#undercover emotions

[time-woods]

tf isthis how you flirt ? ?

(part 6-7/?)

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[kagoutiss]

his divinely induced hyperthyroidism

[lovelydrusilla]

[good-beanswrites]

My thoughts on how the Milgram mv machine works based on the evidence we have:

(I know there’s been discussion about where exactly the interrogations take place, but wherever they are,) the prisoners are made to sit in a specific chair near the wall that houses the machine.

It’s ordinarily hidden, but the wall panels shift aside to reveal it when the mechanical sounds play in the dramas. As well as the walls moving, the chair transforms to restrain the prisoner and attach whatever it takes to access their brain. The fact that none of the more frightened prisoners try to run or break it makes it seem like they physically cannot. This is why Fuuta sounds so panicked, and why Amane is suddenly helpless in front of Es in their T1 vds.

(My mind conjures very classic sci-fi mad scientist machines with wires, pipes, lights, nodes, needles, etc, but I’d love to hear how other people visualize it.)

In some vds (maybe all? I’d need to check,) you can hear Es take some steps right before their iconic line -- it would make sense that for safety reasons, the power mechanism is placed across the room. Once again it could be anything, but the sound effect makes me think of one of those giant wall-mounted levers you have to pull down.

The voice dramas don’t really provide the type of crime details that an actual interrogation would reveal, and it’s odd that they’re placed before the extraction rather than after Es gets to see the new details. This leads me to believe the machine functions with priming. All Es needs to do is get them talking about their murder, so it’s on their mind.

The video produced is much like a (non-lucid) dream. Even if the prisoners figure out that this is how it works, they can’t control it just by thinking really hard about something else. The murders produce the strongest emotional affect, and that’s what it picks up on. If someone else used the machine, it would default to whatever gave them the strongest emotional reaction in the ~15 minutes beforehand, hence why Es’ video focuses on their daunting task ahead. (The Undercover theory is still a bit loose, though, given the private shots that Es wouldn't have known about). It’s why the videos are usually closely linked to the vd topics/beats. I also like to think that the reason their prisoner colors appear so much is because they’re looking at those colors on their uniform 24/7.

The bell rings to inform Es that it’s the optimal time to use the machine -- the prisoner has been thinking about things for long enough that the video will be about their crime, and if the conversation lasts much longer they’ll start thinking of other things. It’s at a different time for each prisoner because it’s based on the specific conversation. I guess Jackalope is listening in to the interrogation, timing it perfectly. (The only one that kind of messes with this theory is Yonah, because they just keep talking afterwards lol, but it could just show that the interrogation is still in Es’ control.)

Their “Sing your sins” is the final priming nudge to get them to think of their actions as a sin, revealing their guilt.

Once activated, the prisoner enters a sort of trance/sleeping state. It’s very much like REM sleep, with the machine forcibly activating neurons and recording the output. The prisoners have asked Es what they saw, meaning they don’t remember the mvs. I like to think the prisoners do experience the mv in real time, acting as the major version of themself that appears, but can’t remember it afterwards. It’s when you experience a dream, but as soon as you wake up you’re just left with fleeting emotions and memories right on the tip of your tongue.

The video plays immediately upon extraction -- whether on a huge projection or little screen depends on which room it’s in. It simultaneously saves the memory so that Es can rewatch it later (on those old TVs in the jailbreak mix). The machine downloads the song and video together, but requires special parts to retrieve them. The technology is pretty new and fragile, so if one is broken, there might be a delay between when Es can hear the extracted song and see it with the video. (That’s my justification for Kotoko’s delays -- after 9 prisoners the parts wear out, or maybe Mikoto himself overheats it with his complex situation.)

Based on the lack of conversation we get afterwards, I picture Es leaving before the prisoner wakes from the trance. The machine adjusts their brain back to normal before they awaken, restraints freed and able to return to the rest of the prison.

It’s very much like a dream, so it’s not harmful despite the amnesia/head injuries the prisoners have. It does, however, exhaust them. Brain activity alone takes a lot of energy, so forced brain activity with added emotional strain would cause them to feel pretty drained the rest of the day.

[thatsbelievable]

[vampylily]

diversity win! the homoerotic homophobic closeted gay couple who moved into your neighbouring condo has now proposed!!!

wait hold up.

diversity win? the undercover cop and the drug dealer he's trying to take down is gay???

[aroacettorney]

we talked a lot about how the incidents in delica absolutely broke ludger, but tbh, casey didnt come out of it unscathed either.

imagine how lonely you must have been to willingly travel to such a distant land just to see someone who was potentially like/similar to you. and when you thought you finally got a best friend who could understand you in a way that no one else could, they turned out to be something you would absolutely abhor with your entire existence. they gave no explanations. they bothered not with excuses. there wasnt even enough time for you to grieve what you just lost because they forced your hands to fight them in a death battle. without a word, they just simply vanished as if your friendship in the past few months meant absolutely nothing to them and you were left alone again, trying to navigate when and what went wrong all by yourself. there was a mix of burning hatred, betrayal, and sadness inside you, but there was no longer anyone for you to talk about it — no one that could understand it. you endured all those feelings for three years with no one to share while chasing after your old-best-friend-now-turned-archenemy for answers because they never gave you the closure you deserved.

even when you finally learned the truth, you realised that they had never trusted you nor your abilities enough to even consider working together. rather, they took on the most extreme measure and didnt hesitate to make you their biggest enemy all the while keeping all their troubles and pains to themselves. best friends, friends, friendly acquaintances, private detective and their client — it turned out that your relationship was neither of them. was it truly your one-sided assumption after all? or perhaps, was it because you failed them when you could have known better and done better? still wanting to keep believing that your companionship was once real, your guilt started gnawing on your conscience. not only you couldnt save them, but your inadequateness also doomed them to their worst fate possible.

then, the opportunity came. you finally mustered up all the courage to utter an apology. even though they acknowledged it, they made no intention to accept your peace offerings. they reminded, "our alliance is temporary". they stressed, "enemies are what we are destined to be". what a fool you were, trying to save a relationship that never existed. either that, or you had never truly been forgiven. they wanted nothing to do with you. they needed not saving by you. it wasnt a closure you wanted but its still a closure you got. in the end, you were left alone once more, with the knowledge of a possibility that you also might not be able to save them again this time.

[fluffalpenguin]

the mean girls of duel academia

[crows-of-buckets]

Im trying to get back into writing fic (outside of me being possessed by the spirit of an idea at 1am and pratting something out on my phone while half asleep that is) and I've had these lines rattling around my head for WEEKS now. Ena my fucking up baby boy

[onyxbird]

Hello! I saw a post of yours saying you have a Leverage Hell AU series on Ao3. Any chance I can get the link to that? Thanks!

☠️ Warning ☠️: Consumption of Hell AU may result in Leverage brainrot and compulsions to write angsty fic. Experts* recommend against consumption of large doses of this AU in a short period of time, particularly for new users who do not know how they will be affected. Certain lines in this AU have been identified by the state of the comments section to be hazardous to human health. Writing while under the influence of Hell AU may pose a risk of spreading this contagion to others.

Please consume responsibly.

We Have Never Had a Hitter (That Wasn't Actually Moreau's)

*@darkfinch

[sezja]

Forehead Touches are very important to me

[maradovan]

Ch 55

This is such a raw fucking passage I can't believe it's from a middle grade gay fairytale boarding school book

[just-spacetrash]

🌟

[lavenoon]

we've seen Dusk/Moon go non-verbal, but how would the boys react to Y/N having a non-verbal episode?

I should probably start with the disclaimer that this will be heavily biased by my own nonverbal episodes, which I realize are not universal but also very much where Moon gets his from

You'll also definitely get a bonus Eclipse despite him not being that involved (at this point in canon, at least), so he'll just get a generic "you" while for Sun and Moon I'll stick with Y/N!

Given the differences in circumstances if at home vs at work I'll differentiate between Sun & Dawn and Moon & Dusk, with some reverse coded boy info too.

Sun doesn't get nonverbal himself, but he's very familiar with Moon's episodes. He knows what usually triggers them (high stress/ overwhelm, sometimes delayed) so when Y/N chokes up trying to talk to him, looking so frustrated with themself barely managing words and half sentences, he immediately switches tracks. Easily flips the conversational script to 1) check in on them and 2) stick to yes/no questions. Post reveal in particular he will offer his company if they don't want to be alone, and would be content with any of the outcomes - whether they want to be alone (and rest!), or want to stay with him - he'll end up doing some woodworking perhaps, crafting a new project and either work silently or chatter away if Y/N would still like a bit of background noise.

Dawn doesn't quite have that much leeway. If they're on a mission while the stress hits a bit too much, there probably are some other signs of Robin slowly but surely reaching their breaking point, and he would strive to get them out before. If that fails, and they struggle more with the actual words, he might try and switch to sign if yes/no isn't an option, and if it's a simple physical blockage of somehow not getting the words out. If it's too much and Robin starts shutting down he'll extract them with a fitting excuse and get them out of the social situation - if they still insist on finishing the mission (because Robin is a bit of a workaholic fool) he'll make sure they don't overdo it, and perhaps only set up some bugs or other little gadgets they might need. Back home they get pampered, no buts! Reverse Dawn has kind of lost here pre-reveal, because he too knows the signs from Moon, but Robin doesn't really trust him enough to be that vulnerable around him. He'll get them out faster, not knowing enough about how they handle these episodes, and very bluntly explains that he has an idea whats going on and there's no need to talk, so if they could just not fight him on this and get the non social parts of this mission done they'll all be home sooner. He does say it very matter of factly, which helps Robin feel not as defensive, and he doesn't mention it again unless Robin brings it up (until post-reveal, perhaps).

Moon... Moon seeing Y/N choke on words and obviously struggling overrides any hesitation he may have, even for pre-reveal reverse Moon. As far as he's concerned, nonverbal episodes are exceptional circumstances and normal social rules don't apply. (Not that he's a social rules expert to begin with). If somehow in (perceived) public (which to Moon includes the front porch) he'll make his first task getting out of that situation, and into a more private environment. He always hates being perceived by strangers when he's nonverbal, so he'll simply assume Y/N feels similarly. At the very least, privacy won't hurt. Same as Sun he switches to simple questions, and checks in with how much physical comfort they're okay with. He's touchy and craves contact/ physical reassurance, but knows that might not be the universal experience. If yes though, he won't hesitate to bundle them up and get them somewhere away from prying eyes where he can stick close and make sure they're okay with a very extensive cuddle session. They better kiss working that night goodbye. Reverse Moon isn't much different, despite being much more shy pre-reveal. He'll quickly admit to getting his own episodes, and would they like some company? The only difference is that the cuddling wouldn't be quite as touchy and perhaps opts for more of a little blanket fort as a small safe recluse instead, and also definitely wouldn't even think about getting up into their room. It might turn into a bit of a "bonding moment" where he opens up and Y/N gets to know their kind of quiet neighbor a little better, and they'll thank him for his help once they can talk again.

Dusk gets a bit more leeway than Dawn, given that there's no one else to appease. He might take a bit longer to realize what's going on if they're currently getting around via parkour or sneaking quietly anyhow. But once he does he's all business. Pre-reveal he might be a bit blunter, while post-reveal they're close enough for him to be gentler in his approach, but otherwise not much changes. He'll do a quick assessment - is this mission worth the strain, and what's the middle ground between Robin's workaholic opinion and his very "I'd say fuck work if I said fuck on the regular" approach. If the mission is cut short, he either ushers or outright takes them home, depending on the point in the timeline. If Robin insists they continue he'll keep a closer eye on them to notice the nonverbal cues, and will match their silence to not force them into their usual banter routine, before then taking or ushering them home.

Eclipse has never had a nonverbal episode - days where he's quieter, yes, but that's a mood thing. He was in their head when Moon had many many nonverbal episodes during the stress of the early days, heard the static bursts that laced his voice if he did force himself to talk, and the physical reactions that come with extended strain. Noises more than words, shaking, and then at times the blockage was so great that when Moon did end up getting something out of his voice box, it ended up being sobs. Eclipse wasn't in a position to help, and Moon wasn't in a position to accept it, anyway. Even after getting his own body Eclipse didn't feel confident enough to offer anything except quiet company or taking care of some chores while Moon retreated into his and Sun's room. So if you end up having a nonverbal episode? He needs to get this right. He can't let you down like he let down Moon. (Not that Moon would sign that - the early days were stressful, and he doesn't blame Eclipse. He wouldn't want his little brother to feel obligated to take care of him anyway). But Eclipse carries some guilt, and it means he'll be very, very careful. He'll speak quieter, softer, leaning down and closer as he reaches out but doesn't make contact yet. Makes himself smaller, and less overwhelming until he knows you're okay. If your reach out too, taking hold of his hands, he'll gladly offer all the physical contact that you want, but will ask before every escalation if it's okay. He remembers Sun's tricks and what helped Moon before, and will gladly use that. Easy questions, yes/no answers, do you want to go home/ to your room/ do you want or need this or that/ do you want him to stay/ do you want him to be quiet/ do you want distraction etc etc. He's attentive and entirely non judgemental, making sure you feel safe and understood even without the words to express yourself. He'll definitely ask about what he should do if it happens again once you can talk again, what was okay, what could be better, anything he missed entirely? He wants to be safe for you, and while he doesn't have much experience he'll do his best to take care of you as you need it

[theinfinitedivides]

Gil Chae: i will become a good wife. please trust me

Mr. General: *does not in fact trust her*

[shackld]

i need to use my fnaf and pokemon verses more on god on god