#ic:satoru

[infinitxes]

@destructivour​ replied:

you like chewing balls huh.

“I swallow ‘em whole."

[infinitxes]

@shinanai​ replied:

jogo vc: no.

“Ding ding ding! I hear a resounding YES!”

[infinitxes]

for @regensia​, continued from here.

“Watch your mouth.” 

They were made markedly more formidable in each other’s company. While it wasn’t that he needed or god forbid- relied upon Sukuna’s ( inferior ) ability by any means, Satoru had always been volatile. This was a trait which was only amplified to terrifying levels in the presence of a binding catalyst such as the one the other presented.

But this facultative complement between them was by no means equivalent to camaraderie. After all, Satoru had made it abundantly clear that he was just as likely to kill him as it suited him as he was to play into his predatory affections. 

His gaze was cold, his eyes like chips of ice and largely unreadable save for the vaguely hooded quality which only darkened his expression. He lifted a hand to wave two condemning fingers through the air. 

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. Though- careful, you might just make me change my mind.”

[infinitxes]

@zangyo said:

"How are you feeling today? Do you feel your strength returning?" It was just another day among many, Nanami asking the same question he did perhaps every day. "Your former students seem to be doing rather well in that tournament so far from what I have gathered." Although he couldn't tell Gojo WHAT former students those were. Only a few were familiar to him from a glance. "They have been trained quite well it seems. That, or maybe the things they experienced made them stronger." 

[divergent]

“That impatient to kick me out, Nanami? I always thought you’d be the more.... subtle sort with handling sensitive matters like that."

It was disconcerting to be so reliant on outside sources of information to discern the state of their crumbling world. Here, residing in a state of convalescence within Nanami’s humble apartment, it was hard not to feel cast aside. They were arguably- the both of them sorely needed to mediate the sprawling aftermath of the catastrophe that had come about since the devastation on Halloween.

“You say that like it’s a good thing.” He might have agreed on the front of experience ( and the sidewards compliment directed at himself ). But he drew the line at the consideration that any of those aforementioned students had had to be subjected to this sort of cruelty and toying to begin with.

Satoru neglected to move from where he’d sprawled over the couch. He’d lost his phone in Shibuya, and his only alternative source of entertainment had quickly materialized in the form of flipping through Nanami’s seemingly endless collection of magazines. That said, it took no effort for him to peel his attention away from a double-spread about organic produce and allow his gaze to roll over his impromptu roommate with palpable scrutiny. 

“How are you feeling?”

[infinitxes]

knocking down his latest jenga tower of bones.

“damn.”

[infinitxes]

@keiseiensei said:

WRESTLES HIM AND BITES ONE OF HIS EARS

peacefully eating his takoyaki.

how does his infinity taste, YQ?

[infinitxes]

when boba accounts for about 15% of your diet.

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sticking tongari corn biscuits onto each of his fingers with painstaking attentiveness.

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@tenkoseiensei said:

' scared ? ' he doesn't expect an honest answer. chances are his smile may seem threatening enough already, wry but without any puncture, teeth unbared. 

he realizes now he's asked hopeless questions. ( will you defend yourself from me? ) if his attempt to reach out and touch the other through their infinity demonstrated anything, then it was the idea that even if satoru wanted to, (shell, ward, protect, repulse and retreat,) he couldn't. the doppelganger's hand slips through invisible forces and makes contact with all the delicate, albeit flimsying effort of someone pushing a hand through the walled sheen of a bubble. the tips of his fingers tentatively touch the other's skin, until he intertwines their digits then lifts the other's limb to swing and shake it. 

he can't help but grin with the quiet, subtle pride of someone who's just won a grand prize. ' i can feel it. ' could witness the other from myriad new eyes and angles as well, but what he clung to was nothing more than that very touch. he could feel them, a privilege so few, if not any other at all, were privy to. ' --- it's warm. '

Satoru’s breath hitched in his throat, his body stiffening in surprise and apprehension. YQ’s little repeat performance hadn’t entirely been unbidden- after all, he’d been curious (foolish) enough to hint at an encore. 

So seeing himself had been disconcerting enough. But then YQ had reached over and literally perforated his boundaries, fingers pressing through and through until he’d crossed the threshold of the invisible barrier which he by now only erected by habit. 

               ‘do you know what you’ve done?’  

The question lingered on his tongue.  

He didn’t ask it. YQ had singlehandedly evidenced the reasoning behind why he’d been in that cell to begin with. This demonstration was an indictment, and one which Satoru couldn’t ignore. This was dangerous, poison in a cup, a viper in the reeds. A problem which had to be dealt with quickly, with a firm hand and iron will, past relationships be damned-  

“Warm.” He smiled and let his weakness briefly consume him.

“That’s what I’ve always thought.”

[infinitxes]

satoru has a soft spot for retro-technology (gameboys, old televisions/phones, old consoles) and songs from the early 2000s. his students mock him liberally for being an old man which he laughs off; but in truth, it’s really because he can’t help but reminisce back to one of the best periods of his life.

[infinitxes]

@kachigaru said:

"Do you think I'll ever be cool like Geto-senpai?" 8DDD

"Nah. But why are you trying to be like him anyway?"

"Pft. Suguru's a lo-o-ser."

[infinitxes]

“So. Who missed me?"

[infinitxes]

@destructivour​ replied:

no

“You sure? Life must be such a drag without me around!”

[infinitxes]

“So... is anyone going to let me out of the box?”

[infinitxes]

@shometsu​ said:

It’s our birthday soon! 

“Damn right it is!”

“A year older, a year wiser! But we’d better get to thinking- a day where the great Gojo Satoru can’t be held accountable? Why, that’s just too good to pass up!”

[infinitxes]

MATHEMATICAL THEORY AND THE GOJO SATORU HELLSCAPE

Read on! Here’s my last lil tidbit on physics. Disclaimer that I’m not a physicist or a mathematician! I’m just a massive nerd.

Just for interest! Interviews with Gege say that Gojo is able to manipulate relative distance (aka. space) between targets, but his own canon explanation of infinity states that he is slowing an approaching target.

Blue is achieved by reducing a given distance. 1000m can be collapsed to 10m and so forth in an infinite series (think of a dividend number series where the values are reduced as n goes up), which results in a rapid attraction towards a central point.

Red is achieved by amplifying a given distance. For example 1mm is blown up to 10m, to 100m, to 1000m- resulting in a rapidly expanding repulsive force.

Hence, his Infinity might be explained via a controlled adaptation of the above. The distance between himself and an approaching target grows smaller and smaller, never quite reaching zero and stopping at a given point (a quantifiable distance value or a self-determined limit) which I assume he can control as his barrier is wider at times and practically skin tight at others. He alters not time, but speed by proxy of manipulating distance.

All that’s relatively simple! What’s more difficult is the explanation of Purple. Gege states that Purple is a combination of Red (推) and Blue (拉). 

[ 推 = 拉 ]

However, the laws of science dictate that a combination of equivalent repulsive and attractive force will result in a stable equilibrium. This state is low in entropy and minimises potential energy, able to resist external displacement by default. As a result, this isn’t exactly a destructive state.

[ 推 > 拉 ]  -  [ 推 < 拉 ]

The first would be an example of a badly executed Red. Both forces are exerted, but the repulsion of Red trumps over in the end. Vice versa for the second.

For Purple, I’ve read interviews where Gege specifically cites mathematical theory regarding imaginary numbers and Kullback-Leibler divergence.

            Imaginary Numbers

The former illustrates the result of the quadratic equation  x² + 1 = 0 , hence  x = √-1. This solution however, is an impossibility considering that the square of a real number cannot be negative. √-1 is referred to as i, which is an imaginary number.  In addition, consider also that there is an ambiguity with regards to whether the value of i is a positive or a negative value since the resultant value of a root is theoretically ambiguous by default.

(-2)² = +4 (+2)² = +4 Hence with x² = 4, x could either be - 2 or +2. Same goes for i.

Any number which become associated with the element i are known as complex numbers (e.g. 3i + 4, 2i). More on this later. 

            Kullback-Leibler (KL) Divergence

KL divergence refers to a likelihood ratio concerning the two probability values of P and Q. These two values can be distinguished via Y, which represents an observed value drawn from either P or Q. The KL divergence is thus, the value which is derived from obtaining Y from P.

This applies well to all the waffling about Gojo’s theoretical manipulation of space. Think of Infinity, where the perceivable distance from a target is observed to be the same (hand stopping three centimetres away from him) despite his ability to change it (endless extension with nearing vicinity - 1.0 → 0.5 → 0.25 → 0.125 → 0.0625 → ∞).

To draw information about a given point (e.g. X) from P or Q results in information gain and loss. Imagine two people standing at two different points gazing at the same target. Their perceived distances will be different (e.g. 5m as compared to 15m, an information gain of 10m from the latter point, and a loss of 10m from the former), hence these distances become asymmetric. This isn’t too relevant later on, but I thought it worth perusing since it was specifically mentioned in the interview. 

           So what does this mean?

IMO KL divergence doesn’t really explain Purple. Reading the interview relates all of this heavily back to the manipulation of space as it pertains to Red and Blue (and by extension, Infinity- if you ask me).

Personally I like to think of Purple as matter erasure. It’s a combination of attraction and repulsion which results in a destructive or consuming force (going off what is seen in the manga). What the manga shows us is already largely impossible considering the concept that combining Red and Blue would theoretically form a stable equilibrium that is inherently resistant to change. But this impossibility is what sticks out to me.

             Complex Domain

My own justification relies on the idea of the complex domain. This refers to any subset of values which lie on the complex plane, which is a theoretical graphical depiction derived from mapping the coordinates of x (real numbers, -1 to 1 on a unit sphere), y (imaginary numbers, -i to i) and z (x+ iy, 0 to ∞). Mapping these coordinates will result in an Argand diagram. Stereographic projection of an Argand diagram gives us the Riemann sphere, which gives us a one to one correspondence of points of a sphere onto a flat plane. How this is done is by positioning a unit sphere over the origin point (0,0,0) and drawing a line from any given point on the complex plane to the north pole of the sphere. This results in the drawn line crossing one point (z) before reaching the north pole. This point (z) is that which is plotted onto the graph. 

However, the north pole of the sphere itself does not correspond to any point on the complex plane as no line can be drawn from the plane to the north pole that would intersect it in a way that would derive a z value. Hence, a theoretical point at infinity is assigned to this north pole. The complex plane with this theoretical infinity point is referred to as the extended complex plane.  

The point of infinity is a theoretical value used to symbolise a limit. An implied limit. Think of the equivalent of a vanishing point in perspective drawing. Do you see where I’m going? Gojo states that his technique allows him to bring infinity into existence. Similarly, Hollow Purple thus enforces (brings into existence) a vanishing point which defines a theoretical limit beyond an arbitrary distance where objects vanish. Hence allowing them to- well, vanish!

That’s all I got, folks. Let’s eat some grass together.