Fic: I can help you change your life

[bauble]

I can help you change your life

Written for Inception Bingo.
The prompt: Sex under the influence. This makes my second line bingo!
Wordcount: 6,370

Comments

[sibilantly]

Okay, so, no exaggeration, no hyperbole - this is right up there with some of the best original erotic horror I've read. Sexy and unsettling in equal amounts!

On the horror side of things, I loved how you slowly ramped up the dread/feelings of wrongness with each scene (Arthur's strangely melodious voice! Eames repeating what Arthur said without thinking! NAKED PATHETIC CRYING MAN. WAIT, WHAT). And I was grossly delighted at how you played up the canonical moral dubiousness of both Arthur and Eames. I mean, these are two men who, in canon, were willing, active participants in altering Fischer's sense of self (and Eames has tried it more than once!). So it was interesting (if uncomfortable) to see an iteration of Arthur and Eames with all the fun 'gentleman thieves' glamour stripped away.

Without a heart of gold, Eames is basically a very handsome parasite. His plans of taking Arthur's ability and using it on unsuspecting women (amongst others) made me recoil. But man, that's nothing compared to Arthur, who is a straight up sociopath. The speed with which he started hypnotising Eames (right from the first not!date - jeez, Arthur) and the ever-present metallic objects/reflective surfaces spoke to how much forethought Arthur put into it all (and maybe how much practice he had at it before Eames). The idea of someone putting that much effort/planning into obtaining what basically amounts to a sex slave is beyond creepy. By the end, I got the definite sense that Arthur enjoyed the process of subjugating Eames even more than he enjoyed finally having Eames as his 'willing' slave. In another, less fucked up world, I'd say he was the type who enjoys the chase more than getting the guy. In this world, he's just... scary and gross (and yet I couldn't stop reading).

(Oh, one last thinky thought on Arthur: he claimed to hate arguing, but he sure as hell didn't stay interested for long when his victims were pushovers - it made me wonder whether he lacked self-awareness (does he genuinely believe himself to be magnanimous and agreeable?) or was it more acting to lull Eames into complacency? AMBIGUITY, IT IS DELICIOUS.

On the erotic side of things, everything from the sleep hypnosis through to the jacuzzi 'seduction' hovered in that super dubious 'does he actually want it or not?' area that I am unashamedly into, and the sensual descriptions were A+.

But everything after the jacuzzi scene... oh man. The descriptions were still A+, but because Eames is so clearly not himself by that point, it was downright unsettling. I got a bit thoughtful, because effortlessly satisfying/mindblowing sex is often used as A Sign of good chemistry/a good relationship in fic. So, again, it was quite interesting to see that turned on its head, and read a scenario where mindblowing sex is... well, horrifying.

(I know I'm going back and forth in talking about this as a fic and as an original horror story, but, in my defense, you've basically written an original short and packaged it in fic wrapping paper. So nyah :P)

After Eames' failed escape attempt, I was really curious about where you were going with the continued sex scenes. I've read enough of your work to know you never put a sex scene in just for the sake of sex. Yes, the post-escape sex demonstrated how far under Arthur's influence Eames was, but one or two would've easily established that, so I was on my guard. AND I WAS RIGHT TO BE SUSPICIOUS, because, oh my God, Eames' uncertain fate!

I find horror stories much more interesting when the protag has some direct connection to the antagonist, rather than being an innocent victim caught up in circumstances beyond their control. Eames essentially brought everything that happened to him on himself, BUT STILL. He was reduced to such a pathetic state that I could only feel disgusted pity and dread for him. He deserved some kind of karmic retribution, but not THAT. He's been completely debased, and now there isn't even assurance that he'll be Arthur's permanent pet! It was quite awful to realise that the best possible outcome (other than somehow breaking free completely) is that Eames fights, on some level, against Arthur forever, because that's the only way he'll hold Arthur's interest. It's so fucked up.

(And I loved it.)

[bauble]

Sexy and unsettling is precisely what I was aiming for :D

"Very handsome parasite" is the perfect descriptor for Eames. He's certainly no blushing innocent being lured in my Arthur, who has a disturbing amount of experience luring in far nobler men than Eames. Arthur does love a challenge and the chase; once that's over, he inevitably gets bored and has to start the cycle over again with someone new.

Arthur claims to hate arguing when what he really means is that he hates losing arguments and not getting his way (something which hasn't happened in a long, long while). He does enjoy having to exert his will to a certain extent--keeps him sharp and paying attention. He also says it as a way to try to reassure his victims that he's not interested in browbeating them into submission--he prefers a more agreeable coercion with less shouting.

I do love a disturbing, fucked up end to a horror story, and I'm glad you do, too! Thank you for your thoughtful and lengthy comment, as well as for all your feedback and encouragement along the writing way :)