Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

To be clear, when I say matchup I mean regarding the fact jinn in my stories lack the imagination that non-magic creatures (humans, but also lamias in this case) have; jinn have the magic to create things, but often need the wishes to imagine them. Anne, meanwhile, has lots of sneaky imagination.

Fara stomps a step forward.

“Are you going to help me or not?”

Darmenzi cackles. They whip their arm forward and it stretches into a tentacle that curls around Fara and pulls her close.

“My dear doctor, if you cause enough mayhem to please me, I’ll take over this tournament for you and crown you victor!”

Fara laughs and shakes their hand, the three fingers curled like claws.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, you devil!”

“Oh, you’re too kind,” Darmenzi says. They pull their arm out from Fara’s hair as if it were an empty vacuum of goo and push her to the wall. “Now get out of here and turn this place upside-down!”

After Fara leaves and is out of earshot—or thoughtshot?—of the narration, I resume narration tell Darmenzi they really should’ve said no. Darmenzi chuckles and waves a hand.

“Pah, what do you care? More content to make, right?”

I was already going overboard with this project to begin with, now you’re threatening to make it longer? I still have that Jb story to edit! I’ve barely got started editing the first chapter on that.

“Best get to typing then, keyboard monkey.”

I hate you, you know that?

“Of course, the feeling is mutual.”

Well. That might complicate things in later rounds. Hex, this match was like, one percent hypnosis content as it is. Maybe Fara will at least try to cause her chaos through mind manipulation and not blowing stuff up.

Regardless, round one of the loser’s bracket is done and we have our first four eliminations! Next time we’ll begin round two, and get to see Lila again! Will her long history stand against Vil’s vampire powers? They’re both lamias, they’re both purple, so we’ll just have to see!

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

I quite like the conversation with Belle and Eduards, it comes a bit out of nowhere but works well.
What? The match already ended??
Yeah uhhhh I didn't have anything for how Anne would actually beat a figgin magical jinn outside of... basically cheating! Which fits the matchup but makes it short.

Bracket showing Amaru grayed out and eliminated, while Anne moves on to losers round 2.

Above the field, Eduards enters the VIP room and shuts the door with a swift single motion.

“So we still do not know Dr. Fara’s whereabouts,” Veda says. She watches the action—or at least the falling action—below.

“She was not in her dwelling room,” Eduards says. “Mx Top had not seen her. Lady Slacen had not seen her, although she believes Dr. Fara won’t attempt something as long as she is still in the tournament.”

“We can’t count on that,” Veda says. “In fact, if we fail to find Dr. Fara, the best move is to keep watch on Ms. Slacen. I could see her having Alya do something to disrupt the tournament. Her next match will be one to keep an eye on.”

“Are any of the other matches potential areas for her to disrupt?” Eduards asks.

“But we are dealing with a mad scientist. They don’t make sensible plans. They hardly ever make plans to begin with. So it remains best to find her and keep tabs on her as soon as possible.”

Eduards nods.

“Understood. I will head out and continue searching.”

As Eduards leaves, a different meeting takes place in the other VIP box. Despite there being no doors, no windows, no openings, no cracks for anyone to pass through, someone did.

“How exactly did you get in here?” Darmenzi asks. They have a bemused smile on their reptilian face. They tap the wall with their crystal staff. “These walls are sealed with magic. Part of the agreement for Duth to even let me be here.”

“It’s simple,” Dr. Fara said. She took a seat on air. “I just turned around the molecules and entered through the space between them.

Darmenzi nods.

“Makes sense. And you say you wish for me to destroy this tournament?”

“Yes!” Fara stands up, fists raised. “Destroy these fools who dare not give me victory!”

“Rain hellfire upon them?”

“Yes!”

“Drown them in flooding acid?”

“Yes!”

“Twist them inside-out until they no longer know which way is out?”

“Yes!”

Darmenzi shakes their head.

“My dear doctor, I’m afraid I’m only here to watch. Why, watching bugs scramble for others’ entertainment is one of my favorite pastimes. Besides”—They grin sharp teeth and lean towards Fara, arm leaning on the armrest and one leg crossing the other—“you don’t need my assistance to cause mayhem and destruction.” They stare at her, eyes burning. “I’ve seen your work. You’re phenomenal at causing chaos and ruining lives. Why don’t you show me that you’re worthy of taking the winner’s spot?”

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Two of these three predictions came true...
I'm not entirely sure my assumption that my writing is more likely to attract subs than doms is accurate. What do you, the readers, think?
I forgot about this analysis of Anne from Veda, they'll both be in a story later on so I'll have to keep it in mind.

“My mistress says that many of the voters are those who like to take direction,” Eduards says. “Whether they like the idea of a monarchy, in private bedroom matters a queen lording over them is appealing. Lady Koizumi has an advantage in this aspect: she always wishes to give the orders. Lady Amaru’s expertise is in taking orders, regardless of how much she may twist or even ignore those orders. With this audience, then, Lady Koizumi has the clear advantage.”

“Interesting analysis,” Belle says. “How far do you think Ms. Koizumi can make it?”

“Her next match will be tricky should she win,” Eduards says. “My mistress believes she’ll have to face Ageul, who is a unique contender. She does believe, however, that Anne can make it all the way to the semifinals.”

“What’s her take on the profiles of the contestants in this match?” Belle asks.

“My mistress says they are both dangerous,” Eduards says.

“Dangerous?”

“For entirely different reasons, in fact. Lady Koizumi, despite her presence, has very little power. She has little power in the lamia community, no power at the moment in the human community, and even when faced with individuals she must make her actions carefully lest they escape her initially weak grasp.”

“Hold on, you said no power at the moment?” Belle asks.

“My mistress says she is dangerous,” Eduards says. “She has no power at the moment, but she may try to change that. She is aspirational, and with little power that only makes her hungrier for power. She could turn the little power she has now into something much bigger, with a high risk not only to others but herself.”

“Wow, your lady seems to know a lot about this,” Belle says.

“She is an exceptional lady,” Eduards says. “In regards to Lady Amaru, my mistress says her existing great power is what makes her dangerous. Her relaxed attitude and disposition to use this power locally instead of a grand scale keeps the danger in check.”

On the field stands Wren, Anne standing on one side and Amaru floating on the other, each about ten meters away. Both have their arms crossed and smirk. Confidence buzzes between them, while Wren stands at the center looking blankly between them.

“All right,” I say, “when I say start, start the match. Start!”

Amaru snaps her fingers. A second after the match starts Wren stands next to her. They shout and stumble at the teleportation.

“How are you going to win if you can’t even get Wren next to you?” Amaru asks. Anne chuckles.

“Oh, you naive, ghastly gas,” she says. “I’m afraid you’re a joke here. A smoke joke.” Amaru narrows her eyes.

“What are you talking about?”

“Wren would much rather stand with me, don’t you, Wren?” Anne says.

Wren smiles and their eyes go blank.

“I would much rather stand with you, my queen,” they say.

“What?” Amaru looks between Wren and Anne. “What? What did you—You just—What?”

Anne smiles.

“I win.”

“Fig, fig, fig, I missed another trigger!” I say. “Uhhhh. Uhhhhh. Well. That was a short match.

“Anne wins!”

“What?” Amaru shouts. “Why you little punk!” She inhales deeply and guffaws. “You know what, I like it!” She claps. “That was such a sneaky move and it was right under their nose after you already did that once!” She teleports next to Anne and shakes her hand. “Congratulations, Queen, I can’t say I’m happy about losing but if I had to lose I’m glad, I’m glad it was to someone so clever.” Anne chuckles.

“Thank you quite dearly, Amaru,” she says. “I’m glad you’re being so courteous.”

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

At the time I didn't really have a full idea of what Amaru's plant form was like, but since then she has gotten proper reference art.
i can be fun...
The results begin with... a surprise interview guest!
#Hypnovember #hypnokink #hypnosis #jinn #djinn #genie #lamia #naga #snake #plantgirl #slime

Wren’s grin twitches wider as the four Amaru press closer against them, flooding their senses with her magic, leaving no open space between her and Wren. Plant Amaru rises, holding Wren’s head in her leafy arms, and jinn Amaru lowers, pulling Wren’s grinning gaze down even with lamia Amaru’s, who also barrage’s Wren’s sight with hypnotic rings, sweeping away their mind with mind-blowing hypnotic control. Slowly she rises up Wren’s body, always pressing her bodies against them, squeezing the slime Amaru closer against their skin.

Jinn Amaru trails her smoke around them, surrounding Wren in a dazzling display of warping colors, containing Wren entirely within a smoky world of her, only her, only Amaru, the wish-granter, the wish-maker, the wisher.

Outside the colorful cloud another jinn Amaru appears. She gestures to the Amaru gathering.

“That’s what I have to offer, everybody, and I think you’ll agree, it’s quite the offering, magic, hypnosis, transformation, anything your heart desires, all you have to do is make your wish, and you don’t even have to make a wish, after all”—She winks to the camera—“I already know what you wish for, I know you want me, don’t try to hide it, I know you want to vote for me.” She releases a few hypnotic rings from her eyes to the camera. “You definitely want to vote for me, don’t you?”

“Hey, hey, hey!” I appear in my cloudy form to block her from the camera. “No hypnotizing the viewers! This tournament is played square: any hypnotic effect on the viewers must only come from a secondhand hypnosis buzz from what you do to Wren.”

Amaru crosses her arms and scoffs.

“You’re no fun, you know that?”

“I can be fun,” I mutter. “Anyway! I think we’re probably done here, so let’s get to voting! The short lamia queen, Anne Koizumi, or the flashy, hypnotic jinn, Amaru? Make your pick for the final match in loser’s round one!”

“Hello, welcome back to the tournament!” Belle says. “It’s time for the final match of the loser’s bracket round one. Before we get to it, first we have . . .” She gestures across the table. “Some robot who wanted to interview. Sorry, I never caught your name?”

“I am Eduards,” the robot says in a tinny voice. He stands tall, tall as the tallest contestant. Though he looks human at first glance, the smooth and shiny blue skin and bright eyes without pupils show his robotic form. His extra pair of arms give away something more as well, all four held behind his back. His dark suit is so pressed and neat it’s hard to tell if it’s part of his chassis. His thin frame stands still, either reminiscent of a robot or of a butler, though his arms and upper body have some extra breadth, and sensors and devices around his head gives the impression of a balding hairstyle.

“I wished to ask you some questions, Lady Peltonen.”

“Oh,” Belle says. “Oh! You wanted to ask me something, not the other way around.”

“You know of her threat against the tournament the other day,” Eduards says. “My mistress wishes to make certain the doctor does not make good on her threat.”

“Wait,” Belle says, “you don’t work for that mysterious benefactor up in the VIP box, do you?”

“I certainly would be unable to say,” Eduards says. Belle leans forward.

“If you do, it’d be awesome to interview them for their take on the tournament.”

“I’m afraid we’re much too—Ah?” His eyes flicker. “I see. Lady Peltonen, my mistress says she would be happy to take an interview with you through me.”

“Excellent,” Belle says. “So our match today is between Anne, a lamia who fancies herself queen, and Amaru, a jinn who fancies herself a saleswoman. Who do you put the odds with?”

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

This is giving me the thought of someone being so overwhelmed by duplicates of someone else that they stop mattering in comparison. "A drop in a bucket" is quickly forgotten as the rest of the bucket contents vastly outweighs it. #Hypnovember #hypnokink #hypnosis #jinn #djinn #genie #lamia #slime

“Sure,” Wren says. “Wait, hang on—” They frown. “I want to know why I’m not tall anymore. Was that only temporary?” Amaru sighs.

“Oh, The Cloud in charge didn’t want any permanent changes to you between matches,” she says. “I thought they just meant hypnotic enchantments, but apparently that includes physical changes as well. Can’t be helped, I’m afraid.” Wren rubs their chin.

“What about after?” they ask. “If you win the last match, would you be able to make me tall and it stay?” Amaru laughs.

“I like the way you think, Wren! Let’s make me win and I’ll make you tall!” She shakes Wren’s hand.

“Great.” Wren smiles. “Oh, but in the meantime, do you think it would work if I wished to always know what’s actually going on in the tournament? It’s not a physical change, and I’m tired of feeling like I’m blindly dragged around.”

“Oh, I could do that,” she says. She holds Wren’s chin and leans closer. “I’d have to warn you of something, though.”

“What’s that? Wren asks. They gasp at a rush of vivid, pulsating red, yellow, green in Amaru’s eyes like dawn over a dark forest.

“If you want to know what’s going on,” Amaru says, “you’ll have to know I’m going to overwhelm you with duplicates today.”

Wren feels Amaru press against them from behind despite floating in front of them, eyes pulsating in colors that fill Wren’s eyes. The Amaru behind them feels coarser, harder, yet smooth, and the scent of flowers fills Wren’s senses. Their arms squeeze against their body as vines wrap around them.

“Just relax,” says the plant Amaru behind Wren. “Just sink into my overwhelming presence. There’s so much of me, so many of me, it’s so easy to become a drop in a bucket of my flooding presence.”

The Amaru in front of Wren chuckles and strokes Wren’s chin. She sways her head in a circle and pulls Wren’s head with her.

“I had considered playing nicer,” she says. “Just granting your wishes this time around. But it seems the consensus is that voters are more favorable to snakes than to being nice?”

Wren’s legs squeeze together as a long, scaly tail wraps around them and coils its way up.

“Ssso I decided to do the opposssite of my plan,” says a lamia Amaru, who slithers to Wren under the jinn Amaru and holds Wren’s hands. She massages Wren’s legs as she wraps up under their skirt.

“And if all goes well, little Wren,” jinn Amaru says, pressing her body closer against them, “my wish to move forward in the tournament will be granted.”

She kisses Wren, breaking eye contact as she does, but a fourth Amaru pokes her head down from above Wren and hypnotizes them further with her eyes. This fourth Amaru wraps her smoky tail around Wren’s shoulders before she condenses. A slick, wet slime slides over Wren’s body as the fourth Amaru transforms into a goo form, wrapping her slime around Wren’s shoulders.

Jinn Amaru releases the kiss and resumes her hypnotic stare. Wren grins from the hypnotic pressure of Amaru’s overwhelming presence, the jinn Amaru deluging their eyes with hypnotic color; the plant Amaru tying them in vines and pressing her body against their back as she fills their senses with a soothing flowery scent; the slime Amaru sliding down their shirt and coating their skin in squeezing, sticking, trapping goo; and the lamia Amaru wrapping their legs tight, coiling up under their skirt their bare skin and thighs, squeezing their hips and massaging their skin with her scales.

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

This exhibition match establishes that Anne will use post-hypnotic suggestions, but more importantly it establishes that she likes puns. #Hypnovember #hypnokink #hypnosis #lamia #naga #snake #jinn #djinn #genie

“I know what you’ve been missing for this entire round,” she says. She pulls Wren close and flashes a few glistening violet and blue rings through her eyes. It takes but a moment for Wren’s to fill with color. “You’ve been craving your queen’s kiss.” She smooches Wren on the lips, squeezing their face as she slips her tongue over Wren’s. As she fills Wren’s lips full of passion she curls her tail around them and wraps their shoulders, working her way down Wren’s body.

Anne giggles as she releases the kiss from Wren’s smiling lips, and she pets their soft hair.

“It’s been heart-rending to be away from your queen,” Anne says. She laughs. “It rends Wren to be away from me.” She squeezes their chin. “Let’s make sure I win so Wren won’t be rent from being away from me.”

Anne curls her tail around Wren and wraps tight around their chest, squeezing their arms down. She curls a lower part of her tail up to lift Wren’s skirt, and as she kisses their lips again she presses her tail between their thighs. Wren’s eyes twitch and quiver from Anne’s hypnotizing passion as she rubs her scales against their body, as she wraps around their legs and squeezes them against her tail between them.

“That’s so nice, isn’t it?” Anne says.

“Nice,” Wren sighs.

“You love your Queen Koizumi, don’t you?” Anne says, pressing her face against Wren’s.

“Love my Queen Koizumi,” Wren sighs. Anne presses closer, her lips grazing Wren’s.

“You crave to feel your queen’s lips on yours.”

“Crave my queen’s lips,” Wren sighs. Anne kisses Wren again, squeezing her tongue around Wren’s as she squeezes her body around Wren’s, their thick and scaly leash wrapped from neck to feet.

Anne holds Wren in her power, squeezing and smooching them, until she’s satisfied and lets them go. She pets Wren’s head as she leaves them laying on the grassy ground beside the pond.

“See you tomorrow when you win me the challenge match, my pet,” Anne says.

“Hah!”

Anne looks up at the sharp laugh. She narrows her eyes and looks around, but no one is visible. She scoffs and slithers her way off the field.

Okay, time to clear Wren’s head. I appear above them in a cloudy puff and wipe out any lingering hypnotic effects. Don’t want to give Anne an unfair advantage in the challenge match, after all.

The pulsating colors disappear from Wren’s eyes and they sit up with a gasp.

“What happened?”

“Anne happened,” I say. I disappear.

Wren looks around, but Anne is gone. They rub their face and groan. They never know what’s actually going on in the tournament.

Smoke plumes out of the pot like dragon fire and Wren shouts as they drop the pot and stumble back into the pond. Like a fireworks display, Amaru emerges from the pot in a dazzling twirl.
Artwork by Hypno Zombie!

“Hello, my friend Wren!” Amaru says. “I hope you—Oh!” She sees Wren fallen in the pond. “Sorry about that, let me dry you off.”

Amaru pulls Wren from the pond to the ground and twirls her flowing fabric around them—the smoky red garment over her hair, the red garment over her shoulders, and fabrics that flow over her hips. After each one she tosses it away until only her waistband and smoky tail remains. Wren shakes their head, dizzy from the fabric twirling, but dry.

“Thank you, I’m fine, I think,” Wren says. “How have you been?” Amaru frowns and shrugs.

“Well, I suppose I’ve been better,” she says. “I did lose my last match, after all.” She grins and wraps an arm over Wren’s shoulders as she presses against them. “So how about you help me show those voters why I deserve to stay in this tournament?”

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

The last match of losers round 1, the last round 1 loser to be decided!
Bigger in SEVERAL ways!!
does this imply the lamia village anne and enna live in has a president, or like, the jungle they live in, or ???
#Hypnovember #lamia #naga #snake #hypnokink #hypnosis

Bracket with a mark at losers round 1 match 4 between Anne and Amaru.

“Welcome back!” Belle says. “It’s time for the final match of loser’s round one, the lamia Anne Koizumi versus the jinn Amaru. With me today is Anne’s sister, Ms. Enna Koizumi, because she hasn’t been up here enough apparently.” Enna laughs. She sits in a seat opposite Belle, though she inches it closer every so often.

“Maybe you should just make me a permanent member of the interview team,” Enna says.

“Not as long as you’re still in the tournament,” Belle says. “Speaking of, what’s your assessment of your sister’s chances at staying in this tournament?” Enna shakes her head.

“Look, my sister’s a lamia, same as me. Folks like lamias, we get it. But Amaru is a powerful jinn with even stronger hypnotic powers than Anne.” She leans forward. “And she can turn into a lamia anyway.” She leans forward more. “And she’s bigger! In like, several ways!”

“So you don’t think your sister will win?” Belle asks.

“I mean, I love my sister, I think she’s definitely got style, she’s definitely got grace, and, like me, she’s even got a pretty face,” Enna says. “She’s just so bad at convincing a crowd of people of anything. She can convince one person, and she does it by kissing them. Maybe if enough people really want her to kiss them she can make it, but she is up against literal magic. I mean, if they ran against each other for president, at least you can bet Amaru will grant the peoples’ wishes.” She smiles and throws her hands up. “Of course, she also might imprison them all in a giant orgy, but I dunno! I don’t know her well.”

Belle laughs. “She does seem to have that sort of passion.”

“All that said,” Enna says, “I am rooting for Anne. I hope she wins. As much as we annoy each other at times, I do like seeing her happy, and she’d probably be real happy to win.” Having moved he chair close to Belle she leans over and whispers, “Also, I think I’d be able to win against Anne way easier than Amaru if I have to.”

Wren sees Anne’s reflection in the water and turns around to her.
Artwork by Azupazu

“You again,” Wren says. “I’m not letting you kiss me again.”

Anne shakes her head and chuckles. She taps her chin.

“Oh, dear, my Wren. You mustn’t speak against your queen so.” She smirks. “We must put you on a tighter leash.”

Wren’s eyes widen as they feel a twist in their head. Their vision blurs and hazes over with sparkling violets and blues. Their thoughts muffle slow until their head is blank.

“Let’s put you in your leash,” Anne says. She wraps the end of her tail around Wren’s neck. Wren smiles at the sensation of their queen’s touch, and their thoughts fall into subservient deference to Queen Anne Koizumi.

Dang, I guess I missed those triggers when I was removing hypnotic aftereffects from Wren. Ah well.

November 12, 2025 at 7:54 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Alya and Belle were fun to write, I ought to pair them again later. Belle and Enna, too, but Alya especially.
And so Revasa wins 25-10! As Alya predicted, snakes, snakes, snakes. Except now that I think about it Erada turned herself into a snake round 1 but lost. One exception! #Hypnovember

“What a fight!” Belle leans back in her chair. “Those two were really at it. I thought she really was gonna skin Revasa for a moment there.”

Alya leans over the table, sliding her whole body above the tail over it.

“I was right,” she says. “Snakes beat tentacles here. Looks like I’m getting that week off.”

“Looks like it,” Belle says. “You said you were gonna host a party?” Alya leans closer.

“Absolutely, and you’re invited.” She grabs Belle’s lapels and pulls her close. She raises her eyebrows and grins. “In fact, you’re invited to my room after this if you like.” Belle blushes and looks away as she clears her throat.

“I-I-I—I gotta prepare for the interviews and analysis for the next match!” she says. Alya strokes her chin.

“After the round is over, then. You can take a break then.”

Belle feigns a cough, which becomes a real cough, and she drags her wheeled chair away.

“I-I want to ask you something before we go, actually,” she says, turned away. “Do you think Dr. Fara will actually try to destroy the tournament?”

“Yeah,” Alya says. “Oh yeah, she definitely will.” She turns over and lays her back on the table. “I just hope she waits until after the semifinals.”

“Why’s that?” Belle asks.

“Oh, I’m a shoo-in to reach that far,” Alya says. “She wouldn’t want to risk her assistant’s chance at success, would she?”

“Would she?”

“Okay, so no, but it’d be nice anyway.”v

Bracket showing Dr. Fara grayed out and eliminated, while Revasa moves on to losers round 2.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Definitely the fiercest result between competitors. Almost murder!
It took me over 3 years but I'm finally gonna work on your stories, Fara...
And so the tournament's villain's arc begins. #Hypnovember #madscientist #snake #hypnosis #hypnokink

“Good, little Wren,” Revasa says, keeping their drooping eyes focused on hers, “it’sss time to drop to sssleep–” She screams as her body is pulled away. With Wren holding on they’re pulled to the ground and slide towards the hole with her. Revasa glances back for a second before returning to Wren. “Ssstay focusssed, Wren. Concentrate sssolely on me, and hold on to me with all your might.”

“Hold on,” Wren mumbles.

“Yesss,” Revasa says as the two of them slide closer and closer to the hole. “Give in to my ssspell and ssslip deep into a trance. A focusssed trance, focusssed on me, my eyes, holding your grip on me.”

Wren’s eyelids waver up and down as Revasa’s hypnosis sinks into their mind. More of Revasa falls into the hole, only a meter left, half a meter, only her head.

Wren feels a sharp, ringing splash through their head and they smile in a trance the moment before Revasa slips from their grasp and into the hole. Wren lays on the ground motionless as the hole closes.

“Hey, look at that!” I announce. “Revasa did it, she hypnotized Wren in the final seconds!”

A portal opens above the ground and Fara and Revasa fall out of it, Revasa tangled around Fara as the mad scientist holds the snake’s gaping maw at bay. She shoves Revasa away and stabs at her with a twisted stardust knife, and the snake dodges.

“Hey, you can stop fighting,” I say. “Revasa won. She hypnotized Wren.”

“Not if I kill her first!” Fara shouts, stabbing at Revasa.

“I’ll kill you first!” Revasa says. She snaps her jaw at Fara but the mad scientist phases away to dodge it.

I sigh.

“Top, can you get in there?”

“Yahoo!” Top screams. They fly towards the fray like a pinball, bouncing off trees until they collide with the fighting pair, knocking Fara out of Revasa’s tail and to the ground. They point at Fara. “You’re out of the tournament!” They point at Revasa. “You’re in the tournament, unless you kill someone!” They point at Wren. “You’re blank right now!” They point at Fara. “You get a consolation prize!”

“And what might that be, pray tell?” Fara asks.

“Well, most of the consolation prizes are just a pizza,” I say.

“I even promised to eat no more than a quarter of it,” Top says.

“In your case, though, I probably will actually get to writing more of the dating series about you after I finish the Jb story,” I say.

“Fine.” Fara stands up and dusts herself off. “I’m still going to destroy this tournament, though.”

“Oh, fine, that’s fine,” I say. “Just know that might delay more of your dating series.”

“But you will write it, yes?” Fara asks.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” She raises her hands and screams, “I will destroy you all!” before running off and laughing like a ticklish maniac.

During that conversation Revasa wrapped a few loops of her tail around Wren. She pulls them to her wide-open mouth. Top jumps on Revasa’s head.

“No! I said no killing anyone!”

“I’m not killing them,” Revasa says, “I’m merely going to eat them.”

“That too. Go, go, get out of here. I’ll cook you a reward meal.”

“I don’t want sssomething cooked, I want a live meal.”

“Then I’ll get you a live meal,” Top says. “How does a panther sound?”

Revasa drops Wren.

“I’ll take that, certainly.”

“I’ll be in after I take care of our friend here.”

She slithers back to her dwelling room while Top carries the still Wren to detox.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

This is the first challenge match where the goal is Wren where both competitors actually go after Wren instead of each other, which results in them really going back and forth with Wren. It's more chaotic, or maybe that's just Dr. Fara. I like it, but from an excitement angle! #Hypnovember #snake

“Okay, we can’t have that.” Fara pulls out a small devices and mashes the button. A wave pulsates throughout the stadium. “This’ll stop those time abilities of yours.” She grins and pulls out another handheld machine, which creates a dark glowing chainsaw blade when she pulls the string. “And this’ll stop you pulling my quarry away!” She slices through the tree as if it were air and it topples to the ground in a shower of leaves and branches.

Fara brushes aside the foliage, looking for Revasa or Wren, flattened or not.

“Come out, where’d you go?” Fara shouts as Revasa’s tail coils around her chest and lifts her into the air. Revasa holds her arms down as Fara kicks and screams colorful and nonsensical profanities at the snake. She bites her tail.

Revasa inhales in the tree next to the fallen one. Did that mad woman really just bite her? She sighs and ignores her—Wren is trying to sneak away. She slithers around the short human.

“Now, now,” she says, “no need to go.” She curls around Wren until she can catch their eyes with her hypnotic stare, her cold white, blue, and black rings pulsating from her eyes into Wren’s. “With that lady below preoccupied, I can bessstow you with all my attention.”

Much as Wren tries to keep Revasa out of their sight, she eventually nabs Wren’s face with her body and holds them in place. She catches Wren’s eyes and they stare, the hypnotic colors burrowing into their mind, and their eyes fill with Revasa’s colors.

“Yesss,” she says, “and you sssimply mussst give me all of your attention, all of your focusss.”

Wren tries to think of anything but Revasa, but the colors capture their thoughts. They can’t struggle away, caught in Revasa’s coiling body.

Below, Fara screams. She reaches into the pocket of her lab coat for a small device no bigger than a coin. She taps it and spins the edge, and the device increases her weight and density with to immovable levels.

“Concentrate,” Revasa says to Wren. “Focusss until you’re sssimply too sssleepy to–” She screams as Fara’s amplified weight drags her back, whipping Wren in a twirl as she zips away from them, through the tree’s branches, and down into a pile around Fara, who already dropped to the ground.

Fara stands and stomps a heavy shoe on Revasa’s head. The snake strikes her tail at Fara but the mad scientist grabs it and holds it down.

“You’re not going to get rid of me that easily,” Fara says. She aims a gun at Wren.

In the tree Wren sways, dizzy from the twirl and head still bubbly from Revasa’s spell. A beam of light hits them and they fall through the beam and pop out the back of the gun before Fara. They sit up.

“What? What just happened?” they ask.

“I just happened,” Fara says. She slips a ring on. “Now give me your brain.” She reaches her shadowy ringed hand for Wren’s head, but Revasa slips her tail under her and topples her to the ground. The snake rises before Wren.

“Look back into my eyesss, Wren,” she says. She pulls them back under her spell. “Let me get a good, long look at you.” She yelps as Fara shoves her away, snapping Wren’s gaze aside.

Fara reaches for Wren but Revasa pulls her away and tangles her tail around the mad scientist. She holds Wren’s gaze with her eyes again and curls around Wren so they face away from Fara.

“Hold me in your armsss, pleassse,” Revasa says. Wren lifts their arms and Revasa settles her upper body in their hold. “Now walk forward, away from thisss mad woman.”

Wren walks forward, staring into Revasa’s eyes, while Fara struggles in Revasa’s sliding, twisting body. The mad scientist growls and pulls out a round device in the palm of her hand.

“I’m taking you down, snake!” She spikes the device into the ground and a portal opens into her void dimension. She drops in with most of Revasa’s body.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Wren you aren't even wearing a watch, all this hypnosis must be making you loopy #Hypnovember #snake #naga #lamia #madscientist

Belle sits at the interview table across from Alya, whose long blue tail curls around her chair, the table, and Belle’s chair. Alya leans forward and smirks to Belle.

“You just can’t stay away from me, can you?” she asks.

“Er—” Belle clears her throat. “I just thought analysis related to your employer would be good. You do have a bet with her, after all.” Alya laughs.

“I do, that’s true, and I’m gonna win it.”

“So what did you think of the exhibition matches yesterday?” Belle asks.

“Revasa nailed it,” Alya says. She waves a hand. “She played that old trust routine perfectly, didn’t even have to use any time powers.” She circles a finger near her head. “She might be a little loopy though, is it just me or did she start talking to herself near the end?”

“From what I understand,” Belle says, “the spirit of the witch she was a familiar for haunts her.”

“Ooh, no wonder she’s loopy.” Alya laughs. “If Dr. Fara haunted me I’d go nuts, too.”

“Speaking of,” Belle says, “what did you think of Dr. Fara’s exhibition yesterday?” Alya inhales and taps her fingers on the table.

“Okay, so I didn’t know Emma could do most of that,” she says. She slaps a hand on the table. “I’m not worried, though! Snakes are gonna pull through for the day, I know it.” She gestures to the audience. “These folks came for snakes.” She slaps the table again and grins. “Pun not intended! But sure, there are plenty of folks for tentacles, but no one was expecting that. The tentacle audience hasn’t been drawn as much, so I still have confidence Revasa will do it.”

“I’m sure she appreciates your support,” Belle says. “Well, I’m not sure of that at all, but maybe there’ll be no hard feelings between you after your previous match.” Alya shrugs.

“There probably is, but I’m not here to make her feel good.” She grins and leans forward. “I’m here to make all the guests at my party when I get a week off from work feel good!”

Some of the forest has been cleared from yesterday, opening enough space for sunlight and granting enough visibility to see each end of the field. Wren stands in the middle. On one side stands Dr. Fara, and on the other Revasa hangs from a tree. Fara points to The Cloud in the announcer booth.

“Let’s hear that match start!” she says. “I’d like to get Alya’s overtime started as soon as we’re done.”

“Actually, now that I think about it, did she take time off to be here?” I ask.

“She’s here as a representative of my lab, so I agreed to continue paying her,” Fara says. “But once that overtime starts I’m getting her back in the lab to clean the place.”

“Can we ssstop with the talk and ssstart the match?” Revasa asks. Wren pretends to look at a watch they don’t wear.

“Oh, look at the time, it’s already over, no one won so I can leave.”

“Wrong!” I say. “Match start!”

Fara whips out a ray gun and creates a portal next to hear. She reaches in and grabs Wren from afar. Wren screams as she pulls them over next to her before Revasa even reaches the next tree.

“Sorry, snake,” Fara says as she twirls the gun in her hand, “I think I’ll make this a private challenge.” She fires the gun down, opening another portal in the ground to a void. Wren pulls away as Fara jumps inside, dragging Wren into the portal.

Wren yelps as something whips around their waist and pulls them back up. Revasa holds on to Wren and pulls them into the tree. For Wren’s part they try to pull away back into Fara’s void hole.

“What the hex?” Fara climbs up Wren and hops off to the ground. “You were in that tree over there!”

“Ssso I went back in time,” Revasa says, “and moved to thisss one before the match ssstarted.”

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

"You're not important enough to talk" is such a Fara-coded statement.
Anyway, like I said, tentacles!
Oh I forgot about this ring, I might have to find a place for it in the mad scientist dating story.
honestly i'm loving this exhibition, fara should've won. #Hypnovember #madscientist #hypnokink

Not a wall, Wren realizes with tense eyes—a tidal wave. The shadows thicken into a sludge void of light and drops over Wren. The short human screams and runs the other way, but the shadows splash over them and lock them in an inky-black ooze. Wren flails in the thick shadows but the pressure grows as oozy tendrils wrap around their arms and legs, shoving them against the ground.

Wren stares as a grinning face appears in the void. It takes them a moment to see her hair and lab coat, so dark as to blend with the oozy void.

“Hello again, you little dork,” Dr. Fara says. Her upper body hovers over Wren, her hands planted on either side of them, but past her waist she seems to melt into the shifting void around them.

“I should’ve—” Wren should’ve known it was her, but they’re unable to articulate it as a tendril wraps around their mouth. Dr. Fara shushes them.

“No talking,” she says. “You’re not important enough to talk.” She laughs as the tendrils tighten and grow around Wren. Wren’s eyes shift around in a panic over what Fara’s about to do.

“Everyone seems so sure about the staying power of snakes,” Fara says. She holds one of the tendrils in her hand, which either passes through her hair or emerges from her hair. “They all seem to forget about the potential of tentacles.” She grins and leans closer over Wren, who breathes faster as the tendrils curl and slink under Wren’s clothes and into their crevices. They groan, immobile from head to toe but still struggling to break free. “Hundreds of writhing, wrapping, squeezing, gripping tentacles overwhelming your little body.”

Fara cackles as Wren’s eyes grow unfocused from the deluge of sensation over their body.

“Speaking of overwhelming,” Fara says, “it quickly becomes just too much for your little head.” She slips a ring over her finger and places the hand on Wren’s forehead. “So why don’t we just shut that off, shall we?”

The ring glows in a way that seems to remove light, and Fara’s hand shifts and phases as if made of shadow, and she reaches inside Wren’s head. Wren groans louder as panic cuts through all the other sensations over Fara sticking her hand in their brain, but the groan drops and quiets down as if their groan were the hum of a machine shutting down. Indeed Wren’s struggles slow and cease, the light in their pupils fading as Fara tickles her fingers through Wren’s brain, twirling the electrical signals and shutting off Wren’s thoughts one by one.

“There we go,” Fara says. She strokes Wren’s face and pushes their mouth up into a smile, which sticks. “You don’t need any of these silly old thoughts.” She flicks her shadow hand as if tossing them out. “These memories are just taking up space. You’d rather have a head as empty as the void, wouldn’t you?”

She chuckles as Wren’s pupils go dark, their body and mind taken by void.

“I could turn you into a little drone like this,” she says. “My drones usually last just as long as it takes for me to send one into a fun universe to explore it and something gets them in there, but you know what?” She laughs and the tendrils tighten around Wren. “Not one of them have ever complained.”

She grins and squeezes her hand in Wren’s head. Wren inhales sharply, smile leveling symmetrically as if positioned by someone else in perfect order.

“Of course, the rules of the tournament say they have to take you back,” Fara says, “but I’ve never cared for the rules. Besides”—She presses closer until nose-to-nose against Wren—“the rules don’t say I have to give you back.”

Fara cackles as the fluid void around them quivers and she and Wren sink under. The void swirls and disperses, shadows trailing away back to their proper position until no sign remains that either of them were ever there.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

But I'm not sure how to do that in a way that's respectful. I'd want to consult someone familiar with traditional African garb related to witchcraft (witch doctors, oracles, etc.)
Anyway, Top eats Wren and the first exhibition match ends.
#Hypnovember #snake

“I will, I do, and I am,” Revasa says. She opens her mouth wide but the sprite taps Revasa’s nose.

“You want to win this tournament, don’t you?”

“I couldn’t care lesss about thisss tournament.”

“That’s where you’re not thinking ahead again,” the sprite says. “You never did think ahead, you only thought backwards. Must be why you only ever think to reverse time.”

“Do not talk to me like you know me, you disssressspectful copy.” She shakes her head, but the sprite remains seated.

“If you win this tournament, your star will rise,” the sprite says. “You’ll become popular. People will come looking for your autograph.”

Revasa grins.

“People I can eat.”

“People you can help, you one-thought snake,” the sprite says. “That’s what I always hoped you’d do when I was gone. That’s the whole reason I’ve stuck around.”

“Hey!” Top shouts up from the base of the tree. “There better not be any hanky-panky going on up there!” They look down. “Wait, that’s an issue with a different character.” They look back up. “There better not be any dommy-nommy going on up there!”

Revasa groans. She holds out her coils and drops straight Wren out of the tree.

Top leaps and catches the falling Wren—in their mouth—somehow swallowing them whole.

Revasa stares.

“Oh, ssso they’re allowed to eat them, but I’m not?” she shouts.

Top nods and runs off in the direction of the pond. Revasa sighs and lays her head on her coils.

“Now I better win this match,” she mutters, “because next time I am going to eat that little human.”

Once Top reaches the pond they spit Wren out and jump in the water. They emerge a moment later and hurl a torrent of water from their mouth on Wren until they flail and scream about drowning.

They look at the pond and remember Revasa’s instruction on heading in the direction closest to the bend in the pond. They wonder if they can trust—they shiver at the word—what she said. They look at Top.

“Do you know if this is the way out?” Wren asks, pointing in the direction closest to the bend.

Top shrugs.

“Do—Do you even know the way out?” Wren asks.

Top shrugs.

“How are you going to get out?” Wren asks. Top grins.

“I’m gonna dig my way out!” Top bites into the ground and starts eating a hole.

Wren looks at the forest. They try to squeeze down Top’s hole but it’s too narrow. They sigh and head in the direction Revasa indicated. At least the darkest shadows of the forest seem to be behind them.

Wren hears whispers and turns around. They see no one but the darkness of the forest, which seems to be growing darker. They turn back around—the forest doesn’t look so clear anymore. The ground is clear, but a haze fills the air. Wren tries to remember the other contestant in this match.

The mad scientist.

Wren breaks into a run. They do not want to meet with her again.

A break in the gloom ahead, and Wren smiles. They see more light. They can see the edge of the forest. They’re almost out!

Their face falls as the light shimmers and the way ahead grows dark. They skid to a halt and look around—shadows stream from around Wren to the path ahead like rivers, and the way ahead disappears into a wall of empty shadow.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Of course it's all a ruse so Revasa can catch Wren. The previous round focused on Revasa's abilities, so I wanted to focus on her nature more here.
I also got to show Chaurina's ghost! I still haven't gotten art of her, mostly because I want her design to incorporate witchcraft from Africa...
#snake

“The exit you need to reach is that way,” she says. “It’sss easssy to lose your sssense of direction down there, though, ssso you need a landmark. Sssee that ssspot of blue in the dissstance?”

Wren sticks their head forward. It takes them a moment to see it through all the branches and trees.

“I think so?”

“Keep your eye on it,” Revasa says. “Give it your full attention, memorize it. Once you reach that pond you continue in the direction closssessst to the bend in the shore.”

Wren sighs. “I don’t know about this.” They can’t imagine why Revasa would lead them away to a trap when she could do so right there, but she’s still a sneaky snake regardless.

Revasa chuckles.

“Oh, my dear friend,” she says. “You really mussst learn to be more trusssting.”

Wren’s eyes widen upon realizing Revasa has swayed into view, eyes pulsating with sharp, cold white, blue, and black rings. So focused on the spot she had pointed out, Wren didn’t realize she had moved until they had stared into her eyes and everything else blurred.

“You can trussst me, little one.” Revasa nods and pulls Wren’s head into a following nod. “Jussst look into my eyesss, you can sssee how trussstworthy they are.”

“No, wait,” Wren mutters, “not your . . . eyesss . . .”

Revasa shushes Wren with her tail’s tip to their mouth. Wren moans as the colors of Revasa’s eyes mirror in their own, each ring constricting their pupils smaller. Revasa chuckles.

“Yesss, my eyesss,” she says.

Revasa sways her head in a circle to pull Wren’s around, lifting their chin as she begins to curl her tail around their neck and shoulders, coiling her tail over their shoulders and squeezing their arms and chest.

“Now, now, my sssilly little human,” she says with a widening grin, “jussst relax. Relax your ssstandards of trussst for me. My eyesss are ssso trussstworthy, ssso much more trussstworthy than your own judgment.”

“Sssuch a sssilly little human, aren’t you?” Revasa nods to make Wren nod in agreement. “Not one bit of that sssussspicion was shrewdnesss. It was all fear.”

She tightens her coils, and Wren gulps as she squeezes their neck. She wraps their legs, holding Wren neck to foot in her coils. Wren’s sense of self fades under Revasa’s hypnotic grip, no thoughts but the colors, and their mind fades. Revasa laughs, and Wren smiles.

“You’re right to fear me,” she says. “Winners basssed on kindnesss or compassion? Hah. An entirely wrong reading of circumssstance. A coincidence at bessst.”

She squeezes Wren, the short human’s smile wide despite the heavily crushing coils.

“You humansss thrive in fear, not kindnesss. That’sss what you truly ressspond to.” She flicks her head in a shrug. “Not that I care one way or another. What does thisss tournament matter to me? I would much rather make a meal of one of you apesss.”

“Maybe it should matter, Revasa.”

The snake blinks. She stares at a dark-skinned, orange-clad sprite sitting atop Wren’s head, the pointed orange hat and bands and beads and dress and glare all too familiar to Revasa.

“Oh, not you again.” She shakes her head. “Mussst you pessster me even now, sssprite? You tarnish Chaurina’sss memory by taking her appearance.”

The sprite, in the guise of the witch and friend Revasa was once the familiar to, shakes her head.

“If I’d known you were so dense I never would’ve taken you as my familiar.”

Revasa snaps her jaws over the sprite, but it scatters into an orange mist that reforms atop Revasa’s head.

“Now listen to me, Revasa,” the sprite says. She taps the snake’s head with the bottom of the fennel branch staff she holds. “You shouldn’t eat that human, and you shouldn’t want to eat that human.”

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

yeah good idea wren, peek from behind your arms at the hypnotic snake. and you wonder why you're the dope who gets thrown to the snakes!
sorry wren you're just too easy to bully #Hypnovember #snake

Today the field is a thick forest, the trees so dense it looks like night inside. Top, the referee and general guide and assistant, leads Wren to one end of the forest.

“I don’t wanna go in there,” Wren says. They peer into the forest. “It looks like one of those looping forests from video games.”

“Don’t worry, there’s only one or two paths that do that,” Top says. They jump onto Wren’s shoulder and wave an arm. “I’ve been instructed to tell you that you have an out today!”

“An out?” Wren says. They smile. “A way out of doing this?”

“A way out of the forest!” Top says. They grin. Wren frowns.

“Is that all?”

“Well, and a way out of being the object of play,” Top says. “In short, if you make it to the other end of the forest without being caught by the contestants, you won’t be put through the wringer by them!”

Wren runs through the forest, scanning around the trees for any sign of movement. They’re not sure what Revasa or Dr. Fara might try to pull, so they try to stay on alert for anything.

They run into a tree.

“Owww.” Wren’s front body throbs. They pant, worn from the run. They suppose they should have paced themself. They lean against the tree and rub their sore spots before resuming their escape from the forest.

They look around and realize they’ve lost the direction of said escape. They groan and bend close to the ground to search for any clue of which direction they came from. The ground is hard and clean, clearly less emulating an actual forest floor and more the stadium grounds with trees sprouted up. No footprints or disturbed ground indicates which direction they traveled.

Wren shouts as something grabs around their pants and hips and lifts them into the tree. The light filters better through the trees up there but with no less a sinister gloom, worsened by the blue and white snake watching Wren with lowered, grinning eyes.

Wren screams and reaches for a branch to pull away. With none in reach they grab Revasa’s tail and pull it off from around them.

“No! No way!” they shout. They flail their legs to reach a large branch below. “I’m not dealing with you, I’m getting out of here.” Revasa’s face falls.

“Oh dear, I truly did make a poor firssst impression, didn’t I?” She turns away. “I sssuppose I dessserve that.”

“A poor first impression?” Wren says. They glare at Revasa and point a finger against her snout. “I know what you did! You tried to eat me!” They realize they’re looking at Revasa’s eyes and swivel away. “Not much could be a worse first impression than that.”

“You’re a predator,” Wren says, pulling from Revasa’s firm grip. They push Revasa’s head away, and the snake growls. “I don’t see any room for compassion there.” Revasa scowls.

“As if you humansss aren’t.” She clears her throat and curls around Wren’s arm to pull their hand off her face. “But, my friend, thisss is all a preamble to sssay I merely wish to help you find your way out of this foressst.”

Wren pauses.

“Really?”

“Of courssse,” Revasa says. “You looked a little lossst down there, ssso I thought I might point you in the right direction.”

Wren peers at Revasa from behind their arm. No hypnotic eyes.

“How do I know you won’t just lead me in the wrong direction?” they ask.

“What would I have to gain from that?” Revasa asks.

“Maybe you’d lead me to the other contestant,” Wren says. Revasa shakes her head.

“No, no, thisss is a competition, after all. I should want to lead you away from that sssinister mad woman.”

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Losers round 1 match 3! I have no intention of introducing an alternate universe Dr. Fara who's a lamia, that's way too easy. She seems to have some eldritch tentacles at her disposal sometimes, anyway...
I think this is the first time Belle asked two characters to an interview? #Hypnovember #snake

Bracket with a mark at losers round 1 match 3 between Revasa and Dr. Fara.

“Welcome back!” Belle says. “Today’s match is between two sinister characters, the time-manipulating snake Revasa and the mad scientist in physics Dr. Emma Fara. To discuss them today I have with me Ms. Alya Slacen and Persnakety.”

Across from Belle sits a blue-tailed and blue-haired naga and a red snake, tails curled around the chairs, but the two keep their distance from each other. Persnakety glances at Alya as if afraid she might grab him; when Alya meets his eyes she smirks at him.

“Have you two met yet?” Belle asks.

“Not yet,” Alya says. She looks at Persnakety. “But you’ve met my employer.”

“Yes, right, the scientist,” Persnakety mutters. “I do hope, er, there are no hard feelings from her?”

“She’ll probably try to turn you and Revasa into boots once she’s eliminated from the tournament,” Alya says. Persnakety flops his head on the table.

“So you still believe Revasa will win?”

“I put a week on the line,” Alya says. “I’m getting that vacation.” Belle looks at Persnakety.

“What’s your take?” she asks. “Do you think Revasa has the odds in her favor?” Persnakety lifts his head.

“They’re both scary,” he says. “Humans can be quite resistant to—” He shakes his head. “But she’s hardly human, isn’t she? I looked into her eyes and I saw nothing, nothing to hypnotize.”

“Yeah, but the match goal changed to catch Wren first, not to hypnotize the opponent,” Alya says.

“You don’t think they both have enough hubris to focus on their opponent?” Persnakety asks.

“Dr. Fara does,” Alya says. “But Revasa already faced me and lost.” She twists in a sensual pose. “Of course, I’m cool and graceful. I could win on that alone. But she knows Dr. Fara made that time hole pot, so she might avoid a direct confrontation.”

“Ah, but you’re forgetting one thing,” Alya says. She leans forward and grins. “It’s all about the votes, and we snakes are riding high.”

“Well, one snake lost to you,” Persnakety says, “and Dr. Fara lost to me. Revasa is a different beast, and voters might respond to such a beast less than a kinder, gentler, friendlier snake.” He taps the end of his tail on the table. “As Dr. Fara seems able to open holes into other universes, what if she summoned an alternate version of herself who was a lamia, or naga?”

Alya stares at Persnakety. She crosses her arms and looks away as she slumps into the chair.

“Gaddfern it. Hadn’t thought of that.” She plants her hands on the table. “No way, she’s got way too big an ego to let another version of her take the reins!” Persnakety shrugs.

November 11, 2025 at 7:16 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Wow, Enna, you really did your research. You're gonna be a Pokemon Master!
Dragovoir won 9-25, eliminating Erada. That was not a surprising result for me, I was expecting the characters who didn't yet have real art to be eliminated in round 1. (Alya proved to be an exception.) #Hypnovember

She groans as Erada leaps to her upper body and surrounds her, knocking her down to her tail on the ground. Erada swarms Dragovoir, trapping her arms and body in sticky, swamping frosting. Dragovoir shouts.

“I never should have gotten rid of Twister!” she wails.

“That doesn’t matter!”

Dragovoir glances to the edge of the field, where Enna pumps her fists and shouts.

“Erada made herself part Fairy-type! She’d hold on like that Twister wasn’t there!” she shouts. “I expect that Muk’s Dark-typing means Dream Eater won’t work either! Alcremie has Sweet Veil, too, so Hypnosis might not work!”

“What else can I do?” Dragovoir shouts. “Wrap her up?” She Wraps what part of her tail is free around Erada and pulls her away, but she stays stuck and spreads over the rest of Dragovoir’s tail. Dragovoir moans as a heavy feeling falls over her head from the thick air of Erada’s sweet swamping aroma.

“You gotta use your new move!” Enna shouts.

Dragovoir looks at the moist pastry sludge monster with the wide mouth pressed against her.

“Gross. Do I have to?”

She inhales, shuts her eyes, and presses forward with a Draining Kiss on Erada, shoving her face into the sludgy witch. She tries not to think about the slimy cake sludge sliding over her head and focus on draining Erada, drawing her into the embrace, taking control of the embrace.

Erada wraps two arms around her and leans into the kiss. She’s using Draining Kiss, too. So it’s a kiss fight. Dragovoir presses forward, pressing her lips against Erada. She can’t tell if she’s even kissing the surface of Erada or pressed inside her sludge and began to kiss her on the inside, but she presses on.

Dragovoir feels her energy wane, only to regain it a moment later. The speed of energy transfer between them feels dizzying, but she kisses longer, stronger, and she feels Erada’s sticky grip begin to loosen. Her grip strengthens for a moment as the balance shifts to her, only to loosen more than before.

Dragovoir feels Erada’s grasp around her fall, and the Alcremuk witch flops to the ground in a moaning daze. Dragovoir squeezes her Wrapped tail against Erada, and though her grip is tenuous, Erada remains still.

“I think I won!” Dragovoir pumps her fists into the air. “I won, and I feel like the floor of a grocery store bakery!” She looks up at The Cloud. “Can I go shower?”

“No,” I say, “you still have to hypnotize Wren.” Dragovoir throws a handful of sludge at me. “Okay, okay, fine, I guess we won’t see anything we haven’t just seen in the last exhibition match.”

Dragovoir leaves for the showers, leaving Erada on the ground and eliminated from the tournament.

Bracket with Erada grayed out, eliminated, and Dragovoir moved on to round 2.

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Dragovoir forgot Twister in favor of Draining Kiss, although in a story or art her moves would just be whatever the situation calls for since it could take place before or after she learns or forgets whatever moves.
dang characters ignoring my changing rules... #Hypnovember #Gardevoir #witch

“How was it, flying up there as a dragon?” Belle asks. Across from her sits Wren.

“It was amazing,” Wren says. “I felt so free, so powerful, even as Erada was riding on my back. It all didn’t matter as long as I could soar through the air.”

“Does that mean you’ll be supporting Erada in the match?” Belle asks. Wren looks away and purses their lips.

“I mean, first round she tried to eat me. This round she turned me into a dragon.” Wren throws their hands up. “I don’t know what she might do moving forward. She’s more unpredictable than the Dragovoir.” Wren slumps against the table. “Although it feels less humiliating to be hypnotized by her than a Pokemon.”

“Some people would really want to be hypnotized by a Pokemon,” Belle says. Wren sits up.

“Well not me! I don’t want to be hypnotized by anyone, let alone a Pokemon.”

“What if I refuse to go and just sit here?” they ask. A puff of cloud surrounds them. When it clears they see the field, Erada and Dragovoir standing equally distant from them. “Oh.”

On one side, Dragovoir hovers, tail swishing on the ground. She looks ready to charge forward when the match starts. On the other side, Erada swipes a hand before her.

“Stand aside, Wren,” she says. “Let’s give you a break. We’ll make this match between the hypnotists!”

“Oh, come on!” I appear above them as The Cloud. “I told everyone the challenge match would start being to capture Wren instead of hypnotizing the opponent, and then not only does Jb hypnotize Hilja anyway, but now you want to remove Wren form it entirely! Well fine, whatever! The challenge match is whatever’s convenient for it to be!”

Wren looks between Erada and The Cloud. “Er.”

“Go ahead,” Erada says, waving Wren to the side. “I want to focus on my opponent.” Dragovoir smiles.

“Then I’ll just have to snack on your dreams, instead,” she says. Erada removes a jar of green-yellow-pink sludge from her hat.

“You won’t be able to,” she says. She pours the jar’s contents over the cake. At a glance it looks like goopy ice cream. Dragovoir narrows an eye.

“What is that stuff?” she asks.

She flinches back as Erada smushes the bowl contents into her face. It seems an unseemly way to eat until Dragovoir sees the witch spread the sludge over her body like gunky mud lotion. Erada even throws it over her hat until Dragovoir can’t even see her anymore. She realizes a lot more sludgy cake covers Erada than the bowl contained, and when Erada tosses the bowl aside she grins at Dragovoir with a sickeningly sweet and giant mouth, stripes of green, blue, yellow, and pink sliding around her body. She looks more goop than person, her hat and hair covered in fluffy whipped cream. As Dragovoir peers closer she realizes they’re not covered in it—they are sludgy whipped cream. Two red, strawberry-like eyes open above the wide mouth and Erada laughs.

In her gloppy laugh, Dragovoir hears a word she can only assume is: Alcremuk.

“Did you really just turn yourself into a mess of a Pokemon?” Dragovoir asks. “An Alcremie and a Muk?” Erada says something in her gloppy voice, unable to speak human language in her form. “An Alolan Muk, why?” Erada speaks again. Dragovoir shouts. “I can’t understand you in that terrible accent!” She flies forward. “I’m just going to hypnotize you so you stop trying to talk.”

Erada charges froward like a tidal wave of creamy sludge. Dragovoir flies up and hovers back upon realizing the result of a collision course is her sticking into her sweet, slimy opponent. Sweet, indeed—Dragovoir catches a whiff of her scent, and despite the Muk half Erada smells like the sweetest bakery in the midst of fresh cakes and pies and donuts.

With Dragovoir stalled by that Sweet Scent, Erada comes upon her and grabs her tail, spreading sludge and frosting over her. Dragovoir shouts and shoos her away.

“Get off! Get off! Bleah!”

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

I like Dragovoir calling Wren Little Birdie, I should have a character who might actually interact with Wren do that.
Actually, I could see Erada calling them that, even though they're about the same height. They'd be fun to pair in a story. #Hypnovember #Gardevoir #Dragonair #hypnokink #hypnosis

A cool tail grabs Wren’s hand and turns them to face the grinning Dragovoir.

“Hello again, little birdie,” she says.

“Ooh, but you got to experience the majesty of being a dragon, didn’t you?” she says. She holds Wren’s hands in hers. “We’re practically kin, now.” Wren pulls away.

“I don’t think that’s how that works,” they say.

“Ah well.” Dragovoir leans closer, eyes rippling with the blue light of Hypnosis. “We can still have some fun together.” Wren stares for a moment as a buzz starts in their head, but they yelp and look away, eyes shut.

“No, not again!” they say. “I’m not letting you!” Dragovoir chuckles and slithers around Wren. The short human tries to step out of her grasp, but her thick, cool tail Wraps around and holds their legs down, twisting their dress around them.

“Aw, come on, little dragon,” Dragovoir says. “You know it’s so fun to sleep under my power.”

“You’ve got too much energy after your flight earlier,” Dragovoir says. She slides close against Wren, slipping her arms over them, though she angles her body away so the spike doesn’t poke them. She whispers, “Why don’t you let me take some of that energy from you, hmm?”

Dragovoir holds Wren’s face and directs them to her, and she plants her lips (do Gardevoir have lips? I guess they need them to kiss) on Wren’s for a Draining Kiss, drawing their energy out through their lips. Wren whines and struggles in Dragovoir’s grasp; a kiss from a Pokemon is the last thing they expected, or even wanted. Their whine drops into a low moan as they slump in Dragovoir’s growing coils, their legs and hips and belly squeezed in the dragon’s coils. As Dragovoir draws away Wren’s energy they grow dizzy, dizzier still as Dragovoir lifts them into the air and they float, revolving and twirling in the air like a snowflake.

When Dragovoir ends the Draining Kiss Wren is dizzy, and they open their heavy eyes, only to stare into Dragovoir’s eyes full of bright Hypnosis. As heavy as their eyelids felt Wren stared wide-eyed, too weak to think to look away, and their eyes darken as Dragovoir’s Hypnosis mirrors in their eyes. Dragovoir chuckles and holds Wren’s chin.

“You humans are so cute when you’re sleepy,” she says. She pats Wren’s head and leans closer, pressing her forehead against Wren’s. “Good thing you’re all always so eager to sleep.”

She nods her head, and Wren nods with her, locked to her eyes. Despite her Hypnosis holding Wren’s gaze to her, Wren’s eyelids begin to droop shut, too heavy to keep open. Dragovoir Wraps her tail around Wren’s chest, squeezing thicker coils around their hips, and she giggles as with one full body squeeze Wren sinks to sleep, body slumped in the coils, their eyes drifting shut as a soft smile spreads on their lips. Dragovoir presses closer and holds Wren’s head in her hands, pulling them against her own head as she begins Dream Eater.

“Mm, these are nice dreams, Wren,” she says. “All that flying really left a soaring impression on you.” As Dragovoir tastes Wren’s dreams she floats through the air with them, fluttering like a leaf in the breeze. “Your dreams are gaining such a bold flavor.” She sighs and giggles. “At this point even your nightmares have the taste of dreamy candy, like biting into a chocolate heart. I’ll bet I know whose influence that comes from.”

She continues to taste of Wren’s dream buffet, the smoky and spicy, the meltingly moist, each hypnosis-drizzled dream with its own unique taste. When she finishes, she releases Wren onto the bed to rest and pats their head.

“Good thing you had a meal to give you energy, Wren,” she says. “It gave you a lot of stamina for me to take a lot of energy. Just rest now, and you’ll be ready in time for the challenge match.” She giggles. “See you then.”

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Hah, I forgot that I basically called back to Wren rather being a horse and be in horse sports by having them be turned into a dragon and basically paraded around like a horse. #Hypnovember #witch #dragon #transformation #tf #hypnokink #hypnosis

Wren groans. They turn their head to look at their back and grunt. Dragons are supposed to have wings, aren’t they?

“Not all dragons have wings,” Erada says. “I don’t want you flying away.”

Wren grunts—they want wings. Erada crosses her arms.

“You can’t have wings.”

Wren looks down at Erada. They look at their claws and feel the fire in their belly.

They glare at Erada and lean over her. They’re big, again. They don’t have to take anything from anyone.

Erada scratches behind Wren’s head and they quiver. Something about that sensation makes Wren just want to melt before Erada. The witch rubs the palm of Wren’s scaly paw and they lift their limb, leaning aside with Erada until Wren falls to their back. Erada climbs atop and rubs Wren’s belly, and they sigh.

“If you’re not careful,” she says, dropping a shiny gold coin from a string in her hand, “you can slip into their impulses, too.” She swings the coin before her and Wren stares, following the shine back and forth, as Erada continues to stroke Wren’s neck. “Dragons love gold. They love shiny things. They love to stare at and follow shiny things. You love to follow and stare at shiny things, don’t you?”

Wren grunts. They stare at the coin, the sparkle filling their head. They feel a strong desire to possess the coin, to reach out and bite it from the string, but as Erada rubs their neck they can’t lean their head forward. Instead they stare at the coin, lost in its dazzle, unable to possess it, unable to stop it possessing them.

The sparkle remains in their head even as Erada pulls the coin away. Wren feels ropes around their head, their body turning and moving, but is unaware of what it means until a cold splash on their back shocks them awake. They growl and grunt in confusion.

“Oh, did that wake you?” Erada asks. Wren stands, Erada on their back. They try to open their mouth but a harness holds it closed. “I’ve just been riding you a little. No, not like that, I mean like a horse.”

Wren grunts. Is Erada using them like a showhorse?

“Pretty much,” Erada says. “You’re a natural, you managed pretty good for someone who just turned into a dragon, though that empty head might’ve helped.”

Wren snorts.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Besides, I gave you a little upgrade.” Erada pulls and twists the reins, cracks them, and Wren leaps with a flap of their wings. Wren snorts in surprise.

“Yeah, I decided it’d be cooler if you had wings,” Erada says, “so I slapped on some ointment to grow you some. Come on, do a flip!”

Wren soars through the air and flips in a circle, Erada somehow hanging on to her seat on Wren’s back. Wren twirls and spins and darts as they fly, flapping their huge wings. They snort laughter at the air rushing past and ground spinning below, flying for real, not being carried by someone but actually flying of their own volition.

“You make a good dragon, Wren.” She stands up off Wren and hands them a new dress. Once Wren pulls it on Erada grabs their hand to pull them off the bed.

“Um. Thank you, I think?” Wren says. Erada pulls Wren to their feet then pulls them close.

“And perhaps,” she whispers into Wren’s ear, “next time, I’ll ride you in a different way, where we both transform?”

Wren blushes and pulls away. “I don’t think—” Erada places a finger to Wren’s lips and shushes them.

“Don’t you think it’s easier to enjoy this tournament,” she says with a giggle, “when you don’t think?” She laughs and shakes Wren’s hand. “Don’t worry about it so much, sweetie.” She pulls them close again and whispers, “Are you going to end up in a polycule of doms by the end of this tournament?” She laughs and spins Wren around. “Have fun with the psychic dragon!”

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Of course Erada would specify "like last time". Still, Wren gets to be tall again. #Hypnovember #witch #dragon #transformation #tf #Gardevoir #Dragonair

“Let’s move on,” she quickly says. “I wanted to ask if you expect any difficulty against Erada in your match.”

“Not at all,” Dragovoir says. She raises the end of her tail over the table. “She doesn’t have a tail. She doesn’t even have natural hypnosis powers. It’ll be easy for me.” Enna places a hand on her shoulder.

“Now, remember what we talked about?” she says. Dragovoir sighs and crosses her arms.

“Okay, so maybe her potions could be an issue,” she says. “Erada is sort of a wild card with those things.” She lowers an arm and rubs it. “Yeah, I guess she’s tricky either way. She could come out with a surprise I’m not expecting.”

“Psychic powers versus magic,” Belle says. “I wonder if we’ll see any new tricks from her.” Dragovoir looks down.

“I guess I haven’t really learned any new tricks yet.” She twists the spike in her chest and groans. “I don’t want to replace Dream Eater!” Enna pats her on the back.

Wren sniffs. A warm aroma fills the dome, spicy, almost burning in scent. Wren’s mouth waters, and they remember the match with Mira when she made them food. They turn to look for the source of the scent and their head whiffs past a steaming bowl.

“Hungry?”

Wren shouts and flinches from Erada, who stands next to the chair holding the bowl. They didn’t hear her approach at all.

Wren stares at the bowl of soup, which pops and cracks like boiling fireworks. Erada hands it to Wren, who takes it without thinking.

“I gave you a hard time last match,” she says, “so I figured I’d do something nice for you this time.”

Wren stares at the bowl. They look at Erada.

“What’s this going to turn me into?” they ask. Erada laughs.

“Astute,” she says.

“What’s a stute?” Wren asks. Erada laughs harder.

“No, I mean, you figured that out quick.” She holds up a hand. “I promise not to shrink you again. This soup will not transform you into a creature like last time.”

“I think it cooled off,” Wren says. They eat more. “Yeah, it feels fine, now. I could probably drink it down if I wanted. That’s weird.”

“You get used to it quickly,” Erada says. She backs up as Wren eats more soup. Halfway through they drop the spoon out of their clacking fingers.

“Oh, whoops. Actually, let me try—” They lift the bowl and pour the soup into their open mouth in one gulp. They sigh and place the bowl down. “Wow, I must’ve been hungry. Thanks for the soup—” They scream as fire erupts from their mouth and throws them back, knocking the chair backwards. They fall to the floor and feel muscles expand over their body as their skin hardens into scales, tearing their clothes. Their face stretches forward as their back stretches behind, and their hands burst into claws.

They stare at their clawed hands, trying to process that it’s their hands. Their mouth rumbles and sharp teeth grow in a mouth big enough to bite the bowl of soup in one gulp. Wren feels their new snout, spiky back, scaly body with their new clawed limbs. A long tail swishes behind them. They roar in confusion. What happened?

“Congratulations!” Erada says. She holds up a mirror to Wren.

Wren stares at the dragon in the mirror standing twice Erada’s height. Wren roars and stumbles back upon realizing the dragon is them. What did Erada do to them?

“I turned you into a dragon, what does it look like?” Erada says.

Wren growls—she’d said she wouldn’t do that this time! Erada waves her hand.

“Not true. I only said I wouldn’t turn you into a creature like last time, and this is not like last time. I didn’t shrink you this time.”

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Losers round 1 match 2! I said before Dragovoir would make this hard to turn into a book, and here we can see that being a Pokemon is a pretty significant part of the arc I gave her. #Hypnovember #Gardevoir #Dragonair #lamia #naga #snake

Bracket with a mark at losers round 1 match 2 between Erada and Dragovoir.

Belle reviews her notes. She expects Erada to drink another transformation potion to give her an edge over Dragovoir, but she’s not sure what that might be. Dragovoir being a Pokemon fusion makes her a unique contestant in the tournament. Based on her Psychic and Dragon typing, a ghost would be strong against her. She remembers a rumor that a ghost had been considered for inclusion in the tournament.

“Hey, Belle!”

Belle looks up to see Enna slithering to the table.

“Oh, hi, Enna,” Belle says. “Have you seen Dragovoir? I wanted to interview her before today’s match.” Enna giggles.

“Oh, I know exactly where she is,” she says. She reaches into her dark autumn dress and lifts up a Poké Ball. “Because now I’m a Pokemon Trainer, too!”

“Oh, right,” Belle says. “You caught Dragovoir in your match. I figured you’d have to release her.”

“Now why would I do that?” Enna spins the Poké Ball on her finger. “I caught her fair and square, after all.”

Belle looks at the Poké Ball. She wonders how it works, exactly—does it tame the Pokemon it catches, is Dragovoir subservient to Enna now, does it change her personality?

“I can’t imagine what Dragovoir thinks about that,” Belle says.

“You can ask her,” Enna says. She presses the button and the Poké Ball opens, releasing Dragovoir into a seat at the table.

“Hmm?” Dragovoir looks at Belle and smiles. “Ah, the interview lady. Do you wish to interview me?”

“Yes,” Belle says. “How do you feel about being caught by Enna?”

Dragovoir looks at Enna. Belle notes a nasty look from the Pokemon for only a second. She gives Belle a sullen smile.

“Well, I can’t say it’s something I’m pleased with,” she says. She smiles and leans back, waving a hand. “Still, it is what it is. I can make the best of a bad situation.” She leans forward and gives a furrowed grin. “I suppose there may be something she can teach me, after all.” Enna takes a seat next to her.

“Just because I don’t drain folks with a kiss doesn’t mean I can’t teach others to,” she says.

“Yes, Draining Kiss would be an enjoyable move to learn,” Dragovoir says. “A partnership with her just might be worth it.”

“Does that mean you’ll be using Draining Kiss in your upcoming match?” Belle asks.

“Well,” Dragovoir says, “I’m still practicing. I also need to decide which move to replace.”

“I keep telling her she won’t need Dream Eater anymore,” Enna says. Dragovoir plants her hands on the table.

“Dreams are delicious!” she says. “I will never give up eating them. Twister seems far less useful to me.”

November 10, 2025 at 6:42 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Art from mid-2021 by FS1 of Jb crooning a song!
IIRC, my original idea was for Jb's upper body to be curled around the mic stand, but that might be harder to depict.
I still wanna get art like this where Jb is using a person for a mic stand, though. #hypnokink #hypnosis #lamia #naga #snake

Jb holding a microphone in a hand as she sings into it, looking at the viewer with hearts in her eyes. The microphone is attached to a stand which she's curled the end of her tail around.
Jb has lightish skin and pink hair tied in twin tails, full pink lips, and she wears a red top with a pink middle, arm-length fingerless gloves the same color. She wears red shoulder bulbs with a red heart on them, a black collar with red and pink hearts and several heart necklaces, and around her arms are four collars, two pink with red hearts and two red with pink hearts. Her midriff is bare, and she wears a tight tube miniskirt, pink with a lighter pink heart in front. Her scaly snake body is red with a pink heart pattern, a paler pink for her underside.

November 10, 2025 at 1:45 AM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

me: hypnotist duels aren't my style i'll just make them both chase wren
jb: no <3:)
me: what emoticon is that supposed to be
jb: It's a heart!
cyda: laaame!
me: cyda what are you doing here you weren't a real character yet!!
Jb won 39-10, so I do question if Hilja would actually beat non-lamia Jb.

She flinches as Wren lands in Jb’s coils. Hilja floats after them as Jb squeezes Wren, but Jb pops up before her, eyes pulsating with hearts.

“Ignore them, little vampire,” she says, advancing on Hilja. “It’s you that I really want.”

Hilja glares at Jb and activates her hypnotic eyes, the red glow pushing away Jb’s hearts.

“The match is supposed to be for Wren, not each other,” Hilja says.

“Oh, but I’d much rather take you, first,” Jb says. “That long, golden hair, your smooth, pale skin.” She chuckles and lifts a hand to stroke Hilja’s face, but Hilja slaps her away.

“No way,” Hilja says. The hearts in Jb’s eyes look more red than usual, but Hilja can tell Jb’s hearts are breaking through her red glow. She moves to pass Jb but the lamia blocks her. “Just let me . . . Wren . . .”

“And of course, your tall, thin frame is perfect to wrap in my coils,” Jb says. She slithers her tail up Hilja’s legs, sneaking under her sweater dress.

“Now, my dear,” Jb says, holding Hilja’s chin in her hand, “I am a goddess, after all.” She coils her tail up Hilja’s body. “I can help you.”

Hilja moans as Jb squeezes her tail up her body, coils tight. Her thoughts sink under Jb’s hypnotic power as the love lamia forces her gaze up.

“If you worship me like an obedient little girl,” Jb says, “I can cure you of your vampire status.”

“You . . . You can?” Hilja asks, eyelids drooping.

“Yes,” Jb says. “Just give yourself up to me, let me make you mine, and I will cure you.”

“Yes . . .”

Hilja falls under Jb’s hypnotic spell as the hypno-goggles the love lamia snagged over her eyes entrance her. She stares at the virtual scene produced by the goggles as she splays atop her thick tail. All the while Jb stares at Wren’s eyes, hypnotizing the short human as she squeezes them in her arms.

Wren’s mind swims in Jb’s hypnotic spell, love and devotion filling their head with each passing heart through their eyes. They try to resist, try to remember Hilja, try to remember the tournament, but those thoughts and memories are drowned under Jb’s deluge of hypnotic passion.

Jb chuckles and slithers around Wren, sliding her snake butt around them as she wraps them in her thick, heavy tail. Wren sighs with each squeeze as Jb presses against them in a tight massage. With Wren’s secured in her cuddling, scaly body, Jb squishes Wren’s face in her hands.

“You’re just an adorable little nerd, aren’t you?” she says. She draws close, their foreheads touching. “You’re so cute, I just want to shower you in kisses.” Jb smooches Wren’s lips, flooding them with warm enchanting passion. A desire to lean into the kiss, to submit to Jb’s advances, swamps Wren’s mind. Their mind sinks, drops, slides into Jb’s control, and they smile, a mindless grin as hypnotic pleasure fills their mind.

Bracket showing Hilja grayed out, eliminated. Jb has moved on to losers round 2.

November 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM

Duth "Chloe" Olec

@dutholec.bsky.social

Huh. Do I mention Fara's minor in psychology anywhere on her profile? I might have to edit that...
Incidentally, Alya was right.
FIGHT MATCH GO BEGIN wait did i ever mention the change in format where the challenge match would be whoever catches wren first? it just kind of happens. huh. #Hypnovember

“Dr. Fara,” Belle says, “I know you focus on tampering with the laws of physics–”

“It’s true that I don’t respect them,” Fara says.

“Yes, but how familiar are you with other fields of mad science and mad tech?”

“I did minor in psychology,” Dr. Fara says. She chuckles. “The fabric of the universe is just as easily torn as the fabric of the mind.”

“Jb has a few tools available to her that seem the likes that a mad scientist might make,” Belle says. “Yesterday we saw one of her collars, which seems to have the ability to mechanize the mind of someone who wears it. Her goggles also apparently can throw someone into a hypnotic virtual reality.”

“It does sound mad,” Fara says. “Of course, many mad scientists will create collars or visors or helmets or headbands or suits that control minds. An obedient and mindless troop of underlings is much easier to control.”

“Huh, you know,” Belle says, “I never thought about it, but why do you only have the one assistant and not an army of henchfolk?”

“Don’t need ‘em,” Fara says. “I’m a one-woman operation, aside from Alya, who I just keep around because she’s cute.”

“Actually, you accidentally sent your workforce into the wrong dimension that one time, didn’t you?” Alya slithers up to the interview tent. Fara glares at her and turns away.

“It was a mass layoff,” she says. “The economy and all that.”

“Hi, Belle,” Alya says. “Hope I’m not interrupting, but I wanted to bring something up about your interview yesterday.”

“Go ahead, take a seat,” Belle says. Alya sits. Her tail slithers about the table.

“You and Vil talked a bit about what the voters would respond to,” Alya says. “Jb can hypnotize for votes, but Hilja is kinder. You also talked about if voters root more for those expected to lose, or those who have a friendlier and less arrogant disposition.” Belle frowns.

“Anyway,” Alya says, waving a hand, “the point is, you’re missing the most obvious thing swaying the voters.”

“What’s that?” Belle asks. Alya lifts her tail in her hands.

“Snakes! Snakes win the votes!” she says. “Vil, Persnakety, Ageul—”

“Ageul is a slime,” Belle says.

“Still kinda snakey,” Alya says. “Point is, all the other matches were evenly snaked. It’s snakes that win, so Jb will win her match, Dragovoir her match, Revasa her match–” Fara plants her hands on the table.

“You did not just suggest I’m going to lose, did you, Alya?”

“Sorry, Doctor,” Alya says, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth, “I just call it how I see it.”

“I can assure you,” Fara says, leaning back in her chair, “I’ll turn that snake into a pair of boots if I have to.”

“How about a bet?” Alya says. She grins and leans forward, elbow on the table. “A week off with pay, or I’ll be working unpaid overtime if I lose.”

Out on the field stands Wren, Jb and Hilja standing equal distances on opposite sides. Jb raises herself higher on her tail and looks at Hilja.

“I saw you removed my control of this little pawn,” she says.

“You’re not going to take them again!” Hilja says. Jb laughs.

“Good luck keeping your wits about you,” she says.

Wren looks between the two. They sidle a foot towards Hilja.

“Fight match go begin!” I shout from the announcer booth. Wren runs for Hilja, while Hilja flies to Wren, arms outstretched. Jb slithers after Wren. When Hilja and Wren meet Hilja grabs them in her arms and soars into the sky.

“This should count as a capture!” Hilja shouts.

“Oh, please,” I say. “Wren could totally wiggle out of that hold. Hypnosis is the name of the game here.” Hilja looks Wren in the eye.

“Wren, I’m going to have to hypnotize you before Jb can get to you,” she says. “Do you trust me?” Wren nods.

“I trust you.”

November 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM

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