Tumgik
#but you know what can? a doctor who doesn't believe you. a system built on neglect. THAT'S the horror we need to talk about.
andthebeanstalk · 4 months
Text
The cool thing about a horror movie that takes place in a mental hospital and, shockingly, actually turns out to be on the side of mentally ill people is that it avoids all the common disgusting pitfalls of mocking, demonizing, and infantilizing mentally ill people.
The downside is
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
[It's much scarier.]
#original#smile movie#smile 2022#I'm literally two scenes in#it could definitely become ableist by the end of the movie but I'm kind of obsessed so far?#like nothing is scarier to me than the lack of quality help and validation available to victims of trauma! and this movie is LEANING INTO IT#which is way scarier and also way truer and more important to talk about than a looney bin filled with lunatics who want to murder you#like that's literally a concept based solely on people's ableist fears.#same with horror movie monsters that are just people with facial deformities or congenital disorders or just... people who are poor#(the hillbilly cannibal trope is just MAN POOR PEOPLE ARE SCARY HUH. it's garbage.)#what's ACTUALLY a horror is the way these people are treated! and that INCLUDES how they are portrayed in media!#because guess what? ghosts aren't real and an abandoned mental hospital can't hurt you#but you know what can? a doctor who doesn't believe you. a system built on neglect. THAT'S the horror we need to talk about.#and THAT is why I am going to have to watch this movie in short installments over a few days#and let me be clear: i am alive today bc of a mental hospital's IOP/PHP program. i stopped being suicidal after YEARS bc of that program#mental hospitals CAN and SHOULD be GOOD THINGS ACTUALLY. but in countries with shitty healthcare that's very hard to find.#it is also why it is my life's work to build a treatment center that PROVES we can do this ethically and with compassion#life is worth living#and the American Healthcare industry can die just the same as any other giant or dragon. empires have fallen before. it is not immortal.#YOU reading this matter. stay safe. please. it isn't the end yet. i love you.
6 notes · View notes
2willowlane · 5 months
Text
i'm genuinely very neurodivergent over harvey, and i'm very new to stardew. i just want to share my rants/rambles about harv here, just because i adore him. <3
Tumblr media
at first, i actually didn't recognize him as a bachelor, even? i thought he was just like, purely an npc like pierre or whatever. i remember being on call with a friend of mine, and i asked who was the easiest character to romance—and my friend mentioned that harvey loved coffee. and... yeah, that's where it all started.
i love him, genuinely, and even though i may joke around with how goofy he can be at times, there's multiple things that make me grab onto him and want to just appreciate. in general, i love stardew's character diversity! harvey isn't the only one that's a victim to my affection (mainly emily, but i LOVE elliott too).
Tumblr media
i think it's mainly how he reminds me way too much of myself. how he speaks matter-of-factly often, and with a bit of a mellow hint to it due to his age and occupation; i can relate to that. him being a doctor also reminds me of my more empathetic nature, and how i want to take care of others, and i've seen and been through various different experiences throughout my life due to that endeavor. him dreaming to be a pilot reminds me of how i want to indulge in other interests, but i have set limitations.
i don't romanticise him being a doctor; it's a genuine hard profession, and even if i do nor have any professional education on it, i do like his attitude on it. iirc, in one of his dialogues, he talks about how it makes such a difference in someone's day by just talking to them. i do wonder what a younger harvey would be like; considering with how he talks, it's obvious that he's been through different situations that have then built onto his maturity.
him being busy and all, i feel like harvey does love his work, and i also like (actually, i don't. he should take care of himself, but y'know what i mean) how he is TERRIBLE at following his own advice. harvey talks about using vegetables in a healthy diet, but he often eats microwave meals/convenience food. i LOVE how he finds life on the farm whenever he moves in with the player to be much more rewarding, considering he's able to actually use fresh produce (well, there's pierre's), have the time to do it all, and have someone to cook for.
i do like to believe that living up in the lil apartment in his clinic does get to him from time to time. i like how he doesn't talk about his loneliness a lot, and he opens up more about his vulnerable side on that whenever you do get closer/begin to date him. i think, to some people, it makes him sounds a bit needy—but i like to imagine it as if he has a relationship with everyone in the town, sure, but never got to the point of having a close friend. either it's just due to his more anxious nature, schedule, interests, etc.—he is simply the pelican town doctor, after all. i think he'd appreciate a little small talk now and then.
i do beleive he is anxious, but not outright shy or anything. i'm probably sure he was whenever he started out in his career, but i think he enjoys pelican town, since he knows what to expect from the townsfolk. i think with that predictability, he does seek a bit of comfort in just due to him liking a solid schedule (hc, but feel free to put your own interpretation on it). i think he can get very caught off guard by things he doesn't expect, like how everyone does, but it takes him a moment to get on track again if he's distracted.
i love his interest in planes so much. one of my favourite lines of dialogue from harv over here has to be whenever you're married to him, he talks about he's had a good day so far—he fiddled with his radio, worked on his model plane... i've forgotten the exact words (he only talks to me about daydreaming about the circulatory system anymore, but it's okay), but i think it's just me projecting—but i like to believe he simply likes to show affection by chatting about his interests!
harvey's grown comfortable with you to talk about something rather niche, and it just shows he thinks your safe to talk about the small things that make him happy. especially with how he does talk about everything, and wants the player to look at some of his work on models and the such. i dunno. i just live for the fact he views a "good day" to be indulging in his interests. literally me.
i don't believe he outright HATES his job as a doctor, however. i think it does make him feel important that he's able to provide for the people that he's able to feel at home with here in the valley, but what i've said earlier, i think it just kinda eats at him with the whole clinic business. i think him going up to his apartment with no one to really talk to about his day; no one to look forward to seeing—it's just something that's been at the back of his mind. i feel like it'd break his heart if he's learnt that someone wouldn't want to ever bother him due to his work. he'd want someone to understand that due to him being a doctor, he does get stressed easy, but he'd always try to find some time in-between all of those appointments for a chat.
i'll talk more, but i'm tired, and i don't know about what to exactly go on about. anyways, live laugh love harv. please tell me if i'm just silly and feeding too much into my headcanons, and i'm actually deluding myself from canon harv.
31 notes · View notes
jasperjv · 2 months
Text
Schizophrenia. An illness that, by definition, challenges punitive justice and the determination toward accountability built up online.
Twomad was open about having schizophrenia. Toward the end he was talking to himself in other people's DMs, and this is the clearest symptom of psychosis, at a time in life it peaks (early 20's), and I can't emphasize it enough. Psychosis requires us to give benefit of the doubt and not take what they say, or even do, seriously. The brain processes real life as if it is in a dream or nightmare. It can occur from too high a dose of psychedelics. It used to be called early-onset dementia and has similar effects. I've seen progressives treat those conditions with patience and care. But that being given is so conditional; on how it occurs, and on how it presents.
Clearly the leftism of many of you is severely lacking. You don't really believe in rehabilitative justice, and you'd hate what criminal defense lawyers do, though everyone has a right to one.
I could unpack and give benefit of the doubt for almost everything Twomad did. Like a defense lawyer, I guess. I'd hurt myself psychologically doing that right now. But I at least want to address the Brianna Ghey incident and go from there.
As if I'd want him to die for being transphobic anyway. Speaking for us as a group so extremely like that makes us look bad. Please shut the Hell up.
Referencing something relevant to current events is not necessarily mocking in the context of psychosis. Now we have no idea how it was seen by him in that state. You need an example. When I was in psychosis, I typed "I met [fictional character] and he was BLACK. LAUGH NOW." This was my disorganized speech and thought flying purely off of word association. I had just met a doctor who I felt vaguely matched the occupation of the fictional character, and one thing I kept doing was calling people by the names of characters I associated them with. And in my mind, I was thinking, "if I phrase it this way, it's like the 'I met God, she was black' meme. Now it's in a meme format, how silly." I was chastised by chat and apologized, but lacked any ability to explain myself. It seems possible, and to me perhaps even likely, that this was only a relevant reference and not intended as mockery. He also apologized and deleted the tweet. I recovered, now I'm explaining myself. This is what you'll never get from Twomad now.
Possible starters toward understanding schizophrenia:
Vampire's Kiss (1988)
Tumblr media
Yes, I'm serious. And this was meant to be a serious film. I think if Nic Cage hadn't put on that ridiculous accent, that would've been much more effective. It was triggering for me to watch for multiple reasons. Mainly, I felt exactly what it was like to feel compelled and forced to do horrible things harassing the public due to delusion, which was then misunderstood. Because, how CAN you make people understand? When they're in the real world and you're not? Content warning for sexual assault.
Andre Thomas, sentenced to death in Texas
youtube
People keep asking, "What's the point of pleading insanity, if not for cases like this?" The kicker is, it's solely defined as whether or not the person knows what they did is wrong, but it doesn't account for so much about what delusions are and how they work. What happens in delusions is, we get an idea about how to solve a problem, even in cases where we know collateral damage will occur, then it doesn't work, we feel sorry we had to do that, and then a different idea pops up in its place. Repeat indefinitely until treated. The system as it is has practically nothing in place to give grace to those struggling with what's called "consensus reality." And it is especially cruel and unforgiving to black people, but I 'm not going to deconstruct that here.
And no, don't come at me with "I have schizophrenia and I didn't do this-or-that." Oh good for you. But I have no cookie to give. Please know that type of statement is a logical fallacy.
It's understandable if you feel safer now that he's not around. And he's no longer in mental distress. Those both are the silver linings. All I'm saying is that it shouldn't have had to take him dying, and being completely gone forever, for the threat to neutralize. I'm saying it's a waste that he couldn't get help instead, and it's a waste he'll never be able to speak for himself again in case anyone ever needed it, it's a tragedy his parents have lost a son, and I'm disappointed. I. Am. Disappointed.
8 notes · View notes
mamabearwonders · 4 months
Text
I don't follow the DSM personally. To me, most labels are social prejudices from the majority of society which is not always accurate and can be very harmful. To me and my friends, we're the "normal" ones.
I believe that disorders and other things exist, but not in the way the DSM paints it. I never wanted a diagnosis because I knew my medical autonomy wouldn't be respected because once you have mental health issues or physical disabilities, the medical system likes to think that you can't think for yourself or make your own decisions and takes your medical or human rights away. I don't like that.
I avoided an autism diagnosis. Because I don't want to be reduced to negative harmful stereotypes that ableists see us as. My communities and friends know more than doctors who thinks that ABA therapy is ethical, who think that autism is a genetic flaw, who think functioning labels are nice to call someone.
I never saw ADHD as a deficit rather a trait. Folks with ADHD don't lack attention, they just having an abundance of attention. But if you don't focus on the things society wants you to then all of a sudden you're the problem.
Just like autism. You're considered high functioning or a productive member of society which shouldn't be the only measure we value people at like what they can do for work. If you mask if you're super intelligent and then society respects you like oh my goodness look at you!
But if you're a person that wants your individual happiness respected which autism therapies are never based on your needs are too much for neurotypical people then you are considered low functioning. Instead of being encouraged to just be around people that understand you and want to understand you.
I mean look at the traits of autism. What are they from the dsm? Plays awkwardly. Can't communicate. Can't feel emotions. It's because kids who are autistic often are very creative and do things differently and it's okay. Usually kids on the spectrum are very honest and people think that it's a flaw it's not.
I mean if you put kids whether they are on the autism spectrum or not with people that understand them and love them for who they are instead of trying to force them to be an awkward situations that they don't want to be in or interact with people they don't want to you'll see a world of difference in happiness.
I don't like how the medical industry is based around lack of human autonomy. It's why I'm against psych wards and forced medication because there's no advocacy for us just for the doctors. The amount of times I've seen psychiatrists get away with malpractice or tragedy is ridiculous it's just as much as like CPS getting away with harming children.
People in power don't have my respect. I've always protected folks or freed them from the system because there's no good in the system it doesn't matter who they help. The systems were built on ableism and oppression.
What happens if a disabled person says something about a caregiver abusing them? They're told they don't know what they're talking about. What happens when an autistic person says they were abused in therapy? They're dismissed. What happens if a person with mental problems gets abused in asylum? They're told that they're crazy.
Tumblr media
3 notes · View notes
sophieinwonderland · 1 year
Note
I wonder why a group that believes in medical science wouldn't believe in endogenic systems 🤔🤔🤔 perhaps it's because they're not supported by anything other than anecdotes
One person's anecdote is another person's case study. 😉
Something you fail to understand is that psychology is built on subjective experience. Much of what happens in the brain, we can't see. We have to trust that people are honest about their experiences. That's how psychology works. Sure, it's possible some may be lying, but if you assume everyone is lying to researchers by default, often with nothing to gain, then there's no point psychology at all.
A detailed analysis of one case can be considered a case study. With a large group of many, you can conduct surveys and begin to construct seta of data.
Many psychologists have taken note of the endogenic community as of late, and there are plenty of studies that have been conducted over the last decade, with more ongoing.
And anti-endos hate this.
That's because anti-endos don't believe in medical science. They believe in a religion that they call science. Science is the study of investigation and research. Science is not blindly accepting a position unquestioningly.
People who actually believed in science would encourage research. They would be open-minded, and want to know why there were thousands of people saying they experience this phenomenon.
There is not one single study that has suggested endogenic systems don't exist. I can't even find a single peer reviewed paper where a doctor has made such a claim.
The science that anti-endos reference doesn't exist. Even the creators of the theory of the structural dissociation are open to the existence of endogenic plurality.
"This phenomenon that hasn't been researched that thousands of people experience isn't real and should absolutely not be investigated" is not something that comes from those who believe in science, but those who do not want their denial to be challenged.
I, for one, have the utmost confidence in the science. I do not fear research and investigations like the anti-endo religion. I would encourage more studies. More research.
I have the utmost confidence that something is going on in our brain, this will be shown on brain scans, and our position will only be stronger as more research is conducted.
How confident are you?
14 notes · View notes
creepyscritches · 2 years
Text
I wish the concept of organ inventories wasn't so weird sounding to the cisgendered professionals in the health care world.
Just the same list of organs for every new patient to review and check off while doing the other portions of the history section (social, family, medical). It would be so much more straightforward to just have an Organ History than to restrict diagnoses to certain sexes.
Did you know? If a trans woman is diagnosed with prostate cancer and the doctor tries to report the diagnosis to CMS with the patient listed as "female" that it'll get blocked and sent back due to a "diagnosis gender flag/discrepancy"? Then comes the question of "do we have to misgender every trans patient on a federal level if they have a diagnosis associated with their reproductive system????" Currently. The answer to that is yes. 🤦‍♂️
Ultimately things are pushed through with the misgendered version bc those reporting the data are focused on making sure the patient's care is not impeded. I can't imagine there's a doctor alive that would keep a trans guy from getting his ovarian cancer treatment because of an argument that literally sounds like "What do you mean the M is correct??? Our computers are going to explode".
The health care infrastructure has been built around the concept of sex-linked diagnoses instead of organ-linked diagnoses. Which is stupid. Moronic. Absolutely believable about the USA government. There's gotta be at least 15 senators that truly believe cancer is transphobic and only MEN get testicular cancer bc they're MEN! Or WOMEN get endometrial cancer bc they're WOMEN! Why don't we just start saying you have Woman Cancer or Man Cancer in that case?? Fucking dumbasses.
If you have a prostate, you can develop cancer and should be screened. Do you have a prostate? Y/N
Why does someone's sex or gender need to be part of question? Why does it matter to insurance companies that a man has DCIS (common milk duct cancer)???? Doctors are already reporting it like it is, why are we just now starting to think we can CHANGE the doctors' documentation???? Unless you're a provider involved w that patient's care, that documentation is treated as sacred stone carved by all of us who work with it down the chain. Suddenly we should be able to make decisions about the plausibility of this patient's diagnosis? I'm nauseous what the fuck.
Does the patient have/had a prostate???? That is the only thing that matters when diagnosing and reporting prostate conditions oh my God.
We already document when there's an absence of an organ! Just document what is present, reproductive, and relevant while you're at it!!! Cancer records are already a bajillion pages long, I promise brevity is not a factor in medical documentation.
I feel insane. The gender biased diagnosis system is useless. At most it's touted as a quality measure to keep claims or other data correct since sometimes wrong conditions do get reported. You know what one of the most common ones sent back is? A male patient with breast cancer, but the claim was reported with the female cancer code instead of the male cancer code. Yes there are literally male or female breast cancer codes for reporting. 🤦‍♂️There's separate codes available that describe the hormone receptor statuses so it doesn't even matter if there's more progesterone in one sex or the other........we've already reported the rest of the intricate descriptors for this specific cancer diagnosis. Anyone can get PR+ breast cancer like why did you even separate those two like that
Just fucking remove that flagging system completely and implement organ inventories into the patient history and the entire problem is solved from the patient's experience to the final federal reimbursements.
Tumblr media
297 notes · View notes
consultingcriminal · 3 years
Note
ANDROID JIMMY BOY featuring my edgy writing, apologies
-He was built Ig to be a math genius but he kinda sorta rebelled against programming and just learnt everything he could before adding more human looking features to himself, stealing clothes, and then a car.
-He layed low till people stopped looking for himself then chose a random first name that was different from the one "assigned". Since Moriarty means "to die was an art", I say he chose in this AU because dramatic bitch.
-Since he didn't really get any human emotions he doesn't care about breaking the law or hurting people.
-Years later he gets his arm fuckin badly fucked and didn't bring spare parts. Cue Sebastian.
-Sebastian is an (illegal) android... mechanic? Doctor? Idk. He's breaking the law.
-Jim finds him and starts asking millions of questions and Sebastian is confused as fuck until the high end details are given
-He stares at Jim in aww before saying "did you steal from the rich? That's fuckin awesome".
-Jim literally gets a system error because ✨first emotion✨. Said emotion is pride. Is that an emotion? Anyway, he feels pride and nearly shuts down because that's new.
-He manages to lie and say he's getting one shipped to his place and needs Sebastian to stay for a while. He agrees like "eh sure you seem cool." Cue another emotion error.
-So Sebastian stays in the guest room while Jim tries to arrange to have himself fucking shipped and repaired. Eventually he figures something out, telling the mechanic that he has a meeting and what time the android aka him would arrive.
-He just removes the human face plate because that's something he can fuckin do. He also gets a big ass box to lock himself in and takes a fuckin nap so Sebastian can do his job.
-He wakes up when Sebastian powers him on and immediately has another error bc it's the first time he's seen the man smile.
-Sebastian's all gentle and nice and shit to Jim and he keeps getting the same error he got when he saw the man smile and doesn't know what it mEANS
-He can also see how passionate Sebastian is about his job!!
-Sebastian finished working and gives a little comment about the injuried arm, sounding genuinely concerned.
-Jim panicks and blurts out "IT'S FINE" and Sebastian jumps back in alarm.
-The himbo has a smart moment and figures things out and just. "....Jim???"
-Cue Jim awkwardly explaining while putting his face literally back on.
-Sebastian doesn't really care, honestly he finds it impressive cuz they high end programming is hard to break.
-After a moment Jim mentions the errors he keeps getting. Sebastian kinda laughs and pats him on the shoulder. "Welcome to emotions my friend."
-Jim frowns then timidly asks Sebastian for help with said emotions and the mechanic agrees like "eh fuck it you're cool."
-The error messages stop but he still gets notifications about emotions and asks about it.
-Sebastian thinks for a moment before replying "happiness? Platonic love? That's what it sounds like."
-So basically Sebastian isn't 100% helpful but still Jim likes the company and explainations
-Eventually he catches feels and that comes up as an error and he freaks out, calling Sebastian and demanding to know.
-"Uh...damn man, sounds like you're in love."
-Jim freezes and knows he's in love with Sebastian and doesn't know what the fuck go do.
-"Who, um, who is the lucky...whomever?"
-Jim just hangs up and tries to figure out if he can just erase emotions because of course he would.
-Sebastian gets home, absolutely worried sick.
-Jim's still trying to figure deletion out.
-Sebastian rushes over and just starts blurting out concern.
-Jim kinda says "fuck it, never gonna get a chance again" and fuckin kisses Sebastian as erasing memories AND emotions about the man.
-Sebastian still sticks around though, saying he was hired as a sniper and Jim believes him.
-A year passes and Sebastian almost gives up when Jim storms over to him, apparently assuming that he knew, and pulls up the error screen.
-Sebastian nearly gasps in relief, studying it before saying "well you look pissed so I think you're feeling angry, sir".
-Jim kinda shrugs that off, not really caring, and asks how the hell Sebastian knew that much.
-He panicks but tells the truth, he used to be a mechanic. Jim believes him and fucks off back to whatever was making him angry.
-Eventually other emotions start coming. Relief, annoyance, admiration, etc.
-Sebastian still explains but more professionally because he's got a real job now.
-Jim doesn't find much concern in the emotions, in fact they make work easier because being angry gets people to listen.
-Then they become notifications again and he asks Sebastian about it, who shrugs and says "maybe you've accepted that these are going to continue?" and that makes sense.
-Eventually, when he hears about Sebastian pulling off a dangerous and difficult hit he feels happiness.
-Then all other Sebastian related emotions come back and he ends up fucking restarting because Idk, downloading said emotions?
-Sebastian comes home and thinks he's yeeting everything again. Then Jim wakes up.
-He doesn't have the memories but he has the feelings and is very confused.
-"When the fuck did I fall in love with you?"
-Sebastian kinda freezes, relieved but also like "well damn that was blunt".
-He kinda shrugs. "Love works in weird ass ways boss."
-Jim frowns and shrugs, accepting that. I mean Sebastian is human so why not yaknow?
-Because he absolutely doesn't know what he's doing he asks Sebastian what the fuck to do about it.
-"Well you can either try to move on or-"
-Jim just stops listening because he can search shit and yet again just grabs Sebastian and kisses him
-Only this time does Sebastian notice how Jim is absolutely not knowing how to kiss. Like he's doing...things right but there isn't any feeling? Oh and he forgets that Sebastian needs to breathe.
-Sebastian has to break the kiss to breathe, laughing when he can. "You got emotions down but not feeling behind it".
-Jim has an accidental smooth moment. "Well can you show me?".
-Sebastian fucking blushes so hard. Thus cues the awkwardly cute make out session.
Wow this came out longer than expected.
I- THAT IS LITERALLY SO PERFECT, I DON'T HAVE TO ADD ANYTHING TO IT, IT'S PERFECTION
3 notes · View notes
vliyarchive · 4 years
Text
so  according  to  henson's  notes,  skekTek's  enhancements  feature  a  telescopic  eyepiece,  a  bionic  arm,  an  artificial  leg,  feeding  tubes  and  of  course  the  modified  circulatory  system.  age  of  resistance  has  confirmed  their  eye  was  the  first  to  go  and,  unlike  everything  else,  was  done  against  their  will.  everything  else  would  come  mid  or  post  garthim  war.
skekTek's  eye,  despite  having  been  gouged  out  through  torture,  is  where  the  obsession  with  cybernetics  was  born  i  imagine   (  i.e  "  MY  EYE  IS  BETTER  THAN  EVER !  "  )  the  eyepiece  was  obviously  something  built  within  a  short  amount  of  time,  so  soon  after  the  actual  traumatic  event  in  which  the  eye  was  lost,  but  it  still  works  brilliantly,  clearer  than  the  actual  aged  eye  and  able  to  move  independently  of  the  organic  one.  we  can  see  it  was  nothing  but  an  improvement  to  the  scientist,  despite  still  being  bitter  over  the  actual  moment  it  was  lost.
i've  always  headcanoned  the  scientist's  biological  fixations  stemming  from  having  come  from  a  being  of  light.  skeksis  anatomy  is  a  mystery,  there's  nothing  else  like  them,  and  there's  no  way  to  properly  study  them  due  to  the  dead  only  leaving  dust.  the  interest  in  the  body  does  bleed  into  other  living  creatures  but  that's  for  a  different  post.  i'm  not  actually  sure  when  is  a  good  time  to  pinpoint  where  the  fixation  became  obsession  itself  which  i  probably  should  have  figured  out  before  making  this  post  but  whatever.  the  novelization  refers  to  it  as  disinterested  enquiry,  and  considering  how  skekTek  is  after  finally  losing  those  last  few  humane  qualities  it  had,  i'll  probably  just  be  going  with  a  mix  of  that  and  the  aforementioned  mystery  surrounding  skexish  anatomy.  the  process  of  replacing  limbs  could  easily  unlock  some  of  those  secrets  along  the  way.
their  leg  is  easily  the  crudest  limb  replacement,  being  more  akin  to  a  clumsy  hunk  of  metal  shoved  into  the  stump  right  below  the  knee  than  anything.  skekTek's  a  person  who  needs  their  hands  and  mind  more  than  any  other  part,  already  confined  to  the  lab  regularly,  the  poor  replacement  for  a  leg  is  bearable  as  long  as  they  can  get  around  with  a  cane.  there's  various  material  suggesting  skekTek's  metal  arm  has  their  flesh  hand  rigged  to  the  end  of  it,  and  while  the  only  actual  canon  thing  suggesting  this  are  the  tubes  going  through  their  arm  filled  with  something  suspiciously  the  same  color  as  skeksis  blood,  i'm  still  adopting  it  as  canon  on  this  blog.  skekTek's  arm  is  significantly  of  higher  quality  than  the  leg,   being  capable  of  everything  the  organic  arm  is.  the  novel  says  it's  stronger  than  the  organic  one  which  i  can't  really  comment  on  because  let's  face  it  I'm  Not  Smart.
skekTek's  self-preformed  surgeries  to  remove  them  spanned  over  a  decent  amount  of  time,  an  unum's  worth  of  studying  before  the  actual  procedure  and  the  recovery  time  in  between  the  actual  removal  of  the  limbs  stacked  on  top  of  that.  though  of  course  they're  no  doctor  and  the  downtime  was  nowhere  near  as  long  as  it  should  have  been  most  likely.  this  is  the  being  that  ripped  an  arrow  out  of  someone  and  just  let  the  wound  bleed.  the  only  surgery  they  allowed  proper  recovery  time  was  the  replacement  of  veins  in  the  neck,  solely  due  to  what  an  inherently  delicate  process  it  was.  entirely  worth  it,  if  you  ask  them.  it's  a  quick  and  easy  access  to  bloodwork  and  the  flow  of  another  bodily  fluids  you  normally  just  wouldn't  have.  i  imagine  the  feeding  tubes  were  mostly  an  afterthought,  a  way  to  compensate  for  missing  meals  regularly.  i  say  mostly  as  there  is  older  material  stating  the  skeksis  can  never  consume  enough,  and  while  it  might  be  a  reach  i  believe  that  could  be  a  good  reason  too.  and  just  generally  dwindling  health.
back  on  that  note  about  the  timespan  of  the  surgeries,  they  absolutely  would  not  allow  help  or  for  anyone  to  even  know  what  they're  doing.  the  last  thing  they  need  is  to  be  near  someone,  anyone,  in  a  state  of  such  vulnerability,  doing  something  they'd  see  as  mad.  which  they  all  do  anyways.
technically  skekTek  actually  had  a  good  idea,  skeksis  bodies  are  nothing  but  corpses  at  this  rate,  if  they  could  find  a  way  to  keep  them  going  in  a  way  that  doesn't  involve  the  crystal  it  would've  been  wonderful.  but  obviously  skekTek  did  Not  do  it  in  a  way  that  was  safe,  sane,  etc.
if  canon  comes  along  and  says  otherwise  i  may  adapt  that  instead  or  i  might  not,  hard  to  say  right  now.
one  last  thing,  there's  nothing  in  canon  like  this,  but  i  headcanon  that  skekTek  has  removed  some  of  their  own  non-vital  organs  for  study,  there's  a  whole  post  on  that  here. 
12 notes · View notes