Saint James Infirmary 372: More Party Than Slumber, 1

[Daphne]

Obviously, given MCC and MCT, my position should be obvious: Fantasy exists outside of the realm of morality, and we judge it on whether ir is hot, not whether or not it makes a good guide to life. If anyone is looking to MCC for relationship advice, please sign off now!

Most of the stories on the site are written from the perspective of: A person (usually a man) acquires a method of mind control and employs it to acquire the... um, favors of attractive women. I am very much in favor of this kind of story. In fact, I would say that essentially all of the stories on MCC are of that form, including SJI.

Now, in just about all the stories, the person who acquires the control is the protagonist, because (a) as a fantasy, we'd like to cozy up to that person because that's what we in general find hot, and (b) the controller has the best seat in the house to see what is going on.

However, stories have many forms, and perhaps another version of this story is one that is told from a different POV, from the POV of one who is not the controller. For me, it's an interesting story idea to say, "What if a basically decent (by real-world standards) person wanders into an MCC story?"

Hope you enjoy the ride.

[mns_95125]

Maybe what this comic needs is an "evil twin" plot arc.  Derek talks Cherry into using magic to disguise him as Adrian, and he proceeds to swipe a chunk of the harem.  Wacky hijinks ensue.  Bonus points if it culminates in a stand-off on the roof of a building with Caitlyn having to decide which one of them to shoot.  Double bonus points if you can work in a hall of mirrors too.

(Actually, the 'twin controller' idea might work in a stand-alone comic as well.  A guy goes to his twin brother's funeral.  It turns out that, unknown to him, his brother was a mind controller.  There are a lot of gorgeous women at the funeral and their programming can't distinguish between him and their now-deceased original master.  Wacky hijinks ensue...)

[Haight]

I was kind of hoping that Adrian was going to hypnotize Cherry to defang her, to be honest...

[mns_95125]

Given what Daphne said above, if Adrian is a "basically decent guy by real-world standards" then him actually using mind control on someone deliberately might be seriously out-of-character, even as an act of self-defense.

[jmundt29]

Unless it was another "solution out of his ass" like the hypnocock gag from the Night of the Watch.

A lot of this character development discussion feels like I'm getting a lecture from Brecht on the nature of minimalism.*sigh*

[Haight]

Given what Daphne said above, if Adrian is a "basically decent guy by real-world standards" then him actually using mind control on someone deliberately might be seriously out-of-character, even as an act of self-defense.

That's ascribing a very, very high value to 'decent.'

I'd be really impressed if someone with access to mind control powers to get the sex they wanted irl didn't use it. I think you'd see, like, 1% or less of people doing that.

[Daphne]

I'd be really impressed if someone with access to mind control powers to get the sex they wanted irl didn't use it. I think you'd see, like, 1% or less of people doing that.

For an example of someone taking a different approach than Adrian, see Daffyd in HK.

[jmundt29]

Yes, that's a different approach.

Why is it astonishing to the point of incredulity that a guy's fantasy could be bringing bliss to women by fulfilling their wildest, most fervent fantasies?

[Haight]

I dunno, Daffyd's going through this uncomfortable moralizing streak as of late. I mean, who says no to BE? ;-)

[jmundt29]

Erin's boyfriend?  Totally unnecessary.

[GodWilling]

Why is it astonishing to the point of incredulity that a guy's fantasy could be bringing bliss to women by fulfilling their wildest, most fervent fantasies?

I don't think anyone has expressed any incredulity that that might be someone's fantasy. But essentially that fantasy has nothing to do with mind control. So people with a mind control fetish (which you'd imagine is a fair proportion of the subscribers to this site) aren't necessarily going to get a sexual thrill out of reading about someone living out that fantasy. Such deviants might prefer it if some of those women fell into the hands of someone who was actually going to use mind control on them. To express that view is not to denigrate or ridicule in any way people who do enjoy that fantasy.

A lot of this character development discussion feels like I'm getting a lecture from Brecht on the nature of minimalism.*sigh*

Hmmm.


As to Adrian's decency, he's still having sex with women he knows wouldn't be having sex with him (not least the lesbians amongst them) if they hadn't been exposed to mind control. In the real world he'd be in deep doo-doo for knowingly doing that.

At one time I thought that Miriam was kind of Adrian's evil twin, although that wasn't strictly in a mind controlling sense. I've gone cold on that idea. But it's ready to be warmed up if it turns out to be right.

However, stories have many forms, and perhaps another version of this story is one that is told from a different POV, from the POV of one who is not the controller. For me, it's an interesting story idea to say, "What if a basically decent (by real-world standards) person wanders into an MCC story?"

If you're saying that that's the thinking behind Adrian's role in SJI then that's an interesting insight. I hadn't thought of it quite like that, mainly because Adrian is as much a mystery figure as many of the other characters are.

[jmundt29]

It's just the discussions about characterization feels like an excuse or a justification for starting all controllers as Bill Sykes and then letting them get REALLY crazy. 

[Haight]

It's just the discussions about characterization feels like an excuse or a justification for starting all controllers as Bill Sykes and then letting them get REALLY crazy. 

On the other hand, I want mind control to be *used* if its in the story - that's where a lot of the heat comes from. Assuming a stance that mind control is by default morally reprehensible really puts a cramp in that. Adrian may be a 'basically decent guy' but he's also really passive when it comes to sex, very much about fulfilling the fantasies of the women he's with - which while sometimes hot, when it gets taken much farther than it already has, makes me wonder if I'm the right sex demographic for this story.

[Daphne]

Well, speaking as the author of Audiophilia and Bearing Gifts (just to name two), I have zero problem with evil (or at least take-charge) controllers.

[jmundt29]

Take charge doesn't mean "evil."  Passive doesn't mean "good."

I don't think By the Book and Audiophilia are quite the same space as Bearing Gifts.

I think Bearing Gifts and Martian Harem ARE the same space.  The art is beautiful, the situations are hot.  But the controllers don't even admire the objects of their control as possessions.  Particularly for Martian Harem, when men speak about women, I can hear James Woods as Byron De La Beckwith bloviating about his value system, but this time it's "dogs" or "deer" vs. women.

*sigh*