#distort-t

[distort-t]

SHY AFFECTION PROMPTS—

Walking side by side, the back of their fingers brushing—too shy to initiate hand-holding.

Teasing the tips of person B’s hair between their fingers, watching their fingers, unable to meet B’s gaze.

Subtle acts of service: opening a door for them, covering cornered edges when the other bends down to pick something up, purchasing something of the other’s interest.

”You look—uh, good. You look good.” Stammering, trying to appear confident when complimenting the other. Cue the throat clearing and avoidance of eye-contact.

Hesitant smiles and blushy cheeks.

Person A about to say something before thinking against it and closing their mouth.

Agonising slow-paced romance.

Person B sticking by person A’s side while they’re sick and stuck to bed rest, despite A’s warning of getting them sick too.

Thoughtful picnic dates.

Almost confessions.

”I care about you, and I want the best for you.”

Friends to lovers.

Looking for each other in social settings.

“You mean more to me than that.”

”Come on, we’re friends.” “Are we really?”

Angsty confessions after built up feelings being hidden.

Everyone can see it but them.

“We’re just friends!” “With how B is looking at you now? I don’t think you’re just friends.”

Starry night skies, damp grass, and deep talks about life.

B learning about A’s body insecurities and finding that it’s their favourite part of them.

Love-fuelled kisses under whispering nights.

So deeply in love that it almost makes their friends uncomfortable to witness.

Feathery forehead kisses.

Neither of them raise their voice—a love so gentle and kind that it makes your teeth rot.

Either one has social anxiety and the other orders for them at cafes and restaurants, or both of them do and one disregards their own anxiety and steps up.

Late nights cuddled up and quiet giggles.

”You’re everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”

”I want our kids to have your eyes.”

Inside jokes that literally no one understands.

[sacredvalentine]

He lives in my brain

[thermodynamic-comedian]

do you think michael distortion, kevin wtnv, and elijah volkov would get along

[clairebearsparkles]

Babe’s just going through it

[alserm]

- Gt July -

Flynn: - Wow, this is some kind of miracle! How it works?

Sem: - Well, it's just a program that recognizes faces and...

Flynn: - LET'S TRY EVERYTHING!

Sem: -...Hahaha, calm down.

(💭Sem: - he’s so happy, pfff hahaha)

Flynn: - I BECAME A COOKIE!

Day 28 - Distortion

[frogfrogfrogfrogoose]

Magnus Archives fandom, i give you:

my live reaction to the end of season 2

bonus:

[wormmilker]

nightmare blunt rotation with micheal distortion kevin and elijah volkov

[reactionimagesdaily]

[3ris-d1st0rtionnn]

t e e T h T e E t h t E E t H t E E T H T E E T H

Ţ̸͉̣̻͕̹̫̙̗͍̩̰͎̬̤͎̰̓̀̎͛̃̈́̍̈́̓̚͝͝͝͝͝ ̵͉̭̣̮̞̙͎̬̻̎̀̋̅͊̓͘É̵̡̖̮̺͓̝̱̣͖͚̮͕̳͍̰̊̎̐̓̄̑̊̆͆̋͊́ ̶̯̰̥̱̫̥̩̮̌̋̊͌̐̅̽̈̚E̶̲͍̅͊̀̌̄̊́̏̋͛̏̍̓́̓̈̕͝͝͝ ̸̧̧̗̮̹̻̝̜̫̹͚̺͔̰̜̺̽͆͗̈́̊͋͐͊̾̀̽̾͂̎͂̏̈́͘T̴̨̨̧̛̥͎̜̘͓̼͔̥͍̳̬̩͙͛͆̊̈̔̈́̽͛͊̑̀͗̋̂̚͘͝͠ͅͅ ̵̛̛͉̔̂͒̿̄̉̅̊̀͆͒́̅̕̚̚H̸̳̞̤̜͇̱̭̗́͗͆̇̉̅̇̄̇̚͝ ̷̡͓̦̲̪͔͔̖̺̫͎̳̖͈͈̞̠̙̮̯̄̔̿́͊̔̈́́̽̆̀̋̓̚͝͠ ̵̢͉̺̹̭͙͙̪͔̪̜͉͔̹̗̳͛̊̆Ṭ̵̢̢̛͈̤͔̝͇͉͉͕̳͋̂͑̾͋̑ ̵̧̥̹͇̹̹̾̆̈́È̶̹͚̙̣̮̭̰͈͍̖͔͔̪͑̔̅̀ͅ ̵̡̯̬̹̜͚͚̦̾͌̑̉̈́̽̅̎̈͋̀̈́̌̂̓͂͝Ȩ̸̘̞̼̪̟͑̅͂̅̄̅̍̂̈̈́̈́̄̂̊́̀́̈́͘ ̵̧̛̳̳̳͕̘͚̭̻̫̘̈́̉̃̀͛̔͛͆͗̒̂̓̎̔̾͗̋͝T̶̢̰͙̦̯̙̤̗͉̥̼̘̣̗͙͖͎͚̋̿̊̐̈́̓̂̀̇ ̶̧̯̥͙̻̬̮̖̝̦̤̖̠̪̘̩̘̳̱̍̎̓̓̀̓͂͛̉̃̾̂̽͝͠H̴̡̡̛̗̹̟̫̟͉̣̬͎̺̀͂̑́͆̌͋̾̆́̈́̌͌̕̚͠ͅ ̶͔̞̈͑̈́͠ ̴̡̦̱̙̇̾̋̆̃͆̒̾̈́̓̀T̸̩͉͕̮̩͇̝̭̩̮͈͕̗̦̓̾̉̈́͜͝ ̸̧̛̤̦̲̗̲̳̜̦̙͆̑̚É̴̮͚̩̞̊̽͒̋̚͘ ̵̖͉̤̞̩̩͖̤͙̠̈́̔́̓̀͂͘͝E̸̢̺͇̪͚̭͙̰̮̪̤̗͙̪͝ ̶̢̧̧͎̭͎̫͉̜̫̳̞̻̺̩̥̯̈́T̸̮̲͎͙̓͗͆̉͑̂̽̎̾͘ ̶̧̪̯̳̗̫̼̪͗̌̐̄̍͛̍́͐̄̅͂̌͋͝͠͝͠H̴̫̻̮̟͔̝̳̥̬̣̝̣̪̪̰̝̫̎͐̔͌͒͊̎͋̚

[distort-t]

How I think a character losing their magic / power would feel like.

Whether your character has acquired this power, or had been born with it, the results are typically the same when you lose said power.

In my opinion, losing your power would be like losing a part of yourself. The power has wedged its way into the characters making, and now it’s gone—dead. A hole is left in its wake and it aches.

Your character is going to be disoriented at the change. It’s different, too different. They’re going to miss the feeling of using their power, they’re going to try and use it again just to make sure.

Their identity has made a complete 180. From being known as someone with their power, to being known as the one who lost theirs.

It’s like losing someone you know, hollowing. Stuck in a loop of denial and making delusional reason. Maybe they think it’s a terrible nightmare. Because surely, this wouldn’t happen to someone like them? They did good with their power—so why is it being taken from them?

When I think of loss of power, I think of blank stares, pitying glances, others navigating around eggshells and not mentioning anything close to their own powers or magic, staring at a wall for long periods of time, and mundane tasks to avoid the startling realisation that this reality is true.

As acceptance readily comes through, life is different but slowly becoming the normal for the character.

They’re going to forget sometimes that they lost their power, and try and use it in the way they used to—only to feel their shoulders slump when nothing happens and that they really did, in fact, lose their power.

So this is sort of my take around this sort of concept. As much as I hate the loss of power trope, this is for anyone who wants to add this into their writing. If this helps, great!!

[sacredvalentine]

go gay boy go

[questionable-chnt-hc]

chnt and tma exist in the same universe so the whole state of ohio is just taken over by the spiral and thats why werid stuff happens (occasionally Micheal or Helen would drink tea w elijah)

Micheal was a counselor for a little bit as a summer job before he got distortioned

[clairebearsparkles]

Mantis!Michael and Gerry on a coffee date, scaring the bejesus out of everyone there

It was really fun to do these sketches, thanks for the request!!!

[blametheeditor]

Day 28 | Distortion

Gt July Prompt List

First | Previous | Next

When stranded on an uncharted underwater planet, alone and surrounded by hostile lifeforms, there are only two possible outcomes: adapt and survive, or die trying.

Spoilers: For the game Subnautica

Content Warnings: Cursing. Mentions of death and violence. Mentions of drowning and suffocation. Mentions of dehumanization, experimenting on people. Being held against someone's will. Mentions of diseases and infections. Darker themes.

________________________

Scott stares up at the towering structure as it blocks out the sun from where he stands. Shivers as a chill runs up his spine at the thought of what waits inside. 

Realizes Fritz and Jeremy still haven’t joined him on the beach. 

He turns to Vincent playing the delicate balance of keeping his head above water to talk while ensuring his gills stay submerged. “What happened to the others?”

“David’s refusing to let Fritz go,” the ghost replies, failing to hide just how nervous he is, unable to keep a frown off his face. “Jeremy’s asking Mike questions to make sure there’s no possible way he’ll accidentally become an experiment.” 

Scott sends a look toward the leviathan. “William isn’t here, is he?” 

“No, he was long gone before the tanks opened,” Vincent reassures. “There shouldn’t be any of his equipment left, just everything the original creators made. I get his hesitance, though.” 

And he doesn’t blame Jeremy for his terror either. The kid has been exceptionally brave and handled the revelation just what exactly Mike is incredibly well. So has Fritz even after they found out he’s the most infected out of all of them. But maybe that’s because everything hasn’t fully processed yet. Hasn’t for most of them. 

Scott’s not going to lie, he’s afraid of what he might find. Knows there could be something not only disturbing in principle but physical evidence of everything Vincent’s told him about as well. There’s also the possibility there might be security measures in place meant to protect what’s inside. Measures that were made to trap any intrudors somewhere impossible to escape from, or be killed. 

And here he is, more than willing to take two teenagers into such a dangerous situation. 

“I think I should go alone.” 

“No,” Vincent borderline growls, making Scott hesitate at the unexpected the hostility. He quickly meets the ghost’s gaze, surprised when instead of anger and distrust for letting him go without supervision, the massive form watches him protectively. ”William might not be there, but anything can still happen. You’ll keep them safe and they’ll drag you back to us if needed.” 

It’s a bit of a twisted sentiment. There’s no denying the fact the leviathan cares for them, though. 

“I don’t want any of this ‘claiming’ business that David pulls.” 

Vincent gives a smile. “No promises.” 

“Help!” announces Fritz trying to swim as fast as possible toward the beach. It doesn’t take too much thought to realize what exactly the kid’s needing help with. “Get me up before he grabs me again! Hurry!” 

A giant hand lifts Fritz up and out of the water, Scott quickly catching the teenager as he’s gently slid onto the sand beside him. Not even a second later, David appears, looking livid. “Fritz!” 

“You said, that I, could go!” the kid exclaims between breaths. 

“’I changed my mind!’” 

“You can’t ‘do that’, that’s not ‘fair’!” 

“David,” Scott cuts in, well aware this is going to go in circles. Which he doesn’t know if it’s a good or bad thing he knows the reaper well despite them never having a one to one conversation before. “I will keep him safe and won’t let him out of my sight.” 

Pure black eyes bore into him. He can perfectly imagine what fate waits for him if he so much as allows Fritz to earn so much as a bruise from tripping over his own two feet. “’Swear it.’” 

“He wants a promise,” Vincent translates. 

Scott nods. “I swear.” 

David doesn’t look any happier, but there’s no attempt to snatch Fritz away. Another hand does reach out for them only for Jeremy to be carefully deposited as Mike sends them a smirk. “I told Jer there’s nothing you can fuck up in there. We’ll even meet your asses inside.” 

“There’s a g-g-giant moonpool,” Jeremy explains as he brushes sand off of him. Takes a moment to bat away fingers doing more harm than good as they attempt to help. “He said once we take down the barrier, the underwater entrance will unlock too.” 

“Hear that, David?” 

The reaper’s already disappeared under the waves once everything connected. That tells Scott they have about five minutes to get it opened until they’re in trouble for being too slow. Meaning he slowly begins to walk toward the foreboding structure. 

Fritz and Jeremy quickly follow behind. He hears the sound of the other two leviathans diving down once they’re a fair distance away. 

That’s when Jeremy stops. “I-It’s unlocked.” 

Scott’s blood runs cold. “What do you mean?” 

“Th-the barrier,” the taller begins as he moves forward, gesturing to the open archway. “It’s gone. I remember there being one, and that’s why I never went inside. But it’s gone.” 

“Could it be timing?” Fritz asks. “Like it’s up during certain times in the day? Or maybe it comes down when there’s a leviathan nearby?” 

Scott takes a moment to calm his racing heart. Because Fritz is right, there are numerous ways for something to get unlocked. It doesn’t mean someone did it knowing they were coming. Vincent said William isn’t here. 

“Stay close to me,” the man instructs. Waits until they both nod before slowly walking to the entrance into the unknown structure. 

The sound of metal being walked over echos through the glowing hallways. No voice calls out to them, no robotic system declaring they’re trespassing and must leave immediately. It’s completely silent. 

Scott carefully makes his way under tall ceilings, constantly looking over his shoulder to make sure Fritz and Jeremy are right behind them. If he wasn’t so tense, he’d smile at the opposite reactions the two have for being able to investigate such a place. The awed curiosity and fearful watching are certainly mirror exactly what he’s feeling himself. 

“Scott,” Fritz whispers, pointing at something to their right. “Something’s glowing.” 

He turns. Stares at a cube of all things. Walks toward it before slowly reaching his hand toward it. 

Nothing happens. No discharge of energy, no sirens as a barrier rises up around it, no rock falling from the ceiling meant to crush  them. 

“May I have the scanner, Fritz?” 

It’s silently handed over. He quickly scans it, pulling up the information on his PDA. Nothing says it’s dangerous, and there’s no warnings about the structure they’re inside not being safe to explore. 

Taking a deep breath, he carefully collects the cube. Waits for a breathless moment. 

“Can I see it?” Fritz asks when nothing happens. 

Scott is happy to hand it over to the teenager, watching as green eyes almost identical to the cube’s color widen. Jeremy then gets closer to see once it becomes clear it won’t hurt them. “W-What is it?” 

“An ion cube. It’s a mineral, but there’s nothing in the database for it. Just guesses from the PDA.” 

Fritz straightens up. “Maybe we can use it for energy!” 

“We’ll try and fabricate with it if there’s a guarantee nothing bad will happen,” Scott smiles. Tries to hide his amusement at Fritz looking slightly disappointed at the same time Jeremy sighs in relief. “Let’s keep going.” 

With his confidence boosted at the fact there wasn’t a trap waiting for picking up the cube, his fear slowly subsides. Only hesitates for a moment before tapping his PDA against what looks like a futuristic terminal. Frowns when he’s given a message of the information needing to be translated. One step forward and two steps backward. 

They don’t linger in one spot for too long. Every time they pass a terminal he downloads the information without stopping to look at it. Hands every ion cube they find over to Fritz. 

Then they reach something that can only be described as a hole. Carefully moving forward, he sees there’s a platform at the very bottom. He feels what he can only describe to be air rushing up, the word ‘elevator’ coming to mind as he steps back to survey the entire thing. 

Scott glance behind him. Sees Fritz’s pale face and Jeremy’s shaking. 

The man raises his hands. “Here me out.” 

That earns a snort from Fritz. “I-I’m up for it.” 

“Do we know where it goes?” Jeremy asks. “W-Will we drop or is it s-s-safe?” 

“I have no reason to believe it isn’t safe,” Scott begins, trying his hardest to not let his voice betray his nervous. He does believe it’s safe, but he’s not infallible. “It can be argued those ion cubes are priceless, and nothing happened when he took them. And this entire place has yet to seem like it’s running out of power.” 

There’s no response, but Jeremy doesn’t run back the way they came. Instead he gives a single nod. 

Scott offers a hand to Fritz, the teenager immediately taking it and squeezing it tightly. “R-Ready when you are.” 

They step into open air as something keeps them there. Float for a frightening second above a stomach dropping height. And then Scott’s breath is stolen as something yanks them down, unable to even yell at the feeling of weightlessness. 

It’s over within seconds as they’re dropped unceremoniously onto the floor. Scott feels everything lurch as he tries to reorient himself. Has to hold his head against his knees for a moment to let the nausea pass. 

Curses when he hears stuttering breaths, forcing himself from his ball to comfort the trembling form beside him. 

“Breathe, Fritz, it’s okay,” he murmurs. Gently rubs the teenager’s back as he checks on Jeremy, glad at least one of them doesn’t seem to be badly effected by the sickening drop, the taller already on his feet. “You’re okay, it’s over.” 

“What’s w-w-wrong?” Jeremy whispers. “Is he okay? Did something h-happen?” 

“He has a thing for heights,” Scott responds. “And truth be told, that made my stomach flip. You feel nauseous at all?” 

Jeremy shakes his head. Watches Fritz hopefully as the tight ball painfully uncurls. “Sorry.” 

The man helps the poor kid sit up. “No, you did fantastic. That was one hell of a drop, I’m proud off you.” 

Fritz’s lips tremble until they manage to form a smile. “Thanks-s-s.” 

“You assholes okay?” 

Scott looks up to finally see where they are. Slumps in relief at the sight of Mike only an arm’s length away. Able to reach them where they are from the next room. 

“W-We’re okay,” Jeremy says. “There was an e-e-elevator.” 

The leviathan’s eyes widen. “Shit, I forgot to mention that.” 

“Had you even remembered until now?” Vincent’s voice echos. 

“’What’s an’ elvater?” David chimes in. 

At the sound of the reaper, Fritz weakly pushes himself up as Scott helps him onto his shaking legs. Continues to slowly breathe as they make their way to where the leviathans wait. He realizes much too late how it’ll look to David, everyone freezing as a threatening growl turns into some distorted horrific noise due to the way everything echos. 

Before Scott can try and explain himself, Vincent gives David a solid whack on the back of the reaper’s head. “He’s fine. He looks like you when you eat a bad fish.”  David sputters. Stares at the ghost for a few moments. Wordlessly opens and closes his mouth a few times. 

Suddenly, Vincent’s lunged at as the reaper roars. Water rises up in a wave before falling onto the floor as the two vanish from sight. Instead of seeing the scuffle, they feel it as massive beings wrestle, the floors and walls shaking until it finally calms. 

They all look at Mike, who only shrugs. “He deserved it.” 

“Wh-Which one?” Jeremy pries. 

“Both.” 

With Fritz no longer shaking and more amused than anything, Scott cautiously walks closer to the moonpool they had been told about. Looks across the water to see a fairly large pool. But with Mike taking up a good portion, it’s clearly not big enough for three full grown leviathans to be in at once. No wonder the entire place shook. He’s surprised they even lasted as long as they did without a fight breaking out sooner. 

“Why was I expecting anything else?” Scott asks no one in particular. 

“You should definitely lower your expectations,” Mike smirks. “Have you fuckers seen the portal yet?” 

“Portal?” Fritz inquires. 

“Portal?” Jeremy squeaks. 

“Through there,” the leviathan points toward the other side of the room. “It’s in the back, ignore the stairs and you can’t miss it.” 

Despite Fritz’s excitement and Jeremy’s dread, they obediently follow Scott. He eyes the apparent stairs Mike was referencing, though they’re more like ramps. One’s without any sort of handrail. They are more than happy to ignore them to approach the last room. 

Scott jerks to a halt when he sees an arch standing before them. A familiar arch. One that looks exactly like the one on the other island. His island. 

This one isn’t dark, though. It’s glowing with a large distorted green swirl in the center. It’s been activated. 

“Are you okay, Scott?” 

He doesn’t answer. Can only numbly walk forward until he’s standing before the portal. A phasegate to be exact. Not like the ones Alterra builds, but there’s no denying it. 

Who turned it on?

“Scott,” Jeremy pleads. Stops the man from stepping into the archway. “What are you d-d-doing?” 

“It’s a phasegate,” he explains. It takes a great effort to turn away and address the two watching him with worry. Plasters a smile on his face. “It’s safe to travel through. I think I know where it goes, actually.” 

They don’t connect the dots. Realize it shouldn’t be possible for it to be one. Not if they’re the only humans on this planet. And maybe it’s better they don’t know someone’s been here. Has walked through these halls. Could be waiting for them just on the other side. 

But right now, Scott doesn’t have any proof. There’s a possibility this is the only phasegate that stayed on over however many centuries it’s been. A slim one but it’s possible. He needs to go through it to know. 

“I’m going to see what’s on the other side.” 

Jeremy stares at him for a moment, unsure what to say. Fritz hesitates, looking like he wants to protest before he nods. “You promise to be safe?” 

“I swear,” Scott agrees. “Wait here. If I don’t return in five minutes, tell Mike to bring you to the other island.” 

They nod, and he steps through. Stumbles out the other side as he catches himself on the arch, catching his breath as his insides writhe. The feeling of vertigo slowly but surely passes until he’s able to look up. Sees the familiar pillers and rock stretching high above his head. 

His assumption was right, this went to the island he found after his lifepod landed. Something that feels like it was lifetime ago. 

The only problem is the phasegate on his island hadn’t been active when he was last here. It was off, with no way to power it. Meaning the side where Fritz and Jeremy wait was off as well. But now it’s on, before they ever had the chance of flipping the switch themselves. 

So who turned on the phasegate?

[maxgicalgirl]

I have GOT to get a binder I’m so sick of my tits fucking up my fashion choices

[trashlie]

You brought Nol and Yui up and elaborated on their dynamic beautifully, I just wanted to add something that I've been thinking about a lot lately. Nol isn't only a threat to Yui because he is a potential heir. He is also a threat because if he ever exposes what she did to him in the Hirahara mental facility, it could be her downfall. The incident between the brothers was something she was personally, directly involved in. It all boils down to her. Whatever the contents of Yujing's article will be, Yui will probably be able to weasel her way out of any accusations. (I don't see her standing trial for murder or any of the Kim's crimes anytime soon.) But this? This is not something she will be able to get away with that easily once people start digging and questioning things.

To prevent it all from coming to light, she needs to keep Nol in this miserable state. Similarly to how she needs Kousuke to have this warped perception of reality, the same applies to Nol. She needs him isolated, internalizing the guilt, believing he deserves everything that happened, that fighting back is useless and only leads to more pain. But if he ever breaks free from her control, finds support, starts unpacking everything that has happened... That's when he becomes unpredictable, and unpredictable is dangerous. Back then, Yui got rid of Nessa but let Nol live. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a day comes when she really regrets that decision.

And this really makes me wonder how exactly Nol remembers the incident. Does he remember it clearly, or was his memory warped? Does he stay quiet because it's his word vs Kousuke's Yui's the media the whole world so he knows no one would believe him? How did he process his time in the facility? Does he remember it clearly and would be able to talk about, or is it all a haze? Does he recall names, faces? Would he be able to recognize the people he met there again?

Related to this, I have this feeling that whatever was going on in the mental facility, is... bigger than Nol. Bigger than just one kid getting abused and brainwashed. What if he isn't the only victim. What if it is the entire facility, or at least a subsection of it. What if Yui, since she runs the facility, fostered this kind of environment? This is a sensitive subject so I'm trying to find the right words... Unfortunately, this is not as unrealistic as people might think. It's horrible and absolutely disgusting but abuse in mental asylums, as well as institutions with a similar framework like nursing homes, is not a rare occurrence, because of the power dynamics in place and the residents being isolated from the outside world. Unfortunately, not every nurse, doctor, or medical staff is a good, caring, kind person. Some of them are the worst, most heartless people who simply want to have power over others. And power is such a key theme in the story already, isn't it. Given the author's background in the medical field, I would not be surprised at all if this is something she is planning on commenting on in season 2...

[Content warning: In my response I will talk a little about implied sexual assault related to Yui.]

Oh man, this is such a GOOD message and I think you're bringing up something that hasn't been explored nearly as much so far! That, yes, as we move into s2 we are going to start seeing the much darker underbelly of the story that has been sort of held off for so long, things that have only been danced around, until our characters grow older, aaaaahhhh!

But yes, re: Nol and Yui, that's such a good point! Like... something that I've talked about with a lot of people lately is that maybe Yujing is actually working on two stories - one as a favor to Rand, to help rectify Nol's image and reputation, and the other her much bigger story about Yui and the Kims, because I agree, there is no way whatever she has right now is going to be able to make the necessary dent, it will be so easy to bury. But if it turns out she IS working on two stories, this does a couple things. First, it plants that seed of credibility. If Nol was, in fact, an innocent person pushed to take the fall of the Hirahara's partner's son, then what can that say about Yui, the Hiraharas, the Kims? What does that say about corruption amongst the elite?

And what does it say about Nol's past?

If Nol's image can be redeemed (as much as it can be, because I have no doubts there will be people would brush it off, but fortunately Yujing bears a reputation for her honest work and reporting) while planting that seed, then later in the future when Yujing has even more dirt, even more testimonies, even more events to report on, people will be more willing to accept it, to believe it, to start to see that corruption, and how good people lose their lives (whether because they actually die or it's a case like Nol, who hasn't really been "living" all of these years as much as going through the motions).

Being able to expose the kind of manipulation and meddling Yui has done would be big, for her both as a Hirahara and also overseeing the health facilities, the hospital, etc. Someone of her status and position manipulating and drugging her own child and step-son, institutionalizing someone who didn't need it, the things that went on in there? ;A;

You're right that it's very likely Nol is not the only person who was abused in that facility, and I think it's very likely, too, that we might see this further explored. Something I think about re: Yui is that she has some kind of trauma, too. Not just the whole "I am a woman and I resent the patriarchy for what I have never been afforded and I have had to work harder in order to get what I have" and the survivalist mentality of needing to be at the top so that no one can take your position, which is already... uh... a lot lol. But on top of that, I think it' very possible that Yui was possibly assaulted when she was younger (perhaps even by one of the Kims which is a whole other can of worms) and that in never getting to process what happened to her, in not getting to get much needed help, perhaps she internalized that in a very damaging way. That mentality that this happened to her because she was weak, because she wasn't vigilant, because she wasn't powerful enough could be a part of the way she treats others, how she has this almost.... doesn't it feel like she treats people like her prey, that they dance for her amusement? That maybe if they were stronger, if they were more powerful, she wouldn't be able to play them like a fiddle? And I think, in an insidious way, this goes hand in hand with what you're bringing up - about fostering an environment where people who thrive on power can lord that over others.

It's especially sick and dark because yes, you are right - there are people who do often need that help and don't get the help they need because of the kinds of people who work in those institutions. We do see that a lot in nursing homes! And given that Nol was institutionalized on a basis that seems to be largely fictitious, or at least that it wasn't what it appeared, it feels even more hand in hand that powers of abuse were at play in there.

I have a few thoughts additional to this, too.

Something I think about Nol at this time is that he probably WAS an angry, hot-headed kid. His mother uprooted him and moved them to a foreign country where they live as undocumented immigrants in a home that Rand pays for for them, but they aren't living as citizens of this place. They're effectively living in hiding, in the shadows of Rand's Other Family. He must have been so alone! He must have been so upset. His father is this man who has a whole other family, he's MARRIED, and his mother is essentially his mistress, The Other Woman. She uprooted their lives for THAT. To be near him even though they couldn't actually BE. Nol wasn't part of their lives, part of that world. Every interaction we've seen of Kousuke and Nol spanning those years is just Kousuke refusing Nol, demeaning him.

In 219 when Nol and Shinae are talking about not celebrating his birthday, he talks about abusing the cow that became your burger and it makes me wonder if Nol and Nessa argued when he was younger, when he was hot-headed and bitter and angry and upset about being forced to live like this for a man who never once showed the side of him that his mother insists exists. Did he say terrible things about her choices, about what she was doing? Did he say hurtful things?

And to this thought... did Yui ever drug Nol via tea with something that might amplify and exacerbate his already hot-headed, bitter, angry feelings? That made him lash out at an old brother who treated him like dirt. At a family that made him feel like an invisible monster, like a mistake? Could the incident that happened the night he was taken away have involved something like that? And even if not then, we know Nol has an aversion to tea, which means it could still have been anything else. And not only an aversion to tea but an aversion to Yui's touch, to her presence...........

Whenever I think about the time he was institutionalized, I think of it a lot like what I think conversion therapy sounds like. They took this kid who is, for the most part, pretty normal. Is he having adjustment issues? Probably. Is his anger misplaced and out of place? Probably not. They took this kid and convinced him that something is wrong with him - that he himself is an anomaly, a mistake. That everything would be better if he didn't exist. Like, I feel deep in my heart that what happened to Nol was deeply brainwashing in nature, psychologically impacting how he sees and perceives himself, how he thinks about these incidents in the past that he was involved in. That everything would be so much better if he just didn't exist. His mother wouldn't be dead. His father's family would know peace. They convinced this kid that bad things come to those he cares about, because he is a blight. That he was a terrible son and he lost his mother because of it. I feel SO STRONGLY that this must be why this mentality is so deeply ingrained in him, why it's something that he cannot just let go of, because his entire identity is deeply rooted in it.

His entire panic about waking up in the hospital, and how he could calm down once he found out it wasn't Hirahara Memorial. His aversion to drugs, even when it was a pain killer given by Kousuke at the beginning of the story. I just.... i just KNOW terrible things happened in that hospital to him, and probably to others. ;_____; I'm haunted by his aversion to Yui's touch, the way he reacts every time she reaches to him ugggghhhhhhhh

So yes, I do wonder how much he remembers of that time - and it's probably going to depend on any drugs they were administering (whether or not he needed it). I think, too, he probably was made to participate in anger management, which probably further just warped his perception of himself and his feelings, and what he's allowed to feel.

But as for that night in question, I get the feeling even Nol doesn't have a clear memory of it, based on the beginning of episode 150. Something we've been picking up on re: memory in ILY is that color is one of the factors that determines how clear a memory is. A good example of this is Shinae's recollection of the formal and how it all works backwards from blurry, black and white images and slowly gains more clarity and saturation as she returns to what wasn't affected by being drugged. Other things is stuff like in Kousuke's memory where Nessa's face is scribbled out.

Nol's memory of the night he was taken away is jarring - there's no clarity, everything is blurred as if it's in motion, we can't make out the images, the colors are inversed (he himself appears blue and black). I think this implies that he himself has a very tenuous grasp on what happened that night, cannot recall clearly for himself his memory vs what Yui said. The most clear things, in fact, are what he was saying, his insistence that he wasn't doing anything, that he didn't touch him, he just wanted to ask him something.

We've seen even in Shinae's memories that speech can become blurred, so Nol's speech being the clearest part....? Interesting, right? So there seems to be some conviction in what he said and insisted, but the rest of it seems to be vague, easy to manipulate, to convince him he's remembering wrong.

And I think there's two strong possibilities here.

The first is that Nol could have been drugged at that time - and this really plays into the theory that maybe he's been given things that amplify and exacerbate his emotions, make him look like he's a violent, unstable child, make him come across more belligerent. If he was drugged maybe that's why the vision is so blurred, so warped.

The other possibility is this: quimchee has revealed that Nol is practically blind without his glasses, is nearsighted, and that this is, in fact, plot-related. We also know Nol now wears contacts - perhaps so that he can never be left blind if he forgets his glasses (loses them, they're taken from him) and.... what if that's connected to the night he was taken away.

Further, on top of this, Yui is the spitting image of Kousuke, but in a wig. And the night that Nol was taken away? Yui's hand looked like it was scuffed/battered/injured.

So I think it's safe to assume that no one but maybe Yui (and Rand?) has the best understanding of what happened that night. It seems possible that Nol was without his glasses, so already all but blind, and based on this being such a traumatic event, the memory is already distorted, the colors show that. Even if he wasn't drugged when this happened, it seems like it's something he himself can't very well recall, except for the words he spoke. ;A;

And to tie in your initial points lmao yes I think that's a really important thing to remember. Yui needs to keep Nol in a state where he cannot question these things, where it's easier for him to believe these lies that he's been saddled with, to continue to believe that he is a blight, a mistake, something that never should have existed, that wherever he goes, doom follows, that those he cares about are damned by his association. Every time he takes interest in someone Yui sees to it that they are "taken from him" like how Alyssa was pushed into a career that would mean she doesn't get to see him, leaving him alone and isolated, and convinced that this is what happens. It's UGGGGHHHHHH it's so awful, but YES that's very much how she operates, and why it's so so SO important to me that Nol and Shinae talk, because like she told him back at the Parks, nothing changes if he leaves. She still works for Yui, she's still under contract. Rand has reinforced this notion, that she WILL NEVER ESCAPE and the best she can do is to learn to play Yui's games and fight the way she does. As long as Nol is alone, she can continue to isolate him, continue to use the people he cares about against him, to punish him with their harm.

But like you said - maybe if he can get away from that, he can get the much needed clarity. It will take a lot of work and patience to unlearn what has been drilled into his head, but I think being able to talk to Shinae, to be open with each other would be an important first step, so that they can never be used against each other, and so that he can see that it's not him - it's Yui, and it's always been her. ;A;