

I'm unaware if this idea has occured to someone else and they made a post about it but I think it holds a lot of merit.

While I was re-reading JJK, I came over the part of Kenjaku remarking CTs as engraving in the brain. We all know this, yes.   
But how exactly does this engraving work? How does it interact with CE? After thinking for a while, the comparison of an engraving and a circuit came up.

And then I thought, what if engravings were special paths which Cursed Energy follows to manifest a Cursed Technique?

Like a maze, what if the imprint was more like a paranormal circuit board?

I think you can already see where this is going, I came up with how this theory interpretes the various applications of a Cursed Technique.

The **Neutral** state of a Cursed Technique occurs in the event that no Cursed Energy is actively running through the maze/circuit. This also includes the scenario where Cursed Energy exists in it but doesn't flow from the start point to end point.

**Lapse**, the base effect, occurs when Cursed Energy is flowed through it, moving from the starting point to the end point.

A **Reversal** is formed when positive energy is flowed through the engraving instead, reaching the end of the maze from the start.

A **Hollow Technique** is manifested when Curse Energy and positive energy are flowed through the circuit, at the same time and side by side. 

Now...technically speaking, this is supposed to be impossible but Gojo does it, how? The Six Eyes.

We know that when Cursed Energy and positive energy interact, they cancel out eachother. And so flowing them both in the engraving, side by side, should eventually just lead to a **Neutral**.

That is, if you didn't have the ability to perceive the flow of Cursed Energy at an atomic level.

It's a suitable explanation for why the only user of a **Hollow Technique** is the Genius of the Gojo clan and Yuta...who was well...Gojo.

Now, **Maximums**. 

The idea behind their manifestation, according to this theory, is simple. Saturate the whole circuit.

The Law of the Path of Least Resistance states that, most often than not, energy naturally follows the easiest path. Cursed Energy is well...energy, and despite it's abnormal nature - it should atleast follow some basic laws like this.

Hence, it should make sense that during the application of a Cursed Technique, Cursed Energy flows through the easiest path of the engraving.

A **Maximum** then would have Cursed Energy flow through the entire engraving, through every path in it, hence drawing out the full potential of the Cursed Technique.

In the case of **Maximum Output**, we can consider this as large amounts of Cursed Energy that flows through the easiest path.

And **Extension Techniques** as CE that follows a different path than the usual easiest path.

Finally, we come to **Domain Expansions**.

To be fair, this theory cannot fully explain **Domain Expansions** \- this is because it's manifestation also requires the application of Barrier techniques.

With that aside, let's settle on the part that can be explained.

We know that a Domain manifests when a sorcerer closes a barrier and imbues their Cursed Technique into the space or imbues it directly unto reality, in the case of an Open Domain.

The act of imbuing the Cursed Technique can be visualized as projecting a lesser yet wider form of the engraving beyond the brain.

I use 'lesser' in this case because in the instances we see **Domain Expansions** they are imprecise and usually haphazard. It is but a tool and lacks the thinking of a mind, only through the use of binding vows or special conditions can their use be somewhat directed, albeit rigidly.

As the act of projecting the engraving is beyond the engraving itself, it can be concluded that mastery of one's Cursed Technique does not necessarily denote being able to manifest a Domain and instead mastery of Jujustu does.

But well, mastering one's technique normally entails delving deep into Jujustu and hence, they lead to the same outcome.

The collpase of a Domain causes a burnout not only because it uses a large amount of Cursed Energy but also because of the complex action of the engraving projecting itself - actions that could fry a circuit.

And well, that's about it. The theory seems pretty comprehensive enough to cover all the known applicatons of a Cursed Technique. I also noticed that with it, a sorcerer could theoretically manifest a **Maximum Reversal** and perhaps, a **Maximum Hollow Technique** too.

\[Image was found on Pinterest, posted by user Rocio Rojas (unsure if they're the source).\]

Thank you for reading and please do tell me what you think.

A Theory on How Cursed Techniques Work: Engraving