Nudity in the mirror

[LupusDei]

TL;DR: there's a mirror that (sometimes?) show (some?) people as if they were nude, regardless their dress. Obviously, in at least a somewhat public place.

The mystery and resulting anxiety can be half the story, but the technical aspect of the magic involved should never be addressed. That's boring and meaningless.

Instead, the questions that should torture the characters are:

Who see those reflections? Is it just the protagonist, or is it everyone? Is it just my own imagination? Do they know?

Can those reflections be photographed? (I would suggest not, at least not at first, but they may become after some escalation or additional work.)

Is it predictable? Are there any factors that influence it? (Definitive answers are not welcome, but experimentation is.)

Is it just this one mirror, or all reflections now work this way? Is it contagious, spreading from an epicenter, or gradually increasing in frequency all throughout? Is it some person who turns them this way? (Again, definitive answers are NOT welcome.)

If they see it too, why other people reactions are so subtle? Are they just so polite? Are those compliments meant to say they see it? Are they (for whatever value of "they" or effectively everyone) in on it and conspired to hide it?

What's the point to wear clothes if everyone sees you naked in all reflections?

 

[LupusDei]

1. Girl (or a guy, or whatever, obviously) see herself naked in a hallway mirror, say, at school (college) or workplace. She wonders if it's just her imagination or everyone see it that way. She receive compliments aimed at her reflection, but nothing definitely suggests that other people see her nude, despite clues that could be interpreted that way. It escalates, from rare occasions to near constant, it may spread to other mirrors and reflections. Is it just reflections or are her clothes becoming invisible? Is the increasing attention to her because of that? Are she going crazy?

 

[LupusDei]

2. Guy see a girl (or whatever combination of other) naked in the mirror(s). He wonder if it is just his imagination. He's concerned does other see the same, becoming embarrassed on her behalf, and because of how much he loves it. Does she know? How to say it to her so to not freak her out, not to come around as freak? Is he falling in love with her just because of those reflections? Are they even real? Are he going crazy?

 

[LupusDei]

(Yes, this is primarily and totally a mindfuck. Physical sex may or not take place, eventually, but that's no more than a cherry on top, and rather an afterthought.)

 

[Pabiporffor]

Alternatively, what about a world where guys can buy spectacles that allow them to see you naked? The spectacles come in different designs making them indistinguishable from ordinary ones.

Obviously, some guys wear them for sexual kicks while guys in regular glasses get falsely accused of being perverts. Women have to navigate a world where they don't know how they're being seen.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Neat idea Lupus. This might work well with the Amourous Goods writing challenge. In not sure where to take this yet. I'll think on it.

 

[Carnevil9]

What if you really are nude? Then what does your reflection look like? A skeleton?

 

[LupusDei]

Alternatively, what about a world where guys can buy spectacles that allow them to see you naked? The spectacles come in different designs making them indistinguishable from ordinary ones.

Obviously, some guys wear them for sexual kicks while guys in regular glasses get falsely accused of being perverts. Women have to navigate a world where they don't know how they're being seen.

*Alternatively?*

My first reaction was, OMG how is that even close. It's so totally different dynamic calling self propelled howitzer a tank won't cover halfway of it. In the magical mirror version the observation of nudity through technical means is almost besides the point and can be read as totally allegorical if one so prefer, in a story about questioning the reality of what one observe, and it's appearance can't be controlled nor even adequately explained by any of the involved parties we care about. While with the proposed glasses it's extremely deliberate and in your face, literally. Besides, with the obvious caveats such glasses are near term if not current reality, while the magic mirror...

...well, there I stopped to think.

If I have declared glasses doable, a static wall installation should be possible, even easy, as there's virtually no limitations for the bulkiness of the technical bits. So a multispectral camera or an array of them, feeding the results into image generator for enhancement and coloration (the actual through the clothes image that can be obtained with current means is necessary awful, monochromatic and low resolution, and obviously show all the distortion clothes impose; one has to be significantly more perverted than me to find it exciting), picking one person out a crowd for dynamic image replacement is almost trivial. It won't be actual image of the person (unless, enough of those can be obtained) but should be a reasonably close guess.

So yes, a wall screen showing arbitrary person apparently nude should be totally doable with current technology and enough dedication. But it's a screen. Screen is obvious, deliberate and immediate suspect for manipulation. Simulation of the behavior of a mirror becomes the hard part.

It's nowhere as easy as to flip the image. That almost works for fixed and very limited viewpoint, but even then isn't the same. In an actual mirror each observer sees different reflections because of the difference in viewpoint, and that changes dynamically. It perhaps could be possible to track the viewpoint and compute the expected image for one observer with enough of sensors all around the room and/or dynamic image generation, but our scenario necessarily requires at least two independent observers that should receive images that let them both believe they observed a mirror and not a screen showing static view from a fixed camera. To do that, and for arbitrary number of simultaneous observers, some rather clever holographic display technology would likely be needed. The mirror remains magical, for now.

So, back to glasses. It's still very different, but let's declare a near future where almost everyone wears enhanced reality glasses of some sort almost anywhere and anytime. Simulated nudity of bystanders is totally within current technology capabilities of such, with caveats for quality/believability of the result. So, that should not be news, and a whole array of tricky techniques should be employed to prevent that very type of fun and anyone with trivial technical knowledge know that.

Yet, the (2) scenario, or something somewhat closely derived is indeed possible. When someone suddenly sees unsolicited nudes of a nearby person in their glasses, they take off the glasses to confirm it's not real, and then start to wonder, why? Is that person sending them this image deliberately, somehow, is a weird glitch in the system, somehow tied to a location/person/clothing or what? Is some third party having perverted fun by doing this? There's almost no question about how, technologically, that's a basic homework reading, only about why, and how on the interface level (since it's obvious ToS break of the product they wear).

Actually... scenario (1) is even more so, with a twist to rather dark places, in combination with an actual mirror. So, the person sees themselves apparently nude in reflection *through the glasses*... Without consent nor request for such. That's extremely creepy, and makes the question who else may see those images obvious... And yes, that's easily within the realm of predictive fiction.

 

[LupusDei]

What if you really are nude? Then what does your reflection look like? A skeleton?

No, nudity should be nudity. Clothes is nudity too, but one may even start to doubt do they actually have clothes on or only believe they do.

ETA: but that's an obvious and exciting experiment to try with the magic mirror. What would it show if the person appeared in front of it indeed nude should be tested. Given the mirror is supposedly in a public place running that experiment becomes a whole affair.

 

[LupusDei]

Amourous Goods

Maybe it's a curse. I imagine, for a fashion freak girl sudden inability to check her clothing in any mirror (because all she sees is her naked regardless) could be a major tragedy.

 

[Rob_Royale]

There's this old mirror in the window of an antique shop. A woman we'll call Gloria, walks by one day and does a double take on what she sees. She looks back and sees herself naked. She'd initially horiffied but looking down at herself knows that she is clothed, and is then afraid someone else will see so she runs away.

The next day she can't help but look again and the reflection is the same. This woman has always been terribly unhappy with her body appearance and suffers from low self esteem. Thusly she has had very limited romantic experiences.

While she's looking at herself disapprovingly, she notices that no one else seems to see what she sees. She leaves.

One the third day she stops and at the same moment another woman looks too. The other woamn is clothed and she is still naked.

The new woman says, "What beautiful young woman." Gloria looks at the woman, surprised. As the woman starts talking about features that she admires on her refelction, the image starts to shift, and she starts to see herself the way the other woman sees her. The second woman leaves.

Just a minute later and handsome young man steps next to her and whistles, "Damn, she's pretty hot, don't you think? I wish I could find a girl that looks that good." When Gloria looks back, she sees the gorgeous feminine woman that the man sees.

This goes on for several days and over time her self image shifts and she starts to feel better. One day she bumps into that same handsome young man, and this time she introduces herself.

This could be a fun non-erotic or romantic story.

 

[CuttingEdge]

I love the antique situation Rob, partly because having an old Victorian home we are forever in antique stores buying stuff for our home, and find the oldest, most obscure antique shops the most interesting. But this story idea could also be a modern version...

At the bar where we go, there are two twirly poles where sometimes... if the ladies are brazen/drunk enough, they will get up on the poles and take off their clothes. The bouncers only allow it for very brief amounts of time, but it is always a spectacle when it happens. (Yes my wife has been up there without clothes on), but this is NOT a strip club. Just a regular club.

A mirror at the hottest dance club in the city turns out to be magical and shows a lady naked, even if she is wearing clothes. As she first walks by it, she is horrified, and maybe has to pass by it several times before she starts to realize her true nude beauty.

Well seeing herself naked in the mirror, she ends up realizing how lovely her nude frame is and ends up dancing nude at the club that night. Only...she is allowed a little extra time by the bouncer to be on the pole.

Later that night, in the back alley, it leads to amazing sex with the bouncer!

But... the story would end with her walking into a true strip club to do an interview, and as she does, the bouncer and the strip club owner secretly watch her stroll in, the owner giving the bouncer a wad of cash. He is using the magic mirror as a way to get new dancing talent for the local strip clubs.

 

[alohadave]

What if you really are nude? Then what does your reflection look like? A skeleton?

Then there is no reflection of the person.

 

[lovecraft68]

What if you really are nude? Then what does your reflection look like? A skeleton?

Nah, they're fully clothed, but in such awful fashions they run away screaming.

Think knee high socks with sandals or....Crocs

 

[lovecraft68]

I'll toss in a twist/connection.

Know how people dream they're naked at work or other public places(this is a very common dream) well they have that dream then the next day is when they see themselves nude in the mirror. It adds to the am I crazy vibe and the author could insinuate the mirror reads people and doesn't show just anyone nude.

 

[Carnevil9]

I'm getting an "Emperor's New Clothes" vibe from this scenario.

 

[LupusDei]

Nah, they're fully clothed, but in such awful fashions they run away screaming.

Think knee high socks with sandals or....Crocs

I'm getting an "Emperor's New Clothes" vibe from this scenario.

That's a valid reversal or escalation... but a whole another story about invisible nudity I may or not have dedicated at least one other thread here somewhere already, but... let's make another. A mirror may be involved, but it's only culpable as an accomplice to another magical item.

 

[Nuff_Said]

A huge (several by several meters) mirror is installed in the office building lobby. Almost everyone checks themselves in it, and in about one in a hundred of such checks people see someone naked. Could be themselves, could be someone else.
Those nude images last only as long as the person doesnt break eye contact (so if you see someone staring, you can guess why). By some reason, the mirror cant get removed or covered, and whole office tower population lives with the idea that someone might see them naked.
And some find the idea of such glimpses (of themselves in others eyes) very exciting.

 

[Bazzle]

TL;DR: there's a mirror that (sometimes?) show (some?) people as if they were nude, regardless their dress. Obviously, in at least a somewhat public place.

The mystery and resulting anxiety can be half the story, but the technical aspect of the magic involved should never be addressed. That's boring and meaningless.

Instead, the questions that should torture the characters are:

Who see those reflections? Is it just the protagonist, or is it everyone? Is it just my own imagination? Do they know?

Can those reflections be photographed? (I would suggest not, at least not at first, but they may become after some escalation or additional work.)

Is it predictable? Are there any factors that influence it? (Definitive answers are not welcome, but experimentation is.)

Is it just this one mirror, or all reflections now work this way? Is it contagious, spreading from an epicenter, or gradually increasing in frequency all throughout? Is it some person who turns them this way? (Again, definitive answers are NOT welcome.)

If they see it too, why other people reactions are so subtle? Are they just so polite? Are those compliments meant to say they see it? Are they (for whatever value of "they" or effectively everyone) in on it and conspired to hide it?

What's the point to wear clothes if everyone sees you naked in all reflections?

Hey @LupusDei

This is predominatly for the smoking fetish community. BUT it does sort of work with your idea about a mirror controlling the protagonist.

https://literotica.com/s/watching-her-13

Let me know what you think!

B

 

[TimDEnchanter]

TL;DR: there's a mirror that (sometimes?) show (some?) people as if they were nude, regardless their dress. Obviously, in at least a somewhat public place...

I tried to write that story. But it came out ass backwards. With "End the..." being the first two words.