#norming problem difficulty

[in-sightpublishing]

On High-Range Test Construction 6: Chris Cole on How to Protect High-Range Tests

            Publisher: In-Sight Publishing Publisher Founding: March 1, 2014 Web Domain: http://www.in-sightpublishing.com Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada Journal: In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal Journal Founding: August 2, 2012 Frequency: Three (3) Times Per Year Review Status: Non-Peer-Reviewed Access: Electronic/Digital & Open Access Fees:…

[fyxestroll]

Whose Problem Is It When the Primarchs Fall in Love? Pt.1

note: this was meant to be crack-ish but I sniffed some angst powder so some of these came out angstier than expected. also for anyone who sent requests, I'm working on them family problems and school are just getting in the way <33

Lion - It’s his problem. On the outside nothing is wrong everything is fine but on the inside everything is wrong and everything is NOT fine but you wouldn’t notice anything is going on. For Lion, falling in love involves a lot of self-discovery and constant repression. It’s all internal and his resting bitch face isn’t helping.

Unnamed Primarch #2 - You got erased out of existence too.

Fulgrim - On everybody’s soul, especially Ferrus Manus’ it’s EVERYONE’S problem. Not even the Chaos Gods and Empy are safe! This man right here has so many unaddressed self-worth issues that he constantly feels the need to have someone to validate his acts of courting before even doing the thing. 

Perturabo -  Its everyone’s problem. Not unlike Fulgrim, Perturabo has so many unaddressed self-worth issues and feels the need for validation but unlike Fulgrim, its all out in the open. He’s already bitter about a lot of things and if he falls in love it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s already given up on pursuing that person. You’d be something he deems out of his reach, someone not even worth reaching because the rejection is in his mind guaranteed. He’s bitter towards you, loving hating everything you do and say. If you express any sort of positive reaction towards any of his gene-sons his ire towards that specific astartes worsens. The worst part? If your feelings towards Perturabo are reciprocated you’d have difficulty reaching him with him practically pushing you away. Please be patient with him, his heart is fragile.

Jaghatai Khan - Problem? There’s no problem! Genuinely, if this guy falls in love there wouldn’t be an issue because he’s in tune with his emotions and doesn’t have a penchant for skinning people alive (sorry Konrad). The closest thing this man would have to a problem when falling in love is the issue of courting. Chogoris courting norms involve matchmakers, families and of course bride-prices and dowries. If you aren’t from Chogoris he’ll try his best to follow the equivalent of/mix Chogorian traditions in courting. Either way, it’s less of a problem and more of a brief logistical headache at most. 10/10 would marry him tbh

Leman Russ - It's your problem.  He's enthusiastic about it and so is his entire legion. Thats a lot of wingmen and they're probably singing the Fenrisian equivalent of kiss the girl every chance they get. It's very endearing to be honest but the eagerness borders being overbearing.

Rogal Dorn - Dorn falling in love only affects 3 parties, you, him and his Iron Fists. Out of the 3 parties, Dorn falling in love is only disastrous to 2, the Fists and him. Dorn’s acts of affection are quiet, and if you aren’t aware of his affection these acts are easy to miss. It doesn’t help that a painted brick has more self-expression than this man. Pair that with not wanting to be improper this results in what he deems romantic and not lacking in proprietary  (He helped you landscape and design your garden). Now, the Fists come into play here by being Dorn’s feedback loop of ideas and internal turmoil that more often than not involves building things. The Fists don’t really mind but they are a bit miffed about fortifying your house or something when they could be something that they believe is more effective.

Konrad Curze - Its your problem and his problem. Look, this man is a murderous mess that's haunted by the visions of the terrible future if he falls in love he’d hate himself for doing so because it feels wrong. Positive emotions and experiences are foreign to him, so for Konrad love is something he feels he is entirely undeserving of and is just waiting for the ball to drop. In all honestly, he expects you to die or be the subject of his terrible visions so he immediately expects the worse and resigns himself to watching you from a distance. As this is all internal no one knows what’s going on with Konrad other than his usual Konradness so imagine the terror of being constantly watched by the Night Haunter with no clue on what drew his attention in the first place. 

Sanguinius - It’s his problem but he like all his problems its ignored and repressed. Sanguinius tries to deny the fact that he’s fallen in love for numerous reasons, including The Red Thirst and his impending doom. Also, a part of Sanguinius fears rejection, or at least a form of it. He’s beloved and he knows it but to be loved in the way that someone seeks to know all of him feels impossible. He is loved as an idol, a figure of all that is and could be good and that he’d come to accept. Being truly loved is a dream to him, a dream he holds close to his heart and something he’d take to his grave.

 Ferrus Manus - It's your problem because this man is like a rock. Feelings? What’s that? It’s not that Ferrus is unfeeling, in fact I feel like he’s one of the Primarchs who fall in love the easiest but when he falls in love he doesn’t know how to categorize that person exactly. He is fond, sure, but he can’t put a finger on how fond he is so he puts you in the my-favorite-people box with Fulgim. Basically,  he shoots himself in the foot early on by putting you in the friend zone without realising it. Good luck falling first with this guy, its slow-burn pining with a metal wall for you.

[saintshadow]

NATAL Moon - Uranus aspect observations in the Natal Chart.

Blurring the line between Psychic Prowess, and utterly Divine Madness 🌚⚡

I've noticed that people who have harsh Uranus/moon aspects or moon conjunct Uranus esp if it's harshly aspected by a malefic tend to have a target on their back socially, ESPECIALLY in childhood. Like everything they do or say just pisses off the family or causes authority figures to lash out in some harsh or restrictive way- which never bodes well for anyone involved. Because moon - Uranus people will in fact drag their dissenters and the people abusing their authority against them to hell alongside them. These are people who psychologically torture authority, both intentionally and unintentionally depending on the scenario. They respond very negatively to having their freedom and self expression infringed upon especially if it's being done so unfairly.

I've also noticed that harsh moon-uranus aspects can look like a violent swing between constant over and understimulation. Finding a happy medium can be difficult, and when they aren't regulated the outbursts are volatile & intense.

If you have this aspect in your chart, feeling understood is very important. You have an almost magnetic need to stand out— and you generally WILL stand out whether you're trying to or not. You’re a natural-born truth-seeker.

Growing up, these natives question everything, and usually don't mind questioning or correcting others. Theres not usually a huge respect for authority either, and these natives have no problem challenging those who abuse their social power. They may even thrive on this dynamic, it's always very much "fuck the system".

While Uranus isn't a trauma marker, it does bring a lot of tension. Those with this aspect often feel like outsiders, like they don’t quite fit in; or they are intentionally singled out & ostracized. I've met a lot of people with moon - uranus who have been primarily targeted by teachers and authority as well. You also have the "popular loner" archetype which I tend to ascribe more commonly to Aquarius SUNS—everyone likes you, but you still feel like you’re living on a different planet.

People with strong Uranus energy often come from families that seem perfect on the outside, or at least very *different* from them. They can also come from families with shocking histories or have notable ancestors/ancestry. There can be sudden deaths, psychic and spiritual phenomena, (and sometimes autism LMAO don't come for me).

Sudden endings and deaths, sporadic change, and a difficult relationship with comfort. The moon is all about our creature comforts & the presence of Uranus can really strip this away from the native. It can feel like grasping at straws trying to soothe or comfort the onslaught of volatile emotion & psychic intensity.

A lot of unpredictable events and insane prophecies come with this placement. It's easy to feel detached from everyone including yourself & dissociative + personality disorders have the potential to brew here for sure.

At times you can feel like the antithesis to social normalcy, and as if your innate being causes nothing but chaos & trouble.

It's unsurprising that many with Moon-Uranus end up being generational cycle/curse breakers & tend to be highly detached from the family. There can be a desire to be freed from one's own ancestry, or to escape the family norm.

Living authentically is a non-negotiable for these folks. It’s just in their DNA. Trying to suppress it is literally like eating glass— being forced to perform or show up inauthentically can be legitimately painful & cause extreme emotional and physical dysregulation.

This is thought to be an aspect that leads to hysterical outbursts, but in my observation it's usually a stimulation issue. Which honestly, I think is one of the biggest lifelong difficulties of this aspect. What other people may see as hysteria or volatility may actually be psychic overload.

Regardless of whether or not other people see it, this is a highly gifted and PROPHETIC placement. They see into the future & have the ability to intuitively read other people's minds.

Think gifted in the sense of telepathy, telekinesis, and even manipulating electromagnetic energy.

Uranus has a "futuristic knowing” that really boosts the already psychic nature of the moon.

Uranus also brings duality, and these folks intrinsically understand this universal llaw. With the right support, these individuals can become powerful manifestors, using their deep understanding of reality to shape their world and to redefine the world for others. These natives are highly proficient in recognizing patterns and often disrupt things, even when they don’t mean to.

Learning to ride out the emotional roller coaster is a necessary skill to develop for those carrying this energy. The highs and lows can be draining, so grounding is essential. They tend to see things in black-and-white, which can lead to intense emotional outbursts or social withdrawal. There's also a tendency to spiral from information overload. The constant desire for intellectual stimulation can drive you crazy & also cause attention span issues., Difficulty focusing, difficulty managing and maintaining relationships, can have an anxious-avoidant attachment or be prone to attracting anxious-avoidant dynamics.

There can be a major lesson in accepting losses & being comfortable with discomfort. Nothing feels predictable or reliable for moon-uranus individuals, which can lead to a pessimistic outlook & feelings of dread.

But despite it all, these people walk to the beat of their own deum, & remain true to themselves, even when the world refuses to get it.

[mrcrawly]

Dr. House is some of the best unintentional autistic representation I have seen in popular media

I think the title is a slight overstatement, but I honestly feel this way. I'm not finished with House MD by ANY means so do keep that in mind, but I'm almost finished with season 2 so this is based off what I have seen.

Also: I am aware that there is an episode where they discuss the possibility that House has Asperger's. Obviously that term has fallen out of favor because Asperger was, you know, a Nahtzee, but I am going to emphasize that House has particularly low-support needs. My source is that I'm autistic and this is a topic I'm relatively familiar with. (Also. please take this with a grain of salt because David Shore also created "The Good Doctor" which is a comparatively pretty poor representation of autism, but I'm going to talk about House MD in its own vacuum.)

Lack of knowledge or concern for social cues. I don't really think this needs explaining, but House doesn't seem to have much regard or respect for social norms. He doesn't care much for social approval or maintaining relationships. I don't necessarily characterize this as specifically being an autistic trait, because this can greatly vary, but this is something I see in myself and other autistic people.

Strong sense of justice and morals. I see a lot of people calling House a "sociopath" simply because he isn't particularly empathetic. But the word sociopath gets thrown around a lot and it really doesn't characterize him well at all. I would argue that House feels cognitive empathy rather than the more emotional sense of empathy that most people experience, but equating empathy and morality is a big no-go. House has little concern for some ethical principles, as the show points out pretty often, but House is never looking to hurt anybody. House is always pretty dry and easily annoyed, but the only time we see him openly angry and upset is when someone endangers a patient. When Chase fucks up the angiogram, potentially putting a woman's life in danger, he holds it against him for ages. And in "The Mistake," when a woman dies and it has to be determined whose fault it was, House yells at Chase in the middle of the lobby over his negligence. Also, House does actually have empathy when it's necessary. He typically softens himself around younger patients and will make an effort to be calm, and when Stacy admits that she and Mark have been fighting and becomes upset, he tries to help her calm down and doesn't try to make the situation about himself. When he thinks that his "nemesis" from school is faking the results of his migraine medicine, he goes out of his way to prove that he's right - partially because, yeah, he wants to be right and get Weber back - but also because he sees this as cheating, and knows it's ultimately harming people.

Very few, specific interests. House doesn't seem to have a lot that he's interested in. His job is one of them, because he gets joy and satisfaction out of solving medical problems. It's also established that he's deeply invested in General Hospital and monster trucks (although I wasn't sure if that was a House thing or a Wilson thing? But he seemed pretty excited about it too). Other than that, he doesn't have many obvious or noteworthy things he's interested in.

Difficulty maintaining interpersonal relationships. Wilson is House's only friend, and House seems to be (mostly) content with that. He cares about other people, in his own strange way, but he consistently struggles to create and maintain personal relationships, whether because of his disregard for social niceties or because of his fear of vulnerability. Again, this may not necessarily be in relation to autism, but it's worth noting.

Odd speech patterns. I'm sick of media making it seem like all autistic people can't comprehend sarcasm. It is common for autistic people to take things literally, but autistic people also sometimes use sarcasm and metaphors more than the average person in verbal communication. I do this all the time. House is constantly saying weird, offbeat things, or making strange, vague metaphors, especially when he's deep in thought.

Stimming. Throwing his ball at the wall. Pacing. Spinning his cane around. Tapping his cane on the floor. Spinning it like a baton when he's alone in the room and trying to think. Sometimes he also nods his head back and forth when he's thinking.

Routine. This one is a little hard to spot, because House actually does seem to thrive when things are changing or new things happen. I see this mostly in House wearing the same things all the time. He's usually wearing some button-up and a blazer/jacket over it, and typically jeans and the same pair of shoes. The shoes are most likely for his comfort, but sometimes autistic people like to wear the same things a lot because it's what's most comfortable or they don't have to worry about unpredictability. Also, it seems like he eats the same thing a lot, since everyone knows he gets a dry Reuben sandwich.

This is just what I noticed and based on my personal experiences as an autistic person. This doesn't mean I think the show discusses autism in the most graceful or meaningful way - I just really like to break down my favorite characters and analyze them.

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Culture Shock

As part of the acculturation process individuals may experience culture shock. 

It occurs when individuals move to a cultural environment which is different from their own.

It can also describe the disorientation we feel when:

exposed to an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration to a new country,

a visit to a new country,

move between social environments (e.g., moving away for college),

or transitioning to another type of life (e.g, dating after divorce).

Common issues associated with culture shock:

loss of status (e.g., provider to unemployed),

unfamiliar social systems and social norms (e.g., agencies rather than extended kin networks),

distance from family and friends,

information overload,

language barriers,

generation gap, and

possible technology gap.

There is no way to prevent culture shock because everyone experiences and reacts to the contrasts between cultures differently.

Culture shock consists of at least one of 4 distinct phases:

HONEYMOON

During this period, the differences between the old and new culture are seen in a romantic light.

For example, after moving to a new country, an individual might love the new food, the pace of life, and the locals’ habits.

During the first few weeks, most people are fascinated by the new culture.

They associate with individuals who speak their language and who are polite to the foreigners.

Like most honeymoon periods, this stage eventually ends.

NEGOTIATION

After some time (usually around three months depending on the individual), differences between the old and new culture become more apparent and may create anxiety or distress.

Excitement may eventually give way to irritation, frustration and anger as one continues to experience unpleasant events that are strange and offensive to one’s own cultural attitude.

The following may heighten the feelings of disconnection from the surroundings:

Language barriers,

stark differences in public hygiene,

traffic safety,

food accessibility and

quality.

Living in a different environment can have a negative, although usually short term, effect on our health.

While negotiating culture shock we may have insomnia because of circadian rhythm disruption, problems with digestion because of gut flora due to different bacteria levels and concentrations in food and water, and difficulty in accessing healthcare or treatment (e.g., medicines with different names or active ingredients).

During the negotiation phase, people adjusting to a new culture often feel lonely and homesick because they are not yet used to the new environment and encounter unfamiliar people, customs and norms every day.

The language barrier may become a major obstacle in creating new relationships.

Some individuals find that they must pay special attention to culturally specific body language (e.g., arms crossed, smiling), conversation tone, and linguistic nuances and customs (e.g, handshake, turn taking, ending a conversation).

Example: International students often feel anxious and feel more pressure while adjusting to new cultures because there is special emphasis on their reading and writing skills.

ADJUSTMENT

As more time passes (usually 6 to 12 months) individuals generally grow accustomed to the new culture and develop routines.

The host country no longer feels new and life becomes “normal”.

Problem-solving skills for dealing with the culture have developed and most individuals accept the new culture with a positive attitude.

The culture begins to make sense, and negative reactions and responses to the culture have decreased.

ADAPTATION

In the adaptation stage individuals are able to participate fully and comfortably in the host culture but this does not mean total conversion or assimilation.

People often keep many traits from their native culture, such as accents, language and values.

This stage is often referred to as the bicultural stage.

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References Culture ⚜ Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism ⚜ Animal Culture

[friedrichnapier]

@beluvbug and his PoGD AU really inspires me to create disphoria/kinda-self-insert AU, which I can also use kinda like vent, because sometimes it's hard for me to cope with some of my problems. But the thing is, at first I didn't know which character I would like to use for this. Like, I love the main girls, but there's something in each of them that's in me, but it still didn't click with me. But then it dawned on me.

And so I present to you

"Celestial BurnOut"

aka story about country ruler and literall sun deity with severe depression and the resulting difficulties in performing their direct duties.

I can imagine how tired Celestia has been for all the millennia that she has been living and how many events she may forget over the years. I can imagine the pressure she feels thinking about how many ponies she thinks she's let down. I can imagine how over the years she stopped caring about any gender norms, because she had long ceased to be within them, when everything organic that was in her was replaced by magical matter (idea that I came to thanks to Alex's thinking about how alicorn magic may work).

And I can easily imagine how she sometimes wants to go back to those far, far away times when she was a little filly who did not have the responsibility to rule the whole country and raise the sun every day.

Here's some of my MSPaint sketches with my little (not really, she's huge and probably can nake herself even more bigger) diyng star. <3

Also she use any pronauce, I just use "she/her" most of the time because I'm just heavily projecting with nb-fem leaning.

[fatkish]

Dr. Stone x Autistic Reader HC’s

(I love Dr. Stone and it needs more appreciation)

How the Dr. Stone boys would be with an Autistic s/o

(Not every boy is going to have every aspect covered. I wrote the headcannons based on how I think each boy would best deal with each aspect)

Shishio Tsukasa:

If you have social difficulties and don’t understand social or societal norms then he’s fine with that. If you’re the kind of person who has no sense of personal space he’s happy to share his with you, hug on him all you like.

If you have trouble with speech or communication then he’ll come up with some kind of system that allows you to communicate with him even if he’s the only one who understands you. If you need anything all you have to do is point it out and he’ll get it for you

If you’re anxious then you can rely on him entirely. Anything that makes you anxious will be dealt with by Tsukasa. If social situations make you anxious then don’t worry, you can hide behind his giant form

If you’re a fidgeter or have high energy then he’s happy to let you play with his hair or hands if it helps. If you do strange things like walk in circles repeatedly then he’ll make sure no one bothers you and that you’re able to do your thing

If you have certain things you fixate on or have special interests then he’ll try his best to get those things for you. Like if you enjoy gardening or just digging then he’ll find or make you tool for you to dig with

If you have sensory issues like sound, touch or taste, he’s happy to help in any way he can. If you have food sensitivities like hating the texture of fat on meats, he’ll make sure to trim off all the fat for you. If you don’t like loud sounds or certain textile textures, he’ll do the best that he can to alter your environment for your comfort

Asagiri Gen:

If you have depression or depressive episodes then he’s your man. He keeps and eye out for your feelings and monitors you. If you start to show signs of depression then he’ll use his mentalist tricks to keep your mind occupied on other things, or he’ll be a soundboard for you to talk to

If you have anger issues or aggression problems then he’ll come to the rescue with his mentalist tricks and help you calm down either by talking to you or helping you in whatever way he can

If you have speech issues then he’s happy to help you learn how to communicate better. Leave everything to him. If you have social anxiety or difficulty understanding social or societal norms then he’s happy to take the time to gently and carefully explain everything to you

If magic is one of your special interests or a fixation or yours, then he’s happy to let you watch his magic tricks and he’ll either perform for you, or if you’re curious then he’ll teach you all the tricks he knows

If you get anxious or have certain tics/fidgeting then this guy has eagle eyes that were practically made to pick up your behaviors. If you need something to fidget with then he’ll let you play with his hair. If you get nervous or anxious then he’ll distract you from whatever is bothering you

Ishigami Senku:

If you have poor or abnormal posture that could lead to health issues later in your life then he’ll make some kind of brace for you to wear that will correct your posture so you can avoid any future problems

Doesn’t give a damn about eye contact. If it bothers you then he may try to help you overcome it by having staring contests

If you’re fixated on science or how things work then he’s happy to take the time to explain to you how things work no matter how many times he has to re-explain something. He’ll even set up small experiments for the both of you

If you’re a fidgeter and have a bunch of energy then he’ll gladly use your natural abundance of energy to do hard labor or whatever he needs you to do

If you struggle to communicate then he’ll help you come up with a way to communicate such as teaching you Morse code or something

Saionji Ukyo:

If you have noise sensitivity then this guy’s your man. Since his hearing is especially good he’ll help you out by finding really quiet places for you

If you’re interested in archery then he’ll teach you, and if you just need something to fidget with then he’ll happily have you help him make arrows

When it comes to speech, he’s probably the first person who knows what you’re trying to say. He’s happy to communicate for you if you need it

If you’re anxious or depressed then he’ll happily hold your hand and find something to distract you. Perhaps by giving you something to fixate on

Chrome:

If you’re sensitive to noise or light then he’ll make some kind of thing to help you like ear plugs or a hat to keep the sun out of your eyes

If you have issues with fidgeting then he’ll make you things to fidget with.

If you enjoy wandering around and collecting things then he’s happy to take you exploring with him. You guys could spend hours exploring but he’s always got an eye out for you in case you get too fixated

Abnormal Posture and poor eye contact don’t really bother him. If you struggle to look people in the eye then he doesn’t care. If your posture is weird then he’ll probably just think it’s fine, as long as it doesn’t have any negative consequences in the long run. If your posture has the potential to cause issues later in your life then he might be willing to create a brace like Senku

[supahstarrr]

i love watari nishino, and so i will ramble about obvious things relating to her background and character. insert heart emoji.

the parentification of watari makes me so so sick. can't stop thinking about that despite the strained relationship with her father she continues to reach out to him despite him not replying, just as she constantly reaches out to others in the game even when they don't reply to her. despite the strained relationship with her older brother based on the lack of energy to her and the younger ones, she is willing to hang out with him—which once again mirrors her tendency to reach out to others.

can't stop thinking about her reassuring her siblings that their mother still loves the family despite the constant emotional and physical neglect, as an attempt to ease their and her mind based on the (valid) perceptions of their mother making them feel unloved. its a reminder of how she tries to find reassurance in okazaki's character despite everyone perceiving them based on how they appear—both her mother and okazaki appear as negative uncaring characters yet it's nishino who is able to see and hope of the potential warmth in them that they don't or aren't perceived to show often, despite the negative perceptions from others having some validity to them.

can't stop thinking about her clinging to leadership roles because that is all she is used to, despite it exhausting her. her deciding to give herself responsibilities revolving around tending to others, despite those kind of responsibilities being forced onto her at a young age. she creates a dance team, and as leader she's the one looking for solutions for problems that risk the existence of her team *all while* constantly tending to her family.

notably her difficulties with the lack of control is what weighs her down, making her prone to being one of the weakest characters in the investigations and trials. this leads her to gravitate to the idea of being a leader.

i can't stop thinking about how the killing game allows her to play with a leadership role, which is something she cannot do while being a leader at home and for her dance team. through playing with the "headmaster" role, she tries to reinforce the false sense of normalcy for both her (that is leadership, tending to others and school) and others (that is school). its an attempt of finding comfort while grappling with the lack of control she's not used to, while also allowing her to be within a "leadership" role that doesn't require much commitment in contrast to being a leader for her family and dance team—thus being an interesting case of (very loosely) reclaiming leadership.

then okazaki takes advantage of watari's role. okazaki takes advantage of watari's "leadership" by utilizing the "privileges" they're given as "hall patrol" for the sake of committing murder. this give more layers to the tragedy that is watari and okazaki's dynamic, as this mirrors how watari's family members (mother, older brother and father) take advantage of watari's role as the primary caregiver so they don't have to put care into the family. watari's tendency to step up for others being taken advantaged by others is a norm for her, and yet okazaki contributed to that normalcy despite the validity to watari's "leadership" being more questionable. watari's attempt to mimic normalcy for the sake of her comfort and others just... became so sad.

i can't stop thinking about how her persistence and dedication leads her to giving energy to people despite them not giving it back the same. and i can't stop thinking about her hope for others.

[sir-phineas-lost]

Hello. I have a question. I recently watched tdp. All 7 seasons. There's something in season 6 that's bothering me. When viren sacrifices himself, his last words are : I am a servant. What I understood from that is that he finally managed to do his duty to his people and save them, it's also what king Harrow said to him. Seems fine I guess. But I don't really understand why they had to include that specific dialogue? Viren was already sacrificing himself and from that we could understand that he did his duty and protected his people. They really didn't need to use that dialogue and to be honest, the dialogue seems of to me?? (I talked to a friend and they said it seems like the show has a problem with classism, but they haven't watched the series and only read the reviews and summaries) so I wanted to know your opinion about that? If it's alright? (I have a problem that I can't put my thoughts in order so sometimes I have difficulty when I want to analysis something. Your meta and analysis are so well thought so I thought I would ask you if that's ok)

Sorry for the late reply but honestly I this was tough to put together because I don't think there is all that much to say about the line itself and why he said it. It is a case where an uncomplicated and thoughtless writing-choice creates an issue that is ironically pretty complicated to talk about.

Viren's final words are probably meant to show that he has become that selfless person he always saw himself as at the end because while he was sacrificing himself over and over again since before season 1, it was been clear since his monologue at the mirror in season 2 that some part of him has been doing it for recognition which became his fatal flaw. He gets to say those specific words again as he dies because this time he really means it. I think we see this better in his interaction with Soren and the letter he ultimately burns. The point of that was that he almost did something that seems like it would have been good except he realizes that it would only really help himself and put more of a burden on Soren, so he stops. "Servant" is synonymous with "selfless" in Viren's character arc.

Where is becomes complicated is in the context. The show has often shown Viren's fatal flaw, self-centeredness and need for recognition, by pitting him against people who have institutional power over him like Harrow, Ezran and Aanya. This also plays into the larger conflict between humans and elves and the issue of having magic or having to rely on dark magic, which I have no time to go into here but the crux is that the show is marinated in tropes that rub up against its intended themes in all the wrong ways.

Overall, I think the show has less of a problem with classism specifically and more in that it doesn't quite consider power-dynamics at all, if that makes sense. It doesn't care about solving large issues like feudalism and who has access to powerful resources and is instead very interested in personal choices and journeys. Viren calls himself a "servant" at the very end because the real crux of his redemption is that he is focused solely on helping those he previously hurt with zero expectation of reward or recognition. Which would be fine, except the word-choice has a very different context in this setting and a story where power-imbalance is an unexamined norm. If they had done more to question the power structures of kings, servants, magical creatures and humans and what it really says about those positions it wouldn't be so tone-deaf to have a guy who fucked up and wants to fix his mistakes call himself a "servant" (because it is about selflessly serving others). But they didn't do that so when Viren calls himself servant before dying heroically in a setting where so many main characters are princes, kings and other quasi-nobility, it certainly feels like saying that he is doing right because he finally knows his place in the pecking-order.

The fact that his sacrifice is never even acknowledged by anyone in season 7 certainly doesn't help either.

I feel like that was a lot of words to say very little of substance but there it is.

[mischiefmanifold]

The Alternative Model Diagnostic Criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD)

This is part of the section in the DSM-5 that offers an alternative diagnostic criteria for several personality disorders.

A. Moderate or greater impairment in personality functioning, manifested by characteristic difficulties in two or more of the following four areas:

Identity: Egocentrism; self-esteem derived from personal gain, power, or pleasure

Self-direction: Goal setting based on personal gratification; absence of prosocial internal standards, associated with failure to conform to lawful or culturally normative ethical behavior

Empathy: Lack of concern for feelings, needs, or suffering of others; lack of remorse after hurting or mistreating another

Intimacy: Incapacity for mutually intimate relationships, as exploitation is a primary means of relating to others, including by deceit and coercion; use of dominance or intimidation to control others

B. Six or more of the following seven pathological personality traits:

Manipulativeness (an aspect of Antagonism): Frequent use of subterfuge to influence or control others; use of seduction, charm, glibness, or ingratiation to achieve one's ends

Callousness (an aspect of Antagonism): Lack of concern for feelings or problems of others; lack of guilt or remorse about the negative or harmful effects of one's actions on others; aggression; sadism

Deceitfulness (an aspect of Antagonism): Dishonesty and fraudulence; misrepresentation of self; embellishment or fabrication when relating events

Hostility (an aspect of Antagonism): Persistent or frequent angry feelings; anger or irritability in response to minor slights and insults; mean, nasty, or vengeful behavior

Risk taking (an aspect of Disinhibition): Engagement in dangerous, risky, and potentially self-damaging activities, unnecessarily and without regard for consequences; boredom proneness and thoughtless initiation of activities to counter boredom; lack of concern for one's limitations and denial of the reality of personal danger

Impulsivity (an aspect of Disinhibition): Acting on the spur of the moment in reponse to immediate stimuli; acting on a momentary basis without a plan or consideration of outcomes; difficulty establishing and following plans

Irresponsibility (an aspect of Disinhibition): Disregard for—and failure to honor—financial and other obligations or commitments; lack of respect for—and lack of follow-through on—agreements and promises

Note: The individual is at least 18 years of age

Specify if:

With psychopathic features

Marked by lack of anxiety or fear and by a bold interpersonal style that may mask maladaptive anxiousness (Negative Affectivity domain), withdrawal (Detachment domain), and high levels of attention seeking (Antagonism domain). High attention seeking and low withdrawal capture the social potency (assertive/dominant) component of psychopathy, whereas low anxiousness captures the stress immunity (emotional stability/resilience) component.

[xxbi4lym1s10plxx]

i don't like to talk about heavy things but this is something really important to me...i want to talk about neopronouns and xeppronouns...

I’m tired of hearing people say, “Nuh uh, it’s too hard.” Maybe it’s a little different at first, but for me (as someone with language based difficulties and English as a second language)it’s not hard. It’s actually simple! You just replace the pronouns. For example, instead of “They themselves did the thing for their item,” you say, “Paw pawself did the thing for paw’s item.” That’s it! that's whole thing!💕💕

And if your language doesn’t have neutral pronouns, or it feels tricky, use what people often use for everyone by default (like masculine pronouns in paperwork) or mix multiple pronouns for one person. It’s not a big deal. I do it, and no one gets confused‼️

also‼️ many people who use neo/xe pronouns also use “regular” pronouns like she/he/they/it. And it’s not a problem to ask if you can use “they/them” instead if star/starself doesn’t work in your language‼️‼️

what's matter is respect and that you're trying and not just saying "no" and moving on, effort matters, respect matters, neo/xeo pronouns are valid.. they were made for people to express oneself more💕💕💕

and you being there saying "nuh uh" and calling their identity "not real" it's disrespectful, just because you don't understand doesn't mean you are free to being mean‼️‼️

people who use them weren't born with knowlage about them they did researche for example i did research then i use it in situation like writing about my OCs and use neo and xeo pronouns to talk about them then used them on myself and i understood them because i was willing to understand them💕💕

because that's what all of this is about, about understanding and trying and exploring who you are, In the real queer community the family and safe space where you can truly be yourself people would be happy to see neo/xe pronouns being accepted. The pioneers of the queer movement would be proud💕💕💕

it's all about being yourself💕 and no it's not being yourself but in a way that appealing to "norm", that what people backthen were protesting and fighting for‼️

for you to be yourself, if you're an ally saying that you can't accept neo/xeo pronouns users then you're not real ally either you respect everything or no one you can't cherry pick,

and if you’re queer and worried cishet people won’t take you seriously because of pronouns, that’s on them. It’s not your job to appeal to cishet people. that's why Queer community exists💕💕 for us to be a family, a safe space, where we discover who we truly are💕💕💕

[iskratempestmadness]

How do you think the baki characters would react when they find out that the reader has depression and is really struggling lately?

He's a specialist

Of course, in normal times, he would advise you to turn to a professional and not listen to the advice of friends, but it so happened that he is an expert himself. He will help you. He will put all his strength into it. Of course, you won't get better immediately, that's the norm, but gradually... Over time... This will help. And the only thing that will interest him is the fact that you didn't share your worries and difficulties right away. The situation could have been easier if you had contacted him earlier.

Kureha, Retsu

He will offer the help of a specialist

The first thing that comes to his mind after you've notified him is that you need to see a specialist. He can listen to you. He can understand you. He can tell you anything to make you feel better. But depression is not a disease that can be cured by folk methods or with the help of friends. We need qualified help. And he will provide it for you. He'll hire the best of the best for you. He spent as much as he needed on drugs and conditions. But most importantly, he won't leave you. Turning to doctors, he does not seek to throw off responsibility, like "you know better and help her, now this is not my problem." He just wants to really help you. That's why he'll be there for you.

Baki, Jack, Yujiro, Hanayama, Oliva, Katsumi, Doyle

He will help you

How many stories he had heard, how much advice he had been given, who he had not talked to about it... He remembered everything and brought it to you on a platter. And these will be completely diverse tips. From the banal "just listen to her, sympathize and it will pass with time" to the rather unusual "She has to eat five onions at midnight on Friday while standing on her hands." And of course, he was advised by a couple of people who would "cure" it with shamanism or something similar. But it is impossible not to admit that part of the advice was "take her to a psychologist."And out of all this, he will offer you a treatment method that is most pleasant to you. (Please choose a psychologist)

Now we need to explain why he will choose this particular path... You see, he's a pretty traditional and a little old-fashioned person, and in his day it didn't happen (so it might seem), so he'll use everything he can to help you.

Doppo, Shibukawa, Kaku, Yuichiro, Yanagi, Tokugawa, Sikorsky

You'll have to calm him

down for nothing... You shouldn't have done that.. He's either so upset about it that he got emotional himself, and now you have to calm him down, because "My dear, my good, I'm so sorry for you, I don't understand what you're feeling, but it's terrible...", or he begins to reveal his soul to you, all that he has accumulated and ... Now he's crying... So you will cry together. And it's better to go to a psychologist together.

KATOU, Suedo, Dorian, Guevara, Spec

[pavdaily]

favorite things about pav? I'm also interested in knowing what your headcanons for him are!

Also, congrats for a whole year! 👏 🎉🥳

thanks. i like that almost nothing is known about him, since he is not the main character, so it leaves a lot of room to create your own story. i have a complete chronology of pav's life, since i have mental problems, i am crazy, etc.

first of all, this is not headcanon, since i borrowed it from a fact from the game canon, but i put a lot of emphasis on the fact that pav loves ice cream. the important thing is that he does not necessarily only love ice cream. in the regions of the former soviet union, there is a type of ice cream called "пламбір", which some historians believe comes from france. this has been disputed several times, but it is known that the word was borrowed from the french "plombières", and i still like this interpretation of the story, since it has thematic significance for pav. it's a half-baked idea, but since i assume the kaiser is from the french-speaking part of rondon, it symbolizes to me that even the things pav loves most are connected to the person who made his life miserable.

i also like to experiment with the concept that pav has good style. he doesn't necessarily wear expensive designer clothes (since he lived in the countryside, i guess he didn't have that kind of money), but he does have a good sense of fashion, you know? i also think he was a bit of a rebel when it came to style, but because of the political situation in his part of voroniya, he didn't have much opportunity to express that through his clothes. he doesn't express himself through flashy fashion, but by altering his regular clothes or dressing them differently. this sets a precedent for him to get used to wearing his uniform the wrong way. it is also worth noting that his story is about living with a political identity that does not represent him, whether in voroniya or in the bremen army, so i think rebelling quietly while wearing clothes that don't represent his personality reflect that. (i could go into more detail, but that would deserve another post and more time when i talk about it — for those who are new to my blog, i present pav with a national identity parallel to a real belarusian, and that is not even mentioning whether he comes from western or eastern region which have different political histories. i can say that the belarusian government does a very poor job of representing ordinary people, especially when it comes to bilateral relations with russia; and that pav has very little faith in the dominant government of his region and indirectly rebels against it.)

in a similar vein, i like that because he is somewhat flamboyant fans commonly sexualize him. i wonder if the people around him in the termina universe make similar assumptions about his sexuality. it makes him more interesting and funny because, in my opinion, pav does not feel sexual attraction or interest in sexual relations. i think it’s something that bothers him, or he’s just having sex to vent his frustrations about his lack of control over his life and his emotional problems in general. he justifies this with the idea (very common back in those days) that sexual desire is a necessary physical response for men, and that they need a woman to help alleviate that feeling. fortunately, this kind of thinking is going out of fashion with the new waves of feminism and the acceptance of asexual and aromantic people. that's why I think that while pav's lack of attraction and difficulty with intimacy are, in my opinion, related to his experiences, social conditioning and trauma, I can describe him as asexual or aromantic if i want. he doesn't fit that allosexual norm so he falls victim to heteronormativity, even though he engages in behaviors that reinforce it.

i have more headcanons here if you're interested. i have a lot more, but i need more specific questions to know what to talk about.

thanks for asking this question, i really enjoy talking about this guy.

[abadsmile]

About what Makoto incarnates in Danganronpa

This is repost. The other one wasn't posted in any tags.

This is a revamp of a former interpretation that I have made months agp concerning the symbolisms that Makoto embodies. Many can disagree with it as I may have overanalyzed and it’s fairly possible, but I want to take that risk. Before beginning, I have to alarm you that this one is very long analysis. So, let’s begin. 

Everyman Hero? 

So, many people think that Makoto is normal guy from the beginning and it’s true in a sense, when we saw him for the first time. Through him, we could see a critic of the Japanese society. Indeed, as we know the Japanese society can be repressive against people that want to differentiate from the ordinary folks. Japan is a country that put the collectivism above the individualism of its citizens. While it has its great advantages, it also comes with a cost which is sometimes the repression of an individual.

Again, something quite observable is when someone quit the enterprise he worked with to work with another. Much people have difficulties exiting their company and it’s viewed in a bad light to do so because you « betrayed » the company and you aren’t loyal to your former company. 

Effectively, loyalty is also a key quality in Japan. But there is also the fact that Japan had one of the highest suicide rate estimated at 24.90% per 100 000 habitants in 2009-2010 which was already high before but coupled with the arrive of its worse recession, explains us how stressfully and tough it was.

We have also the phenomena of Gyaru or Hikikomori which show a will to break that conformity and to rebel against this society that restrains its citizens’ ego. But it’s normal, every country has its own problems, troubles, a perfect country can’t exist after all. 

Thus, the repression of an individual leads to the conformity of society where being normal or in line is good. This is something which is exaggerated in the universe of Danganronpa.

Any attempts so as to try to be out of the norm are viewed as bad, inadequate and inappropriate as it’s not the good thing to do. There exists a moral superiority which is highly present in this universe. 

We can see it clearly with the reverse course which are seen as tools and inferior beings by HPA themselves. Even the staff treats them as garbage. 

Therefore, the common good in this universe would correspond to talent which is viewed as hope. It’s something that many want to achieve in order to be part of the good, like Hajime. 

Now that I have put the context, I can use that context for Makoto. I think, and it’s pretty obvious, that Danganronpa at least for his two first games, is a critic of the Japanese society, especially THH where much characters have problems that concern Japan society. It’s fairly observable with Makoto in the prologue. He presents himself as an ordinary person which is for the moment, a basic description that many slice of life protagonists describe themselves. But there is something more in Makoto’s description of himself. Throughout his presentation, he insists on how ordinary he is and how he is so unremarkable that he is more average than the average guy. 

Do you see where I’m going? Makoto Naegi in the prologue, is seemingly a perfect representation of the Japanese citizens in Danganronpa. He is normal, polite and loyal but especially normal. Like said before concerning the Japan society, normalcy is viewed as a great quality which is what ironically Makoto describes himself to be. Not to a normal degree but in an extreme degree. He fits all the case. Even if he said that he is more optimistic than the other people, that optimism isn’t shown at all in the 1st chapter except for one time which serves to highlight that his optimism does exist. He is also very humble. 

Moreover, like said before he has accepted that normalcy, it’s who he is. The fact that he has accepted that only confirms what’s has been said before. While there is some truth in what he said about himself some aren’t totally true but I’ve already analyzed this, so I won’t do it here. Notice that he hasn’t talked about his luck at all, which seems to be suppressed in order for his description to fit the ideal of the Japanese society.

But throughout the story, we see different characteristics of Makoto, even in Chapter 1 where many aspects of his personality is shown whether be bad or good. Those aspects deviate from what’s described initially from Makoto. His lack of rationality, his more aggressive, impulsive side, it’s anxiety and self-depreciation but also his lack of confidence in himself which makes him have a skewed view on his action that he would consider as normal but aren’t really normal or ordinary. We can suspect that he has that view because of the impact of the Japanese society of Danganronpa which restrained the flourishment of his personality, his ego. 

As we progress in the story, Makoto becomes more confident, and takes a major role for the cast to survive during the trials. Not only that but his optimism nature is much more present compared to the first chapter. It illustrates a contrast between what he was supposed to be and what he becomes in THH. He was supposed to be a normal person, the ideal of Japan society. So to be average, discreet and shy is what he should have been but it’s the contrary that was shown to us. 

Not only his presence becomes pivotal to the plot but his impulsiveness, intelligence, confidence, luck and optimism but also his will to honor the death of his friends, makes him extraordinary. All of what we and he thought that he was, was in fact not totally true. And everything comes to a grand final where he becomes the ultimate hope, a talent beyond others ultimates, an extraordinary talent.

But what was the thing that allowed him to break from his chains ? The killing game itself. Indeed it’s this killing game that enabled him to become what he becomes in Chapter 6. The killing game is what’s break society, here the Japanese society and in-verse, the world of Danganronpa. HPA becoming a symbol of despair is not only important for the narrative but also outside of it as HPA represents the Japan society itself. 

Its collapse signify not only the death of society but also the death of normalcy and the end of the imprisonment of the individuality of the person and let the true desires of people exist. Secrets, money, close people, betrayal. All of these are use as a tool to show their real persona.

Moreover, we can go farther. As we’ve said Makoto is supposed to be the everyman hero that grows until becoming a formidable hero, thanks to the killing game, right ?

Yet Makoto in THH was already anormal or let’s say special. He wasn’t as ordinary he proclaimed to be. He is far from being a self-insert or someone relatable because it isn’t his character. By instance, Hajime is made to be more relatable as he is truly normal. Makoto isn’t. He is made to be unrealistic, someone that we can’t relate but someone that we can root on. He is far too inhuman for us to relate to him. 

But what I want to say is that he was already the ultimate hope from the beginning. In truth, it’s in his very nature to help people and to confront any insurmountable obstacles. I will take two novels made by Kodaka in example. The first one will be the « Makoto’s secret file » which novel gives us more insight in his character and how he got to HPA.

Sitting at the front of the bus, listening to the screaming, Makoto’s body trembled convulsively—not in fear, though, but the exact opposite.  

I have to help him! I have to help the old man! In that instant, an intense drive boiled up inside him. His eyes were no longer those of the timid, abnormally normal high-school boy everyone usually saw, but those of someone who was prepared to fight to the bitter end, no matter how tough things got or outmatched he might be. Before his mind had the chance to shift into gear, his body was already in motion, driven entirely by instinct—the very core of what made him Makoto Naegi.  

And second is when he met Ryoko and here’s what she said about him.

‘Strange’― I don’t think I could find a word that suited him more than that. He’s just... a strange guy. He’s so ordinarily ordinary that it makes him strange. […] I couldn’t help thinking about the way Naegi looked at me in that last moment. His eyes seemed to deliver to me a burning sense of unease. The boy named Makoto Naegi didn’t seem particularly reliable, and had a weak presence... but in the depths of his eyes at that moment, there was an incredible strength which seemed to emanate from his very core and shatter all my previous notions of who this person was. He seemed to look at me with a dazzling aura― whether there was a problem, whether he faced an unbeatable enemy, I knew he would always have a strength so powerful he could never give up.  

Therefore he didn’t become the ultimate hope The killing game only revealed what he truly was. It crushed his mask that made him pretended to be ordinary and that’s why he appears to be bland or boring at first glance. That mask is a powerful one that restrict his character to fully emerge in the beginning of the game. From the beginning, the prologue and the first chapter, the game and Makoto tries to brutally force the narrative that he is normal. But it doesn’t work and even Ryoko notices that him being « so ordinarily ordinary […] makes him strange ».

 Therefore, the intention of the game towards Makoto is to create this false narrative that he is normal and ordinary, that he is a everyman hero while he isn’t and is in fact a classical hero. That’s why the game, right from the beginning put so much emphasis to say that « Makoto is just a normal guy with just a bit of optimism ». Again, everything is made to push the narrative of that. When Makoto talked about himself, the words average or ordinary are used more than 7 times. 

But a question arise. Why Makoto doesn’t seem to know or to acknowledge his inner power ? 

It’s because he has a warped view of what normal is. That narrative of him being normal is deeply inside of him like we’ve seen in THH and causes him to ignore and severely underestimates himself. Thus, he thinks that the actions of the behavior he has, is normal and not strange, anormal. But him viewing himself as normal only strengthen what I’ve said so far. It’s so deeply anchored in him that it’s normal for him. 

Then the game isn’t about a normal boy developing to become extraordinary What it’s truly is about : the killing game is a moral test for Naegi who after the killing game came with his belief reaffirmed and refined. It’s to test if Makoto will overcome the killing game,, if he will discover his true nature.

In conclusion, Makoto is the classical hero not the everyman hero that the game tried to preach us. The mask hiding that truth is broken at the end of the first chapter when he put his faith in Sayaka despite her betrayal. That’s something that a normal person would difficulty do and it surely caused sparks in the community. From the prologue and the end of the first chapter, the game tricks us. And once that mask is broken, we see that in chapter 4, even if the player wanted to tell Kyoko what Makoto has seen, Makoto refused to tell Kyoko anything as he wants t’to prevent things to go possibly bad.

Even when the bad ending plays out after the player chooses to expose Kyoko’s lie in the fifth trial instead of having a game over screen, we see how the bad ending is in his imagination which shows that it isn’t a choice that he would have done and that he isn’t bound by the player’s will. I know that it’s primarily a tool as for not losing time for us but seeing that they’ve made intentionally so that the  bad ending is all in his head, illustrates once again this fracture between us and Makoto. As we see that Makoto is the classical hero, we will see symbolisms that Makoto represents inside the world of Danganronpa.

Symbolisms

Symbolism : Crane

Firstly, I think that the crane could also represent Makoto and his journey through the killing game. I know that people often says that Sayaka symbolizes the crane and that would be totally correct. But I feel like Makoto can also symbolize a crane too. Just like the crane, he was lost when the killing game started. Why was he chosen ? What was his place in a class where his classmates are more talented than him and have a true talent ? How could he compare to them ?

But throughout the game, Makoto began to take his flight and become more smart as the chapters goes in until he was capable to hold his on against Kyoko in chapter 5. He rediscovered every facets of himself during the killing game until he finally found, until others guide him into his true talent which is the ultimate hope. Just like the crane who was lost, Makoto was the one to get him find his way. 

It’s the same things in the killing game where Makoto discovered himself again truly until he can finally recognize his qualities as great and therefore to be really proud of himself for the first time in the killing game. Not even talking about how the crane symbolizing Makoto is correct as the crane is seen as its white color already represent not only innocence but also hope. The crane is also seen as a symbol of peace, good fortune and longevity. They are often use as an anti-war symbols during protest. 

And everything said concerning the qualities of the crane is also valid for Makoto. He does bring good fortune as it was his luck that ended up saving the world. Good Fortune was given to the world except himself the day he was accepted at HPA. 

He is also viewed as hope incarnate by the world and his whole philosophy prone a more regenerative and pacific hope than most in the universe of Danganronpa. While he hates death, he never radically opposed to the views of Munakata concerning hope. Thus, he doesn’t completely disregard that death can be considered as necessary even if he doesn’t prone that. 

Finally, he is one of the few characters that survived 2 killing game so he does have longevity for him. 

Again, he parallelizes with Sayaka as both can be seen as the crane. Sayaka at the start of the story and Makoto at the end of story, representing their initials differences before the killing game.

In addition, just like Makoto who has helped the crane to find his way in middle school, Sayaka in a way helped him to become what he is in chapter 6. Sayaka, more so her death, put him in the right track, in the right mindset in order to fight against the mastermind. 

She pushed him forward just like Makoto did back then with the crane which is supposed to represent Sayaka’s mental state at the time : lost and hurt because of everything she did and see in the industry whether the things she’s done is implied to be sexual or not. But seeing one act of kindness was enough to move her heart to such a point that she has been obsessed to see and talk with Makoto Naegi. 

That moment is parallelized with Makoto when he saw the corpse of Sayaka. He was hurt and lost. Even after seeing her corpse, he was in denial and even shout at both Togami and Mondo, people that he either fears (Mondo) or is hurt at each encounter he makes with (Togami)

Here it’s these two who tries to do the same thing that Makoto did try to do back then.

The roles are again changed. It’s a great callback to their dynamic which the crane plays an important role in it. So I think it’s fair to say that Makoto can symbolize the crane.

Symbolism : Christ (Jesus)

Next, I know some people would say why comparing him to Jesus ? Except for the banal similarities and symbolism as being the good and the genuine, there is nothing that we can compare, right? That’s what I would have told you months ago. However, I found out that intentionally or not, Makoto is a strong symbolism to Jesus and is in a way very similar to him other than being good and genuine. 

First, he incarnates light and is put in relation with genuine and gentle love through his link with Mukuro which is contrasted by her link with Junko which symbolizes toxic and poisonous love but still a genuine one. Those two people are the ones that Mukuro loves the most, the ones who are one of the most genuine characters concerning what defines them as a person. Even his former high school’s emblem seems to be star-like with the shape and the color.

There is also the fact that Makoto is intimately tied to fate and destiny, as if his life was written by the stars. His relationship to Sayaka and how both were star-crossed lovers whose fate was also written by the stars, destined to end tragically or according to Kyoko that he was fated to come to HPA to stop Junko and in a way, she isn’t wrong. Though what Kyoko said is similar to what is said about other chosen heroes, she is ironically right. 

What brought him to HPA was his luck. His luck isn’t only luck in the pure sense but also linked to destiny and fate. It’s doesn’t serve only to justifying his « plot armor » but to show how his luck played a great part in Makoto’s life. 

As we know luck is a mysterious force that seems to be far more supernatural in the world of Danganronpa. It’s not a force explained but it seems that it can be predicted by Junko as she can predict Nagito’s luck. However the luck of Makoto seems to so incomprehensible that even Junko can’t predict. Even Nagito who seems to have a more grandiose luck than Makoto said that his luck was weaker than Makoto’s

But why does I bring luck ? If luck is that unexplainable force, we can make parallels with God who is by definition incomprehensible and unexplainable. Makoto’s luck seems to be « bad luck » but only for himself but represents also a « good luck » for the world which would explain also why he survived too. 

( « bad luck for me. Good luck for the world » - answer from Kodaka account in blue sky by someone asking how Naegi’s luck feel more like bad luck). 

That same luck exist in THH and ensures that Makoto lives like we know with how the trial 5 ended for instance. But you can take that answer with a grain of salt as the answer made from Kodaka’s blue sky account are not canon but it gives us at least a part of his mind concerning Makoto’s luck.

We also know that the death of Jesus was predestined by God so just like Makoto, Jesus’s fate was also written by the stars, his fate was already written as for him becoming the Christ.

But the most glaring example is the fact that Makoto also carries their doubts and sins, symbolizing the Christ that bear all the sins of man in the Bible. 

He bears their sins by not forgetting them, by remembering them. Whether the symbolism was intentional or unintentional, it’s a great symbolism shown to us in the end of chapter 1 and throughout the game. His belief in people isn’t realistic but not too much idealistic but it’s still an hard belief to believe in and that’s why the three blackened + Sayaka couldn’t believe in that belief because it’s not rational and it’s only based in the belief of an uncertain future not a certain one.

The parallels he has with Taka makes this symbolism more striking as one was rewarded for surpassing the death of a loved one and the other one found death as a punishment for becoming a worse person and for latching to his best friend worse qualities. 

The same can even be said with Sakura that was a spy for the mastermind. Though she didn’t  do nothing, she did helped, though under pressure, Monokuma so she was on the path of « sins » but ended up following the good path by rebelling against Monokuma and gave hope for everyone and put Makoto’s belief into action. 

Again, his trust that he has, is tested once again in trial 5, where he must either trust Kyoko or not.  Not trusting her is game over but trusting her, saves him at the end, as Kyoko retrieves him. And before Kyoko saved him, he was also saved by alter-ego. Once again, it can be explained by his trust and empathy as in chapter 4, he considered alter ego as a friend and was the only one who clearly insisted on it. He was really worried over Alter-Ego and was really hurt when it died.

As we know Alter-ego is an baby AI that was created by Chihiro in the killing game even though it existed before so Makoto insisting by saying they are friends and that they will get out of here together might have influenced Alter-Ego to save him. Though it can be viewed as plot with his luck, it can be also explained by alter-ego considering Makoto as a important friend to save. 

So at each good actions or conduct, he is in a way rewarded. 

But those rewards aren’t unmerited. He underwent and was exposed to different kinds of pain, whether be losing his loved one, getting hurt, getting blamed, being trapped and almost executed. His path was not an easy one but one strewn with pitfalls. And we saw his emotions inside of him, the guilt, regret and powerlessness but he didn’t fall and it wasn’t him that declared himself as the ultimate hope but the others as considered him as much. 

Finally, he symbolizes in a way with the Christ as he symbolizes the true hope just like the Christ who incarnates the Good and salvation. It was the next step for his evolution. 

The same can be said for Jesus who, like I said previously, bearer of the sins of Man. He carried it until his death just like Naegi carried their memories until the end of the killing game. And when that death comes, he comes back to life, the third day after his crucifixion and becomes another person. Again, just like Makoto at the end of trial 5, ended up « dying » for things he didn’t commit just like Jesus but came back to life as another person : the ultimate hope and strike down the mastermind.

But that’s only in the first game so every evidences put in that game could be seen as baseless. But in the next game, one character lead me to believe that that my interpretation of mine could be right and it’s Nagito Komaeda. 

Nagito Komaeda

Nagito is interesting as in his conception, he is supposed to be a Makoto who went wrong. In his conception, he is a distorted Makoto and even his earlier design was an evil version of Makoto « just Naegi but shorter, with glasses and a black devil parka »

Kodaka described him as a person with a person with a perverted hope, conceived by contradictions and the horrors of people incapable of empathy. He also described him as being complete opposite but also amazingly similar to Makoto. 

Though Nagito isn’t simply that as his writing concerns others themes and things, taking in account how he was conceived is important too. He is more complex and the better written character though Makoto still has good, great writing but he doesn’t compare to Nagito. But while I love both character I will always prefer Makoto of course. 

Well, in addition, right from the beginning when playing Sdr2, many thought that he was Makoto Naegi, a trick used by the game so as to magnificently illustrated how different he is to Makoto later in this chapter. He is more pale, taller and a sickly voice.

But let’s analyze what bring me to talk about him. First, his name is an anagram of Makoto Naegi. 

If we take my interpretation about how Makoto symbolized Jesus and how Nagito even in his conception was thought to be an « evil Makoto » with later more nuance and themes put in the character, this anagram can symbolize  how Nagito is a perverted version of Naegi and how he is the opposite of Naegi but also similar in a way. 

The letters being all mingle together can be compared to an inverted cross and we can establish two meaning to it: 

it can symbolize Saint Peter’s desire to honor by choosing a different form of death.  He didn’t want to be killed in the same way as his lord and decided to day in a less dignified manner to not claim the glory to have died like Jesus. He is one of the twelve apostle of Jesus. So the upside down cross here means humility and unawavering faith

but the upside down nowadays has an other significance as it has been used as a anti-Christian tool in film, series. It is a sign linked to evil, to the devil. 

Considering that, most would say that the second meaning is more prevalent in this analysis but I think both can work and it will be confirmed later in the story. 

But the point where we can see all there differences and similarities is how one’s talk about hope and how their luck acts. First, hope is seen more as an abstract concept which is absolute for Nagito. 

He holds to it as his coping mechanism with how shitty his life was and how his luck makes him distance himself with others. He needs to find meaning in his life and so he find it in the concept of hope. So when he sees the ultimate students in sdr2, he doesn’t see them as individuals but as that concept incarnated. And so he tries to stir that hope so as for it becomes more powerful. 

But we see that this obsession of his is so big that it becomes almost despair but to be fair to him, he learnt that his classmates were ultimate despairs and so all his worldview about his classmates collapse. That doesn’t justified his actions but helps to understand why he is doing that. 

In contrary, Makoto’s hope is found not in the abstract concept of hope but in people. His hope fonctions because people believes in him and can trust them. It is a bilateral hope that works when trust is both sided which is why in chapter 6 of THH, he succeeds.

In his later appearance, he tries to preach his vision of hope towards everybody as we know that he wants for the world to gain courage and to give the world hope again. He is excited and that’s what Toko tells us in UDG when she talks with him. Though they seem to be distant with each other, I can confidently say that they both cared for each other as a friend. Even Syo cared as seen in dr3 when Monaca warned them about how someone will die because of Makoto. 

Concerning their luck, it works differently too. Nagito’s luck exist as a cycle of extreme luck and extreme bad luck which also symbolizes the dichotomy of hope and despair and how he develops inside the story. It is a personal luck.

Makoto’s luck as seen before in this analysis, works more as divine intervention as it saves his life when he is in danger of dying. Depending of the perspective, his luck can be seen as bad luck if we take the perspective of Makoto, an individual but it can also be seen as a good luck if we take the perspective of the world. 

His luck benefits the world in its attempts to end the evil. As said previously, it works like a divine intervention and that Devine intervention can be interpreted the will of God. It isn’t explainable by even Junko, the second most intelligent character of the series. 

But the final point that pushes me forward this, are his actions and words in chapter five where he decides to become the ultimate hope by making a final trap so as to kill all his classmates in the trial. What’s interesting is that we see his will to become the ultimate hope. He wants to become the very concept that he worshiped before. 

Taking into account the two meaning of the upside down cross that we linked to the name of Nagito being an anagram of Makoto, it gives us what Nagito was in beginning and and what he tried to become in the later stage of the game:

in the beginning, he was more as a extremist follower of hope that he preached it as if it was a god.

but at the end, he was more as a false follower, hence why I presented the second meaning. He tried to become that concept of hope which ultimately failed

His death is a botched imitation of Christ on the cross. His body is sprawled out in a similar fashion, the abdominal spear stab (Longinus) as a security measure to assure his death and the pierced hole in the hand

All of that shows us that Nagito is indeed that twisted mirror of Makoto that tried to be the ultimate hope so Jesus but it didn’t work. 

But why ? It’s because the way they preach their hope is different and because there is one fundamental difference between them and it’s the ability to redeem. As we already saw Makoto’s hope lies in people meaning that his priorities are people and not hope itself while Nagito it’s the inverse. 

That’s why we saw him not minding to sacrifice people for hope because what interests him the most is the finality as to achieve hope. But that’s ironically why he couldn’t forgive himself too when he learned the truth. That’s why he suicided himself too. It wasn’t only kill his classmates but it was also to kill himself because he couldn’t forgive himself as to why he was an ultimate despair. 

As such he doesn’t care about humanity. In brief, he can’t acknowledge despair and so failed. But he succeeds to grow beyond it after sdr2 as we saw in sdr 2.5 by finally accepting his friends and so himself at the same time thanks to Hajime in particular. 

In comparison, Makoto never became the ultimate hope because he wanted to. From the beginning, we know that Makoto always has that hope inside of him. It was said multiple times whether it be in the game or novels. Makoto’s hope lies also in redemption. His role in sdr2 shows this as he believed that those ultimate despairs are able to be redeemed so he decides to save them though their sins are heavy. 

As Junko said « despair is contagious », so Makoto is the one « to heal » that despair by acting with salvation rather than punishment and giving the « sinners » (class 77-B) a second chance that they succeeds to regain by themselves. 

Then, Makoto acknowledges despair and doesn’t let that hinder him. He tries to confront it and not run from it as seen with his oath to keep remembering his dead friends or by giving salvation to the remnants of despair.

So the big question is if Kodaka imagined all of that, right or I over analyzed it too much ? It’s left to be debated but I believe that this interpretation of mine is true. If with the first danganronpa game, we could have counted this as a mere illusion, the second game reinforced this symbolism through one character which conception is tied to Makoto. In addition, in ine of the games written by him named Akuma Drive, the protagonist became a jesus like figure after their death so it's not beyond Kodaka to use christian symbolims.

Conclusion

Like said previously, at the end, Makoto is recognized as the ultimate hope by his friends that ended up trusting him and by the world except some exceptions. He succeeds at beating the game of Junko.

But where he became the paragon was inside a game. Though society didn’t exist in the killing game, rules existed and at the end, they defeated Junko by her own terms. 

Becoming a paragon in a game is hard but not impossible. And it was at the cost of ten people and with the knowledge that the world that they knew is pretty much gone at this point. Especially for the ultimate students that honed their talent and where again asked to hone their talents at HPA because they represent hope. But those ultimate student by focusing in honing their talent were the ones who ended up being traumatized. 

Makoto, him, was able to overcome it not only because it was in his nature but also because he grew with a good family through support and love. His upbringing is also what made him the ultimate hope which is not really a talent but a state of mind as he said at the end of THH. 

Nagito comes to push that even further by being virtually a false prophet and by being conceptualized as the complete opposite but similar to Makoto. 

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! I was wondering if you had any advice/sources on how to write relationships between siblings where one has ASPD (specifically sociopathic-inclined)?

Writing Notes: ASPD Relationships

Antisocial personality disorder - a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others, criminality, impulsivity, and a failure to learn from experience.

In order to be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, an individual must show a continuing pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15, with three (or more) of the following:

Failure to conform to laws and social norms (repeatedly breaking laws).

Deceitfulness (repeated lying or conning others for personal profit or pleasure).

Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.

Irritability and aggressiveness (repeated physical fights or assaults).

Reckless disregard for safety of self or others.

Consistent irresponsibility (repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations).

Lack of remorse (being indifferent to having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another).

In addition, the individual must be at least age 18 years and there must be evidence of conduct disorder before age 15.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 5 6

Hi! Here are some signs and symptoms of ASPD you can use to guide you in writing scenes involving sibling relationships of your character with ASPD. Make them more specific to fit your story, so for example (#4), write about repeated fights with their sibling.

Here are more notes, mostly focusing on interpersonal relationships, from different sources that can guide your writing to show your character's relationship with their sibling (sources linked above). Choose which ones are most appropriate, and alter as needed for your story:

A person with antisocial personality disorder may...

exploit, manipulate or violate the rights of others

lack concern, regret or remorse about other people's distress

behave irresponsibly and show disregard for normal social behaviour

have difficulty sustaining long-term relationships

be unable to control their anger

lack guilt, or not learn from their mistakes

blame others for problems in their lives

repeatedly break the law or take part in criminal activity, but if they do, they are not sorry for their hurtful deeds

be inconsiderate of the rights of others

be deceitful and intimidating in relationships

not value "playing by the rules." They do so only if they are threatened with punishment. This attitude leads to a tendency to exploit others. They take advantage of the fairness or softheartedness of others, and they feel indifferent toward or even contemptuous of their victims.

have little, if any, ability to be intimate with another person. Any lasting relationships are likely to involve some degree of abuse or neglect.

sometimes be charming and can be good actors who use lies and distortion to keep relationships going. Some with antisocial personality disorder have no goal beyond the pleasure of deceiving or harming others.

appear to care for no one but themselves. They may be able to understand the emotions of others. But they don't suffer any shame or guilt about the pain they may be causing. Instead, they use their knowledge of others' weaknesses to gain favors or to manipulate an outcome.

not take responsibility for any of his or her own suffering. He or she may blame others when things go badly. Many with this disorder do suffer, because they can be self-defeating, and never get to enjoy the many pleasures that come to people who are better able to have mutual and satisfying relationships.

[b1asho]

Guess who got excited and wrote a lot:

Much like on earth, regional language barriers still exist, only now it’s both within one species and between the different sophonts (you may know the Prectikar equivalent to English, but do you know their Greek? Etc) they all brought a lot of different languages and cultures with them before the crash and they’re still clashing and mixing to this day.

because of the physical difficulties in speaking each others languages the way they’re meant to be spoken (some don’t have lips) there are a few bridge languages purposefully designed to be easy to speak between sophonts. Most of them are sign (which still has its own problems because not everyone has the same number of fingers that can be moved in the same ways), but there’s also vocal bridges that are made of a mishmash of compatible sounds (the most common of which is called prime, taught in DRSS schools alongside whatever the dominant language in that state is.) Many people don’t learn other languages beyond what is necessary because of time and effort, and also the low likelihood of meeting a xeno who doesn’t already speak a bridge of some kind/ the expectation that a xeno you meet will *have* to know prime or something (kind of like Americans with English )

There’s also cybernetic translators/voice makers that can help, but based on price they can be rudimentary and usually limited to one or two languages because of the time it takes to sample and synthesize a whole alien language. These are most common among humans and Cerest !

Here’s some more individualized info based on the image:

Humans are by far the most likely to trip on a xenos cultural nuances because we literally just met these guys whereas they have been aware of each other/each other’s culture norms for much longer. Fortunately, humans are also a global superpower and so anyone in the DRSS and beyond kind of has to get with the program and act a bit more human if they want to be in our good graces. So for every human out there who’ll take the time to learn another xenos language and norms and try to meet in the middle, there’s three more who’ll just walk up, smiling, and put a phone in your face with a text-to-speech app open and a butchered version of a language you don’t even speak coming out the speaker. We also have the problem of treating all of them as if they’re the same when it comes to different xeno cultures

, since most info on them we know comes from sometimes not even the majority of their population but whatever group the Cerest interacted with first/the most.

Despite having the technological might, Rossetians put their culture and values in learning first. Thus, reliance on ai translators and the like is frowned upon (if they’re going to be communicating in a xeno language raw, then it’s going to be with sign, a manual noise maker or keyboard rather than an implant or phone). Thanks to their public politeness and avoidance of making a scene, they aren’t likely to vocally rebuke any slights in public, but may still show disdain and you *will* be added to a list of undesirables later. Most of their cultures follow their westerners lead in terms of clothing and social norms, so meeting a Rossetian who’s more aligned to say the East and treating them like a westerner can cause problems (ex. The west is fine with the human handshake, which is an analog for their own on version of a hand/tongue touch as greeting. The East doesn’t do this, and bringing your appendage that close to the hand of someone you just met is like proposing to a stranger since they associate hands/arms with marriage bonds. Just go with the tail touch oh wait you don’t have a tail). They’re also likely to see you as an alien first, person second, and are thus prone to weird probing questions and pushing of boundaries.

Kixeli can be overwhelming if you aren’t ready. They have the stereotype of being air-headed, super nice/friendly, positive and upbeat, and almost childlike, something that’s not helped by their high voices, permanent ‘smile’ on their face, or the way their cues just aren’t easy to read to the other xenos/the way they exaggerate their tone or movement to be more readable (most of their natural facial expressions are with the fin and tongue, something most other species have no precedent for how to interpret), Culturally they have a focus on community and the strong bonds within it, and though they are quick to anthropomorphize and see others as Kixeli ‘comrade’ , making a deeper connection with them takes more than most people realize. They can still be insular in their own way, and even if they’re being “overly” talkative, touchy, and friendly to a stranger in our eyes, they can definitely still see you as a stranger.

Thanks to historic exploitation and dehumanization (deprectikarization?) by other xenos, Prectikar have developed a culture around avoiding other cultures to protect their own. Tribe politics is an unknown landscape to most xenos, and often places will accidentally hire people from groups that hate each other and not even know until they start brawling outside the building. This can even be true between other Prectikar who, conversely, don’t have that strong of ties to a tribe/thier own culture because of xeno influence and therefore have difficulty interacting with their own kind (this is present in all xenos but most prevalent and obvious with them) Physically, they can have some trouble pronouncing words thanks to having no teeth or tongue in their main vocal cavity (the sounds produced by their throat’s air sac are usually inaudible and very limited) which feeds into the idea that they’re the big dumb guys, while their universally deep voices, minimal/ easy to misinterpret facial expressions, and size/strength make it easy for other xenos to see them as older than their years, unfeeling, and “perfectly fit” for prolonged hard labor. Humans tend to see them as the big scary ones and avoid them in turn, and usually associate them with heavy laborers or military if they think about them at all. Cerest and Rossetians have a history of dismissing or bastardizing their culture because they’re a ‘lower’ species alongside the Kixeli. Kixeli view them as hard to reach but not impossible to befriend, something that Prectikar also mirror towards them, thanks to their shared position as the lowest class of xeno in the old and new Empire (but they can still hold those stereotypes about each other)

Cerest, unsurprisingly, are the hardest to socialize with. Humans have a lot of poor associations with them thanks to the war and also a lot of misinformation is spread about them and taken as fact (example, a lot of humans actually think that Cerest can speak almost telepathically and have a hive mind, because bugs, where they actually just communicate in non-vocal ways most of the time and have a pseudo eusocial structure. Fun fact, the ‘telepathic speech’ ability actually belongs to muttreazik, who use their worm brain to emit high frequency waves and beam them directly into each others head as ‘words’. ) Everything we know for sure about them that is uncomfortable to us is blown out of proportion, such as their child rearing standards. Yeah they have less taboo around culling their eggs and higher infant aggression than any other species, but this doesn’t mean that separating Cerest children from their unit isn’t traumatic and it doesn’t mean that they hate their own (like the government would like you to believe so that their internment camp-I mean enclave practices don’t look as bad). The only reason Cerest can make noises is a side effect of them developing lungs. It helped them communicate longer distances and emit distress calls, but is largely hard to control for them and not used that much in any of their languages. Without extensive voice training or a translator, they sound like they’re buzzing at you, which can make talking to them difficult if you only know a vocal bridge. Cerest are such a minority in the DRSS, with most units living in designated and monitored Enclaves, that no one really has the best idea of how to interact with them. When they do, you’re usually hit over the head with how cold, disdainful, and lofty they can be thanks to their cultural conditioning to see other xenos as non-people. You’re pushing them away simply by being another species. But, even if the Cerest you’re speaking to doesn’t share those ideas, literally everyone characterizes them as unfeeling robotic hateful and callous , pretty much dehumanizing them right back (deceresting???????) and pushing them away from your side. It’s a lose lose situation all the time for everyone involved.

Just now realizing that I didn’t include muttreazik. Uhhhh. Based on their resemblance to their host they either follow these rules/have the same problems or get extra problems from looking so different.

The end :)