Suspense
“Well?” Matthew asked. “Will you do it?”
“Do what?” Caroline teased.
“You said you would hypnotize me today.”
“No. I said one day.”
“Today is one day.”
“No, it’s another day.”
“What?”
“Wait another day.”
“But…”
“Are you eager?”
“Yes.”
“Anxious?”
“Yes!”
“Desperate?”
“God, yes!”
“Then sleep.”
What doesn’t kill you puts you in trance.
Sometimes, you want something so badly that you eagerly do anything to get it including putting yourself in a state of feverish anticipation. Anticipation is a sure way to induce trance, using the subject’s desires “against” them so to speak. Perhaps you’ve experienced this phenomenon before at the hands of a skilled hypnotist. Perhaps you even hypnotized yourself unknowingly due to such strong desires.
I wanted to play a bit with the idea because the punchline came to me and I thought suspense was a good way to develop it until the end. Do you agree?
No Quest for Him
“There’s somefin’ about bein’ in a church that makes me feel all uncomfy, like. I can’t help but feel the Goddess is judgin’ me,” Yangus said.
“This Goddess is…” Jessica purred.
“Guv, her eyes are all weird… Guv?”
He knelt, drool dripping. No quest for him. Women don’t need heroes but slaves are always useful.
The Dragon Quest series of RPGs is one of my favorite series in video game’s history. I wrote a piece of micro-fiction inspired by it back in the beginning of the second year of this challenge. Today, I decided to go for another round in this world, using Dragon Quest VIII as a reference. I wish I could have gone for the most recent entry instead but I’ve yet to play it. In fact, this year I only bought one game thus far when I used to buy a dozen at least. I still hope to get to play XI around Christmas time but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. If any of my fans out there wants to make sure I’m able to do just that, I’m game (just kidding.) 🙂
Dragon Quest VIII has a special place in my heart and memories probably because it was the first one I played. The art style was/is great, I loved the character’s voices each one with their distinctive accents. Jessica’s character stood out the most because she was a red-haired sorceress that could wield whips. She could also wear a particular clothing item called Dangerous Bustier that changed her appearance in-game making her look like a dominatrix of sorts so… yeah, I really liked that game, and I still do even though it’s been ages since the last time I had it running.
For this piece, I used an actual line of another character for the opening (as well as his name) and turned Jessica into the hypnotic dominant she deserves to be even though she’s just a pixelated fictional character. I’m sure you won’t hold it against me for even in games, women deserve to be on top.
The Movie in His Mind
Henry stole the popcorn from Amber’s hands.
“What are you watching?”
“An old horror movie. It has some great hypnotic scenes though. Watch.”
He did. The female vampire dominated the screen. He got lost in her emerald gaze.
“She looks just like you,” he muttered.
Strengthening the illusion, she brushed her canines against his neck.
Good movies make you feel like you’re already inside them, they draw you in, suck your ability to remain detached from the plot, the action, the characterizations. Good erotic hypnosis does the same thing, constructing a fantasy loop that becomes so deeply ingrained in you that you can’t help but feel what the hypnotist wants you to feel, and do the things she wants you to do. She’s the director, you’re just the actor in a role.
When fantasies become so intense, it’s hard to discern the beginning and end of them and in this piece something similar happens. I wrote it because I’ll be releasing a collection of horror flash fiction next month and I wanted to evoke something slightly unsettling, today. However, at the same time, I wanted to give the impression that perhaps the supernatural elements weren’t entirely true hence both the title and the idea of illusion thrown to the mix. Is she really a vampire taking control of his mind and soon his body or is she yet another skillful mind-controller making his horror desires come to life? The story can be read in both ways, at least to me, but perhaps you don’t see it the same way.
Nonetheless, I hope you had fun.
Love and Hate
“God, I hate clowns,” Bob mumbled.
“What else do you hate?” Kate asked.
“Spiders, snakes, bats, maggots…”
“How about hypnotic women?”
“Oh, I love them.”
“And I love obedient, hypnotized men,” she purred.
Her nails flashed before his eyes as she led him inside a costume shop. He would look good in a clown’s outfit.
This is a Halloween-related piece even though Halloween is still a month away. Confused? Allow me to explain.
As I’m sure I mentioned before, that particular date isn’t celebrated with as much intensity as it is elsewhere but it’s becoming more popular the more time goes by. A friend of mine has decided to organize a Halloween party next month and has already chosen his costume. He’s going as a clown. The most surprising aspect of it all is that he really hates clowns. It’s almost pathological even so I was genuinely surprised to hear of his decision. When I asked him why, he said: “I’m going as a clown because the best way to overcome my fear is to become it.”
I’m not entirely sure I agree with that but the idea stuck and I used some of it to build this one. In this piece, she’s having fun but she’s also pushing his limits in a way, turning something he hates into (possibly) something he loves. I’m not afraid of clowns myself but I wouldn’t want to dress as one for Halloween. I’m not sure I would have a choice if I were hypnotized to do it though.