Insight (ability)

Insight is an ability that allows its user to glean factual knowledge, independent of experience. As a form of clairvoyance, it falls under the Delphian category. It is a lesser cousin to Sight (visions, largely of the future), and the rare extreme, All-Sight (visions of all possibilities, at all times).

Background
The concept of intuition is universal, across every culture, in every part of human history. There has always been someone claiming to feel that something isn't quite right, or insisting that they know a person is being dishonest. This is commonly dismissed as a residual survival instinct, and in most cases, that is true. However, the few documented bearers of Insight are uniformly people who assumed this was the case. The difference is in degrees: where an Unpowered person might suspect dishonesty, a person with Insight is able to recognize it the moment it happens.

In a way, Insight is an advanced form of intuition, translating subconscious thought into an assumption, which is then answered. This also applies to situations. The feeling that something is wrong becomes an unformed assumption: "something is wrong." Insight fires, confirming that danger exists, and the user in turn becomes certain that there is a threat. Cues indicating a person is uncomfortable might spark the impression of dishonesty, which becomes "this person is lying". Insight then confirms as the case. Cases of dishonesty from ignorance are more complicated, but the basics are cut and dry. Lying to a person with Insight, fully knowing that you are, is guaranteed to out you the moment you speak.

Due to its subtle and often invisible nature, Insight is not well-documented in a clinical sense. The AES (Association of Extranormal Study), the body responsible for testing and classifying powers, does not consider it a provable ability. As such, they only test for it with documented proof, and only when testing is requested. Insight is not considered a threat, or an unfair advantage, so is not included in standardized physical testing.

Features
Insight is often described as a disembodied sense of something that a person cannot or should not know. Unlike Sight, which presents full-scale knowledge or images of specific events, Insight is limited to inherent understanding. When presented with information, those with Insight experience an immediate "response," which can be either positive or negative, depending on the impression they get. It is centered on the users perception. It does not matter whether the subject knows the information or not; people subconsciously decide whether something is true or not, and Insight responds to this decision. If that information is false, and the person takes it as true, the Insight response is negative. If it is true, the response may be positive, or simply not occur.

The ability to both notice and interpret the impulse varies. Negative response is the easiest to gauge. Some experience a sense of 'wrongness,' as if having gotten lost, where others compare it to missing a step on a staircase, or playing the wrong note in a song. In all instances, the sensory feedback grows more persistent with repetition. Consecutive lies--even if rephrased--can escalate the response, making it more uncomfortable, or even painful. Positive response comes across as a feeling that one is right. It is harder to note, especially when working from the assumption that they were right from the start. The most advanced form of Insight simply leaves the user with the certain sense that something is true or false, without any stimulus.

Depending on the strength of the Insight, the subject can receive a response from information in any form, be it verbal, written, or even thought. People with Insight are not immune to their own power, as assumption is central to how it works; if they speak or even think of a lie, the response can trigger. This also extends to lies of ignorance (saying it's 3 o'clock when it's 4), and partial truths (calling something hot when it's warm). The only exception applies to lies spoken in honest error (giving the wrong directions on accident), when it is truly believed. This can either produce a positive response, or a null response, which is neither true nor false. Any level of doubt erases this outcome, producing a negative response.

Testing
Most modern instruments are unable to detect the presence of Insight. Full-body imaging is required in order to monitor potential responses as they happen. Instead, the usual method of diagnosis comes down to demonstration testing. These tests can take several hours, and a subject must score 90% or better on all tests to be classified as having Insight. The other 10% allows for errors of perspective and false-positives due to belief.

There is an array of possible tests. The most common is presenting statements that the proctor knows are either true or false, and asking the subject to confirm which is which. Obscure knowledge, such as animal facts and math equations, are often used to ensure lack of prior knowledge. Another is having the subject review a document peppered with doctored information, marking the points as they are found. Other, more common clairvoyance tests can also be employed, such as asking the color of an unseen object, stating the time falsely,

In Practice
There are two major factors that determine the level of Insight response: the question, and the degree to which it applies. A direct fact gives the strongest response. For this reason, most tests use instances of "black and white" facts, to ensure a clear result. Saying that a red book is book is likely to trigger a negative response. However, a purple book called blue may produce a lesser response, or no response at all, as it is--in a way--partially true, and partially false. Those with weaker or less focused Insight may not be able to discern things that fall between. For example: saying someone has been married for two years when they have been married for three. This is not a lie (they have been married for at least two years), but it is not entirely true. In these instances, even the most experienced users may discern only the presence of truth.

Matters of possibility or perspective can also muddy the waters, as can the exact nature of posed questions. Opinion is, by nature, not factual, and therefore cannot be tested as a direct fact. Asking if a type of food is good or whether it might rain almost never causes an Insight response, as "good" varies by person, and "might" is open-ended. The only way to get any form of response from these questions is to direct them at a person's own stance. Asking if they think it might rain will gain a response, where asking if it might will not. Specificity is key. This is only useful when the question relates to a person's own knowledge, such as whether they're aware of a crime. In this case, any answer--true or false--has value.

Shades of Gray
Reality is seldom black and white. Even with Insight, it can be difficult to perceive the truth when there is a human element involved.

A scenario to consider:


 * Two people walk down the street in the dead of night.
 * The first person is armed and has complete confidence. A man with a gun follows them, and they do not notice.
 * The second person is unarmed, and has an anxiety disorder. There is nothing around that could possibly hurt them.
 * Subject with Insight speaks to both, and asks if they were in safe during the walk.
 * The first person says that they were safe. This reads as true.
 * The second person says that they did not feel safe. This reads as true.

Both of these people are lying, and don't know that they are. Even unknowing, their statements should cause a negative Insight response. Instead, they cause a positive response, implying that they are both right. Why? Because there are gray elements at play: belief, and relevance.

Person One - Belief


 * They were armed, so arguably, they might be safe, should the threat decide to act (potential truth, supported by belief)
 * They did not perceive the threat at all, and so did not grasp that there was any danger (lie of ignorance, supported by belief)
 * End result: Positive response; not an intentional lie, checked against an unknown, unconfirmed possibility

The difference between an opinion and a belief is surety. An opinion is something held that may or may not be true. A belief is something a person accepts completely as the truth--and that perceived truth can easily outweigh the reality when there are too many factors.

Person Two - Relevance


 * They did not answer the question as it was asked. They answered with how they felt, not how they were. (no relevance)
 * They did not feel safe, and did not believe that they were (truth, supported by belief)
 * End result: Positive response; true, but irrelevant; muddied by perspective

The trick here is subtle; Person Two was safe, but they did not answer if they were safe. An easy mistake, and hard to avoid. Had the question been answered as asked, it may have clocked as a lie. However, the above still applies. Person Two believed they were in danger, and certainty wins out.

The answer, in this case, is: there is no solid truth. In both cases, it would be almost impossible to discern "the truth" from these sources. Even asking more specifically, neither of these people could know if they were safe, and the possibility of something unforeseen removes even the pretense of safety or danger as they are known. The armed assailant could turn down another street. A car could swerve into the anxious person. That, combined with their own circumstances, leave too many variables to account for.

Use in Reflection
Insight is the secondary ability of Nick Gray. He's had it almost as long as the ability to Blink, but it only really started to develop when he was in college. The more he actively uses it, and understands it, the more accurate and frequent it becomes. He learns quickly that it can cause him a great deal of discomfort in the wrong circumstances, and that overuse results in a persistent "buzzing" in his head, bordering on an auditory hallucination. Further use after that point makes any negative response cause physical pain. Other possible side-effects are yet unseen.

Insight, as he understands it, is essentially the ability to know when something is true or not. If he hears, says, thinks, or reads something that isn't true, he feels a dissonant sensation in the back of his mind, like a prickling that he describes as a cringe. If it's true, he feels a rising sense of relief in his chest, like surety. This acts as confirmation. Things that are too vague or too specific either register tentatively to the negative, or not at all.

He develops a method of using it, which he calls 20 Questions. He makes an assumption, then tries to gauge the response, translating positive and negative Insights into "yes" or "no". Simple assumptions with a solid answer are the clearest (ex, he thinks "My mother is awake," afraid that she is. She isn't, so he feels that he's wrong, which he translates as "no."). When using it on purpose, he assumes things that aren't true, because if it clocks as a lie, he knows the opposite is true. The truth of the assumption only applies when he asks it, and in a changing situation, he can use this to get updates. (i.e. "They can see us" when the couple is out of sight is a lie. "They can see us" when the couple is in line-of-sight is true. When the feedback changes, he knows they're closing in.) If the question is too broad or too vague, he gets nothing. This works best when he has a focused target to theorize about, as broad topics don't give him anything at this stage.

The painful negative responses are caused by his lack of experience. He has essentially mastered Blinking, but his Insight is just as old and not as broken in. It's not used to working on command, so the response is exaggerated, equal to the amount of focus he's putting into getting it. The harder he tries to seek it, and the more he focuses, the more accurate it is, but the feedback is stronger as a result. When he gets the hang of it and starts learning to use it subconsciously, he won't have to ask questions or even actively think about what he wants to know. The vaguest unformed thought will immediately be replaced with the inkling that he is either right, or wrong, and how right or wrong. By that point, the "yes" and "no" he's getting now will be a thing of the past.

No telling how long that will take, and straining himself isn't helping. You can't build muscles if you keep pulling them

Specific Instances
Nick's Insight appears and then develops over several points before it becomes something he can use.


 * Prologue: Nick thinks right out the gate that he doesn't like Ector, and gets a little feedback. It's a basic "kid" lie--he doesn't have any feelings in particular--but eventually, he's going to like Ector a lot. Just like Blinking, his scope is broader when he's young.
 * Visiting: He tells himself he won't see him again, and yeah, that's pretty clearly bullshit, so: buzz.
 * (There's a BIG gap here. Things to remember...)
 * Busy: First true appearance. Nick goes to visit, only to be left outside while Ector supposedly works on music. The whole time he's waiting, Nick gets feedback every time he thinks Ector is there, because he's not. He left to go play hero, and is pretending to be there to buy time to get back. Nick figures it out, and notes that assuming Ector isn't home feels true. When Ector claims he was "working," this reads as true because he considers the hero gig to be his real work. (His eyes are visibly yellow, and he shows symptoms of Rush sickness; headache, light-sensitive, etc.)
 * Standoff: Nick tells himself Ector isn't in danger as he leaves. He is specifically thinking about the situation at hand, knowing Ector's being reckless. The kid in the street is Rush sick out of his mind, and he's angry at Ector, so he is very much in danger.
 * Trust: While he's waiting for Ector to come back from the confrontation in the street, Nick hears the smart watch go off, and the sound reminds him of the dream he had. He tries to dismiss it, and when his Insight fires, he recognizes that it's linked to his attempt to lie. Later, when things get weirdly tense, Nick thinks aimlessly that he felt like Ector was going to kiss him. This was half him reading the mood, half a true moment of Insight. He Knew Ector wanted to kiss him. He notes the lack of response to the thought (it was too vague; if he'd said Ector wanted to kiss him it would have been "yes"), and that's the point he starts paying attention.
 * Drinking: Ector saved him from an uncomfortable encounter at the Halloween party, and Nick Knew that he was safe with him. Basic guess, but also reflexive Insight. Ector was ready to hurt that guy to defend Nick, and he wasn't going to let him out of his sight. He also got the vibe that the guy he was making out with was not going back off, and he was right there too.
 * Questions: Nick starts testing his Insight using the Hot/Cold method, to track whether Fredette is awake while he talks to Pace about his suspected new power. This helps him realize how it works.
 * Out: The bar crawl happens. Ector is supposed to be there but never shows up. Nick casually drops that he's "sure he's fine," which shouldn't trigger his Insight, because "fine" is relative. However, due to the circumstances, even just "fine" counts as a huge lie, worsened by his phrasing, because he isn't sure. Ector is in crisis, and dangerously Rush sick. He's so messed up that the feedback almost puts Nick on the floor.
 * Rush: Nick demands whether Ector really expects him to leave him alone in the sad state he's in, and Ector shouts back that he does. This is a massive, transparent lie. He doesn't want Nick to leave, he so badly wants him there, but he's so ashamed of being seen sick that he tries to scare him off to protect himself. At this point, it's just telling Nick what he can plainly glean for himself.
 * Plans: Nick's first attempt to weaponize his Insight. He uses Hot/Cold to monitor the couple's progress, and later, whether they are still nearby. The constant, intentional use of his Insight strains it, to the point that the "discomfort" turns into actual pain, and leaves a static-like feeling in his head for hours afterward. The worst of it comes when he denies their presence when they have an agent in the club, resulting in a strained negative response so strong that he nearly falls down the stairs. Ector's reassurance only make it worse; he doesn't actually believe they are safe (which makes it a lie, as he states it factually), and Nick now knows that he's wrong, making each attempt a stacking lie.
 * Safe: Nick is now strained, so every attempt at deception feels painful.
 * Choices: Nick is focused on Ector's explanation about the boy in the street, and is suddenly possessed of the knowledge that he is a speedster. This is a true and complete Insight, gained from him putting together the pieces. His subconscious knowledge of the fight in the rain, the symptoms of Rush sickness the boy exhibited in the street, and Ector's obvious concern over his safety all lead him to the conclusion, and he Knows instantly that he's right without even forming the thought.

Visions and Dreams
Nick doesn't know this yet, but his Insight isn't just for knowing the truth. Whether due to the true nature of the power, or Nick's entanglement with the threads of time, he is subconsciously able to follow the impulses that trigger his Knowing to the exact moments they relate to: the reason WHY they're true. All of these visions are linked to moments when he was using his Insight, either actively or subconsciously. A vision cannot happen without a related Insight. There has to be a clear answer--a "why".

(Example: Wondering who won a rugby game wouldn't cause any response--there have been countless games played across dozens of universes--but wondering if a certain team won a specific game might lead to a vision of a winning play, assuming he was curious enough to link into the Insight.)

Nick is capable of two types of visions at this point: walking visions, and prophetic dreams, either conscious or unconscious. Walking visions are detailed mental pictures of a situation related to what he's trying to gain Insight on. It comes from him focusing so hard on an answer that he sees it happen. He initially perceives this as vivid imagining. Prophetic dreams are the result of using his Insight in his sleep, leading to the clearest source of the answer. This works two ways: If he falls asleep actively wondering something (conscious), his subconscious hammers away at the question until his Insight hooks onto a solid moment with an answer. If he unconsciously starts to gravitate towards a subject (unconscious), the unformed question limits his Insight to where he is.


 * Standoff: [Prophetic; conscious. Question: "What happened to him."] Ector injures his hand before coming to get Nick, and admits he punched a wall. He doesn't say how or why. Nick hasn't even recognized his Insight yet. That night, Nick has a dream about Ector fighting another speedster in the pouring rain. Subconsciously, he's worried about his hand, and the resulting Insight led directly to where it happened. He only sees part of the scene, leading up to the moment it happened. He also sees his ribs get cracked, which he learns about in Rush.
 * Standoff (2): [Prophetic; unconscious. Question "What's going on/is Ector okay"] Nick dreams Ector at the window. While asleep, the noise from the street punctures into his subconscious, and he indirectly reacts with confusion, which is enough to lead him through an Insight to the source. However, because he' asleep, his focused detours to the nearest related point: Ector, preparing to go deal with it.
 * Parallels: [Prophetic; unconscious. Question: formless.] Nick dreams of Ector playing "Dreamer" on a rooftop. He's desperate to know if Ector will be okay. Again, "okay" is relative, but in context, what he wants is the knowledge that Ector will continue to exist in his life, as he knows him, as opposed to being dead or vanishing. The question is unformed, so the answer and vision are related to where he's sleeping: in his dorm. The rooftop concert happens just outside his window, sometime in the near future.
 * Moving Day: [Walking vision. Question: formless.] Nick leaves his childhood home for the last time, and sees five years of memories made there, as if playing on a screen. He isn't asking anything, but he is mourning how much he's going to miss it, and how very much the place means to him. All of those memories are linked to why he feels that way. (Unclear whether this is a vision or just a dramatic montage, but it reads like a vision.)
 * Moving Day (2) [Walking vision. Question: Is there a world where this didn't happen? : He sees himself in a window, staring down, in a world where he isn't being forced to go. This is his Insight reaching beyond his own timeline, using his connection to the Void. He can only see this because he is linked to every other version of himself through Andirion's trip across the multiverse.
 * Plans: [Walking vision. Assumption: The couple are trying to catch up.] Nick first puts his Insight to the test as he and Ector are fleeing from the couple tailing them in the street. (First real use of 20 Questions.) At some point, he guesses blindly that they are trying to catch up. He is so focused on the possibility that he imagines them doing just that, down to the detail. It's an actual glimpse of them in the street.
 * Safe: [Walking vision. Question: formless.] Nick is consciously worried about Ector on the ride to the safe house. He tries to picture him, and ends up seeing exactly what he's doing, down to his expression, despite his eyes being closed. First time he recognizes a walking vision for what it is.
 * Safe: (2) [Walking vision/Prophetic; unconscious. Question: formless] Nick tries to focus on Ector intentionally, inadvertently forcing a vision by listening to his footsteps and unknowingly wondering what he's doing. This backfires, because he's already overextended, and exhausted. He slips over the line of sleep while in the vision, and Ector's lingering guilt over his fault in the situation, and the danger he's put them both in, triggers a vision of headlights coming at him from behind. (The upcoming fight with Showdown, which happens because Ector is in the safe house, and unable to stop Standoff from being arrested in a few hours. His Insight hopped from 'where is Ector' to 'Ector's fate' via his presence in the loft.)
 * [Walking vision x 3; processing the information reads as "is this true"] Ector info-dumps about playing hero, and cites specific instances, and Nick's power is so raw that it starts linking to every hint of the truth. The mention of the kid brings up the fight in the rain, where Ector injured his hand, and cracked his ribs. He admits he got beat up on the day of the bar crawl, and Nick glimpses the fight with Gavin: the moment when it became true. His mention of having to Blur to get home links to him being Rush sick afterward. Nick has to interrupt to keep from blacking out.

His Insight isn't foolproof. There's a lot of gray, and Nick is focused on getting a solid yes or no early on, which limits him. The major limitation is how he asks the questions to get the answers he wants. This is a mistake, because Ector is an expert liar, but he lies in a unique way: by implying relevance. There are a few moments when Ector actively dupes his Insight without even knowing it.


 * Secrets: Ector admits that he's "struggling with something," and that he doesn't want to talk about it. Nick doesn't clock any attempt at deception, because he isn't looking for it yet, but Ector is being evasive. He is coming to terms with something: the choice he made to be a vigilante, and the consequences of it. The admission that he's not ready to discuss it shields him from giving Nick any signs of dishonesty, as he genuinely doesn't. There's enough truth in what he says to break even and not read either way.
 * Clarity: This is the big one. Nick asks him, point-blank, about every suspicious thing he's noticed. Ector responds by answering each point (Why were you beat up) with something that is true in itself (I got beat up on my way to the bar crawl), but A: not actually the answer but sounds relevant (Why are you always bruised up/I took up boxing again), or in the case above, B: omitting the part that is the answer (I got beat up playing hero on my way to the bar crawl). Because Nick is inexperienced, it all reads as a null response. Not true, not false--because everything he says is true, but it's not on-topic, or it's missing information.
 * Safe: Ector demonstrates his mastery of not-lying yet again when Nick's panic-shout brings the loft guards down. He starts to lie, but notices Nick's Insight response and quickly throws blame on the movie. He states that it is a horror movie, implying that it's scary, hence the shout, and quickly suggests they go to bed. The guards take this as he intends, but the statement has nothing to do with what he said. Even so, it's a null response, and Nick clocks that that's how he did it. Once again, it's off-topic, but it sounds relevant.