The Sleep Clinic
- Thread starter sirhugs
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TheWritingGroup
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I think in plot twists sometimes, so I immediately wanted to reverse it. POV character experiences the exact story you just described ... then wakes up for real, and is humiliated to realize they had an erotic dream during the sleep study, because the technician is really hot to them. And just witnessed the whole thing, because that's their job.
... or was it real, and the tech got out of the room before they woke? How can they be sure? Score plays DUH DUH DUH!
-Annie
Rob_Royale
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"I can't fall asleep in a strange place. Could you help me relax?"
For me it would be an older female patent and a young male technician. Maybe in a stormy night when the other patients have canceled and their techs went home leaving them alone.
When the power drops out and the emergency lights come on they realize the equipment they need will no longer work. And it's too nasty or to drive home. What to do now?
For me it would be an older female patent and a young male technician. Maybe in a stormy night when the other patients have canceled and their techs went home leaving them alone.
When the power drops out and the emergency lights come on they realize the equipment they need will no longer work. And it's too nasty or to drive home. What to do now?
Husky_Embrace
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The Lit does stand for literature, so I think you should be able to use difficult subjects in your story.
What it shouldn't do is in any way, shape or form glorify it, make it acceptable or mainstream.
Instead of rape, you can go into the depths if it is consensual or not. They might think they're dreaming, but they *want* it.
Consent is the best way to avoid rape. These people are consenting, though they do so for misleading reasons. They think it's a dream, meaning it is out of their control or otherwise consequence free. The people working there abuse this idea, making it questionable. There is consent, but would there be if they knew if it wasn't a dream?
You can frame it from the perspective of someone who cheated, or (innocently?) dreamed of cheating when it could have been consequence free. It could be he's dreaming of the cheating that (could have) happened half a world away, with no one knowing. Then thinking about the staff, and how they would like to consent to at least one of them.
The staff handily uses this, coming in and using that consent.
You can also draw parallels to drinking and other hard drugs. Some people might never have consented if they were sober, but under self imposed influence they practically jumped the other person. The day after they can regret it.
The ethical concern of the staff is the biggest factor. They aren't supposed to take advantage of the 'known vulnerabilities' of a patient. What they are doing is the only certain thing that is out of bounds, though we've seen plenty on this site that is out of bounds. Boss-employee, incest, and much more all play with those bounds.
I think if handled with care it can be a good story.
33RPMVinylPants
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Is the fact that the subjects don't know it's happening (or- going to happen when they fall asleep) part of the attraction of the story?
Or is that something that you can work around.
"We're doing a sleep study on erotic dreams, now while you're under, you may feel some unusual sensations" is probably as close as you can get without saying "We're going to have sex with you when you fall asleep, is that OK with you?"
On the other hand, stories like this are pretty much the bread and butter of the Mind Control category. Turn it from a passive sleep study into an induction of sexual thoughts and feelings. Just push it far enough outside the bounds of something that could possibly happen in real life, and you're golden. It can be accidental (plenty of "oops, the chemical spilled and now my lab partner and I are hopelessly horny") or deliberate (a lot of stories that get reeeeeeal close to "roofies, but magic")
"We altered their brainwaves in their sleep, and now they're willing to sign up for all sorts of kinky followup trials." can be a good place to start if you want to go the MC route
Or is that something that you can work around.
"We're doing a sleep study on erotic dreams, now while you're under, you may feel some unusual sensations" is probably as close as you can get without saying "We're going to have sex with you when you fall asleep, is that OK with you?"
On the other hand, stories like this are pretty much the bread and butter of the Mind Control category. Turn it from a passive sleep study into an induction of sexual thoughts and feelings. Just push it far enough outside the bounds of something that could possibly happen in real life, and you're golden. It can be accidental (plenty of "oops, the chemical spilled and now my lab partner and I are hopelessly horny") or deliberate (a lot of stories that get reeeeeeal close to "roofies, but magic")
"We altered their brainwaves in their sleep, and now they're willing to sign up for all sorts of kinky followup trials." can be a good place to start if you want to go the MC route
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