#imitations

overview: basically, everyone in bsd done with dazai's and fyodor's shenanigans. prequel to part i of using math to explain special phenomenons.

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(ango’s mysterious car accident)

dazai: you want to see something cool.

ango, still salty about the aftermath: no.

dazai, unfazed: well i’m going to show you anyways!

dazai faints onto the floor*

nurse, checking in: there’s no pulse, code blue. I repeat code blue!

ango: ….

dazai, awake taking a gasp of air: that’s my trick.

nurse: faints*

ango, beginning to lose his mind: wtf? WTF? WHY WOULD YOU SHOW ME THAT!

Ne is a function that absorbs objects in realtime (Pe), then extrapolates (N) new objects from their indiscriminate recombinations. Like finding a ten-dollar bill on the street opens up a spectrum of possibilities for what to do with the money, a possibility space opens up around the objects Ne registers. Ne seeks unconventional ideas for what objects can transform or recombine into in this space. As the recombinations become more unconventional, their capacity to generate even more novel association chains increases, diverging ad infinitum.

Daydreaming

The Ne function is motivated to discover new information by absorbing it from the outside or synthesizing it from existing datasets through creative alchemy. It is highly imaginative, which is to say images and information structures of all kinds drive it. However, these images are not immediately evidenced in the environment but are all the environment evokes by containing an adjacent graphical relationship to the present. When faced with a situation, the Ne user will only casually consider the literal objects before them as their mind soon drifts up, around, and behind those immediate objects to uncover that moment's visual and conceptual implications. They quickly leap beyond the physical world and become lost in their heads, conjuring up novel ways to interpret situations as they unfold. They have a talent for manipulating information spatially and relationally, fitting together ideas that are otherwise largely disconnected. They may compare periodic table elements to music bands or entertain improbable "What if…" scenarios for fun. As children, they may be absentminded daydreamers who are oblivious to their surroundings and caught up in a self-made world of equal parts fiction and reality. The domain of their imagination can be far more interesting than whatever is happening in the outer world. Some may nurture this world with stories they make up, complete with characters, landscapes, and perhaps an entire legendarium.

Lack of Attention

However, the time the Ne user spends in their head often translates to time not spent in reality. Far more than the average student, they will be prone to space out in class and be unable to get through long texts or any tasks that require a very slow or arduous pace. Their perception of the world outside their interests will be faint, hazy, or splotchy. Should something not be particularly rich in associative potential, the details of objects in daily life will soon fade, leaving only their general impression as an after-image in their mind. When listening to others, as they are absorbing the person's words, one word will trigger a mental tangent midway, and they will pursue it curiously at the loss of what else the other person is saying. They can live a klutzy existence, tripping on objects, wearing mismatched clothes, losing things, and forgetting appointments regularly. However, despite this exterior inattentiveness, internally, they may experience quite a hyperactivity of thought. Far more is happening within than without, which can cause troubles such as over-thinking, excessive worrying about outcomes, or not getting a good night's sleep from an inability to slow down their mental chatter. They may find it challenging to keep a steady mental pace and can often be diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, or Sensory Processing Disorder. Reality can register to the Ne user as a series of information flashes that are somewhat spontaneous in nature and channel from every previous dataset collected in the unconscious.

Mass Data Absorption

Jarring as it may be to be inundated by sporadic correlative flashes, it can also be incredibly stimulating and addictive to be experiencing this imaginative feed constantly. A small rush or high may be felt every time a new idea pops into awareness. The Ne user will thirst after that realization; the sensation of novelty or curiosity intrigue. Moreover, when Ne is powerful, they seek this experience with undying fervor. They will become media junkies, often binge-watching entire seasons, rushing through novels and games, or going on researching sprees for days or weeks on end. A slowdown of volume, or a lack of things to absorb, can lead to feelings of stagnation, hollowness, and absence of thriving. As such, their impulse will be to pick up something else right after finishing the last thing, needing to have some form of interest always in mind. However, this can be problematic if they find themselves more engaged in the endless flux of information than in the information itself. Despite vast amounts of information entering, much may be going in one ear and out the other. A perpetual challenge for the Ne user will be to be more targeted in their attention and sink deeply into a few topics rather than spread themselves thin across dozens of topics. Moreover, when they learn to channel their focus toward a single direction, they can become overnight experts on subjects, memorizing every minute detail about a favored hobby, genre, pop idol, science experiment, or trivia category.

Serendipity & Flash Visions

The Ne user's capacity to synthesize such high volumes of information sometimes leads to spooky insights, uncanny realizations, and predictions of the relevant situation. Suddenly, a vision may flash before their eyes, stitched together from hundreds of unconscious micro-correlations accumulated around this moment, converging into one instance in time can lead to a semblance of clairvoyance where the Ne user attains some knowledge into the unseen causalities of the universe. They may come to trust this sense deeply whenever they feel it manifest. However, these sudden flashes will not represent a stable ability, and their appearance will be as unpredictable as their inspiration. In other cases, this can produce a habit of serendipity where the individual participates in a cosmic flow towards meaningful happenstances by consciously or unconsciously directing their energies toward those vectors. The Ne users will attune themselves to the realtime synchronicities of the universe, ebbing and dancing in harmony with an eternally unfolding fractal towards undiscovered lands. At a more modest scale, the Ne user's information synthesis will regularly evoke epiphanies when various information vectors -- previously suspended in an unconscious superposition -- click into alignment and burst forth immediate realizations that alter the fabric of their mind and paradigm. In all of these cases, the Ne user is rapidly altered -- seemingly by a divine act -- into a more accurate alignment with reality as it may exist at the broadest scale possible.

Tinkering

At a much more practical level, the strong Ne user is driven to absorb and synthesize information and actively participate in the information-collecting process. They will enjoy engaging with elements of reality through tinkering and experimentation. Over a few household devices may be taken apart as they yearn to see what is inside. They may take up a variety of interests ranging from sculpting to rock collecting, music composition, cosplaying, animation, voice acting, puppeteering, and ventriloquism – but will rarely become experts at any of them. As a jack of all trades and master of none, they will dabble with mediums frequently. However, they may find themselves changing hobbies every few years, which can also cause a great deal of disarray in their personal lives as they soon lose interest in a once-beloved life trajectory. Repetition is among their biggest turn-offs, and this can also lead to a life-long struggle with keeping a set occupation unless the Ne user is fortunate enough to find a job as dynamic and evolving as their interests. They enjoy being on the cusp of understanding and seeing what lies beyond their reach. Over time, every interest they have ever had has the potential to reignite itself in them spontaneously. On a whim, they may circle back to a hobby after having packed it up in the garage for years or decades and continue their joy for it as if no time had passed. Indeed, they often have closets or garages filled with various unfinished hobbies or projects - waiting for an occasion to become the center of their attention.

Puns & Quirky Humor

The Ne user will also have an integral sense of humor and bring it into their interactions. They can convert their wild imaginings into out-of-context parallels, comparing a person’s gait to a limping platypus, an unusual jawline to a can opener, or a shih tzu to an animated mustache. They will juxtapose ideas in absurd and off-the-wall ways and highlight the unseen peculiarities of things. The Ne user will have a natural drive to spark the environment and provide levity and life to situations and their lives. Life is too dreary if you cannot have a little fun. Wordplay can be a favorite medium of humor, where they will manipulate the semantics of the situation to make puns and associations. "Oh, you can sit here with me; chairing is caring!" or "That omelet was egg-squisite! But the bacon was hogwash" or spoonerisms like "I am stoing to the gore" may be commonly heard phrases. This sense of humor can lead many Ne users into stand-up comedy or adopt a role as a talk show host for their ability to improvise and keep a conversation going in unexpected directions.

Imitations & Parodies

The Ne user will also have a playful tendency to parody multiple characters and scenarios in realtime. A particular event or external sound/word will trigger an association chain that reminds them of a scene or meme, and their mind instantly re-enacts the mental and physical memory. The Ne user wears many hats and might be a walking record of enactments, ready to sprint into their acting mode immediately. They will manifest this in the form of "mini-skits" that imitate the iconic qualities of a thing. The Ne user may be an expert at playing with their facial muscles and making various expressions. They may also excel at modulating their voice tone, picking up and repeating accents from movie stars or obscure demographics. At a more functional and less recreational level, the Ne user can be adaptive and construct personas in social situations. Suppose they are driven to assume a specific professional or social role. In that case, they may seamlessly be able to play the part, which can sometimes become a longstanding act, as they use the persona for months until the Ne user may even forget that they assimilated or constructed the character in the first place.

-Behaviors Under Stress

Distraction & Escapism