas was a researcher working for the Republic's lesser-known scientific divisions as an alternative to serve in an ongoing magical war. The work was specialized and confidential: to develop better and stronger magical technologies based on emotion resonance. These devices ran on harvested feelings and nightmares, donated by citizens to support their state during wartime.

At first, the system worked. The science advanced quickly, and with it the state's dependence on aura supply grew. What few noticed was how emotional fields started to interfere with each other in the battlefields, eventually spreading their destructive force much further than the target they aimed for.

Niklaas was one of the first to notice these patterns. He began to document a series of anomalies during his time as a soldier, before he got recruited to work for the government: irrational behavior in his comrades, unexplainable energy spikes and eventually phenomena that couldn't be explained by existing theories.

The deeper he investigated, the more it dawned on him, yet despite the evidence his warnings were ignored.

In the illustration above (you probably should turn up the brightness of your screen to see all the details ;P) Niklaas sits at the point just after his realization. The notes scattered around him describe not a breakthrough, but a failure. A system- his work- pushed too far. A structure that cannot hold.

Some details from this illustration: I added private photographs of his family and books he might read about time-travel and timelines (a personal interest of his that will become very important later on), as well as generally personal belongings. (I just had to point that out, those details took millennia to paint :'))

That's it for this illustration. I will share more soon, aswell as concept art and sketches, so stay tuned;) Q&A about Niklaas and this project in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Take care<3

[fine-nephrit]

🥏 TXF Fic Rec #42: "Universal Invariant" by Syntax6

It’s rare to find a novel-length, all-encompassing fic set in season 1. Today’s fic is exactly that: a celebrated classic exploring a ‘what if�� scenario where Scully’s deleted live-in boyfriend, Ethan, sticks around. The story begins with Scully’s assignment to the X Files in the ‘Pilot’ and concludes with her return from abduction in ‘One Breath’.

We get to experience the M/S dynamic right from the very beginning, watching their partnership evolve from suspicion to trust, with a repressed, burgeoning attraction. In Syntax6’s skillful hands, you know what that means: lots of delicious, in-character UST.

Ethan plays a major role, adding to the emotional tangle. The ‘Other’ character is often reduced to a flat plot-device or crudely villainized, but Syntax6’s characters are always likable and sympathetic. She writes the best ‘/Other’ plot in this fandom, enhancing the journey to MSR.

It’s a lot of fun to see how the story neatly interweaves with canon episodes, a hallmark of Syntax6’s writing. What’s more, She’s best known for her case files, and there’s a strong original casefile tossed in the mix, which I enjoyed immensely. And we get another of her signature moves: a very hot, well-written sex scene with explosive intensity, placed at the perfect spot in the story. She really does it all, and makes it look effortless.

---

🥏 on author's site

author: @syntax6 length: novel, 80,000+ words season: season 1, early season 2 pairing(s): M/S UST, Scully/Ethan, Mulder/Other tags: AU, episode-related, casefile, angst, Mytharc, abduction arc, jealousy, amnesia, good OCs rating: explicit/NC-17

tagging @today-in-fic

[asharkapologist]

@dinamo123xpq requested some Zoe Kusama headcanons (I had a feeling she'd be requested lololol), and I have come to deliver! Sorry that this is a tad late, I've got like three different WIPs I've been trying to juggle between work rip.

But anyways!

She was an avid reader, and was a member of two different book clubs by the time she was abducted. Her favorite genres were poetry and nonfiction.

In fact, Zoe was also a very good writer. She was an excellent essayist and poet, and by the time she was kidnapped, she was already writing her own self-help book, which also contained some personal essays and poems. However, after she escaped from DreamLife, she didn't recognize the woman whose experiences she'd written about. She found herself incapable of following her own advice, as well as unworthy to help anyone. She ended up deleting all of her work.

TW, upsetting: Despite her feelings that she was incapable of helping anyone, she was actually a comfort to the other people DreamLife kidnapped. Even as Rozetta's scientists were horrifically experimenting on them and pretty much torturing them to death, Zoe tried desperately to comfort her fellow prisoners, and indeed did give them a tiny bit of companionship and comfort in their final, horrific days, and was more loved than she ever realized.

Didn't immediately attend college after high school, but rather spent a few years working and volunteering in order to gain experience for her application and save up money for college.

Sociology major and psychology and English minor.

Was on her high school varsity's swim team, and her best event was the 500 freestyle; she excelled in distance events, and even made state in her junior and senior years of high school.

Rosamund made her rather uneasy in the hospital, but because Rosamund hadn't physically harmed Zoe, the crap staff at the hospital ignored/dismissed Zoe's unease/worries. I really hope David and co. sued that shit hospital into oblivion.

One of the reasons she became a social worker, despite her parents attempting to talk her out of that career path since social workers unfortunately are very underpaid, was because she knew/knew of multiple people growing up who struggled with poverty, violence, and addiction, and was extremely angry by how little help they received, and wanted to be a person in the system who would actually care about the people she was working with, while trying to make the system more effective and beneficial.

Was very politically active and often protested against bigotry, violence, corruption, and injustice. Consider her to be the antithesis of Ad Astra, basically.

Poor Zoe. Honestly, while it's not a competition, between being kidnapped and pretty much tortured for months thanks to Rozetta, having everyone she tried to save die, losing her memory when she escaped and how overwhelmed and upset that made her given how she didn't know anyone or anything around her, having her amnesia be used as a blatant plot device, getting thrown into the worst psych hospital ever for almost twenty cases when she killed her torturer, getting psychologically tortured by a serial killer who should've been in PRISON, not a psych hospital, all because said Zoe was dating the man who justifiably arrested said serial killer for killing like a dozen people, getting harassed by an orderly with a grudge against mentally ill people (he needs to be fired, that is a conflict of interest if I've ever heard of one), getting terrifying and confusing levitation powers that drove her to tears, being constantly traumatized, depressed, scared, and frustrated while struggling to recover from an incredibly horrifying, complex, and tragic situation, and ultimately getting violently killed by a man she thought was her friend but was actually the friend of the woman who kicked of all of this by kidnapping Zoe for trying to help/find the people Rozetta had kidnapped, after said man had demanded that Zoe be subjected to MORE human experimentation--I think that out of all characters in CC, Zoe by far suffered the most. Poor woman. It's so infuriatingly unfair. And all because some evil, entitled millennials wanted to rule the world.

Sorry, that turned into an anti-Ad Astra (or at least, anti Rozetta and Louis) rant. But yeah.

Zoe deserved better.