Reader’s Picks: 321
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Read stories written by 321
I’m a Gen Xer who is slowly drifting away from the age range most preferred by rs. Like many of us, I discovered the EMCSA not long after I fired up the Internet (or the World Wide Web, in those halcyon days).
Finding the Archive was like finding a family you never knew you had. Reading about hypnotists and brainwashers made me a better reader and, in turn, a better writer, but it wasn’t until 2018 that I worked up the courage to submit something myself. Reading all of these wonderful and creative stories over the years made me a better reader, and hopefully a better writer as well. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Some common themes: I like stories where the protagonists are relatable. They don’t have to be good, or even human, but if I’m going to spend a few hours with them, they have to be enjoyable. Tales where the protag is immediately revealed to be the smartest, hottest, richest, etc. person in the story’s universe are not my cup of tea.
Similarly, I’m a sucker for romance and romantic stories. People overcoming odds to be together, people finding love because of (or in spite of) mind control, and people who get tossed together because of some diabolical conspiracy and pull through thanks to the bonds they form? Yes and thank you.
Most of my own stories involve brainwashing, trigger phrases, unwitting sleeper agents, and diabolical conspiracies, but the stories you’ll find below don’t always follow that template. one of the joys of the weekly update is finding a story type you never thought you’d like, and falling head-over-heels in love with it.
Ice Bear is a fantastic writer, and this tale is one of their best. It’s a wickedly funny and cynical story about a thoroughly brainwashed and indoctrinated slavegirl who is unceremoniously dropped at the doorstep of the most boring man in town. There’s very little actual hypnosis or mind control in the story, but you’ll be too busy snickering at Devon’s misadventures and manipulations to notice.
I’m Yours (Signed, Sealed, Delivered) by Smartass
If The Toy’s Toy is Veronica, this is her Betty, a Hallmark-sweet tale about another thoroughly brainwashed slavegirl who is dropped off on someone’s doorstep. Fortunately the protagonist in this story is a little more up to speed on things, and an unlikely romance between himself and his ‘present’ blossoms.
This is such a creative premise that I’m surprised more authors haven’t taken it up. The framing story is about a young man who discovers a pulp spy paperback with a mind-control plot in the bowels of a musty bookstore. As we read about Stella Stryker and the agents of POWIE, we also see how the story personally shapes the young man’s life. It’s a love letter of sorts to readers like us, who may sometimes be guilty of wishing we really could do the things we read about in our favorite stories.
It’s technically unfinished, but what we get is a masterclass on slow burn writing. June is a plucky reporter with hypnotic powers who, in spite of her better judgment, proceeds to explain and demonstrate them to the wide-eyed girl who’s supposed to be her next unwitting ‘source.’ The scene where June hypnotizes a gorgeous bartender is unbearably hot.
Alan has a number of excellent stories, but this one also comes with a very large side order of silliness. In a world where the USSR reigns supreme, heroic proletariat Sofiya defends the Revolution from the evils of religion, hamburgers, and... Eurovision? It’s a fun read and full of sexy mind control plots that ensnare our heroine and her friend- er, comrade- Anna.
Kat and Mouse by SoVeryFascinated
This is the first of a series of stories by SVF about Kat and Marisa, two hypnotists who run a detective business and solve cases involving other hypnotists and mind controllers. This is a good mystery tale, but what really sells the “Katverse” stories is the well-developed and compelling relationship between the two protagonists. They wrestle with their own demons, they argue, they get sucked too far into the hypnotic mystery of the week, but their love and respect for each other is what gets them through each caper.
On the surface, this is your typical EMCSA story. Shy college girl creates mind-control device to hypnotize and brainwash the gorgeous and unattainable girl of her dreams. Janet is one of my all-time favorite characters. She’s smart, but she makes mistakes. She’s got a good heart, but it’s not by any means pure. In short, she’s extremely human, and because of this, the story never feels forced or contrived even when it takes some surprising and unexpected twists along the way.
A Woman of C.A.L.I.B.R.E. by scifiscribbler
As you might have guessed, I love a good spy tale. Here, we get crosses and double-crosses, brainwashed secret agents, plenty of intrigue, lots of hot mind control, and... a powerful, brainwashed superheroine? How can you go wrong with that? Turns out, you can’t. One of my favorite things about this story is that it stays true to its spy novel roots even as it treats us to hypnotic computer viruses and Amazonian superheroines.