#science is about replicating and validating studies

[anachrolady]

^ The value of understanding how to critically analyze studies, and why it's important not to just gloss over the findings.

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[cobbled-peach]

˗ˏˋ જ⁀➴ camisado

"can't take the kid from the fight, take the fight from the kid, sit back, relax, sit back, relapse again"

Part 1 | [Part 2]

cw: GN!reader. Pure angst for this one baby, literally zero comfort (I'll make it up to you in pt 2 xx). Talks of addiction, taking drugs, anxiety + panic attacks and withdrawl symptoms. (pls let me know if i missed something!!!). Both reader and Spencer sort of cannot communicate and are not slaying but they mean well a/n: this started as just a character study but I kinda fell into the deep end and got quite caught up in it so its inadvertantly a LOT more than just a character study, sand so I divided it up into something more cohesive. w/c: 5.4k

It’s impossible to prove a hypothesis.

You can run an experiment a thousand times, collect a thousand successful results, only to watch the 1001st experiment fail. Empirical data only takes you so far, giving the illusion of certainty. Until it doesn't.

Science deals in probabilities, assumptions – not guarantees. Spencer Reid knows this better than most.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when he started thinking of his addiction like a science experiment.

Maybe it was easier that way. A coping mechanism – reduction as self-defence. He could lessen the weight of it, condense something so vast and devastating into variables and charts and numbers in a feeble attempt to soften the struth. An attempt to strip it of its emotional weight and file it away under “manageable.” As if the cravings could be measured or quantified. Understood.

He frames the parameters in his mind with clinical precision. Independent variable: the drug. Dependent variable: his behavior. Control group: the version of himself from months ago, when the spiral hadn’t yet begun. Before the late nights. Before the secrets. Before the lies.

Addiction is just a problem like any other. A system which he can study, decode and master.

He creates his hypothesis: he can control it. He can use one more time, and still be fine. Each addition to his hypothesis only strengthens his willpower:

If I time it right, no one will notice. If I maintain structure, I won’t lose control. If I’m careful, my life will reman intact.

But addition doesn’t care for logic, nor does it follow the rules of scientific inquiry. It doesn’t operate within a sterile lab, patiently waiting to be measured.

There are no constants. No peer-reviewed journals to validate his pain or explain it away. There’s only the truth: the shaking in his hands, the crawling of his skin, the nausea that comes in waves, the sleepless nights that stretch into oblivion. Only the raw data of his descent: chaotic, unquantifiable and unforgiving.

The data never replicates, and the experiment keeps failing.

Again. And again. And again.

The variables start to mutate. The outcome blurs. The method falls away.

Still, he clings to the process. Records the collapse like data points, hoping objectivity will save him.

Day 6: Forgets to eat.

Day 9: Lies to Garcia about the bags under his eyes.

Day 12: The first time he brings it into the building. Doesn’t use. Just wants to know its there.

Day 16: Snaps at Prentiss mid-briefing. Doesn’t apologize.

Day 19: Blanks on a case. Morgan has to cover for him.

Day 22: Tells you it’s “just anxiety.”

Day 25: Uses before a profile. Feels sharper. Lies to himself and says it helps.

Day 28: Uses again. No excuse this time.

By now, he knows he can’t control it.

Fine. He can create a new hypothesis.

Compartmentalization. He tells himself he can seal the chaos in a box, keep the infection contained. Let the rest of his life remain untouched.

His work. His friends. You.

Especially you.

He tells himself that love and addiction can coexist, as long as they don’t overlap. As long as the two worlds remain separate. He can maintain the boundaries.

But love isn’t a constant either.

And addiction… it leaks. It slips through the cracks to taint everything it touches.

He forgets to reply to your messages. Forgets what day it is. Forgets to tune in when you speak.

He tells himself he’s tired. You tell him you’re worried. He smiles. Lies. Makes promises. You both watch as love falls into the contamination zone, becomes tangled in the variables he can’t control.

Watch as it starts to fail.

It starts like most mornings.

Spencer wakes to sunlight bleeding in through the blinds. Amber-toned light, catching dust motes in midair – it makes the room look almost serene. The sun streaks across the hardwood, illuminating coffee stains and the faded outline of where a rug used to be. Gentle, unassuming. The morning is pretending like nothing is wrong.

Outside, early traffic hums. A low, steady drone overlayed with birdsong and the sharp, impatient honk of a horn. Somewhere inside the apartment, a faucet drips in an uneven rhythm. He thinks of it like an erratic metronome, counting down time he doesn’t want to acknowledge.

He shivers. The sheets are tangled low around his legs – his doing, no doubt. He’s been tossing again. Restless, even in sleep. Maybe even more so in sleep. Dreams come with sharp edges now. Inescapable.

Your leg is resting lightly over his calf. Casual. Trusting. As if your body still believes in him, even if your mind has started to doubt.

You stir beside him, just a stretch. Your fingers graze his hand in a featherlight gesture, asking a question without a voice. He curls away in response. Rolls onto his side. Pretends to be asleep.

You don’t press. You never do. Not anymore.

You just rise, silent and soft, padding across the cool floor toward the bathroom. There’s the familiar clink of your toothbrush, a muffled yawn, the gentle hum when you finish. He used to join you for this. Brushing teeth side by side, heads bowed under the mirror light, elbows bumping and smiles shared. He always thought that was one of the most intimate things a couple could do – a quiet, unspoken routine shared between two people.

Today, he just stays in bed, weighted by guilt. Anchored to the mattress, hoping it’ll keep him from drifting. The drug is still in his system, softening the world and smoothing the edges that keep cutting him open.

You move to the kitchen next. Cupboards creak and mugs clink. The coffee machine whirs, beginning its little dance. The scent of coffee reaches him moments later. Overly sweet – his favorite. You always remember. He never asks.

He pushes himself upright, legs over the edge of the bed and feet meeting the cold floorboards. He imagines walking into the kitchen with you. Imagines wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his chin on your shoulder the way he used to. Imagines you leaning into him, whispering a song under your breath.

Instead, he stays where he is. Elbows on knees, head in hands. The light seems colder now that he’s facing it directly. Less gold, more white-blue. Less morning, more mourning.

He strains to hear you. The soft thud of your footsteps, the sound of cups and cabinets, your soft breath. The peaceful repetition of a ritual he used to be a part of, but now avoids and observes from afar.

Spencer wishes you would hate him. It would make things simpler. Cleaner. He wishes you’d scream, or cry, or slam the door and tell him to go to hell. Wishes you’d throw a mug just to watch it shatter.

But you don’t. You never do. You just remain; quiet and present.

Hopeful, maybe. Or resigned.

Last night had been bad.

The tremors came again, starting in his fingers and crawling up his hands and arms like static. He blamed the case. Said he felt “off.” The lie came so easily, as they all did lately. He crawled into bed, trying not to vomit or shake the mattress.

You didn’t say a word. You left a glass of water o the nightstand. Crawled in beside him. Pressed a kiss to his shoulder. The gesture broke him a little more.

He could hear the unspoken questions, the palpable worry in your body despite you saying nothing.

But what help can you offer someone who won’t accept it? How can you save a man who insists he isn’t struggling?

His mind feels quiet now, though. Usually spinning in overlapping questions and unrelenting memory, it’s finally still. False peace. A chemical silence.

He tells himself that his planned retreat is love. Letting you go before he destroys you completely.

He’s rehearsed it in his mind like a script. Over and over. A breakup: surgical and precise, a clean and final incision.

Version one: He says, “I can’t do this. It’s not your fault.” You cry quietly. Nod. Let him leave. He walks away without looking back.

Version two: You already know. You’ve known he was planning this for weeks. You tell him it’s okay. That you understand. That you love him. He ends up on the floor, sobbing. Can’t let go. Doesn’t leave. Prolongs the pain even more.

Version three: You scream. You throw something – maybe a glass. You call him a coward. He welcomes it, embraces the heat. It makes him feel real. Makes the leaving easier. Makes him feel like he isn’t the only villain in the story.

He’s practiced every scenario.

A thousand internal rehearsals. Different lines. Different outcomes.

Only one of them will break the cycle.

He doesn’t hear you come back in, but suddenly you’re there, setting his coffee down on the bedside table with the softest clink, like you’re trying not to wake him even though he’s already up, stiff-spined and quiet.

‘Spence?’

Your voice is thick with sleep, but still laced with warmth. It twists something deep in his chest.

He swallows. His mouth is dry, like he’s been breathing through it all night. Almost like his body is trying to cough out whatever truth he keeps trying to choke down.

‘Sorry,’ he says, though he doesn’t know what for. A pre-emptive apology, maybe. A reflex. ‘What time is it?’

‘Almost eight.’

The sheets rustle as you sit beside him. The mattress dips beneath your weight, and he feels the subtle pressure of your presence before your chin touches his shoulder. Light and familiar, just resting against him.

He flinches. Barely, but enough.

You feel it. Don’t pull away.

‘Is everything okay? Is this about the case?’

It’s not. You both know its not.

He considers lying anyway. Considers giving you numbers. He could offer up statistics about trauma and cognitive decline. Something familiar and in the realm of fact, clean and clinical and easy to categorize.

But nothing comes out.

Silence answers for him. It stretches between you, getting thinner by the second.

He counts seven seconds exactly before you shift away from him. He records it like a data point, adding it to the line in his ever-growing graph of failure.

You lean back against the headboard, wrapping your fingers around your mug. You sip it slowly. The smell of his own coffee reaches him again. Sweet and familiar. Grounded in a time before everything broke.

Your movements are careful. Each shift, every breath, calibrated around him like you’ve mapped his problems and have built your mornings around avoiding them. You’re not naturally quiet in the mornings. He knows that. You’d sing sometimes, badly and too loud, and bang drawers open without care. But now you measure each movement, minimizing the noise because you know it unsettles him when he’s wound too tight.

Another thing he hates. You adjust, without even being asked.

He joins you after a long moment, settling beside you. Not close enough to feel the warmth from your body. His eyes fall to the mug you selected for him. His mug, in your apartment. The faded yellow one, that’s more a dull cream than anything now.

He left it here by accident over a year ago, when weekends were tentatively spent in each other’s presence. Fresh and new. He remembers when he first found noticed it tucked in your cabinet between your own mismatched sets. His chest had gone still and warm.

Now it just feels like a piece of evidence. Proof that he’s infiltrated a life he doesn’t belong in. An outlier in your apartment.

He doesn’t reach for it right away. When he finally does, his hands tremble.

Your eyes flick down. That’s all it takes.

And suddenly you’re both back there. Three months ago. His apartment. Your hand wrapped around his wrist. Eyes wide with something deeper than fear. You were crying, but so softly that he almost didn’t register it. The needle had been on the counter, hidden beneath a tissue like something sacred and shameful all at once. A relic he didn’t know how to bury.

There had been begging. On both sides.

You telling him that it was dangerous. That you were scared. That he was killing himself slowly.

Him promising (over and over and over) that this was the last time. That he’d stop. That you couldn’t tell his team.

You’d desperately searched for solutions, tried to jump hurdles and find ways to help without exposing the situation to his team, to the world. You’d lost count of how many times you’d hit dead ends.

He continued with his promises. Seemed to get better for a while, but inevitably sunk down again. You wanted to believe he could get better. Maybe part of you did.

‘So,’ you say, voice softer now. It drags him back to the present like a lifeline, though he wishes he’d remain drowning. ‘You didn’t sleep?’

It’s phrased as a question, but it’s not. It’s a gentle accusation.

‘I slept some,’ he lies.

You don’t believe him. How could you? The evidence is all there. Red-rimmed eyes, sunken cheeks, a slow, syrupy fatigue that not even coffee can fix.

You nod, but your silence screams.

He sips his coffee. Too sweet. Perfect.

It tastes of normalcy. He watches the sun paint your shoulder – still cold, but warmer now it’s touching you. For a second he wants to pretend. Pretend this morning is just like any other, that he’s still the man who deserves your soft kindness.

But then you say, suddenly and very quietly:

‘I found something this morning.’

You don’t say what. You don’t need to.

He freezes. The blood drains from his face. The bathroom bin.

He’s been sloppy lately. Too tired to be cautious. Except this time it was perfectly planted. An excuse to initiate the end.

‘Do you hate me?’ he asks.

‘No.’ It’s immediate. Truthful. Your voice cracks anyway.

Your body folds in on itself, curling your arms around your knees, mug forgotten on the nightstand. Forging a shield around yourself. It makes you look smaller than usual. More fragile.

And in that shape, he sees it. Not anger. Not resentment. But heartbreak.

A slow, dull heartbreak. Bruised and tarnished. Despite it, you’re still here. Still hoping. Still loving him through the destruction.

Spencer stands abruptly. The weight pressing down on his chest has become too heavy, the consequences of his actions gaining in on him. Your apartment suddenly feels too small, Suffocating. He escapes to the kitchen, clutching his coffee mug.

‘Spence—’

You rise immediately and follow him. The way you say his name is tentative and fragile, like the first crack in a piece of glass. The first real fluctuation in his carefully controlled experiment.

He ignores you, pretending not to hear, and allows himself to be carried by the momentum of his own restlessness and panic. The ceramic of his mug feels too heavy, his nerve endings too attuned to the realness of it. When he sets it down, the sound echoes unnaturally loud. A shout in the silence.

‘Spencer.’

Your voice holds more weight this time. It’s a deliberate attempt to break through the barrier he’s created.

He exhales sharply through his nose. ‘What?’

You take a cautious step forward. Not accusing, just trying to close the ever-widening space between you.

‘Talk to me. Please.’

‘I am.’ His words are hollow as he gestures between you. ‘We’re talking.’

‘No, you’re avoiding,’ you correct, unwilling to back down. ‘I want to know what I can do for you. I can find you a new support group—’

His hands rise as he blocks out the rest of your words, pressing his palms firmly to his eyes. An attempt to press his feelings back inside. He fights the rising tide of panic and shame. Fights all the words threatening to spill out. Fights himself.

Fails.

‘I’ve tried!’ The calm snaps as his voice cracks, a sharp edge to his words that surprises even him. He pulls inward again, as if shielding himself from his own confession. It’s out in the open.

He feels sick – whether it’s the drug wearing off, or the anxiety squeezing his chest, he can’t tell.

‘I know…’ you begin, gentle, trying to reach him.

‘I tried,’ he repeats. His voice is softer. Desperate now. Raw. ‘I really did try. You think I wanted this? I don’t—’

‘Then let me in,’ you cut in, voice measured despite the frown on your face. ‘Let me help. Stop trying to get through this on your own.'

He grits his teeth. ‘I’m trying to protect you.’

‘From what? From you? You’re not the danger here, Spence. The silence is. Your lack of communication is. I don’t want to get you in trouble but you’re not leaving me with many options—’

He shakes his head. Starts pacing the kitchen like an animal in a cage. ‘You don’t get it.;

‘Then help me get it.’

‘You can’t!’ His voice cracks, and his hands tremble at his sides. He worries that he’s going to start crying. They already feel glassy, starting to sting, but he refuses to break down so early on.

‘Can’t what?’

‘You can’t understand what it’s like in my head. It’s loud. All the time. Noise and chaos and—’ His voice falters. He blinks away the building tears. ‘And I can’t get it to be quiet. The only time it’s silent is when I—’

He cuts himself off too late. The words hang in the air.

When I have it in my veins.

It’s not news. It never is. But it still hears to hear. Still lands like a punch to the gut.

You close your eyes, steading your breath and swallowing the sting of it. A moment to process, and then you exhale shakily.

‘I love you,’ you say, voice trembling. The truth, used as a mechanism to get him to see reason. A desperate attempt to pull him back to safety.

‘Don’t.’

‘What?’

‘Don’t say that right now.’

‘Why?’

‘Because it makes this harder,’ he says.

‘This?’

He doesn’t answer.

The fierceness that takes over you then is startling. Shocking even to him.

‘No.’ You straighten, and your hands ball into fists at your sides. ‘Tell me. Tell me what you mean. Because I’m so tired of trying to decipher your half-sentences and prematurely ended conversations.’

He swallows hard. The silence suffocates the two of you.

‘I think we should break up.’

The wors fall like shards of glass. Sharp. Brutal. Irrevocable.

No rehearsed sincerity. No apology. Just the brutal truth. The 1001st experiment – failing harder than he could’ve ever predicted.

‘You’re really going to do this?’ you ask, voice breaking as you stare at him like he’s morphed into a stranger in just a few seconds. ‘You’re really going to do this now?’

Behind the hurt in your expression is confusion. You don’t understand. How can he push you away when he needs you the most? When he needs the support and guidance?

He nods once. Empty. Silent. The air seems to vanish, completely sucked from the room.

‘You think walking away is protecting me?’ It comes out as a demand, bottom lip trembling so hard it’s difficult to speak. ‘That—what? Making me sit here alone, wondering what I could’ve done differently—is going to help me?’

‘It’s not about you.’

‘That’s bullshit.’ The words bite, and he feels like he’s been struck by a whip. ‘Everything you do affects me, Spencer. Every time you lie. Every time you shut me out. I’m constantly hoping you’ll throw me just a scrap of truth. Just one honest thing.’

He takes a moment to look at you. To observe the cracks in your armor, the exhaustion behind your eyes.

And he knows: he’s breaking you.

‘I’m trying to protect you,’ he repeats. His voice holds no weight now, feeling threadbare.

‘Then talk to me,’ you plead, your voice breaking around the edges. ‘Let me in. Let me be in it with you. That’s what a relationship is, Spencer.’

‘I can’t.’ His jaw tightens. ‘I don’t want you to watch me fall apart.’

‘I already am watching. I have been. For months.’

The words land like a punch. He doesn’t outwardly flinch, but you see something change behind his eyes. It’s like the breath has been knocked out of him, and he’s trying not to show it.

If he could rewind time, he would.

Five minutes – so he could stop himself from saying the words that fractured this moment.

Five weeks – so he could prevent himself from taking and erase every relapse he never told you about.

Five months – to a Monday morning where he didn’t curl away from your touch, but welcomed you against his chest with open arms.

But time isn’t a variable he can control.

So he stays frozen. Like the stillness will ground him. If he doesn’t move, maybe the moment won’t progress forward.

Your face is unreadable now. He hates that. That’s what cuts deepest, he thinks. He used to be able to read you like a book. Once, he could even name every emotion before you even spoke it aloud – guilt in the twitch of an eye, love in a half-formed smile. Now, all he sees is distance. A stranger across the room. A closed door where open windows used to be.

‘I don’t want to fight,’ he says quietly. Final.

A beat of silence.

‘So that’s it?’

‘I can’t keep pulling you under with me,’ he says it. That line is rehearsed. It comes out sounding practiced, like it’s been spoken too often in the mirror. Even so, it lands jagged and half-shattered, just like everything else he’s touched lately.

There’s no screaming. No slammed fists or doors. Just something hollow. A quiet devastation. You feel it crack open your chest, the silence louder than any argument.

You take a step back. Not from anger, but from instinct. A recoil. He watches the moment with a clenched jaw, eyes misty like he’s already halfway gone.

Maybe if he yelled, things would make more sense. Maybe if he cried, you could believe that breaking up was hurting him too. But he just stands there. Still. Detached. Resigned.

‘Breaking up…’ You say the words carefully, like it physically hurts to speak them. ‘You don’t mean it.’

‘I do.’

‘No, you don’t.’ He’s unsure if you’re trying to convince yourself or him. ‘You’re just scared.’

He shrugs. Defeated. ‘Maybe. But that doesn’t make what I’m saying untrue. I’m breaking up with you.’

‘I don’t need you to be perfect, Spencer,’ you say, stepping toward him. ‘I just need you. The you who spoke to me. The you who let me carry even a little bit of the weight.’

He shakes his head. The words fall out bitter and painful. ‘You think this—’ he gestures vaguely between you, hand faltering mid-air, ‘—is a relationship? This is a time bomb. Every relapse, every lie – I drag you with me. And I can’t keep doing that to you.’

‘You don’t get to decide what I can or can’t handle.’

‘Yes, I do,’ he says. His voice cracks under the strain and his hands tremble now. ‘Because when you look at me like I’m breaking your heart by just existing—’ He stops. Swallows hard. ‘It kills me. I’m not putting you through that again.’

You throw your hands up. Not angry, just wrecked. The tears come slow at first, before you can even realize you’re crying, like your mind is still trying to pretend things might be okay, but your body knows it’s not.

‘Stop acting like what you’re doing is noble, Spencer,’ you whisper. ‘Stop weaponizing love to justify walking away.’

‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

The silence after is deafening.

You don’t say what you’re thinking. Too late. You already have.

Instead, the two of you just stand there, not touching, not moving. The faucet drips lamely behind you. The birds continue singing outside. Oblivious, out of place – not caring that your world is falling apart.

‘Please.’

It comes from you finally. Your voice is so low it nearly disappears into the air between you. You aren’t begging. Not really. It’s something smaller than that. A final chance.

‘I don’t know how to be better,’ he admits, voice as quiet as yours. ‘I want to. I swear, I want to. But I don’t know how.’

‘Then let me help.’

You close the gap between you. A few fragile steps that feel like miles. When you stop, it’s with your heart wide open and bared. Your hands lift, almost touching him, but not quite. He leans in, forehead resting against yours.

His hands remain clenched into fists at his sides. He knows that if he touches you, really touches you, he’ll stay. And if he stays, he’ll keep breaking your heart into smaller, sharper pieces.

‘I’m sorry,’ he murmurs, tone just shy of grief. ‘I wish there was a gentle way to leave you.’

And that’s when you feel it. The subtle shift. The air in the room changing. A certain ending.

It doesn’t end with a scream. It doesn’t end with a slammed door. It ends in the space between your bodies. In barely held restraint. In the inch he keeps between your hands.

Then he steps back, and the moment breaks.

You don’t follow. He doesn’t look back.

When he leaves, you let him go.

He doesn’t slam the door, though he wishes he could.

He wishes there was a clean, decisive sound. Something loud enough to match the shattering in his chest. Something final.

But there’s only a soft click as the door eases shut behind him, the apartment trying not to wake the grief sleeping in its corners.

He stands in the hallway. Motionless. It smells faintly like burned toast and over-watered plants. A dog barks from a floor below. The banality of it – the normalcy – makes him want to scream.

He counts his steps, just to drown out everything else in his mind.

Seven to the elevator. Ten seconds down. Twenty-four more to the front door of the building. The mundanity makes him cringe. Something should be stopping him from walking out. It shouldn’t be this easy.

He catches his reflection in the glass of the door. A brief flicker. He looks away before the mirror can accuse him, before he can see the guilt in his eyes.

You’re still upstairs. Maybe on the couch. Maybe still standing where he left you. He hopes you’ve stopped crying. Knows the tears are probably still falling.

When he steps out onto the street, the morning hits him harder than expected. Too bright. Too warm. The lightness feels unfair. A child is laughing down the block. Somewhere, a child laughs. A care radio blasts a pop song. The world is still going, indifferent to how he’s feeling.

The world hasn’t ended. Not for them.

He takes a deep breath, hoping the air will ground him. Fill his lungs and center him. It doesn’t. So he walks. Not fast, and not with purpose.

He just moves, one foot in front of the other, and hopes the momentum will save him. Like distance will undo the damage.

Still no particular destination. Work, maybe. He’s due in, he thinks. He just knows he can’t go back to you, even if that’s where his heart wants to go.

The air bites at is skin. Colder now that he’s moving. Maybe it just feels that way because he’s raw, stripped of the warmth that lived in your voice, your touch, your home. He starts to move faster, hoping the breakup won’t catch up with him.

Halfway down the block, it starts.

A too-shallow breath. A heartbeat that comes too fast. A tremor that doesn’t start in his hands, but originates from somewhere deeper. Somewhere ungraspable. He blinks rapidly, trying to control the way his chest won’t open up properly.

He rounds a corner too sharply. His vision warps at the edges. Every footstep feels like it echoes, the street unstable beneath him.

His own name flickers in his mind like static. He tried to ground himself in language, in familiarity, pleading for it to pull him back from whatever this is.

I’m not okay. I’m not okay. I’m no okay.

His pulse thuds unevenly. His ribs feel like they’re contracting, his chest turning to stone. The air won’t come in properly. He opens his mouth, gasps in ragged drags of oxygen. It feels like he’s breathing through a piece of gauze.

Somehow, though he doesn’t remember the walk there, he finds himself outside the BAU building.

He grips the brick wall beside the entrance like it’s the only thing holding him upright. His knees buckle and his slides down, curling in on himself. His arms brace across his knees – still clothed in soft pajamas – and he hangs his head low.

He’s trying not to fall apart in public. Trying not to be a problem. But the breaking inside is too loud. He looks insane, probably. Can’t bring himself to care.

He gasps again, and presses a hand to his chest. The other grips at his hair.

Parasympathetic regulation. He knows the terms. Tells himself he can breathe. Four-count inhale. Five-count exhale. He keeps losing count.

He digs his palms into his eyes. He wants to vanish into the dark behind his eyelids, wants the pressure to stop the noise. He wants to erase the world. Wants to go back.

A sound escapes him. One that is part breath, part sob. Low and fragile and unfamiliar.

Then:

‘Reid?’

He doesn’t respond. Just keeps breathing – or, trying to.

Footsteps. Quick and purposeful.

The voice again, closer. ‘Spencer?’

He hears it clearer this time. Morgan.

And then Morgan is there, crouched beside him without hesitation. Morgan doesn’t say much. He doesn’t freak out of panic. He just stays. Solid and steady.

‘Hey,’ he says gently. ‘Breathe. You’re okay. You’re right here with me, alright?’

Spencer wants to nod. Wants to speak. But his breath stutters again, getting caught. Morgan mirrors a breath. Slow. Deliberate. Exaggerated.

‘In and out with me, Pretty Boy. One—two—three—’

A pause. Breathing in unison.

‘That’s it,’ Morgan says, voice softly coaxing. ‘Keep going. I’ve got you.’

Spencer latches onto the rhythm. Not perfectly. Not easily. But slowly. His heartbeat begins to come down from its frantic pounding.

He leans his head back against the cool brick wall. Lets it ground him. Still shaky, but better.

‘I can’t… I can’t go in,’ he rasps. His voice sounds foreign in his own mouth. Dry and hoarse and cracked.

‘That’s okay,’ Morgan says immediately. ‘We don’t have to move. We’ll just sit here.’

And they do.

The silence between the isn’t empty. It’s full of everything Spencer can’t say yet. He grips his knees until his knuckles turn white.

‘I think…’ He swallows. ‘I think I broke it. Whatever I had, I ruined it. I told them…’ his voice catches as he takes another gulp of air. ‘I just left them.’

Morgan doesn’t ask questions. He just listens.

Spencer closes his eyes again, not to shut Morgan out, but to try and hold something inside. He feels it cracking anyway. Slowly. A quiet and ruinous cave-in.

No tears fall. He doesn’t have the energy left for that. He just sits with the ache. The guilt. The weight.

Someone walks into the BAU behind them. The buzz of the door opening and closing. Footsteps fading away. Spencer keeps his head down throughout.

Morgan rests a hand on his shoulder. It’s not heavy. Just present. And Spencer doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t recoil. Just breathes.

They sit like that as the sun rises higher, casting long shadows on the sidewalk. The world keeps going. The day unfolds without waiting. They remain together. Breathing in sync. Still and unmoving, because motion might shatter what’s left of Spencer’s composure.

Spencer thinks about his hypothesis again.

You can run the experiment a thousand times and get the same result.

But it only takes one failure to prove you were never in control.

if you made it this far, thank you for reading!! I rewrote and edited this so many times i think i went crazy and decided this was the best it would be!!! I have a taglist now! Please comment if you want to be added, or go to this post here. taglist: @abbyy54 @curatedbylucy @cynbx @enchantedtomeetcoffee @goobbug @internallysalad @jeuj @leparoleontanee @mrs-cactus69 @readbyreid @redorquid @santinstar @shortmelol @thoughtwriter @whitenoisewhatanawfulsound @written-in-the-stars06

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

curious about your take on riddle's dream. i have seen people en masse claim that riddle yearns to a deliquent/"if he wasn't traumatized, he would be in a pop music club" and... it feels like such a literal interpretation (although there are some who are obv just joking) to the point of misinterpretation? i'm not very invested in riddle's story arc, but to me it read like a pretty clear "what if i was the worst version of myself (which riddle has been raised to see as being disobedient) and i was still loveable".

[You can read my thoughts on the book 7 chapter 12 part 3 update here!]

I think there’s a lot of different ways to interpret the dreams because of how… vaguely they’re written + their length + every player coming into the dreams with their own experiences which inform their POVs. For this reason, I don’t feel comfortable outright stating X or Y interpretation is “wrong”, and nor do I wish to be used as a means to validating one interpretation over the others. All I’m going to do this ask is explain how I personally interpreted Riddle’s dream. That’s all.

I don’t think Riddle wants to be a delinquent; this would be conflating a child’s desires to that of a delinquent. Yes, Riddle was detained be a police officer—but not for any violence or serious criminal actions. He was detained for singing in front of the police station (without a license) and causing a public disturbance (because of his amplifiers). Furthermore, Riddle doesn’t engage in any other criminal behaviors (unless you count not going to school, but a minor isn’t usually held liable for that; the onus is on his parents for not sending him). I think it would be more accurate to say that Riddle’s wishes are very child-like ones. He wants to be able to play with his friends all day, he ignores studying and obeying rules, he can eat tarts and drink sugary tea whenever he wants, he has doting parents that are always emotionally there for him, etc. These are not marks of delinquency, they are the innocent longings of an inner child that never got to be recognized.

While I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Riddle would be in Pop/Light Music Club had he had a more lenient mother, I do think that Riddle would want to explore creative outlets. He is noted as having a very strong imagination, but is limited in his life experiences and struggles to think for himself or to act outside of the concrete, as is defined by rules and laws. If these restraints were loosened up and he had actually been allowed and encouraged to explore other avenues, he might have found an interest in the arts and expressing himself through that. It could be a visual medium, a written medium, a musical medium, whatever.

I think music is what we jump to right away because he has a band in the dream, but I could easily see him dabbling in other areas too. Maybe music was chosen because it’s a group activity, and Riddle longs to be that setting. A happy family, a boy with lots of friends, you name it. You could also argue that Riddle went with music because that’s what he knew from his dorm members. Adeuce are in athletic clubs, which Riddle is sort of rubbish at, and Trey is in Science Club, which of course covers topics Riddle would already be studying irl. Cater’s club is the only one with a significant degree of creativity allowed. Riddle might have based his hobby in the dream off of Cater’s experiences. One telltale detail that supports this theory is that Riddle mentions people keep leaving because the band can’t stick to one genre, which is also true of Cater’s irl Pop/Light Music Club. Another thing to consider is that Riddle is able to conjure the look of delicious cakes and cookies but not replicate the taste because he’s not familiar with it. You could say this is also true of his being in a band. He looks the part, but we never hear him participating in it—perhaps because Riddle could have seen Cater rushing to a club meeting in his outfit, but not have actually heard him play. Therefore, it’s possible that Riddle’s dream is just pulling from his shallow understanding of what “being in a band” is about… the camaraderie of it. This, again, loops us back to Cater’s relationship with his fellow club members. It’s less about the actual playing and more about the vibes and hanging out with one another. Maybe Riddle heard stories from Cater about this and got curious? This same logic applies to other aspects of his dream. He seems to emulate what he has heard from his dorm members in general. Loving parents who are there for him (like Trey), the bout of delinquency (like Deuce), the ability to speak his mind (like Ace). Riddle is wanting to be more like his peers, who were able to have “normal” experiences. To me, it feels like he used his dorm members as templates (which he combined with his own desire to have a fulfilling childhood) because Riddle himself doesn’t have a clear concept of what it means to live freely. After all, he only has like 1-2 months of playing with Trey and Chenya to go off of compared to a few years with his Heartslabyul classmates.

As I said earlier in this post, I don’t think the Riddle we see in the first layer of his dream is meant to be “the worst version of himself” or “Riddle but disobedient”; it reads as more of Riddle indulging in everything he missed out on in his childhood. Sweets, parental love, playing all day with friends, loudly and openly expressing himself through music, exploring creative ventures, making happy memories… I don’t believe these are bad things or borne out of Riddle wanting to be rebellious or disobedient, they’re just consequences of acting like a kid.

I do find it interesting that so many aspects of himself were entirely written over. However, I don’t see it as Riddle thinking he has to be a different person (as in, having a different personality?) in order to be worthy of love. Riddle was definitely still able to make friends as a child even with the quiet personality he had then. It was possible. Nothing in his backstory makes me think Riddle believes he wasn’t deserving of love—but he may think that love has to be earned, that love is conditional. And what is that condition? Following the rules, obeying, performing well in exams. That’s what he was taught would earn him success and his mother’s love and that’s what he enforced in early book 1. I think… Riddle definitely wants to be someone else, but in the sense that he wants to be born into different circumstances. Parents that get along, a dad that has time for him, a mom that dotes on him, no magic, no expectations to shoulder, lax rules, etc. This ties in with Riddle wanting to live the childhood he feels he never had. A childhood where he had no friends, where he studied all the time, where his mother calorie counted for him, where he was not allowed to play video games or watch movies, where he was not allowed to choose his own clothes or career or anything. Several of these sentiments were expressed post-OB.

Now that being said, everything I just discussed covers only the first layer of Riddle’s dream. I see the idea of Riddle thinking he has to be someone else coming through a little stronger in the second layer of his dream. That’s the part where everyone is being chased through the destroyed rose maze. Here, we see a much more extreme and even more domineering Riddle than what we saw in book 1. He lords over his students such that even his versions of Ace and Deuce have fallen into line and mindlessly follow his commands. The mob students are scared of him—and though Riddle is aware of it, he is content. They salute him and praise him for his iron fist. He is the most correct, after all. He is ruling just as his mother would, he is being the person his mother wants him to be.

This is expanded upon further in the third layer of his dream, in which he faces his inner darkness. Riddle confronts the truth: that he is desperate to cling onto the dorm leader seat, because that’s all he has going for him. He has driven away his classmates, who fear him and resent him. There’s his mother, but she has not granted him the affection he craves, and her approval is conditional. He is alone and unloved. This potentially recontexualizes details seen in earlier layers. Why is Riddle in a band? Maybe because he wants to be like Cater, who seems easygoing and approachable. Why does Riddle live many other aspects of his dorm members’ lives? Why do the characters conjured by Riddle’s darkness to fully believe that Cater wants to transfer to Scarabia—a dorm known for having a friendly and relaxed leader? It could suggest an insecurity in Riddle, a worry that he, as he is, is not enough. Not smart enough for his mother’s approval, not kind or cheery or normal enough to make friends. So all he has is his crown, which he reverently claims to. It’s one of the few things he has to call his own, a decision he made for himself and something he earned through his own merit.

But ultimately, I see Riddle’s truest desire as… being his own person, having his own independence and things he chose for himself. Not letting himself be ruled by the shadow of his mother. (His Phantom fittingly seems to dangle him on strings, as if Riddle is its puppet or marionette.) It doesn’t mean complete chaos or anarchy, and it doesn’t mean being like other people. It means defining his own rules for how he should live. Walking forward on his own path. Making his own identity, not tied down to that of his mother. Riddle is so used to being to do what to do or how to be—by his mom, by some arbitrary set of rules. The fact that he confesses to the things he actually wants after his OB… that he wants to stand up to his mother over winter break… that he confronts the dream version of his mom with the declaration that he will open this door with his own hand, that he will walk forward on his own path… I think that says a lot.

…. Weeeeell, like I said at the start, that’s one interpretation 🤷‍♀️ It’s not necessarily “correct”, and it’s liable to change (especially since all of this information is still very fresh; I’m still taking the time to digest it myself). The wibbly wobbly dream magic is open enough to invite all kinds of interpretations, so I encourage you to take this all with a grain of salt and to come to your own conclusions?

I think it’s interesting that it’s Riddle’s dream that has resulted in many different interpretations, especially on the English speaking side? I wonder if that’s because the average EN player skews younger, so those fans can relate a lot with the struggle for identity and finding freedom from one’s parents, even if their circumstances aren’t exactly the same as Riddle’s. We project our own experiences and feelings onto Riddle, which informs our interpretation of his dream.

[sophieinwonderland]

r/systemscringe: "Just because all the papers agree you can be plural without a disorder doesn't mean endos are real"

This was their response to this post of mine.

And it is truly wild!

A lot of endogenic systems are, in fact, plural for spiritual reasons. So if "all the papers agree" that some spiritual practices cause plurality then that's clearly validation of a lot of endogenic and mixed origin systems.

The second line goes on to... seemingly dismiss all spiritual plurality as racism? Is that right? That seems to be the only way that makes sense as a logical follow-up to them just casually mentioning that ALL THE PAPERS AGREE that spiritual practices can cause plurality. So therefore, the only way the racism line could argue against endogenic plurality is to say that it's all racist.

Which raises a question... do you just believe literally every culture that practices spirit possession is a closed culture??? Do you believe that all of these different cultures, across the globe, somehow share ownership over the concept of possession itself and no one else can touch it?

Like, you surely do realize there are a ton of neopagans practicing mediumship and spirit channeling right now with no direct ties to any specific culture.

Do you think these people are appropriating aspects of other cultures just by practicing possession?

(Also... if you believed these spiritual practices were indeed working with actual, literal spirits, it would be pretty weird if all the spirits in the worlds only chose to commune with people of specific cultures.)

The more I look at this comment, the more absurd and ridiculous it is!

Spirituality vs Psychology

Up above, I only talked about spirituality. But let's talk about tulpamancy for a moment.

Tulpamancy, to catch everyone up, is a Western practice that is largely not spiritual, and is viewed through a psychological lens. In one study, only 8.5% of tulpamancers agreed with purely metaphysical explanations for their tulpas compared to 76.5% with purely psychological views.

And this raises a new issue.

Because the papers aren't just affirming that spiritual practices are plurality. They're also affirming that tulpamancy, a largely psychological practice, is plurality as well.

And we have an actual fMRI study with review pending that can show that these sorts of phenomena have real effects on the brain, and that they can happen without any spiritual beliefs whatsoever.

And you can argue that this scientifically-recognized practice is appropriation if you want because it draws its etymology from another culture's spiritual practice. I personally think that's ignorant and is like saying "Hurricane" is appropriation because the word came from a Native American term for storm gods. But simply arguing that something might be offensive doesn't invalidate the science.

Whether you like the name or not, there is still a psychological practice that replicates the a lot of the experiences of spiritual plurality, without any spiritual belief whatsoever.

Big takeaways:

All the papers support endogenic plurality.

Tulpamancy studies are showing that experiences thought to be exclusive to spirituality can be experienced without any spiritual beliefs whatsoever.

r/systemscringe continues to be the most ridiculous hive of fools on the internet.

[benkaben]

I mean, show me the studies!

If there's really such differences between humans because of their genitals, show me then!

Show me the evil hormone you lack, show me the one that makes you just and fair, show me the verified experiments that prove you're incapable of harm, show me how they were repeated in México and Madagascar!

Show me then, teach me how we will all forever be tainted by cruelty and evilness because we've all been conceived with at least some devil... "male" help.

Oh? Haven't we heard this story before? Something about an apple and a sin, I believe...

Oh but you're right! Yours is different because it's factual science, not those silly fairytales of all mighty reality creators, of course!

No no, go ahead, show me, prove me, teach me, point at the research, replicated and duplicated and validated and unchangeable, that finally shows us all, deviants and freaks, the gene that makes you holy, divine femenine.

| Sanctified Science | B. A.

[granulesofsand]

Y’all, CDDs are underresearched. Most of psychology is when it comes to western medicine, and that’s how we’re approaching this.

It’s less of an information issue than a communication issue. People make blanket statements about disorders and then act like there is no deviation.

The general population doesn’t always believe DID is a thing, and within our own communities we dismiss any presentation deemed “too much” or “not enough”.

We aren’t validating everyone, which is the key need for science at all— ya know, explaining observable experiences. Citing resources shouldn’t depend on a person’s ability to sift through bullshit, and a lot of old papers are very out of date.

When I can open my search engine or go to my local library and find myself and my community represented, I’ll agree that we’re on the right track. But that isn’t true right now, so stop telling me it’s well and fine.

A few topics that we don’t know enough about: polyfragmentation and structures, multiplicity vs division, endogenic systems, dissociation in full, I can keep going.

One study is not enough. I want to see replication, case studies, unbiased opinions as far as we can get them. Medicine doesn’t know shit as it is, and it doesn’t get better by sitting down and kicking our feet up.

[vijaysethupati]

Reproducibility in Clinical Science: The Next Frontier

In recent years, the phrase “Reproducibility in Clinical Science: The Next Frontier” has gained traction as a clarion call for transformation in how we conduct and evaluate clinical research. Amid a growing demand for transparency, trust, and scientific rigor, the issue of reproducibility is no longer just a statistical concern—it is a human one. Every study conducted, every dataset analyzed, and every conclusion drawn has real-world implications, often affecting patient care, treatment policies, and life-altering decisions.

What is Reproducibility, and Why Does It Matter?

Reproducibility refers to the ability of independent researchers to achieve the same results using the original data and methodology. While this might sound like a basic scientific principle, the reality is more complex. Many findings in clinical research cannot be replicated, leading to what some experts have called a “reproducibility crisis.” But this isn’t just about science failing itself—it’s about how that failure impacts lives.

Imagine a patient undergoing a treatment based on a study that later turns out to be irreproducible. The stakes are high, and the consequences deeply personal.

The Human Side of Science

It’s easy to get lost in numbers, graphs, and statistical jargon, but behind every research paper are people—patients hoping for breakthroughs, clinicians striving to offer the best care, and families looking for hope. Reproducibility in clinical science must, therefore, be approached not merely as a technical goal but as a moral imperative.

To humanize the journey toward better reproducibility, consider the following scenarios:

A mother consenting to an experimental therapy for her child relies on the accuracy of published studies.

A rural doctor treating rare conditions uses research findings to guide decisions in resource-limited settings.

A patient participating in a clinical trial places trust in the process, believing it is based on solid, reproducible science.

In these moments, reproducibility becomes more than a benchmark—it becomes a bridge to trust.

Key Challenges to Reproducibility

Despite good intentions, several barriers hinder reproducibility in clinical research:

Data Silos: Limited access to raw data makes it difficult for others to validate or replicate studies.

Lack of Standardization: Varying protocols and inconsistent definitions can lead to conflicting results.

Publication Bias: Studies with positive results are more likely to be published, skewing the body of evidence.

Insufficient Peer Review: Fast-track publications and limited scrutiny can allow flawed studies to pass undetected.

Steps Toward a More Reproducible Future

Improving reproducibility in clinical science requires a cultural shift as much as a technical one. Here are practical steps to move forward:

Open Data Sharing: Encouraging researchers to share raw datasets, while respecting patient confidentiality.

Pre-Registration of Trials: Declaring study designs in advance to reduce bias and increase transparency.

Replication Studies: Valuing and funding studies that seek to replicate previous findings.

Cross-disciplinary Collaboration: Bringing together statisticians, clinicians, ethicists, and patients to ensure robust study design.

Education and Training: Teaching young scientists the importance of rigorous and reproducible methodology.

The Role of Technology and AI

While concerns about AI-generated content and "fake science" abound, AI can also be an ally in improving reproducibility. Machine learning algorithms can flag inconsistencies, highlight outliers, and even suggest improvements in study design. But, as with any tool, the human element remains irreplaceable.

Looking Ahead

Reproducibility in Clinical Science: The Next Frontier is not merely a slogan—it’s a challenge that touches every aspect of clinical research, from ethics to execution. As we move forward, it is crucial to remember that science doesn't exist in a vacuum. It operates in hospitals, in homes, and in the lives of people who depend on its integrity.

By prioritizing reproducibility, we’re not just refining methods—we're protecting lives, building trust, and ensuring that science truly serves humanity.

[terrykownack]

Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data Collection: A Comparative Guide for PhD Students

Introduction

One of the earliest—and most important—decisions a PhD student must make is choosing between qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. Each approach brings unique strengths and limitations, and the right choice depends on your research objectives, available resources, and theoretical framework.

This guide breaks down the core differences between these two methodologies, offering a side-by-side comparison to help you make an informed, confident decision as you design your dissertation research.

What is Quantitative Data Collection?

Quantitative data collection refers to methods that gather numerical data to measure variables and test hypotheses. It’s commonly used in the natural and social sciences and relies on structured tools and statistical analysis.

Common Techniques:

Surveys with closed-ended questions

Structured observations

Standardized tests

Existing numerical datasets (e.g., census data, academic databases)

Characteristics:

Data is numeric and measurable

Objective and replicable

Often involves large sample sizes

Analyzed using statistical software (e.g., SPSS, R)

When to Use:

You want to test a theory or hypothesis

You need to measure frequency, correlation, or causation

Your research questions include words like how much, how often, to what extent

Explore tools in our Quantitative Research Toolkit to design your surveys and analyze results.

What is Qualitative Data Collection?

Qualitative data collection explores experiences, meanings, and context. It’s widely used in humanities, education, and health research where depth and nuance matter more than measurement.

Common Techniques:

In-depth interviews

Focus group discussions

Ethnographic observation

Textual or discourse analysis

Characteristics:

Data is non-numeric (e.g., words, images, narratives)

Focuses on subjectivity and interpretation

Often involves smaller sample sizes

Analyzed through coding and thematic exploration

When to Use:

You want to explore complex social phenomena

You’re investigating lived experiences or emotions

Your questions begin with why, how, or what does it mean

Not sure how to begin? Visit our Beginner’s Guide to Qualitative Research to get started.

Mixed Methods: Best of Both Worlds?

Sometimes, the most comprehensive approach is a mixed methods study, where you combine both qualitative and quantitative data. This allows for triangulation—validating findings by comparing different data types—and often leads to richer insights.

Example:

Suppose you’re studying online learning experiences during the pandemic. You could:

Use surveys to collect satisfaction ratings (quantitative)

Conduct interviews to understand students’ emotional responses (qualitative)

Curious about mixed methods design? Read our post on How to Design Mixed Methodology for PhD.

Choosing the Right Approach for Your PhD

Here’s a checklist to help guide your decision:

1. What is Your Research Paradigm?

Are you a positivist (believing in measurable reality) or a constructivist (believing in multiple realities)? Your philosophical stance should align with your data collection method.

2. What Are Your Research Questions?

Use quantitative if your question involves comparisons, predictions, or cause-effect.

Use qualitative if your question involves interpretation, understanding, or exploration.

3. What Resources and Skills Do You Have?

Quantitative studies may require statistical expertise and larger participant pools, while qualitative studies demand excellent interpersonal and interpretive skills.

4. Will You Conduct a Pilot Study?

Whichever method you choose, a pilot study can help refine your tools, improve reliability, and highlight areas of confusion before full-scale rollout.

Potential Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Challenge

Solution

Poorly designed survey questions

Pilot your questionnaire and revise

Interviewer bias in qualitative data

Use standardized guides and triangulate with secondary data

Low response rates in surveys

Provide incentives and send follow-up reminders

Subjectivity in coding qualitative data

Use software like NVivo and double-code with peers

You can also refer to our blog on Top 5 Challenges in Primary Data Collection for more insights.

Lead-Generating Tip: Need Help Deciding Your Research Methodology?

We offer one-on-one support for research design, data collection planning, and proposal writing. Whether you're early in the planning phase or stuck between paradigms, our research consultants can guide you through the decision-making process. Schedule a free call here.

Whether you choose qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, your choice should reflect your research questions, paradigm, and goals. There's no one-size-fits-all answer—but understanding the distinctions and evaluating them in the context of your study is key to producing rigorous, meaningful research.

Still unsure? Explore our complete PhD Data Collection Hub for tools, templates, and expert guidance tailored to doctoral researchers like you.

[nana-mizu-shiki]

The Fentons.

A family of scientists previously laughed out of the community before their children proved their studies true.

Well, somewhat.

The Fenton kids were remarkably different from their parents, their fields of degrees seemingly completely unrelated to their parents and their studies, but had been the ones to right their parents' previous biases and make their ecto discoveries public knowledge.

Before their kids had gone off to college, the Fentons had been studying 'ghosts' and how they were non-sentient and non-sapient. Before their kids growing into adults, their papers were downright prejudiced, dehumanizing, and objectifying towards ecto-entities. However, when Dr. Jasmine Fenton came back from college with a psychology doctorate and Daniel Fenton had went off on scholarship to get an engineering degree, their studies seemed to go 180 after months of silence.

Apparently, with their daughter knowing as much as she did now that she was back home, she got her parents to hold back on their studies while she performed her own, fascinated by the 'ghosts' behaviors.

Soon after, their son had admitted to secretly helping out the town vigilante since the beginning, and had begun telling his family of what he had learned about ecto-entities based on his friendship with the hero alone.

The Fentons amount of studies increased just as much as the validity of their new studies.

However, due to the blackout a corrupt government agency had enforced on their home town, the world was left in the unknown until the GIW was absolutely obliterated by the King of Ghosts. Nobody who was there to see the king had lived to describe him, but the appearance of a whole new city filled with what appeared to be aliens had distracted the world from that.

Noticing the attention of the whole country, Daniel had decided to act and had gotten many of his community to share his families papers as much as possible to protect the living and dead alike.

Over time, his family's fame grew and grew, with Daniel's personal connections, Jasmine's knowledge, and their parents' professionalism not unlike Brucie's, it seemed inevitable.

The family had begun traveling the country once it mostly calmed down, searching for any other natural portals that could have brought ecto-entities to their world. They helped.

With the fame for their ecto studies though, the Fenton children had released other papers that helped.

Jasmine, many, many psychological papers for children, criminals, everyday people, Daniel engineering what others thought impossible, creating the unthinkable, nobody able to replicate what hes created like he has...

They were famous. Successful. Perfect.

And had no idea how to deal with it, so didn't.

There were no interviews, no knowledge on any of them personally other than the schools they went to and Daniel's connection to the Mansons and his parents connection with Vlad Masters.

They were famous, successful, Perfect.

It was suspicious.

ﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ٨🫀ـﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ🫀ـﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ

Tim watched as the family walked into the manor's ballroom. They were skeptical if they would show but Tim made a show of inviting Masters and Manson as well, the party almost specifically for the Fenton family and centered around international science and teaching it to young children.

It was Tim and Cass's job to watch the younger Fentons, Dick and Bruce's to watch the parents.

Jack Fenton had walked in proudly and loudly- and wow, that man is brick wall big, what the fuck?- suit bright orange with white stripes, his wife wearing a slim teal dress with a suit jacket over it and smiling around politely, but clearly excited.

Their kids walked in after them, and Tim subtly started to make his way over.

Daniel had come with a dark navy suit, the color making him easy to blend in in the suit filled room. However, he was much shorter than anyone else in the color, and he had paired the suit with green highlights so vibrant they could've been mistaken for Lazarus.

Jasmine stayed nearby him at all times, the two having separated from their parents since they walked in after a quick goodbye. She was wearing a nice dark green dress that fell over her knees and glared at anyone that looked at her and her brother for longer than a glance. Her hair was braided and her boots went up to her knees, but with her height they were practically the size of a small child.

Jeez... maybe Tim can stuff Damian in those shoes by getting him to provoke the woman.

Tim made his way over to the siblings, careful to be casual with it.

He had a mission to complete.

ﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ٨🫀ـﮩـﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ🫀ـﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ﮩﮩ٨ـ🫀ﮩ٨ـﮩ

Danny who got his mom's build and Jazz who got their fathers wrecking havoc on any bi disaster they come across.

And the wayne gala? Filled with bi disasters.

[poddar123]

Physics Theory Study Through Practical’s at Poddar International College, Jaipur

Physics is the foundation of understanding the universe, explaining phenomena from the smallest particles to the vast cosmos. At Poddar International College, Jaipur, this intricate subject is taught with a unique approach that blends theoretical understanding with hands-on practical applications. This method not only makes physics fascinating but also ensures that students develop a deep, enduring grasp of the subject.

The Philosophy Behind Practical Learning

Physics, while rooted in theoretical concepts, is a profoundly experimental science. Theories such as Newton's Laws of Motion, electromagnetic waves, or quantum mechanics can often seem abstract. To bridge this gap, Poddar International College incorporates extensive practical sessions into its curriculum, ensuring that students experience the principles they study in action.

By observing and experimenting, students move beyond rote memorization, developing a genuine understanding of how physics works in the real world. For example, rather than simply learning about laws of thermodynamics, students conduct experiments to measure heat transfer and energy efficiency, bringing these principles to life.

Well-Equipped Laboratories

Poddar International College is home to modern, fully-equipped physics laboratories that provide students with a platform to explore and innovate. These labs feature advanced equipment like:

Optical benches for studying light and lenses.

Oscilloscopes for analyzing waveforms.

Circuit kits for understanding electricity and magnetism.

Precision measurement tools for experiments in mechanics.

These facilities allow students to experiment with topics ranging from classical mechanics to cutting-edge concepts like nanotechnology and quantum physics.

Theory Meets Practice

The integration of theory and practice is central to the teaching philosophy at Poddar International College. Lessons are designed so that theoretical concepts are immediately followed by related practical sessions. For example:

Electromagnetism: Students construct electromagnets and measure their strength under varying conditions to observe the theoretical principles in action.

Projectile Motion: Using apparatuses like air tracks and projectile launchers, students calculate trajectories and compare them to theoretical predictions.

Wave Properties: Through experiments with sound and light waves, students measure frequencies and wavelengths to validate equations studied in class.

This seamless blend of learning reinforces core concepts while enhancing analytical and critical thinking skills.

Guidance from Expert Faculty

The success of this approach is driven by the expertise of the faculty at Poddar International College. The professors and lab instructors are highly qualified, with years of experience in both teaching and research. They guide students not only in mastering theories but also in honing their experimental techniques.

Faculty members encourage inquiry-based learning, motivating students to question, hypothesize, and test ideas. This fosters a deeper curiosity and passion for physics, making the learning process dynamic and engaging.

Innovative Teaching Tools

To complement the practical sessions, Poddar International College integrates technology into its teaching methodology. Tools such as:

Virtual simulations: Enable students to explore phenomena that are challenging to replicate in a lab, such as black holes or atomic collisions.

Data analysis software: Helps students analyze experimental results with precision and accuracy.

Interactive models: Bring abstract theories like quantum tunneling or relativity into a comprehensible format.

These innovations make learning interactive and cater to a diverse range of learning styles.

Shaping Future Innovators

Poddar International College’s physics program prepares students for competitive exams like JEE, NEET, and physics Olympiads, equipping them with both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise. This approach also fosters skills that extend beyond physics, such as problem-solving, teamwork, and analytical thinking.

Additionally, the emphasis on practical's sparks a sense of wonder and exploration in students, inspiring many to pursue higher studies and careers in physics, engineering, and technology.

Conclusion

At Poddar International College, Jaipur, the study of physics transcends textbooks. The combination of rigorous theoretical learning and immersive practical experiences ensures students not only understand the principles of physics but also develop the skills to apply them creatively.

This innovative approach nurtures the next generation of thinkers, researchers, and innovators, empowering them to make significant contributions to science and society. Poddar International College stands as a beacon of excellence, showcasing how the study of physics can be both educational and exciting when theory meets practice.

[write-my-thesis4u]

Best Practices For Flawless Research Methodology

Research forms the basis of progress in science, technology, business, and academia. Whether you are a beginner research scientist or a seasoned scholar; there is something that underscores good methodology: sound and efficient. The purpose of research methodology is from conceptualization of the question to analysis and then presentation of findings. In this blog, we have incorporated best practices which will help you establish flawlessness in your research methodology as your research will stand scrutiny.

1. Start with a clearly defined research question

A research question is the framework of any study. If your research question is not well defined, then it easily goes astray. An ambiguous or very broad question leads to vague conclusions and irrelevant findings.

Best Practice: First, refine your research question. It needs to be specific, measurable, and relevant to your field. A well-composed research question will guide every step of your study from the selection of the appropriate methodology to the analysis of your data.

2. Research Design Selection

There is also choosing an appropriate research design which should ensure that your study is going to answer the research question appropriately. Generally, three broad categories of research designs have existed: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods. These must be selected in function of the type of research question that requires them.

Best Practice:

Use a case study, ethnography, or interviews for gathering information about exploratory or descriptive questions.

• If you want to test hypotheses or measure variables, a survey, an experiment, or even a statistical model might be more applicable.

• If you are interested in combining qualitative understandings with data, then consider a mixed-methods approach.

Spend some time exploring your research goals and decide on an appropriate design to support it.

3. Conduct an Extensive Literature Review

A literature review is not a ritual; it is an important part of setting the context of your research. Without knowing what has already been done in your research area, you may replicate previous work or miss important areas where your research can fill critical gaps.

Best Practice: Conduct a thorough review of relevant studies, theories, and methodologies in your field. The literature review should serve to help you:

• Identify gaps in the existing research.

• Explain why you have to do your research.

• Guide your methodology by giving examples of how similar research has been done.

Make sure you are critically reviewing the literature and not just summarizing it.

4. Make Sure That Your Sampling Technique Is Correct

The generalizability and the validity of the results depend greatly on how you select your sample. A biased or unrepresentative sample can invalidate your study and lead to incorrect conclusions.

 Best Practice: Use a sampling method that best corresponds to the purpose of your research. Common methods include:

• Random Sampling: This is perfect to ensure that every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected. It increases the generalizability of your results.

• Purposive Sampling: This is qualitative research. It involves choosing individuals with specific characteristics that are relevant to your study.

• Convenience Sampling: This is easy to use but may result in bias and a loss in the representation of your sample.

The sample size should be substantial enough so that the result it generates is acceptable. Also, never miss stating your sampling method in your study.

5. Design Relevant Data-Collecting Instruments

The accuracy of the results depends on how well you gather your data. If you had a poorly designed tool for collecting data or used inconsistent procedure of collecting data, that result would be invalid, which calls a question to your conclusions

Best Practice

• Should be clearly articulated, brief, and validated during conducting surveys or questionnaires; thereby, you can prepare in advance by pilot-testing your tools to identify any errors that may exist before performing full-scale data collection .

• Qualitative research requires developing interview guides or an observation protocol that are consistent and comprehensive.

• Calibration of instruments if needful, even for quantitative research (calibration of measurement tools).

Document your process of data collection so that it can be repeated and used to deliver reliable results.

6. Employ Detailed Data Analysis Method

Analysis of data is one of the most time-consuming tasks, however must be done in a step-by-step manner. In both qualitative and quantitative data, mishandling analysis can lead to false interpretations, and thus wrong conclusions.

Practice:

Quantitative data: The kind of tests to be used in the analysis depends on the design chosen for your research. Learn to operate these software packages like SPSS or R.

•Always use systematic coding techniques, say thematic analysis or grounded theory, when coding interviews or similar text data sources.

•The results always need to be screened for consistency and for potential bugs, especially with a bigger dataset.

If you’re unsure about the appropriate analysis techniques, consult a statistician or methodology expert to guide you.

7. Ensure Ethical Integrity

Research ethics are non-negotiable. Upholding ethical standards throughout your study protects participants and ensures the credibility of your work.

Best Practice:

•             Obtain informed consent from all participants and ensure their privacy and confidentiality.

•             If your research involves vulnerable groups, ensure that additional protections are in place.

• Identify and declare all interests of conflict and be clear about your methodology and methodology.

Abide by ethical standards for the purpose of your study's integrity but also the academic community's and public trust.

8. Be honest and present limitations

No research is flawless, and every research study has limitations. The importance of stating such conditions lies in maintaining the credibility of your work.

Best Practice: Be clear on any limitations of your research. For example, if you have limited the sample size or faced difficulties in gathering data, mention how these may impact your findings. Discussing limitations is an indicator of maturity in academics and can really help future researchers in this field.

Conclusion

A flawless research methodology does not mean rigidity in the rule but thoughtful, thorough, and systematic work. Starting with a clear question, the right choice of research design, strong literature review, proper sampling, and then ethics would form a good base for producing quality and valid research.

With all this as best practice, it will help you avoid pitfalls and sets one up to mean impactful research. To remind, research is the learning process, and as your methodology gets more refined, so will your confidence level of how valid and relevant those findings will be.

For any research assistance reach out to us on our Whatsapp https://wa.me/+918217879258

[pummelos]

Peer reviewing @justheretobreakthings — I’m on my phone rn and will look at the actual paper when I’m back on my academic VPN, but I had to say something because while your point about science is important, your takes on survey methodology are just plain wrong.

People getting paid to take surveys ≠ bad data. My advisor would have slapped yours for letting you believe all online data collection methods are inherently invalid.

Previously, researchers would do surveys via mass email campaigns or flyers around their university. Those methods were very slow and generally didn’t produce very diverse samples. Online platforms actually allow scientists to very quickly obtain better samples for studies than has ever been possible before.

It’s sus that this study doesn’t report on demographics… but the fact that it was run on YouGov doesn’t mean participants were “lying” and/or “rushing through it”. Any researcher worth their salt is going to reject responses that obviously didn’t read the survey. This is what attention check questions are for.

Also, IRBs don’t validate methods. They exist solely to ensure human subjects research is conducted ethically. Usually when a project is going through multiple rounds of IRB review over several months it’s because of the compensation structure or something else unrelated to the project’s methodological soundness.

Good open access academic paper about online survey platforms data quality: https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2022/presentation/tang

Source

Source

[shraddhamatre]

Gate examination Ten crucial ideas to help you ace the test

An assessment of knowledge in a variety of engineering and scientific undergraduate courses is conducted nationally through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE). It serves as a doorway for employment chances in India's Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) and postgraduate admissions. Here is a thorough guide with 10 crucial suggestions to assist you succeed if you're hoping to ace the GATE test. Recognizing the GATE Exam The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) collaborate to conduct GATE. The exam measures the candidate's mastery of foundational knowledge in their professions. The GATE test is administered in several fields, including computer science, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering, and results are valid for three years.

The GATE test comprises of one paper with sixty-five questions totaling one hundred marks. There are two portions to the paper: the subject-specific section (85 points) and the general aptitude section (15 marks). A combination of multiple-choice (MCQ), multiple-select (MSQ), and numerical answer type (NAT) questions are included in the questions. Three hours are allotted for the test. 10 Crucial Ideas to Ace the GATE Test Comprehend the curriculum in its entirety

1) The first step in preparing for the GATE is to thoroughly comprehend the material. Examine the themes and subtopics thoroughly because the GATE syllabus is extensive. Sort the subjects into strengths and weaknesses by downloading the approved syllabus. Prioritize high-importance subjects and then progressively address the other ones.

2) Formulate a Practical Study Schedule A well-thought-out study schedule is necessary to prepare for the GATE. Set aside certain times for every subject and follow through on the plan. Ensure that your schedule allots time for practice, revision, and mock exams. Maintaining a structured schedule will assist you in staying on course and covering the complete curriculum in a methodical manner. Pay Attention to Conceptual Clarity GATE demands a thorough comprehension of the material; it is not just about memorization. Make an effort to establish a solid foundation in every topic. If you have any questions, use conventional textbooks and internet resources. Always keep in mind that efficient problem solving of complicated issues requires conceptual clarity.

4) Practice Exams from Prior Years Among the best strategies to get ready for GATE is to solve previous years' question papers. It aids in your comprehension of the format, nature, and difficulty level of the test. It will also increase your confidence and help you become a better time manager. 5) Do Practice Exams Frequently Mock exams are an essential component of your preparation as they replicate the real exam setting. Taking practice exams on a regular basis will enable you to evaluate your level of readiness and pinpoint areas that require development. Examine your results from each test and focus on your areas of weakness.

6) Edit Frequently The secret to remembering what you have learnt is revision. Make time to review material on a regular basis, paying particular attention to formulae, ideas, and shortcuts. While studying, take brief notes; they will come in handy in the last days leading up to the test. 7) Practice Time Management With 180 minutes to complete 65 questions on the GATE exam, time management is essential. Try to answer questions in a timed manner to improve your accuracy and speed. Start with the exam questions you are comfortable answering before moving on to the trickier ones.

8) Keep the General Aptitude Section in Mind Despite carrying 15 points, the General Aptitude part is frequently disregarded. Both numerical and verbal skills are tested in this segment. You should practice frequently to make sure you can perform well in this area because it will have a big effect on your final score. 9) Keep Up with Announcements and Policies Keep track of all official GATE notices, such as the exam date, application deadline, and admit card availability. Additionally, become familiar with the test standards, which include the marking scheme, negative marking, and things that are permitted in the exam hall.

10) Continue to Lead a Healthful Lifestyle with a Positive Attitude Finally, but just as importantly, have a positive outlook on the process of getting ready. By getting regular exercise, eating a balanced diet, and taking regular pauses, you may reduce stress. Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining attention and memory. Recall that mental clarity improves performance.

In summary It takes commitment, preparation, and steady work to pass the GATE exam. You may improve your readiness and increase your chances of success by paying attention to these ten crucial pointers. Remember that comprehension of the material, consistent practice, and a positive outlook are the keys to passing the GATE. Wishing you luck!

Start Your Preparation With: https://gameacademy.in/ / https://clppenny.page.link/cTBm

Recommended: https://www.youtube.com/@gblions / https://www.youtube.com/@gblionsaeje 

[extremely-moderate]

Extreme moderation is often misunderstood as simply taking a middle ground between two opposing viewpoints. However, true extreme moderation is about grounding decisions in reality, evidence, and science, rather than arbitrarily balancing between two sides.

Reality-Based Decision Making: Extreme moderation requires a commitment to reality, acknowledging facts and truths as they are. This involves rejecting misinformation, bias, and unsubstantiated claims from any side. The focus is on what is objectively true rather than what is politically or ideologically convenient.

Evidence-Based Approach: Decisions rooted in extreme moderation prioritize empirical evidence over anecdotal or speculative assertions. This means relying on well-researched data, peer-reviewed studies, and scientifically validated information. The aim is to base conclusions on the best available evidence, ensuring that policies and actions are effective and grounded in reality.

Scientific Method: Science provides a systematic way to investigate and understand the world. Extreme moderation leverages the scientific method, which includes forming hypotheses, conducting experiments, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. This methodical approach ensures that decisions are not only evidence-based but also replicable and subject to scrutiny and revision as new evidence emerges.

Avoiding False Equivalence: Extreme moderation avoids the trap of false equivalence, where two opposing viewpoints are treated as equally valid regardless of the evidence supporting them. Not all perspectives are equally credible, and extreme moderation recognizes this by weighing the validity of arguments based on their adherence to factual evidence and logical reasoning.

Long-Term Thinking: A reality- and evidence-based approach considers long-term consequences rather than short-term gains. This involves understanding complex systems, anticipating potential outcomes, and making decisions that promote sustainable and beneficial results over time. Science and evidence provide the tools to predict and mitigate future risks effectively.

Ethical Considerations: Extreme moderation also integrates ethical considerations, ensuring that decisions are not only scientifically sound but also morally responsible. This involves assessing the impact of actions on individuals, communities, and the environment, striving for fairness and justice.

By grounding decisions in reality, evidence, and science, extreme moderation transcends partisan divides and focuses on what is verifiably true and effective. This approach ensures that policies and actions are not swayed by ideological biases but are instead aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes based on reliable information and rational analysis.

[warningsine]

A new study used machine learning to predict potential new antibiotics in the global microbiome, which study authors say marks a significant advance in the use of artificial intelligence in antibiotic resistance research.

The report, published Wednesday in the journal Cell, details the findings of scientists who used an algorithm to mine the “entirety of the microbial diversity that we have on earth – or a huge representation of that – and find almost 1m new molecules encoded or hidden within all that microbial dark matter”, said César de la Fuente, an author of the study and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. De la Fuente directs the Machine Biology Group, which aims to use computers to accelerate discoveries in biology and medicine.

Without such an algorithm, de la Fuente said, scientists would have had to use traditional methods like collecting water and soil to find molecules within those samples. That can be challenging because microbes are everywhere – from the ocean to the human gut.

“It would have taken many, many, many, many years to do that, but with an algorithm, we can sort through vast amounts of information, and it just speeds up the process,” de la Fuente said.

The research is urgent to public health, the author said, because antimicrobial resistance caused more than 1.2 million deaths in 2019. That number could increase to 10 million deaths annually by 2050, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

While de la Fuente said he sees the study, which produced the “largest antibiotic discovery effort ever”, as a watershed moment in the potential benefits of artificial intelligence for research, he acknowledged that bad actors could potentially “develop AI models to design toxins”.

He said his laboratory has implemented safeguards to store them and ensure molecules are not able to self-replicate. Notably, biosecurity safeguards were not necessary for this study because these were “inert molecules”.

While artificial intelligence has become a hot-button issue in recent years, de la Fuente said he started using AI in antibiotics research about a decade ago.

“We have been able to just accelerate the discovery of antibiotics,” de la Fuente said. “So instead of having to wait five, six years to come up with one candidate, now, on the computer, we can, in just a few hours, come up with hundreds of thousands of candidates.”

Before the US Food and Drug Administration approves an antibiotic, it typically undergoes years of study through laboratory research and clinical trials. These various stages can take 10 to 20 years.

For this study, the researchers collected genomes and meta-genomes stored in publicly available databases and looked for DNA snippets that could have antimicrobial activity. To validate those predictions, they used chemistry to synthesize 100 of those molecules in the laboratory and then test them to determine if they could actually kill bacteria, including “some of the most dangerous pathogens in our society”, de la Fuente said.

79% of the molecules, which were representative of the 1m molecules discovered, could kill at least one microbe – meaning they could serve as a potential antibiotic.

Antibiotic resistance is an increasing concern because of the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants, according to the WHO.

The study authors have made this data and code freely available for anyone to access with the goal of “advancing science and benefiting humanity”, de La Fuente said.

He hopes that his team and other researchers will conduct additional investigation on the top candidates for potential antibiotic drugs. “Then if that goes well, it will go to phase one clinical trials, but we’re still far from that,” he said.

This is not the first study in biology that made significant use of AI. Google DeepMind recently released the latest version of AlphaFold, a program that predicts how proteins will interact with other molecules and ions, which could produce breakthroughs in fields as varied as cancer therapy and crop resilience.

Lisa Messeri, an anthropologist of technology at Yale University, said that machine learning and AI are “certainly excellent for some projects in science”, but not for all.

“We simply ask that researchers and research programs continue to be thoughtful about when they choose to apply these methods and not curtail projects that don’t necessarily require the use of these much-hyped and focused-on tools,” she said.

Some have raised the concerns about AI, including that it could replace humans in certain jobs – specifically in conducting scientific research.

De la Fuente argues AI will involve a collaboration between humans and machines.

Anthony Gitter, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of biostatistics and medical informatics who uses machine learning in biological experiments, says the “significance of the advance” in the Cell paper “was due to top-tier bioinformatics research as opposed to automated science enabled by AI”.

“The importance of this research is that it successfully harnesses widespread microbial genomic data, uses machine learning to identify candidate antimicrobial peptides and extensively studies those predicted peptides computationally and experimentally to show why they are valuable,” Gitter said.