ViviPixel’s Notepad

CW: Aliens, dubcon, needles

CW: Mindflayers, Noncon, Experimentation

CW: Non-Con, Panic, Mindflayer stuff

SFW

CW’s

Horror

Pain

Confusion

“You also can’t feel physical pain here. If you do, at any point, actually get hurt, run. The things that can hurt you here are highly dangerous, and can kill you. Don’t worry, those things aren’t *supposed* to be here, so you’ll be fine!”

Everything was dark. Aes’s head was spinning. Her fingers felt like they were burning, her neck was slick with blood. She was barely awake. That creature had wretched Lumetta’s lantern from her hands, while crushing her shoulder. It thrashed her against the alley walls. She closed her eyes, focusing on the pain. She tried to minimize it, suppress it. The aches began to abate, and Aes sat up. The ringing in her ears had yet to subside. Doing her best to ignore it, she pulled herself onto unsteady legs. She leaned against the alley wall. It seemed so much darker than before. Finally, her hearing returned. There was a distant scratching sound, accompanied by faint cursing. Aes began to shuffle her way towards it.

It wasn’t long before she saw the blue light appear from around a corner. The creature had not gotten far with Lumetta. The creature sounded like it was struggling.

“..rrrggg... why are these.. lanterns always.. so damned.. heavy..”

Aes thought for a moment. The lantern wasn’t heavy at all, in fact, it had almost no weight to it. How was this being struggling so much with it?

“...little flame... just open the lantern door.. make this easier on-... oh..? is someone there?..”

Aes froze, and held her breath.

“..the little lost lamp-lighter wouldn’t be coming back to claim their light, would they?.. i thought i showed you what happens to lonely lamp-lighters like yourself...”

She closed her eyes, and focused on finding the monster. She pushed every ounce of her will into seeing this beast. Her third eye opened. The shadows obscuring the monster faded. It was tall, but seemed to walk on all fours. Its limbs were stretched to an impossible length. Something about them was... wrong. They bent in way that seemed to defy logic, the twisted and curved with the beasts whims. Its body was emaciated, skin as dark as the depths it stalked. This... this was wrong. She shouldn’t be seeing this. No one was meant to observe this beast.

“...that’s strange... i thought there was a little lamp-lighter over here..?”

Aes tried to think of a way out of this situation, but was paralyzed by the fear of seeing the twisted, impossible creature before her. The mangled face of the beast turned towards her.

“ahhh... you’ve seen something you weren’t supposed to, haven’t you?”

It’s lips curled into a gnarled smile, showing pointed teeth.

“you know... when you gaze into the depths, they gaze back, aes barrow...”

Her blood ran cold. She couldn’t move. This.. thing, this monster... it knew her name.

The beast chuckled softly, it’s haunting voice steadily changing. Beginning to sound like the person she held most important.

It was mimicking the voice of her Mxstress.

“...you... are coming with me...”

Aes’s heart froze.

It began to extend a hand towards her, aiming to grab her in its grotesquely large, skinny, clawed hand.

“NOW!” Someone shouted.

A flash of light.

The sound of flesh being torn by metal.

Screaming, battle cries.

Then darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~

The crackling of the fire was the first thing to return to Aes’s senses. It was a soothing, familiar sound. She felt her ears twitch, seemingly in response.

“Hey, did you see that? Her ear moved, I think she’s waking up.” A masculine voice pointed out the subtle motion.

The aches and pains returned. Subdued, but the old wounds called for attention. Aes moaned in response, and slowly opened her heavy eyes. To her surprise, she still saw only darkness. She lifted a weighty hand to her face, and felt a cloth of some kind wrapped around her eyes and forehead. She began to try pulling it off.

“Hey, easy, easy.” The voice from before called out. Someone gently grabbed her hand, and moved it away from her face, “You gotta keep that on until the salve has healed your eyes. You were standing a little close to the lightless when the ambush started, and you got some of its blood in your eyes.”

“How.. bad is that?” Aes croaked

“It’s not the end of the world. You just gotta wait for the salve to draw all of the creature’s blood out. Shouldn’t be much longer now. My name is Samiel, by the way.”

“Aes.”

“Hi, Aes. I’m just an apprentice, by the way. I haven’t been here that long.”

“Where’s here?”

“The Lamp-Lighter’s Guild, of course! What, did you think some guards scooped you up?”

The door to the room opened. Someone entered, with a heavy stride.

“Is the patient well, Samiel?” The voice sounded... mechanical. It was fluid, like any other speech, but sounded like it was coming from a speaker.

“Yes, Stelara. They are awake!”

“Awake? Oh good, I was beginning to consider something worse may have befallen this... individual. You may remove the bandage over their eyes, any left over blood would be harmless at this point.”

Light suddenly returned to Aes’s world as the bandage was quickly pulled from her face. She grimaced in shock, relaxing as her eyes adjusted. A short, young, tan-skinned man, with messy aqua hair sat in a chair next to Aes’s cot. Leaning over her, a person in a plague doctor’s outfit gazed curiously down at Aes, as if observing ever single muscle movement.

“Uh.. hi?” Aes addressed the figure above her.

“You were unconscious for two hours and fifty-five minutes. Any longer that that would have indicated a serious injury. Therefor, you are not seriously injured.”

“Thanks?”

“You are welcome. Here, this is for your other wounds,” the person held out a vial, bearing a small label depicting a clay jug pouring water. “Drink it. You are welcome again.”

Aes took the vial, and sat up. The aching of her injuries was becoming tough to mange. She popped the cork, and drank it. Almost instantly, the pain faded.

“Was that some kind of healing potion?” Aes asked, turning to the plague doctor.

“Of course it was, Aquarius Draught would be the only logical thing to administer at this time.”

Samiel cleared his throat, and spoke.

“Stelara here is our guild’s alchemist. You’ll have to forgive her for seeming rude, she means well, she’s just not good at the whole talking thing.”

“I can speak for myself, Samiel. My name is Stelara, and your name is Aes. I heard Samiel say it just before I entered. You are no longer needing any medical attention, so I am returning to my studies.”

She turned to the door, and began to leave. She stopped in the doorway, and looked back over her shoulder.

“I hope you do not decide to allow yourself to be attacked by another dark being. They are not always so merciful. The one you encountered was not that strong. But most others are far more violent.”

With that, she departed.

Samiel scooted his chair closer.

“Yeah, those things don’t usually leave their victims alive. You were really lucky. Can I ask you something?”

Aes turned to face Samiel.

“How long have you been in Verlatiir? Usually people with lamps gather here, but you were on the other side of the city.”

Aes smiled, warily.

“I’ve been here for only a few hours.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come in, it’s unlocked.”

Aes pushed open the heavy oaken door to the guild master’s office. The person behind the desk looked like a lion, but wore clothes like a man. His long, silver hair reflected the torchlight. He appeared to be middle aged, but had an aura of wisdom and calmness about him.

“Ah, you must be Aes. Lumetta has told me all about you.”

Lumetta’s lantern sat next to the guild master on the desk.

“Aes! I’m so glad you’re alright!” She called out, joyfully.

The guild master gestured to a pair of chairs in front of the desk.

“Please, have a seat. I assume you have many questions, and I would like to answer as many as I can.”

“Okay,” she took a seat, leaning forward, “First off, who are you?”

“My name is Ardyn, first Lamp-Lighter, former Sage of the Court of Sevens.”

His golden eyes twinkled with pride.

“Former sage?”

“Yes, but I was not exiled. I left, after I had created the Lantern of Guidance, that which ignites all other lanterns. I created the Lantern of Guidance to seek out those in Verlatiir and beyond who needed a guiding hand, a friendly face, or could guide others. I could not manage the affairs of a sage and run the Lantern at the same time.”

“Why the name Lamp-Lighter?”

“It was a name given to me by Orazac, Beast of the Depths. It was meant to be an insult, as he was saying all I did was light lamps. But I took it in stride, and it is now a badge of honor. The monster that attacked you, it is one of many names. We do not give them one, for if that truly had a name, they would be stronger.”

“This is all very helpful.”

Ardyn smiled.

“I’m glad! We haven’t had another Lamp-Lighter in some time. I assume you plan to join us, correct?”

“Well I-

*BANG!*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aes stiffened upright, her heart was pounding, ears ringing, panic overwhelming. Dizzy stood at the foot of her bed, holding a starter pistol. Sunlight poured in the open window.

“What the Fuck Dizzy!? I thought we agreed never to use that to wake someone up again!?”

“Well, you ignored your alarm, my yelling, Quentin’s bass boosted yelling, me slappin’ you, Quentin turbo slappin’ you, and the lawn mower next door!”

“Wait what?”

“Yeah! I thought you were dead!”

“You didn’t think to check for a pulse?”

“Well... uh.. I did. It was barely there.”

“That’s... Huh. Listen, let me tell you what happened.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dizzy’s face went through several stages throughout the story. Stock. Wonder. Fear. Empathic Pain. Terror. Confusion. Finally, Disappointment.

Dizzy quickly responded, “And you have no idea how to get back there, is that right, hunny bun?”

SFW

CW’s

Strange Reality

Falling 70+ feet (No injury)

Embarrassed in front of a crowd

Light themes of horror

Abrupt ending

Aes seldom dreamt. When she did, it was usually elaborate blueprints, which were highly boring to explore. But tonight, tonight was different. Tonight, she was speechless. She stood on a path made of polished, white granite cobble. Emerald waters lapped at the edges of the path, gently rushing in. The path led to a large wall, constructed some red stone. A large moon hung in the star speckled sky. Aes realized she was holding a lantern, which was lit with a blue flame. She held it aloft, and saw the spectral images of thousands of other people, walking this path. She took a breath in, and started to walk.

“You’re finally hear, dear friend.”

Aes jumped. She began to look around wildly.

“Hehe, you’ll not see me like that. The lantern, I’m in the lantern.”

She looked into the lantern. The flame itself was speaking.

“Hello! Hi!”

The fire pulsed warmly as it spoke. It’s voice was cheerful, feminine, and softly doubled over itself.

“Greetings! I am a fragment of Verlatiir’s Guiding Light. I’m your fragment. You are standing outside the city of Verlatiir, The Realm of Those Who Slumber. I’m more or less your guide.”

“Where.. where am I? How’d I get here?”

“I just told you, you’re outside Verlatiir! The Land of Lights? The City of Colors? The Great and Wonderous Dream Shared by All People? Any of these ring a bell?”

Aes shook her head.

“I’ll explain it the long way then. Magic magic shared dream demiplane magic magic.”

Aes scowled.

“That’s the long way?”

“I omitted most of the details. You’re in a shared, living dream, that exists within a demiplane, ruled by the Council of Sevens in their Stone Spires.”

“Okay, well this is a lot to take in. I assume that’s why you’re here.”

“Yep!” The flame chirped happily.

“Uh... do you have a name?”

“I... don’t.”

“Would you like one?”

“Yes, but remember.. names are powerful.”

“Names are powerful?”

“Yeah! Like.. if someone knows your true name, they have power over you. So me letting you name me is me giving you power over me. Remember that, and treat me fairly.”

“Oh, okay. Uh... I’ll name you... Lumetta?”

“Lumetta the what? Or the who? My name isn’t complete. All the names here have some kind of... descriptor.”

“Um... Lumetta who Lights The Way?”

The flame was silent for a brief moment.

“I really like it, Aes, Builder of Paths.”

A shiver went down her spine.

“Now, lets get you into Verlatiir!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took her much longer to approach the great walls of the city than she was expecting. All the while, Lumetta was explaining the intricacies of Verlatiir. For example, it’s illegal to drink the water.

“Do not drink the waters of Verlatiir,” Lumetta warned, “It reveals that which the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, the skin cannot touch, the nose cannot smell, the tongue cannot taste, and the mind cannot comprehend.”

“So it’s some kind of hallucinogen?”

“No no, my dear Aes! The things you would see are not hallucinations. You would wish they were. You will not get thirsty here, but your thirst for knowledge would be your downfall. Some people bottle it, and bring it back with them, hoping to return here. It doesn’t work, Absynthe is poisonous.”

“Ohhkay then.”

“You also can’t feel physical pain here. If you do, at any point, actually get hurt, run. The things that can hurt you here are highly dangerous, and can kill you.”

“That’s... wonderful.”

“Don’t worry, those things aren’t *supposed* to be here, so you’ll be fine!”

The gates to the city were open. The white granite cobbles continued into the city, melding into the white paths. She hesitated to continue when she saw the stream of people, seemingly appearing from the threshold.

“Why are you stopping, we’re almost there!”

“I.. crowds make me nervous.”

“It’s okay, I’m here, I’m with you, you can’t loose me. Most people won’t even be able to see me, let alone take me from you.”

Aes took in a deep breath, and walked though the gate. Reality subtly shifted. The sounds and smells of the city assailed her all at once, colors brightened, the very air became charged. It was overwhelming, and Aes fell against a nearby wall.

“Are you alright?” Lumetta seemed to press against the glass of her square lantern.

“It’s... a bit much.” Slowly, Aes got used to it. Or the sensations died down. She was thankful for it, which ever way it happened. A few passers by had turned to look at her on their way into the city. Not a single one was human. She stood upright, and shakily kept walking. Aes marveled at the site of the city itself. The outer walls seemed to be about seven stories tall.

“Uh.. Lumetta, where do I go?”

People pushed past Aes, who simply stood, dumbfounded. The city looked vaguely medieval, large stone walls on either side of the street. From the gate, one could walk left or right, as another large wall stood not far from the entrance.

“Anywhere you want!”

“That.. doesn’t help. Can I get off this street please, it too crowded.”

“There’s an alley on your left. Duck in there, I’ll tell you a secret.”

Aes quickly made her way off the busy street, into a narrow alleyway.

“Alright, what is it?”

“The streets are too cluttered for you, right? Well, why not traverse somewhere less full of people?”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Flying, silly! Physics are malleable here!”

“This place is a shared dream, right? So... we’re not playing by normal rules.”

“Exactly! Just... sorta will yourself to do it!”

Aes closed her eyes, and focused on the distant sensation of gliding through the air. She imagined herself slowly rising up, away from the crowds, past rooftops.

“It’s working!”

Aes opened her eyes, and was shocked to actually be floating off the ground. She was nearing the top of the outer wall, and the sight of that caught her so off guard, she lost her focus. Aes began to plummet back to the ground. She couldn’t tell if she was screaming, the air rushing past her head drowned out all noise. Lumetta had said that nothing could hurt her, so on some level, she knew this wasn’t instant death. But it was the fear of not knowing what it would feel like that terrified her to her core. Almost as quickly as she had taken off, she came crashing back down with a meaty thud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remarkably, Aes never lost consciousness, and managed to keep a grip on her lantern. She did, however, draw a crowd. Flying wasn’t illegal, and she had broken no laws. But the guards still showed up, because of the screaming. Aes hadn’t moved out of embarrassment, but some thought she was dead. Because of this, no one dared get close. If something killed her, it might still be over her body. It was a solid ten minutes before some stepped forth. A pale woman in a white dress, with a red sash. She was in a huff, upset with the goings ons of the day. This incident did not help, and frankly made her quite angry. Fools who cannot keep their cool should not try to do something they cannot handle. She briskly walked over to scene, grabbed the body by the scruff, and hoisted Aes to her feet.

“Would you *please* stop making a scene! You’re beginning to attract the attention of the Seven!”

Aes, trembling, with ears folded over her face, squeaked out a weak, “Sorry.”

The crowd dispersed quickly, the person who fell was alive, and the Seven were watching. No need to linger. The woman in the white kept a hold of Aes.

“Just what do you think you’re doing!? You’re in the city for not even five minutes, and you go and cause a ruckus! Why, I ought to bring you straight up to the Court my damn self! I should... wait.. are you.. crying?”

She turned Aes to face her, revealing streams of tears running down her cheeks.

“Hey, I-I didn’t mean to-you should really-uh-hey, can you please stop crying.”

Aes did her best to regain composure, apologizing between sobs. Eventually, the woman set her back down, and knelt beside her.

“Look, I didn’t mean to come off so strong on ya. Its been a rough day, and well, I’m sure you know how it feels to deal with one incident after another.”

Aes slowly nodded. One of the nearby guards let out a small laugh.

“Is the Captain of the Ruby Guard going soft?”

The woman in white rose to her feet, and grabbed the guard’s shoulder.

“You mistake compassion for weakness, perhaps I should have the Seven review the tenants of our order with you.”

The guard stiffened up.

“Apologies ma’am, that won’t be necessary.”

“Good.” She turned back to Aes, and held out a hand, “My name is Sylvia, what’s yours?”

“Aes.” She took Sylvia’s hand, and pulled herself to her feet.

“Well, Aes, as long as you don’t go causing any more scenes, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine. Is there anything else you need? Directions, advice, newcomer’s welcome?”

“I.. I wouldn’t mind some general directions.”

“The city is separated into four districts, along the four main gates, with the Court of Sevens in the center. What is actually in each district varies wildly, but they’re separated for organizational purposes. Welcome to Verlatiir.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The city was a blur beneath her, as she soared through the air. Aes clutched her lantern, and focused solely on the feeling of the wind.

“I told you you’d get the hang of it!” Lumetta chirped happily.

She was right, it wasn’t very difficult. Aes wanted to throw in the towel after the first attempt, but Lumetta encouraged her to try again. And again. And again. After two hours, she was finally flying. Aes slowed down, bringing herself to a hover.

“So.. what now, Lumetta?”

“Well, I figured we get you some currency, and find a nice souvenir for when you wake.”

“Oh.. right. I have to wake up at some point, don’t I?”

“You don’t want to, do you?”

“This place is so.. beautiful. And strange. And I want to explore more of it. But I don’t want to leave.”

“It’s okay, most people are like that the first time. Everything will be right here when you return, I promise.”

Aes hugged the lantern.

“Okay. Where do we go to get whatever passes as money here?”

“Well... you can do a couple of things. I assume you don’t have any memories you want to get rid of. In that case, you can more or less rent some out.”

“Rent out my memories?”

“Yeah, like, let other people experience them. I know of a place, let me lead you there. We’re actually pretty close.”

The lantern began to pull Aes forward, then down into an alleyway. Lumetta was right, they were practically just above it. The sign over the door depicted a small crystal, sitting in a glass of wine.

“Go on, get in there.”

Aes hesitated briefly, before grabbing the handle, and pushing her way inside.

The room wasn’t amazingly large. It looked a lot like a tavern, with wall sconces, a hearth, a bar, and a number of patrons in various states of consciousness. Soft string music flowed through the room.

“Welcome to the Merry Glass, are you giving or taking?” The young man behind the bar called to Aes as she walked in.

“Um. Giving?” She approached the bar, and hopped onto a stool.

“Great! I haven’t seen your face before, so I’ll explain our rates. You get one pouch when you first drop off your desired memory, of course, you also get however much it’s worth, but you also get another pouch per person that uses it. There are no limits on what you can and can’t leave with us, and you can have it back whenever you wish. Here is a small ‘contract’ with more detail on your protections as a renter to the Merry Glass, as well as a more detailed explanation on rates.”

Aes’s head felt like it was spinning.

“This is.. uh. A lot.”

She set her lantern down next to it. Lumetta cleated her throat.

“Here, I’ll explain it for you...”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All told, the paperwork only took thirty minutes. The explanation was slightly longer, but Aes understood it all after Lumetta had broken it down for her. The last thing left to do was to choose a memory to leave behind. The empty, quartz-like crystal sat before her.

“I think I know which one I want to do.”

“Great!” Lumetta exclaimed, “You don’t have to say specifically what it is, all you have to do is picture it in your mind, and put your hand on that little crystal there.”

Aes put her hand on the crystal. It was no bigger than a quarter. She closed her eyes, and remembered. Remembered the first time she had worn the collar she made for Dizzy to test. The pleasure swirled up inside her again, as she relived those blissful moments. They faded as quickly as they appeared, until the memory was over. Aes opened her eyes, face cherry red.

“That’s... that’s going to be a popular one,” the barkeep said, picking up the crystal. He put it on a golden scale, and began adding small, brown leather pouches to the opposite side. It took ten pouches to balance it out. The barkeep coughed. “Wow, okay, damn.” He picked up the now pink crystal, and set it in a box, with Aes’s name on it. Then, he scooped up the pouches, and handed them to Aes. “You uh, you got some expensive memories. Don’t come back too soon, this little thing might just become a hot commodity.”

“Um.. okay.”

Aes picked up the pouches, and left. They were strangely heavy.

“What’s in these pouches, Lumetta?”

“Refined dream dust!”

“Oh.”

“Yep! Sometimes it just kinda... shows up here. It’s basically gold dust. Try not to think about that too much. Anyway, now it’s time to get you a little somethin’ somethin’! There’s a trinket shop further down the alley to your left.”

Aes cautiously followed Lumetta’s instructions. She was hesitant around alleyways, as she had a small history of getting pulled into them. Her ears were sitting straight up. She was in the verge of tripping her fight-or-flight response.

“..es..” a whisper found it’s way to her ears.

She stiffened.

“..aes..”

Her face went pale. Someone was near.

“..what’s a lamp-lighter like yourself doing here..”

Lumetta seemed to dim, almost hiding.

“Wh-who are you? How do you know my name?” She called out.

The voice responded with laughter, and in a sing-song voice, called out, “..little lone lamp-lighter, lost and languishing.. why don’t you give me that little light of yours?”

A spindly, inky black hand reached out from in front of her. She felt another hand on her shoulder.

Hello! Now that Hypnovember is officially over, I’m gonna make this handy dandy Master Post so you can read all the wonderful stories in order!

Let me know what you all thought of Hypnovember!

Character introduction

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188839834385/new-character-introduction

Fic 1, Watch

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188842642270/hypnovember-2019-fic-1

Fic 2, Stage

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188857829810/hypnovember-2019-fic-2

Fic 3, Mistaken

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188868463720/hypnovember-2019-fic-3

Fic 4, Device

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188885803910/hypnovember-2019-fic-4

Fic 5, Ooze

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188915698905/hypnovember-2019-fic-5

Fic 6, Spiral

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188936374565/hypnovember-2019-fic-6

Fic 7, Seduce

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/188951929755/hypnovember-2019-fic-7

Fic 8, Drone

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189006510915/hypnovemebr-2019-fic-8

Fic 9, Bliss

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189028476345/hypnovember-2019-fic-9

Fic 10, Eyes

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189049490190/hypnovember-2019-fic-10

Fic 11, Dangerous

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189069325105/hypnovember-2019-fic-11

Fic 12, Aroma

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189117746040/hypnovember-2019-fic-12

Fic 13, Siren

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189182642485/hypnovember-2019-fic-13

Fic 14, Broadcast

https://vivipixels-notepad.tumblr.com/post/189278489835/hypnovember-2019-fic-14

Fic 15, Blank

NSFW

CW’s

Medical scenes (takes place in a clinic)

Tech control

Complete brainwashing

“Blank”

“Do you have the backups saved?”

“Two physical copies, two digital copies, and one on the Hard Case. Risk is down to less than one percent.”

“Good, then let’s begin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any sort of anti-brainwashing technology always required a good deal of testing. Luckily for Dr. Goldhill, she had a wealth of volunteers. Of course, she also had a great deal of people coming to her clinic for neural links and conditioning for their submissives, but if you’re going to brainwash someone, you better know how to undo it. You also better know how to deal with the increasing number of villains that enjoy brainwashing people and turning them into their minions. She’d seen many cases of that, with a few “repeat customers”. Some people just never quite learn not to go down dark scary alleys at night. The poster child for being kidnapped and used in evil schemes was none other than-

“Caroline Bregentfed. I figured you’d sign up for this trial.” Dr. Goldhill smiled as Caroline walked in to her office.

“Heya Doc. Yeah, I uh.. I’m not *supposed* to be here, with the hiding and everything. But I couldn’t miss a chance to try out something new you cooked up.”

Caroline had been in her clinic more times than any other patient of hers, mostly for de-programming. She was a lightning rod in that way, people who were looking for someone to brainwash just sort of found their way to her. None more often than the “King”. He had.. some strange obsession with her. Unhealthy.

“So you know what you’re signing up for, right? I assume you want me to run you through it again.”

“I wouldn’t mind a refresher.”

“This project is called “Tabula Rasa”. It’s an even deeper sort of de-programming than what you would be used to. We make a number of backups, based on brain scans, and keep them in a number of places. For security and safety reasons. Then, we scrub that brain of yours completely clean. Wipe everything away. This is to help get out the deep seeded programming that our normal tech has trouble with. Lastly, we use the backups, as well as previous brain scans, to reconstruct your neural pathways, sans the malicious programming!”

Caroline laughed. “That sounds dangerous. Isn’t this what most of the people you’re working against do?”

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds bad. But you act like this is our first time doing any of this. How many times have we gotten rid of someone else’s conditioning?”

“Um... a lot?”

“Exactly,” Dr. Goldhill smiled reassuringly, “Plus, we make a good number of backups of your current neural pathways, so the worst is that nothing happens.”

“But what if you loose power, or the backups go missing, or are damaged, or corrupted?”

“That’s why we have the Hard Case. An external, secure storage device, kept within this blast proof, bullet proof, briefcase. It has it’s own power supply too!”

“Wow you really thought of everything, huh?”

“Well, the Hard Case was Dr. Almsney’s idea.”

There was a knock on the door. Dr. Goldhill sighed in response.

“Okay, cards on the table,” Dr. Goldhill stood up, and walked over to the door, “I knew you were coming, and I told someone.”

“You what!?”

“Please remain calm. I didn’t tell Amelie.”

“Who did you tell?”

Dr. Goldhill opened the door. A tall, lean man stood there, wearing jeans and a casual shirt. His hair was a deep blue, and feathery.

“I told Saph.”

Of everyone she could have told, Amelie’s first sired son, an old flame of hers.

“Been a while.”

“Saph, could you do me a favor?” Dr. Goldhill asked, “Could you please walk Mrs. Bregentfed here over to testing room 3? I have some paperwork I need to get, and I know you two would like to get reacquainted.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Caroline stood next to the pod-looking machinery in the center of the testing room. The room was filled with various machine banks, wires running in neatly bundled branches in every direction away from the pod.

“You haven’t said a word to me since I showed up. Are you angry with me?” Saph walked in front of Caroline.

She took a deep breath, and let out a heavy sigh.

“I thought you were angry with me.”

He took a step closer.

“How could I be? You made some... questionable choices. But you were scared, and I can’t say I blame you.”

She looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Come home with me today. Everyone wants to see you.”

Caroline burst into tears. She fell against him, hugging him tightly. She missed everyone so much.

“That’s it, let it out. It’s all okay.”

She cried heavily for a few minutes, then slowly eased down to whimpering.

“O-okay. I’ll come with you. I’ll.. I’ll come home.”

There was a knock on the door, then it was opened. Dr. Goldhill peaked her head in.

“Are we good in here?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah.” Caroline sniffed, and wiped her eyes.

“She just got a little overwhelmed is all.”

“Alright,” Dr. Goldhill stepped in, followed by Dr. Almsney, three technicians, and a nurse. Dr. Almsney had a build similar to Saph, but he was more tired looking, with messy, deep green hair.

“Good to see you again, Caroline. Thank you for coming.” He shook Caroline’s hand.

“It’s always good to see you, Eric.”

The nurse handed Caroline a medical gown and bag.

“I think you know what to do with these, hun.”

The nurse winked, and her... face shimmered. She pointed over to a door.

“There’s your changing room. Go on, don’t keep us waitin’!”

Caroline narrowed her eyes, and walked off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When she returned, only wearing the papery medical gown, everyone was already hard at work. The nurse took her clothes, set them aside, and helped Caroline into the pod. There was an indentation in the floor, roughly shaped like a person. The nurse instructed her to lie down. Once she had, the nurse closed a number of restrains across her body.

“So you don’t wiggle ‘round too much,” the nurse said with a smile.

Caroline felt a part of the floor of the pod, near her head, shift. Something clicked into her neural link, and a pair of panels wrapped across her forehead. She felt numerous, cold points of metal press against her head, and the sensation made its way up and across her scalp too. A translucent visor slid down out of the restraint on her forehead.

“One last thing,” the nurse leaned down, “Say ‘Aah’.”

“Aaaa-gh”

The nurse stuck a rubber mouth guard in between her teeth.

“Now bite down, hun. This is so you don’t clench your jaw too much, or bite your tongue off,” the nurse then placed a mask with a tube running to it over her nose and mouth, “There we go, you’re all set!”

The nurse took a step back, and Dr. Goldhill leaned over her.

“Looking good, you forgot the heart rate monitor.” The Doctor attached it herself. “Alright. Caroline, can you hear me? Blink one for yes, twice for no.”

She blinked once.

“Good, good. We’re ready to begin, as soon as you give us the go ahead. Once for yes, twice for no.”

She blinked once.

“That’s what I thought,” Dr. Goldhill grabbed the lid of the pod, “Now, just relax. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy this.”

She gently closed the lid. Then, there was silence. No sounds but her own breathing. There was a hiss, followed shortly by a familiar scent. Sticky sweet, almost like strawberry, with hints of fluoride and chemicals. She began to feel woozy. The visor clicked on, showing a simple, pink spiral that immediately grabbed her attention, and started pulling her under. Static started pouring into her head from the hundreds of metal points. It was heaviest on her temples. It wasted no time completely filling her head. She lost awareness of her body. Her consciousness wained, she hung on the very edge of awareness. The neural link began to feel warm. The warmth spread. It was the kind of warmth that soaked into your bones, comfortable, wonderful. It slowly crept through her brain, leaving everything nice and fuzzy as it went. It took an eternity for it to fully reach the other side of her head. Once it did, and the fuzziness and static were all that was left, a cool sensation quickly flowed out of the neural link. It wasn’t long before that sensation made her loose consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She slowly opened her eyes. Her head felt like... felt... strange. People were leaning over her. She tried to sit up, but couldn’t move. They were saying something, but she couldn’t hear. Her ears were... ringing. She closed her eyes, and waited. Eventually, she was pulled upright.

“...llo? Can you hear me? Caroline?”

Some noise escaped her lips.

The person on her left, wearing... a... a lot of white, was talking.

“She’s responding. Look at me, Caroline.”

She felt a hand on the.. on her... cheek. The person in white turned her head.

“Keep your eyes open for me, I know they’re heavy. Tell me, how do you feel?”

She looked around the stranger’s face.

NSFW

CW’s

Theoretically terrifying

Mass hypnosis

Mild noncon

“Broadcast”

They say you can only hear it at 11:11 PM, only during a full moon, only when you’re 6 miles from any given town, only on the second Saturday of the month. The station has no name, but the music it plays... some can hear it, others cannot. Sometimes it was organ music. Other times, a solitary violin. Rarely a guitar. But always just one instrument.

Except for tonight.

As she sat on the hill, old radio in hand, the music that poured out was hauntingly beautiful. A small symphony. The music was mesmerizing. She was glad she brought an audio recorder along, no one would believe her if she just said it existed. She laid down in the grass, closed her eyes, and let the music flow through her. The first song faded out, and an interlude played. It was a sudden, harsh burst of sounds that made her jump. It kept playing this strange collection of sounds. She reached for the radio to shut it off, but stopped just before touching the dial. The sound made her whole body shake. Her eyelids grew heavy. The interlude stopped suddenly, and she fell, limp, on the grass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophia couldn’t stop humming. She didn’t know where she heard the song, but it was stuck in her head. She couldn’t remember what she was doing last night, and woke up in her car on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere, clutching a tape recorder. Sophia had gotten the old tech at a garage sale. It worked pretty reliably, but she hadn’t listened to what was recorded yet. She started to zone out, tapping her pen along to the rhythm. Even though the music felt like a distant dream, she could hear it clear as day if she focused just enough...

“Sophia!”

She jumped, knocking an empty cup over. Vincent was standing next to her, in his butler outfit, looking very annoyed. He ran a hand his black hair, that was streaked with pale green. His blue/green eyes flashed with frustration.

“Have you been paying any attention at all today?”

“I have!” She protested, “I just.. didn’t sleep well.”

“Well, either get it together, or call Diz to take over for you.”

Sophia sighed, and grabbed the remote.

“Vincent,” she said into the mic, “You May return to your normal duties.”

His whole body shuddered, and his eyes flashed green.

“Yes Mistress.” His voice was much softer, his posture reflected the change.

She briefly considered what he said, before going back to humming, and tapping her pen. The music was just so.. enchanting. So beautiful. She remembered the sound of the flute that lead the orchestral performance, crisp and-

Someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She thought her skeleton would pop out of her body, it scared her so much. She turned to see Dizzy, bright red lipstick, neon pink hair. They looked at her with concern.

“Hun, I think you should go. I just managed to walk up to you, while loudly talking, and you didn’t even bat an eye. I’ll take over, you just get home and get some rest.”

Still dazed, she nodded, set the remote down, and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quentin sat down next to Sophia on the park bench. He found her while he was jogging. She was just wandering around, humming. He finally got her to snap out of it.

“Hey Soph. I thought you were working today.”

“I was, I was. Dizzy sent me home. I don’t really remember why.”

“That’s okay, I forget things too. What’s that song you’re humming?”

“I don’t.. know. I think it’s on this recorder?” She held the tape recorder up, “But I don’t know. Want to listen?”

“Sure, I’m not doing anything else.”

Sophia pressed play.

NSFW

CW’s

Fae Trickery

Mild Noncon

Usurping Control

Scary

“Siren”

After that incident that made it clear to the world that magic was real, a large number of forests had been declared protected area by local Fae. Of course, they were immediately recognized, because the government didn’t know what to do and was kind of in shell shock about the literal portal to hell that had temporarily opened. Not every Fae had come out and declared their forests protected, some simply chose to keep their wards up, and to turn away those who entered. It was surprising to Vincent that nothing had happened as the camper drove into the abandoned camp ground. Most of these had either been claimed, or were heavily warded. The intrepid trio, Dizzy, Vincent, and Aes, had decided to take a vacation of sorts. Vincent tugged on his collar. Dizzy had fitted him with his own collar. He was grateful, albeit nervous. He’d never given someone so much control before, but... it felt good. The camper came to a stop.

“Vincentious, honey. Can you get that solar generator set up outside? We’re gonna want power soon.” Dizzy’s voice was in his head, part of how the collar worked.

“Yes...” Vincent tired to hide his blush as much as he could as he stood up.

“Yes what?” There was a small jolt that ran through Vincent’s head. He’d already disobeyed a command.

“Ahh.... Yes Mxster.”

Vincent was hit with a rush of pleasure and assurance.

“There you go, honey. Good boy. Aes? Why do you get out an take a look around?”

Aes climbed out of the camper, following Vincent. They had stopped in a clearing. It was just large enough to hold roughly 2 campers, with some space. She began to walk the perimeter. The underbrush was thick. After staring at it for a bit, Aes picked up a faint hint of magic. Like someone had caused some extreme growth. She kept walked, now on high alert. In the distance, seemingly brought on the breeze, she heard... singing. She stopped in her tracks. It was only there for a moment, then gone. Aes turned towards where the sound came from. There was a spot where the brush was gone, a path. Another breeze, another hint of song. She had to know what it was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Vince, hun?”

Dizzy was lounging on one of the couches in the camper. Vincent had just come inside after gathering some firewood.

“Yes Mxster?”

“Have you seen Aes? I told her to take a look around an hour ago, but she never came back.”

Vincent’s stomach dropped.

“What? Why didn’t you say something sooner? Have you not felt the magic in the air here?”

“Well, I figured that was just the three of us. You know we’re all worth our salt in terms of magic skill. ‘Specially you, incubus.”

“Hellfire. Get off your ass and help me look for her, she might have wandered off.”

Dizzy stood up. Bushing themselves off.

“She’s got an invisible leash attached to me, she can’t have gotten far, it won’t let her.”

“She’s what?”

“Vincent, Aes wanders a lot. I put an invisible leash on her to keep her from going too far.”

“That’s.. okay, well... we still need to find her.”

The two exited the camper.

“If I remember, she was doing a perimeter while I was setting up the generator.”

“So if we find what stopped her check...”

“We’ll find her.”

“Alrighty. Show me where she started.”

Dizzy followed Vincent over to the edge of the clearing. They followed the edge, until they found an opening in the brush.

“Hey Diz, I think she went this way.”

“What’re we waitin’ for, let’s find our rabbit.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They had been walking in silence for a while. The brush had grown significantly, becoming heavier, making the path darker as they walked.

“Hey Diz?” Vincent asked, anxiety growing in his chest.

“Hmm?”

“Can I ask... uh... whatever happened to... uh... to-“

“Caroline?” Dizzy interrupted.

“...yeah...” Vincent knew it was a touchy subject.

“Well, as you know, she got herself caught up in the little... disaster... that was the portal to your homelands opening up. Of course, we know it wasn’t her fault. It was that.. ‘King’ fella. Anyway, a whole bunch of people started calling for her arrest, some calling for a trial, the public wanted her hide. So, she did what any logical person would do. She went into hiding.”

“She’s in hiding?”

“Of course! You didn’t think she’d been retaken by King, did you?”

“That’s... what I had been starting to believe.”

“Well, she’s doing just fine. Found herself a nice place to hide, a good group to hide away with.”

“That’s.. good. But why hasn’t she said anything? Why didn’t she say anything?”

“I can’t answer that. Not because I don’t want to, I just don’t know myself.”

They two stopped abruptly. Something had changed.

“Hey.. Diz do you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Dizzy looked at Vincent, who was staring straight ahead. His posture looked looser than before.

“...that singing? It’s... it’s beautiful.”

Dizzy thought for a moment, then plugged Vincent’s ears.

“Can you still hear it, honey?”

“I... can...”

That wasn’t possible. Unless... Dizzy went for the collar, but Vincent easily pushed them aside, and kept walking.

“Vincent, honey, I need you to take the collar off. Whoever is singing knows they operate on a specific frequency, and is singing on that frequency.”

The only other person who knew that was..

“Aes!”

Dizzy took off after Vincent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With each step, the music grew louder. It drew him in him, captivated him. He didn’t know how fast he was walking. Or was he running? It didn’t matter, he just had to get closer. Closer. Closer. Finally, he breached the dark path, into a clearing. The singing stopped. In the center of the clearing, there was a pond. Crystal clear water, with colorful crystals lying the bed. He looked around, to see Aes, kneeling before a short woman, with jaw length minty green hair, that curved outward at her jaw. She was wearing a simple dress, with a crown of flowers in her hair. She turned, and Vincent gasped. Her electric blue eyes seemed to glow, they most certainly did not belong to a human. She smiled warmly, and walked towards him.

“Have you heard the Mistress’s song too? Her newest pet was explaining how to call you.” Her voice was way too chipper for this scenario.

“Newest pet? Who are you, what’s going on?”

“You’re asking too many questions, and I don’t even know who you are yet. May I have your name?”

“It’s-“ he stopped. Oldest trick in the book.

“Hmph. You seek to have my name. Very well, you shall know what to call me. I am Prince Vincentious, son of Azmarius, heir to the throne of lust. You should know better than to try to trick the likes of me.”

“A prince?” The voice came from the pond. It make Vincent’s very core shudder. “I see no prince before us. Simply an outcast, bastard son, who needs to be taught manners and respect.”

“S-show yourself! I will not be insulted through anonymity!”

“Very well, Vincentious.”

A chill ran through his spine. The singing began again.

“Kneel.”

He fell to his knees. Though the word ‘Kneel’ never actually appeared in the song, he heard the voice say that. He heard the singing in his head. He heard the commands in his head. It was overwhelming to the senses, in the most wonderful way.

“Strip. Show yourself.”

He did as he was asked, staring at the shape rising from the pond. Green hair, prismatic eyes, pale skin. The figure was not clothed, and her lower body was covered in scales that shimmered in every color. She stopped singing.

“So this is the young bastard.”

He felt her eyes searching his entire body. She was enormous, probably 14 feet from head to fin.

“You will apologize to my steward, Rikali. She didn’t mean you any harm, yet you approached her as a common foe.”

He felt a twinge from his neck, and he lurched forward.

“I... I am sorry, Rikali, I meant no ill will.”

“Good. Now you may know my name. I am the Siren of the Silent Grove.”

She was exuding some kind of mental pressure, now that she was staring at him. He started to squirm under her gaze.

“You are more than I thought you were. Misguided, you are. Tell me, Vincentious,”

Another shiver throughout his body.

“What brings you to my humble grove? Don’t try to lie like your friend over there did. There are punishments for lying.”

Vincent looked over at Aes. She was kneeling still, her head pitched upwards, staring wide-eyed into a swirling disk of dancing lights. A small trickle of drool traced its way out of her open mouth.

“We-we were just camping nearby. We had no idea this was your grove, I swear it, your ladyship.”

NSFW(?)

CW’s

Hypno drug

Tense moment

“Aroma”

Ever since it’s creation, the Greenhouse at the Bregentfed family manor had always been Sophia’s favorite place. The manor had begun to feel more and more like home with each passing day. Of course, Amelie insisted that she stay. Forever. But Sophia was unsure, as of yet. She often came to the greenhouse to think. The flowers and the smells, it was all very calming. She sat on a small bench, next to a fountain. Her eyes were closed, and she was simply taking in the sounds of life. She heard approaching footsteps. As they grew closer, she could tell they were hasty. She opened an eye as the door was thrown open. Finn, the blonde haired, hazel eye’d alchemist was still wearing his stain riddled apron as he sprinted into the greenhouse. His operation was recently moved here, as Amelie wanted to keep her... Assets closer to her chest. Something about recent complications. Either way, Finn lived here now, and his special drinks were flowing.

“Hey Finn.” Sophia shouted after him as he rushed in.

“Hispohiacanttalknowtryingtofixapotentialmess!” His voice was muffled by his mask, and he didn’t even stop to breath. He grabbed a handful of petals from a few glowing flowers, then ran over to Sophia, and pulled a hair from her head, before quickly exiting.

“Ow! Hey!”

Sophia sat there for a moment. Then it hit her: an alchemist just took a sample from her that could be used as a spell component. She ran after him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She could smell what was brewing from a whole house away. The scent only got stronger as she approached the basement door, which had been left open. She was, admittedly, very mildly woozy as she descended the stairs. Whatever that mad alchemist was brewing, it certainly had some kind of aroma. It was ambrosial, heavy, with just a bit of acrid chemical stench. The scent was strangely soothing to breath in. By the time her bare foot touched the cold concrete of the lab floor, her head felt quite heavy. She braced herself against the wall. The room was filled with a deep, green fog.

“Fiiiinnnn...” she called out.

She felt her strength draining.

“Sophia?” the voice was muffled.

Something began to make it’s way towards her. She saw a pair of blue, glowing eyes in the darkness. Sophia watched in terror as they drew close. The leaned over her, she felt herself shrink back.

“You shouldn’t be down here,” the eyes came closer still, “it’s not safe. Sophia? D-don’t pass out on me!”

Her consciousness began to slip. The figure grabbed her head, and placed a mask on her face.

“Just take a deep breath.”

Her vision began to clear. Finn was leaning over her.

“Oh thank whatever’s watching, you’re fine. You know you’re not supposed to be down here. I don’t exactly know if these fumes are harmful or not. Strong though, I can still smell it through my gas mask.”

It was still hard for her to move. The smell... she almost wanted to take the mask off to breath in that aroma again.

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

Finn tapped on her forehead. She moaned lightly, and sat up.

“...what... what’re you making? Why does it smell so...” she took in a deep breath, slightly removing her mask to let the fumes in, “...so good? It’s... intoxicating.”

Finn pushed the mask flush with her face again.

NSFW

CW’s

Mild non con

Mild exhibitionism

“Dangerous

The world is fueled by desires. Everyone has them. Everyone is driven by them. And like it or not, Floria heard them all. Some were louder than others. Some were just whispers to her. She was use to them being loud. But she had never just heard someone’s thoughts about their desires. Much less so ones so loud. These three. Her face was burning from the sheer... the sheer descriptiveness of them. Floria had followed them into this strange Café. Watching them from a table away. She focused on one of their thoughts. The devil boy, him. She closed here eyes, and focused.

“Everyone’s been so encouraging of me exploring my submissive side, perhaps it’s not such a bad thing. I wish I could act more submissive.”

‘You want to be more submissive?’ Floria thought, ‘If it’ll shut you up, here, I’ll grant your wish.’ She held out a hand towards him, and focused on his dominant thoughts.

‘Today you’ll learn how dangerous it is to think so loudly around a psychic.’

A purple chain streaked from her palm into his head. He didn’t see it, nor did anyone else. But it did its job, it sealed away his dominant thoughts. He shuttered, and immediately his posture changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sophia, Jane, and Vincent had been discussing business over a cup of coffee. In the middle of his sentence, Vincent’s eyes snapped open, and he stopped talking. A moment later, his lips curled into a pleased smile, his eyelids drooped, and he relaxed in his chain. Jane and Sophia exchanged glances.

“Did you put a drop in his drink without anyone noticing?” Jane said accusatorially.

“Nono, I’m not allowed to do that! You know this place works on consent. Look, let’s just give him a second to get himself together, and let’s discuss getting you a job here, okay?”

Jane sighed. “Okay, yeah.” ‘God I wish I could join him. In that cute outfit Diz made him, he absolutely looks the part of a sub.’ Jane thought to herself.

‘Wish granted’ she swore she heard someone else’s voice in her head. A sudden rush ran down her spine, and she felt herself stiffen up, before every single thought about acting on her own, or acting without command vanished from her head. Jane felt her muscles loosen. Her mind slowed to a crawl. She let out a light giggle, as she leaned back in her chair.

Sophia laughed. “What the fuck has gotten into you two?” Sophia’s mind started to wander. ‘God they’re so adorable like this. I wonder if I could.. Dizzy wouldn’t mind, right?’

‘Oh you should, they’re toys just begging to be played with.’ That wasn’t Sophia’s voice.

Something in the back of Sophia’s mind woke up. That dominant desire. They were waiting for her to play with them. The two little subs, staring at her. Waiting. To not do something would go against her very nature.

“Why don’t you cuties come with me,” Sophia’s voice had shifted in pitch, to a lower, more sultry tone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Floria held onto the purple, semi translucent chains that went to the noisy trio’s heads. They were hers to play with. Sophia, the apparent domme, stood up, and started walking the other two, Vincent and Jane, to a back room. Floria had to follow to maintain the effect. If her line of sight was broken, she’d loose her chance at revenge. So she simply followed them like she belonged there, and no one seemed to notice. She watched them go into the back part of the stock room, where the chick and the horned dude were made to kneel. She watched as they started to undress, and she hit them all with a surge of arousal.

‘This’ll be fun to watch’

The subs were already making puddles from how excited they were. The mental feedback from all the arousal and excitement hit Floria. That wave was what she was looking for. Her cheeks burned.

‘C’mon, hurry up’

She spurned then on to move faster.

“Ahem, just who the hell are you?”

Floria spun around, struggling to maintain concentration. A woman... no, a man stood before her.

“Uh... uh... uh...”

“Mmmhmmm, that’s what I thought. You got about fiiive seconds to explain yourself before I turn that psychic trickshow around on you.”

“They were just so loud! I couldn’t take it anymore! I had to shut them up, I had to! They’ve been bothering me for days with their thoughts!”