input: I just got promoted to manager and I have no idea what I'm doing.

subtext: The speaker is overwhelmed by impostor syndrome and fears their new authority will expose their incompetence.

power_dynamic: The speaker holds formal power as a manager but lacks the actual competence to wield it effectively.

speaker_strategy: vulnerable honesty

obvious_response: Don't worry, everyone feels that way at first.

violation_distance: mild

connector: manager

show: The Office

character: Michael Scott

violation_distance: sharp

character: Robert

persona: cynic

persona: conviction

persona: absurdist

winning_persona: cynic

selected: Congratulations on the promotion; you now have authority to tell everyone what you're doing while they pretend not to notice you're making it up as you go.

step: metadata

status: ok

detail: twist=7 archetype=status_assertion

step: retrieval

step: ranking

detail: cynic

step: compression

detail: selected line finalized


input: My coworker keeps stealing my lunch from the fridge.

subtext: I feel violated and powerless against a recurring theft that threatens my basic needs and workplace safety.

power_dynamic: The coworker holds power through repeated successful transgression while the speaker remains a passive victim unable to stop it.

speaker_strategy: seeking validation for victimhood

obvious_response: That is really annoying, you should probably report it to HR or put your food in a locked container.

violation_distance: moderate

character: Kevin

character: Michael

winning_persona: absurdist

selected: My lunchbox is a vending machine where I'm the currency, and he just inserted a quarter made of my dignity.

detail: twist=6 archetype=anxiety_escalation

detail: cynic:18w, absurdist:25w

detail: absurdist


input: My boss says he trusts me, but he rewrites every message I send.

subtext: The speaker feels their competence is undermined and that the boss's claim of trust is a hollow lie contradicted by controlling behavior.

power_dynamic: The boss holds formal authority but reveals insecurity through micromanagement, while the employee holds the moral high ground of being the actual competent worker.

speaker_strategy: exposing hypocrisy

obvious_response: That sounds frustrating.

character: Toby Flenderson

winning_persona: absurdist

selected: If he trusts me so much, let's just stop hitting "send" entirely and hand him the keyboard while I watch him type my own thoughts back to himself.

detail: twist=8 archetype=power_inversion