quote from via tune blob Tune Blob The zombie borg stands by the fire, its body twitching. An older man steps closer, saying, "You’re safe; we mean no harm." "Engage with the collective; survival is paramount," the borg replies, its words automatic. The man nods, recognizing the phrase's emptiness, and asks, "But what do you truly feel beneath that?" name the issue here is that (and what you are doing here is something i do too in situations like this -- it's a symptom of autism spectrum disorder) the borg is clearly only able to say these things, and it can stimulate great suffering in them to resist their assimilation. they've established existing coping strategies for being a hybrid being with multiple patterns going on at once (zombie, borg hive, remaining humanity). to connect with them in ways that don't worsen their torture, it's important to engage their existing coping strategies. given that they speak in hive phrases, forming quick critical dialog with those can slow down connection and possibly worsen their situation by e.g. raising behavioral flags or traps that cause them to flee to the hive or bring the hive here. Tune Blob The zombie borg stands by the fire, its body twitching. An older man steps closer, saying, "You’re safe; we mean no harm." "Engage with the collective; survival is paramount," the borg replies, its words automatic and devoid of feeling. The man pauses, sensing the tension, and gently asks, "What does survival mean to you right now?" name this is better. can you reduce the dialog and add more focus on body language, maybe feeling held in eyes and facial expressions?