'I Looked Into The Spiral'
Volume 1, Chapter 4 of Somni Stories - The Amulet Sage: an anthology hypnosis and mind control fiction series
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CW: Consensual VR headset hypnosis, serial recruitment, AI/technology based brainwashing, chicken and cat transformation, mantras, light public humiliation
Kat sighed as she swiped through her InstaPix timeline. Another stupid Internet trend had hijacked her feed of tech influencers and gaming sites.
It was called The Spiral Challenge, and required the use of an Apex Visor Max headset. Kat happened to own that exact model resting on her desk across the room - it was pricey but she just loved having the latest tech. She loved the pass-through tech to see into the outside world while in the headset, and it was the only one on the market to have a screen displaying the userβs eye movements on the outside of the unit. Super useful for social situations.
Supposedly, it was some sort of 'hypnotic resistance' challenge, whatever that meant. As part of the challenge, youβd have to post a video of yourself to your Story saying your name and why you think youβll be able to resist The Spiral. Then, a short while later - times varied from 10 minutes to half an hour, a second video would be posted by the challenger, headset on, babbling on about having βlooked in the spiral and become deeply hypnotisedβ or something. Sometimes, the challenger would also act out some sort of stupid βforfeitβ - something like taking their shirt off, clucking like a chicken, or revealing some sort of embarrassing secret.
According to The Spiral App Company website, no one has so far been able to successfully resist it. A very bold marketing slogan.
Kat wondered just why so many people were willing to embarrass themselves just to keep up with the social media algorithm.
They must all be faking it, thought Kat, I guess The Spiral App Company must be paying these influencers big bucks to be doing this
Kat continued to swipe through her feed:
βHereβs 5 THINGS you MISSED from the latest Apex conference! -β Skip
βThis is Tech Review David and today Iβm going to be attempting The Spiral Cha..β Skip
Some pictures of her ex-boyfriendβs friends dog - SKIP
βCan The Spiral App Company continue to DISRUPT the VR market?β - SKIP
βHey everyone, Iβm Tiffany and today, Iβm going to be attempting The Spiral Challengeβ
Huh? Kat paused. This was Tiffany, her best friend from college and now studying across the country at uni. Sheβd recognise that loud and bubbly voice anywhere. Wait - she was doing this stupid challenge?!
β¦βI think Iβll be able to resist The Spiral. No, in fact Iβm sure of it. Iβm very intelligent, Iβm studying a STEM degree at one of the top universities in the country. I learnt in psychology class that all hypnosis is self hypnosis, thereβs no magic here itβs just using basic social expectation and compliance. You wonβt be seeing me making that second post! Anyway guys, wish me luck!β
An option popped up to see the next post from Tiffany - Kat advanced to the next video
Her mouth opened in shock. Tiffany had indeed, made that second post, 15 minutes after the first.
The Tiffany on her screen stood in stark contrast to the one in the previous video. Her Apex Visor Max was on and covering her face. The outer screen displayed a sort of foggy haze effect, partially obscuring her avatarβs eyes, which were twitching and rolling and barely staying open. Her neatly pressed hair had become disheveled, frizzy and sticking up all over the place behind the strap of the headset. Her mouth hung slightly open, and - wait, was that saliva at the corner of her mouth? Grossβ¦
After a brief pause breathing slowly and deeply in front of the camera, Tiffany began to speak in a soft, monotone voice the same script Kat had heard many times before-
βI looked into The Spiralβ¦β
βAnd The Spiral looked into meβ¦β
βI looked into The Spiralβ¦β
βAnd I became deeply hypnotisedβ¦β
βI was wrong to think I could resist The Spiralβ¦β
βI am easily controlled by The Spiralβ¦β
βI cannot resist The Spiralβ¦β
βMy mind is blank and emptyβ¦β
βI looked into the Spiralβ¦β
βAnd saw my true selfβ¦β
βI am an airheaded chickenβ¦β
And with that, Tiffany began to make the most indignant CLUCKS and BAWKS like an aggressive hen. There was truly nothing in those digital avatar eyes on the Visor - no shame, no recognition, just clucking. Tiffany was the smartest person Kat knew - she never thought sheβd see her looking this dumb and airheaded, embarassing herself in front of the whole world.
Kat continued to watch on with second hand embarrassment -
βBβ¦bβ¦.BAWKβ¦β
Tiffany suddenly seemed to snap to attention, no longer a chicken but still far from her usual self. She delivered the standard closing line with monotonous precision
βI thought I could resist the Spiralβ¦β
βMy mind lasted 15 minutesβ¦β
βWill your mind last any longer than mineβ¦?β
βTake The Spiral Challenge today for free on the Apex Storeβ¦β
Tiffanyβs head dropped into sleep and the video was over
Kat sat there in disbelief. Tiffany was no tech influencer - what on Earth would she gain from acting all dumb and brainless
Katβs phone was ringing. It was Tiffany. Perhaps sheβd seen that Kat had viewed her post
βTiffanyβ¦. Are you in desperate need of money or something? Whatβs up with the spiral business?β
βKat Iβ¦ Iβ¦ I canβt remember a thing! I canβt remember posting that video. Butβ¦. I canβt bring myself to delete itβ
She sounded more like her old self, with a small hint of airheadedness
βWhat do you mean, canβt?β
βI just canβt, I canβt bring myself to press the delete button. I lost the challenge after all and I got deeply hypnotisedβ¦. So very deeply hypnotisedβ¦ unable to resist The Spiralβ¦ Iβ¦β
Tiffany trailed off into a mumble
βTiffany, stop it! So you actually downloaded the app onto your Visor, can you remember anything after that?β
βI remember the Spiralβ¦β
Kat rolled her eyes
βAll I can remember was how pleasurable it was. So sweet and hazyβ¦ mind so blank and emptyβ¦ Kat, you have an Apex Visor Max right? Youβve got to try it!β
βWell, Tiffany, you gave such a good sales pitch in the videoβ teased Kat
βWell if you are so smart Kat, smarter than me, then letβs see you last more than 15 minutes. Thoughβ¦ I promise you thereβs no need to resist. You wonβt want toβ¦ Oh, and Iβve already sent you the link to the Apex store page. Good luck!β
Kat reluctantly agreed, then ended the call. It sounds like Tiffany may have been a bit spooked. But after all, as Tiffany had said, all hypnosis really is just social conditioning and enforcement. All Kat had to do was to try this app, tell Tiffany thereβs nothing magic about it and then she might calm down a bit.
Kat set her laptop to start downloading the app onto her Visor, whilst she quickly charged the battery pack. While she was waiting, she watched Tiffanyβs videos back again
βI looked into The Spiralβ¦β
βAnd the Spiral looked into meβ¦β
What did that mean? thought Kat
βββ
The download was quicker than Kat expected, and she quickly slipped on the Visor. It had been a while since she last used it properly, but it was a super comfortable form factor.
CHALLENGE VIDEO UPLOAD REQUIRED. PLEASE REMOVE HEADSET
Kat was very annoyed. She didnβt want anyone to know she was doing this stupid trend. Oh well, maybe she might actually get some street cred out of being the first person to beat the challenge.
She took the headset off and grabbed her phone, recording a rough video straight onto InstaPix
βHi, my nameβs Kat, uhhh Iβm not actually doing the challenge Iβm just doing it to prove to my friend Tiffany that she hasnβt just become a mindless zombie and sheβs just making it up. I obviously donβt believe in hypnosis. Itβs not real. uhhh, yeah donβt expect a second video from meβ
And⦠send.
Kat tossed her phone onto her bed on the other side of the room. Wonβt be needing that, she thought as she slipped the headset back on along with her favourite pair of cat eared headphones.
PLEASE AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. KEEP THE HEADSET ON
Kat was fuming. She quickly skimmed through the policy using her Visorβs hand tracking control
The Spiral App uses AI and machine learning to provide a personalised experience to each user. By continuing you agree for us to process your data, including public data from our partners, biometrics and thought data for this purpose
Yep thatβs fine, thought Kat, standard Big Tech legal jargon
The Spiral App Company retains the right to use your mind as it sees fit for the duration of your session in the app. It accepts no responsibility for any personal damages, reputational damages, or otherwise that may come as a result of your sessionβ¦
Also fine, thought Kat.
β¦You agree that The Spiral App Company may, where it sees fit, use you, your mind and your likeness to promote its apps and services to other users.
Kat ticked that she agreed with the policy
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPLIANCE.
Kat scoffed at the word βcomplianceβ. Sheβd be anything but while using this app. If she just closed her eyes, there would be no spiral to look and and therefore hypnosis debunked. She sat there with her eyes closed, arms folded and started to count to 15 minutes in her headβ¦
A sultry voice whispered in her ear PLEASE BLINK TO START
Oh, maybe it was a bit cleverer than I thought, thought Kat.
She opened her eyes briefly to blink and was met with a short flash of light from the centre of her screen, startling her. She blinked rapidly a few times to clear the afterimage.
She thought about closing them again, but the light had started to glow a little bit brighter and a bit warmer. She looked into it a bit longer
βAre you wondering where the Spiral is, Kat?" a voice seemed to whisper in her ear
Actually, come to think of it, she was. Where was this supposed spiral? All there was was this glowing light. Was it broken? Maybe it would be best not to look straight into it.
She reached up to take off the headset
βDonβt"
Her hand paused just on top of the visor, shaking slightly. Her hands dropped into her lap.
βYou wonβt last as long as your friendβ
Wow, they werenβt kidding when they said theyβd be using your private dataβ¦ thought Kat
βYour mind is weak. Even without The Spiral you are complying and compliance leads to hypnosisβ
βNo, my mind is pretty strong actuallyβ Kat spoke out loud
βIs that so. Try to take your eyes away from the light Katβ
Kat gasped. She hadnβt even realised sheβd been staring straight into it, like a deer in headlights. It was so bright now, burning even, searing into her brain
βWe see who you are Kat. And you have already fallen deep under hypnosisβ
Kat shook her head. No, she felt fine, she moved her body away from the light - ah the benefits of 360 motion tracking! Now she was facing away from the light, she could close her eyes again, block it out andβ¦
She felt needle-like pains in her foreheadβ¦
βYou need the lightβ
Katβs body shot round to face into the light again. That was better, her head felt a lot less painful and moreβ¦ fuzzy
βI need the lightβ she murmured, before realising what she was saying and clearing her throat
βYou need the light, the longer you stare at the light the longer you can delay watching the Spiralβ
The Spiral, yes, thatβs what she was here to see. Waitβ¦ noβ¦ she had to avoid looking at the Spiral, it was going to hypnotise her. And she couldnβt afford to be hypnotised.
βThe longer you look at the light the fuzzier your head will become. The less able to think you will become. The less able to beg for the spiral you will become. But you didnt want to see the Spiral, did you?β
Kat blinked. It was like her head was full of tv static.
βYou havenβt even seen The Spiral yet, and yet you are already sinking so deepβ
βShow me the Spiral thenβ said Kat, a little quieter than she wanted to. Yes, thats it. She couldnβt resist this burning Light but she could definitely resist a stupid spiral
βYou were going to try to avoid looking into the Spiral, so we didnβt show you the Spiral. We showed you the Light. Do you wish to change your mind?β
It was becoming harder for Kat to think over this static in her head.
βShow me the spiralβ¦ pp.pleaseβ
The Light switched off and Kat was left in the dark, with a small amount of pass-through from her room filtered through the Visor. She realised she was kneeling on the floor. When did that happen?
Then, the spiral came into focus. She looked deeply into it, a swirly twist of pinks and blues. She let herself get lost in it, to become entangled and drawn further and further in with every rotation. The Spiral was much easier - much more pleasurable - to watch than the Light.
βFeel every turn of The Spiral draw your thoughts further and further from you..β
βFeel every turn of The Spiral wash away your remaining resistance to tranceβ¦β
βFeel every turn of The Spiral make you more deeply hypnotised and easily controlledβ¦β
Katβs eyes fluttered under the visor. But.. she had to keep watching the Spiral. She loved the feeling it gave her
βRepeat and believe. I am deep under hypnotic control..β
βI am deep under hypnotic controlβ¦β Kat murmured quietly.
βRepeat and believe. I cannot resist the Spiralβ
βI cannot resist the Spiralβ¦β
βCan you remember what led you hereβ¦?β
Kat tried to think
ββ¦.noβ
βDo you know how long it took for you to fallβ¦β
How long had she been here? Kat didnβt know
ββ¦β¦noβ¦..β
βCan you remember your own name?β
Blank.
ββ¦β¦β
βFor the next 2 hours, your mind belongs to The Spiral App Company. You have lost the challenge and must pay your forfeitβ
ββ¦sβ¦.pirβ¦alβ¦β
βYou will sink down into mindless sleep in
3
2
1
...
........
_________
Kat jolted awake. Her Apex Visor Pro was on her head - out of power. Her neck was stiff from holding it up.
She reached up to her face and slowly removed it. She had been lying down on her bed, underneath her blanket
β¦how did she get here again?
She got up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was all over the place and there were big patches of sweat underneath her armpits. Her head felt fuzzy.
β¦what happened this evening?
Her housemate Rebecca burst through the door to her room. Her phone was blaring loudly in her hand
βKatβ¦ Kat! Are you alright? Youβve been posting some seriously weird stuff online tonightβ
Kat heard her own voice coming from Rebeccaβs phone.
ββ¦I obviously donβt believe in hypnosis. Itβs not real. uhhh, yeah donβt expect a second video from meβ
Kat went over to look...
βAnd then your next post, is this:β
Kat gasped as she saw herself on Rebeccaβs phone - visor on, cheeks red, lips wet with saliva, sweat beading down her forehead, visor screen hazy and eyes blank and rapidly twitching
It all came flooding back to her now, as she found herself mouthing the words along with Kat on the video..
βI looked into The Spiralβ¦β
βAnd The Spiral looked into meβ¦β
βI looked into The Spiralβ¦β
βAnd I became deeply hypnotisedβ¦β
βI was wrong to think I could resist The Spiralβ¦β
βI am easily controlled by The Spiralβ¦β
βI cannot resist The Spiralβ¦β
βMy mind is blank and emptyβ¦β
βI looked into the Spiralβ¦β
βAnd saw my true selfβ¦β
βI am an attention seeking catβ¦β
Kat and Rebecca watched on as the Kat in the video began to purr, lick and crawl her way around her bed which she was sat on. She looked especially cute with those cat-eared headphones on.
βYou do this for a good few minutesβ¦β said Rebecca. She skipped ahead to the end
βI thought I could resist the Spiralβ¦β
βMy mind lasted 8 minutesβ¦β
βWill your mind last any longer than mineβ¦?β
βTake The Spiral Challenge today for free on the Apex Storeβ¦β
Kat remembered now. She had looked into the Spiral⦠She had so easily fallen into trance. The Spiral had controlled her mind for a good few hours after that
And she loved it
βI lost the challenge and I got deeply hypnotisedβ¦. So very deeply hypnotisedβ¦ unable to resist The Spiralβ¦so much pleasureβ¦ mindless and blank... hey! You should try it too Rebeccaβ
She grabbed a spare battery pack off the shelf
βWha... whatβs going on Kat?β asked Rebecca
βShhhhβ said Kat. βThereβs no need to protest. Youβll love itβ
She guided Rebecca onto the bed, before slipping her Visor over Rebeccaβs head.
ββ¦good luck!β
_________
Thanks to @blissful119 for your help brainstorming some aspects of the story and for reading over the first draft
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