The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

❧ October 26th. Tuesday.

I went into the lecture already looking forward to coming out. It wasn’t that the tutor was bad. Malcolm—he insisted on just a first name, because he didn’t want to be formal—was enthusiastic, and could really make his subject come alive. It was just that Alex and Jules would be in a practical studio now. Alex had taken a class in Theatre Arts, not because she had any real interest in the theatre, but because she loved the idea of getting to make costumes for other people. Today was the first time she’d get to dress up others and have her creations graded. After how excited as she’d been over the last few days, I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with.

I loved Alex; she had so many talents quite apart from being stunningly beautiful. For the last two weeks she’d been working intensely on this project. First there were the designs, elaborate sketches in an artist’s pad that I couldn’t get a glimpse of no matter how hard I tried. Then she spent a good portion of each evening cutting and stitching huge swathes of cotton and taffeta. For all the time I’d seen her working on this, and all the emotion I’d devoted to cheering on my lover, I still had no idea what her designs actually were, or even what play the class would be putting on.

Jules had given me a bit more detail about how the examination worked. It seemed like they were going to spend all of the year putting on a play, with different members of the Theatre Arts class filling all the backstage roles, while Drama students were learning their lines. This week they were having a kind of preparatory exam; to demonstrate that they each had the basic skills that they would have to build on in order to excel in their chosen specialties. They would show off lighting, or prop making, or even costumes. I also knew that Jules would be modelling an outfit that Alex had designed—she wouldn’t get to dress up the real actors until next semester—though they were both being awfully secretive about it. I couldn’t wait to see, and by the time I was out of this lecture, they would be waiting to show off.

Malcolm was telling us about Noah Webster’s childhood, which ordinarily I would have found pretty riveting. Not just the way language had evolved over the years, but people who had been involved in shaping it. While Professor Davies focused more on contemporary detail, and taught only the facets of history that were necessary to understand the language, Malcolm could really make the people come alive. I wasn’t sure which of their styles was better for truly understanding the language, or even that there was a right answer to that question.

I tried to focus on what the tutor was saying. Even if I was distracted by all the mental images of swirling frills, and wondering if this would finally resolve some questions of Jules’s gender, it was interesting stuff. My attempt at concentration was broken, however, when Mark tapped me on the elbow with a folded slip of paper. I reached across and opened it, feeling like a schoolkid again. How long had it been since passing notes was necessary to communicate without getting the teacher’s attention?

It wasn’t just some cheesy message though. This letter was a carefully crafted piece of origami that almost unfolded itself with the slightest touch at the corners. And the message inside had a formal, elegant layout that I would never have expected from this brash young man. It looked like he was quite good with a computer as well, not the talents you’d expect from a guy in shorts. And once I got over my surprise at the style, I realised that it was an invitation to a birthday party.

“You’re not 18 yet?” I hissed in surprise.

“Strange but true: Due to the way applications are processed here, some students born in October might not actually be old enough to drink in their intro week. You can imagine how much that sucks.” I nodded, wondering how many of them actually abstained, and only then realised that it was Malcolm’s voice that had answered me. He continued his relentless pacing back and forth, continuing the lecture as if he hadn’t just delivered a complete non sequitur. Any other lecturer, I suspected, would have called me up for public ridicule if they’d been close enough to hear. I muttered a silent thanks, and hoped nobody else had noticed my distraction.

I got back into the theme of the lecture then, and remembered enough of the background reading to come up with a correct answer when he called on me with a question just a few minutes later. After that, my attention was fully on his words for the rest of the hour. I spoke to Mark again outside the room, though I knew he’d have to dash off soon because he had another class right after this one.

“Sorry,” he muttered, but he seemed more than a little amused by my error, “I should have give it to you now, but I couldn’t wait.” I could have lashed back with a really vicious verbal barb about guys with no self-control, maybe a childish premature ejaculation metaphor, but he was already striding away. So I headed down to the quad and grabbed a burger on the way to the South end of campus. I still couldn’t get my mind away from wondering what Jules would look like.

All the time I’d known Alex, she’d been wearing her own creations. She’d made a few outfits for me as well, and I loved them though I wouldn’t wear them every day. But I’d never seen her design anything for anyone else, so it would be interesting to see their little fashion show. Would all the theatre students be coming out of their practice room in costume, I wondered, or would I have to beg my housemate to show off their new outfit later?

It was exciting for another reason, though. I’d never seen Alex make something for a guy before. Even all the fantastic ideas in her sketchbooks—the ones I’d seen, anyway—were for women of various build and stature. And even after the post-hypnotic suggestion that made me say “they” instead of “he”, I was still pretty sure—at least 60%—that Jules wasn’t hiding tits under the baggy sweaters and voluminous tan coat. Everything I’d seen of Alex’s talent was exotic and revealing, and I could only assume that this would be the same. Did that mean it’d finally reveal the enigmatic Jules’s gender, or just what Alex thought her model was hiding?

Or—and this thought made me quicken my pace along the main walkway without even thinking—had Alex already got an an answer to that question? It was hard to imagine she’d be making clothes without at least taking a few body measurements. But Jules had said they didn’t think anyone needed to know their gender unless they were sleeping together. Would a dressmaker need to know their measurements? Of course, that would be an exception. But what did that mean for the contest between me and Alex over who would get close enough to see?

When I got to the Great Hall building, where most of the departments that might use it had rooms clustered around the hall itself, I found Alex leaning against the railings outside. She was wearing a truly impressive outfit, like a faerie queen from some fantasy tale. The blue dress she’d had yesterday was at the heart of it, but that was only one layer beneath at least four of diaphanous silk that somehow managed to emphasise the shape rather than hiding it. Her normally short hair was concealed under a cross between a wig and a hat. It had hair braided in with glittering tinsel, silk strands, ribbons, and feathers, a blue and silver halo that supported a crown nearly a foot above her head. As she waited for me, there were more than a few students turning to look, or even to take photos. She wore it easily now, and nobody thought it was strange for a girl in a strange costume to be outside the theatre. She probably got more critical opinions of her fashion sense on any normal day in town.

“Hello, your Majesty,” I curtseyed and grinned.

“Hey,” she turned and waved, “I was wondering when you’d show up. We finished a bit early, and I’m pretty sure my costuming skills made the grade. Jules did a lighting plan for the first act of Nine Kingdoms Saga, and it was really awesome, I had no idea they had those kind of skills. And Neville and Tam did their bit with the set design. Only a model, but it was pretty impressive, I can’t wait to do the real version in Spring. We all had to fill in surveys on what we thought of each other’s work, I think they’ll be using those to decide if anyone needs a remedial class, or to change focus. But everything was brilliant, and I hope we all pass together.”

As soon as she paused to take a breath, she seemed to realise that I hadn’t said anything yet. “Sorry,” she continued, “I’m just so excited by all of this, I can’t believe how well it went!”

“I’m glad,” I hugged her excitedly, but being careful to avoid damaging her elaborate costume. “I love this dress, I guess you must be playing some kind of princess?”

“Oh yeah, Queen Malaselle, but she’s a sorceress who can control people’s minds. Bet you can’t guess why I decided to pick that role! I think some drama guys actually do the performance, we’re just down to making the set and costumes and props, everything like that. So I only actually need to wear the costume for a dry run when we’re testing things. Oh, and it’s more practical than it looks. Watch this!” I stepped back, not quite sure what she could be going to show. I couldn’t even imagine her walking downstairs without being buried under the train on that dress. But she actually did a slightly awkward pirouette, dragging the trailing fabric into a spiral around her, and then hooked the end onto her shoulder so it hung like a shawl. The dress was still elaborate and incredibly complex, but it looked like the princess could walk around without someone to help carry her clothes now.

“Awesome,” I said, “Has Jules already gone home?”

“Yeah, said they had some work to do before tomorrow. I made them promise to show you the costume, though, it’s only fair after I’ve been neglecting you to work on it for so long.”

“Still ‘they’?” I asked curiously as I picked up her bag, ready to walk home, “I’m wondering how you could take measurements without learning a bit more than that.”

“I guess so,” she looked down at the ground, and I’m sure if her skin wasn’t so dark she’d be visibly blushing, “They kind of… asked me to forget. I hope you don’t mind?” Of course I couldn’t object, Jules had hypnotised me once already, probably at about the same time now I thought about it. Was it their way of ensuring a little fairness in our competition?

“How about finding out their name?” I knew I shouldn’t pry, if we were trying to find the same things, but I kind of figured that some banter between rivals would add spice to the competition and help us stay motivated. “You figured out anywhere you can research that?”

“I don’t mind just calling them Jules,” she shrugged, and the feathers on the back of her princess outfit did a kind of mexican wave that carried the movement across both shoulders and then back again. I think that’s what always made Alex’s designs incredible: they didn’t just look graceful, but she thought about how they were going to move as well. “I mean, I’m already used to people on that chat room calling me Librarian, and I’d rather people at college call me Alex rather than Alexandria. I’d like to know a bit more about Jules, but I don’t figure their name is a big deal if they don’t like it.”

“Yeah, but the rest of it would be so much easier if you can say their name and then they’ll have to do what you say, yeah?” And I realised as soon as I looked into Alex’s eyes that I’d made a terrible miscalculation.

“Thanks for the hint,” she smiled and nibbled my ear, “I’m going to get me some Jules tomorrow night, I think. But tonight, I’m sure you deserve a reward for giving me such a head start.” I knew I should have felt disappointed in myself for sharing something she didn’t already know, but as I looked that beautiful dress up and down, and imagined the even more beautiful body beneath, I was pretty sure that the prize I’d won would be worth it.