ok this is kind of out there but. y'all mind if i ponder r0yald1ce hypno. it's another long one, I lost track of time and spent at least 3 hours typing this up 💀 it's also very disorganized and stream-of-consciousness (...as usual) also there's a little p0lym1kes at the end, because it will always be my favorite
i always imagine their hypothetical relationship as kind of a weird, vaguely kinky but not exactly sexual, master/pet-adjacent dynamic. less on the leash and collar side, more like a purse dog situation. officially, b4ttat would be in some kind of assistant or secretary position, but functionally he would feel a lot more like a jester most of the time, the job of keeping his king entertained being infinitely more important than any actual official duties. the king would probably treat the role as nothing more than an excuse to have his Favorite Little Gem by his side at all times, not really expecting him to actually do work. b4ttat himself would take his job seriously, but he would constantly be pulled away from his work because the king wanted to cuddle or something (sometimes it really was just that the king wanted attention, but other times it was an effort to get him to stop overworking himself. though, for the king, sometimes "overworking" really just meant doing any amount of work at all. he didn't quite understand why his Gem would want to spend time on such dull work, instead of just indulging in all of the luxury that surrounded him).
the king would insist on playing games with him, which could mean all sorts of things. sometimes it was actually a game, like chess. other times he just wanted to dress b4ttat up in fancy and expensive clothes. and sometimes, finally getting to the actual point of this post, the games involved hypnosis (he may have sometimes treated b4ttat like an accessory, but he did always get his consent for these particular games). being a naga-like creature, he could just use his eyes, maybe with a diamond pattern instead of the classic concentric circles or spirals. this would be the easiest method because, as an inherent ability of his, it would have some magical properties to it and function a lot more like fantasy hypnosis. it wouldn't actually require a proper induction, being able to completely enthrall someone just by catching their eye and mesmerizing them. but to keep things interesting, he would also sometimes just do it manually, via a swinging pendant made with the most beautiful and intricately cut gem he could find. regardless, actually hypnotizing b4ttat would be the first part of the game, just seeing how long he could keep his wits about him. sometimes he would have b4ttat give him a quick briefing of the work he's gotten done this week, just to watch him start losing his train of thought and slurring his words, until he finally just trails off with a couple more mumbles and then goes quiet. the king finds it very cute.
but once b4ttat was under, there would be a few different things the king liked to have him do. sing his praises (something he could have him do normally, but b4t's pretty terrible at it when he's in his right mind), behave like an affectionate pet, temporarily forget random things, carry out post-hypnotic suggestions and respond to triggers, etc. basically a lot of stage hypnosis stuff, but without the mean-spirited parts or the audience. sometimes, rather than actually giving him any commands, he would hypnotize b4ttat just to give him a break from his thoughts and pamper him.
that last one was the only one he would do without asking, when he considered it necessary. b4ttat is b4ttat, and if it seemed like he was overworking himself, the king would call for his attention just to ambush him with the hypnotic eyes. b4ttat would eventually wise up to this and avoid meeting his eyes when he suspected something was up, but he usually lost the battle anyways and ended up either being carried to bed, or being made to walk there himself if the king really wanted to make a point.
my personal headcanon is that their relationship came to an abrupt end when b4ttat was suddenly whisked away to tv w0rld with a bunch of the other p1ppinses. but since it was so sudden, what if he still had some triggers implanted that he forgot about over time, fairly specific phrases he was highly unlikely to hear in any other context. not that it would matter if he did, because they only worked when used by someone he trusted, in an environment he felt completely safe in. and of course, he doesn't trust anyone.
and then one day, a long time after the fact, j0ngler accidentally says one of his trigger phrases by some freak coincidence, and the effect is immediate. maybe he just slumps over in trance, or I could be more evil and say he starts showering them with compliments and praise in an adoring tone, or he gets really clingy all of a sudden and they can't get a word of explanation out of him. either way, it freaks plu3y and j0ngler the hell out, and they shake him by the shoulders until he snaps out of it. he would probably try to play it off and make an excuse to leave ASAP, because he'd rather die than explain that to his coworkers. but ultimately, he would have to admit to himself that he clearly must not think as little of those two as he claims to, if they're able to just use his triggers like that. maybe he'd consider telling them the truth after that revelation.
...or he'll have every intention of taking it to the grave, but then it happens again, and he just ends up telling them everything when they ask what's wrong with him instead of immediately trying to snap him out of it.
fortunately, this, among other things, eventually leads to p0lym1kes endgame, and he gets to experience a relationship that isn't super unbalanced, with partners that don't occasionally forget he's a person and not a toy. but the hypnosis stuff continues, because they all think it's kind of hot 😇 The End 🙏
