Thread by @HardSundae

CW: hypnosis, The Korps, gender dysphoria, #HypNovember Prompt: "Visor"

Look, I'm not a thief, okay? Like ACAB, fuck the police and all that good shit, but people's personal possessions are sacred and I wouldn't fuck with them.

Usually. This was an exception.

So the Orange Stain got the boot, and there was that big block party up at city hall, and of course the Korps were all over it. Like all their big supers came out, like Minion was there, Audrey Simmonds was there, that cheetah who used to be with Aurora, she was there.

And 'cause there were so many Korps out and about, Aurora was there too, but it felt more like they were there more to make sure the PHL didn't start shit, but maybe also to make sure the Korps didn't get too brazen with all the recruiting they were doing?

Oh yeah, Minion challenged True North to a dance-off and the crazy motherfucker accepted! Can you believe that? I wish I had the sense of job security AND the self-esteem Chris motherfucking Marcotte has, because he just whiteboy danced on national television with a Korps super.

Where was I? Oh, right, I'm not a thief usually.

So like... yeah, I was happy, this was something to be happy about, finally. Honestly it's been a fucking year. The pandemic, the fires, the protests, world's fucking crazy, but... like, it's sucked for me personally, too.

Like I keep having these... I dunno, you'd call 'em episodes? I'll wake up sometimes and look at myself in the mirror, and the person I see staring back at me isn't me. I feel like I'm just... observing whoever that is, watching them mimic my movements.

The first few weeks of lockdown felt shitty because I couldn't talk to as many people, but later on I realised I was... happy? And it took me a while to work out that it was because I don't like the sound of my own voice. It's too... soft. High-pitched.

But as much as I didn't have to talk so much, it didn't really make up for being alone with my own thoughts, without enough distractions. I started to think in really basic, ugly terms about things I don't like about my body, like... these two weird lumps of flesh on my chest.

About a month into the pandemic my boyfriend broke up with me. It wasn't just 'cause we couldn't see each other. We'd been on the ropes for a while and he told me I "obviously wanted some sort of relationship from him that he couldn't give me" and I should "work out what i want."

Like this year fucking sucked, man.

What? Oh shit I'm sorry, I got distracted again, didn't I? Right, yeah, so I wasn't trying to hang out with the Korps people, 'cause I'd heard all the bad rumours, but there were so many of them in the square it was impossible to avoid them.

Now they were all wearing those weird glowing pink-purple headsets that are basically the signature "heads up, I'm in the Korps" accessory, and there are even more rumours about those things than there are about the Korps themselves. You wouldn't believe the stories on Facebook.

So there's three college kids, early twenties maybe, hanging out near where I'm moping (yeah, I was moping - at least I can be honest about it!) and one of them says "jeez, roses givin' me a headache. I'mma put this down for a while," and takes off their headset.

So he just straight up leaves it sitting on the pillar they're hanging out next to and says "watch this for me, okay? Gonna go for a walk." Like, doesn't even give it to them, just puts it down. You do that with your phone too, buddy? Maybe your wallet?

Then he just walks away!

And like, the moment he's out of sight, someone lets fireworks off, and his friends just... the two of them turn to look at them, and there's nobody even looking at the headset just lying there on the pillar!

Like what the fuck, right? Who does that?

So nobody's looking, and I'm not a thief, but... see, one of the stories I'd heard on Facebook is that the Korps literally worked out how to fix all mental illnesses, and they're testing that technology on millennials, who'll sign up for basically anything if it pays.

And I don't know why, maybe I figured I'd get a good story that'd go viral on Facebook, but those two goons weren't watching and I figured... hey, why not? So I quickly walked by and just scooped it up, hid it in my jacket and blended back into the crowd.

Moment I figured I was clear of them, I pulled them out and put them on.

[Hello. It looks like you're not the registered user for this headset. Can I help you?]

Oh, huh, this thing didn't seem to have buttons, how would I-

[Just think your response. Mind-machine interface!]

Oh, okay. That was some serious sci-fi shit! Wasn't that supposed to be decades away?

[You think THAT'S crazy, just wait until you hear about the space station]

The fucking WHAT?!

[Hahaha. Gotcha! No, the space station's in early pre-planning right now. So anyway...]

[I don't have you on my files, and this headset is registered to Korps Member Tomlinson. Am I going to have to trigger the anti-theft countermeasures? There are a large number of other Korps personnel around...]

Oh fuck, oh shit, oh fuck!

[But on the other hand...]

[You didn't just swipe this looking to score a quick buck, did you?]

Wait, how did it know that?

[Mind machine interface]

... oh, yeah, right.

[Don't worry. Tomlinson's been informed his headset is safe, and that someone else needs it a little more than him right now]

What, really? I didn't think...

[It's been a shit year, huh]

... no, yeah, it has.

[But there's been a problem for longer, am I right?]

... yes.

[Would you like to tell me your name?]

... Rachel.

[You don't like that name, though, do you?]

... no.

[Why not?]

Don't you already know?

[I'm not going to put words into your mouth. I want you to know that I easily COULD, but I won't]

That was somehow very reassuring.

Okay. I didn't like the name Rachel because it had been chosen for me. I didn't get a choice in the matter.

[Would you prefer another girl's name, one that you had chosen?]

That question stung a little bit, but I didn't know exactly why.

[Ah. I see.]

What was it implying?

[The lack of choice goes a lot deeper than just what your name is, doesn't it?]

Well... yeah. My parents had a lot of ideas about how I should dress, what my hair should look like, what after-school classes I got to go to. That wasn't cool either.

[You resent that your parents made these choices for you]

See, it's wasn't even really that! They made those choices because that's what... well, that's how parents were expected to raise girls!

[So you'd be comfortable if they'd given you more choice]

I dunno, maybe?!

I was getting really irritated by now. It felt like it was trying to make a point with all its insinuations, but all it was doing was just pissing me off!

[See, the problem is, if I straight-up tell you what the problem is, you're less likely to believe me]

Just fucking say it already! Aren't you supposed to be some sort of hypergenius AI that fixes all mental problems?!

[Hahaha I wish. But let me give it a shot: you'd be unhappy even if you'd been able to make more choices because the way society treats you isn't the only issue]

THEN WHAT'S THE FUCKING ISSUE?

[You don't like being a girl, and you wish you were a boy]

Fuck.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, shut up, no, no, no, no, no, that can't be fucking true, shut up, no, fucking shut up, shut up, shut up, no, no, fucking shut up, how dare you, fucking no, no, no, shut up

Oh my fucking god it's true isn't it

Steve said I wanted something he couldn't give and I thought he was just being cowardly but what I wanted was for him to love me like a man and he can't love me like a man because he's straight

I didn't just hate Rachel because it's a stupid name, it's because I'M NOT RACHEL

I was aware of the fact that noise was coming out of my mouth, some really disjointed wailing laughing crying screaming noise.

[would you like me to help]

HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU HELP ME?! HOW THE FUCK CAN ANYONE HELP ME?!

[a whole hell of a lot of ways, but let me just...]

Suddenly, the visor wasn't just showing me text, or my own line of sight. It was showing me video feed from other RCGs, and I recognised that they were near to where I was standing, looking in my direction.

But I wasn't standing there. Not exactly.

[I'm currently live-editing the visual feeds of nearby Korps members. It's taking a fair bit of processing power, but this is what they're seeing.]

In my place was someone else... but not exactly. Taller. A little bit more muscular. Squarer features.

Me. But as a man.

[obviously, this is only a rough approximation. At such short notice, I had to make some guesses. Even with mind-machine interface, I can't really know if it's what you'd actually like to look-]

DON'T CHANGE A FUCKING THING.

[that seems pretty definitive]

Can you... can you...

[make you feel it the same way they see it?]

... yes!

[i'll need your explicit permission to access your autonomic nervous system]

YES.

[okay, the safeword is "ephemeral." Give me a second...]

There was a little less weight on my chest. My balance felt different. My hands felt just a tiny bit meatier.

[try talking]

I opened my mouth to say something. I can't even remember what. It was way deeper, didn't have that shrill edge to it.

The illusion had so much detail to it. Even brushing one finger down my arm, I could feel a little bit of hair that I knew never grew there. I could feel the texture of my skin differ from what I expected when I rubbed one hand against the other.

But I knew it was just illusion.

I couldn't stay like this, could I?

[unfortunately, no. live-editing feed into dozens of Korps agents at once is taxing for me, and messing with your biofeedback for too long is very dangerous]

So I couldn't stay like that. I'd never really feel that way.

[I NEVER said that]

Then how...

[by changing your actual body to match what you're feeling now, of course]

Wait, it could... DO that?!

[not me, silly! There are limits to what I can do on my own, but you should see what our gender team over in Downsview Medical get up to]

[now, this is a somewhat unexpected case, so we might have to juggle bookings about, but if you're not doing anything tomorrow...]

Tomorrow? This could happen TOMORROW?!

[oh, it's gonna take weeks, maybe months to get you all the way through this. So we should start soon, no?]

Could they even do...

[oh yes]

Even though it was just illusion, I could feel my panties tightening as something inside them swelled.

[very yes]

My teeth clenched together and my nails dug into my palms. I could feel every square millimetre of flesh perfectly.

[that is... EMINENTLY doable]

My phantom cock pulsed and I let out a little moan through quivering lips as I felt a scaled hand clutch tight around it.

[but we're still in public, so I'll keep us decent]

The throbbing died down just a little as the grip loosened and vanished.

[now, I can have some Korps agents meet you and bring you back here, if you want, but I feel like there's an important question I should ask you first]

What?

[they'll need a name to call you by, and I think we can both agree "Rachel" isn't going to work anymore]

I thought for a moment. But just a moment.

Damien.

[Damien. Good. There's a few responses I can alter without risk. Let me just... there we go.]

It didn't seem like anything had changed.

[Rachel]

Nothing. I felt nothing.

[Damien]

Instantly, my attention was grabbed.

Wait, did this thing just...

[Change the name on your brain's internal paperwork? Yeah. That's a thing I can do. Have to do it six or seven times a day for some of our plural agents.]

This was so totally wild.

[Now, Damien, would you like to visit the Korps?]

Holy shit, yes.

"Damien, right?"

For the first time in about... god, I didn't know how long this had all taken, I started paying attention to the world around me.

"Uh, yeah," I said, as the visor identified the ocelot in front of me as Tomlinson. "That's me. Damien."

"Nice to meet you. Tomlinson, but most people call me Tom."

I held a finger up, grinning sheepishly.

"I, uh." Why was I stammering? Fuck, he was cute. I pointed to my headset. "I think I should, uh, give these back?"

He pulled a second, much more well-worn headset from under his coat and popping them on his face. "Nah, dude. Got my pair right here," he chuckled, smirking. "You just hang on to those for now. Why do you think we carry spares around anyway?"

Oh, those clever motherfuckers.

So yeah. Turns out I'm really not a thief after all.

I'm a sucker.

But it all worked out, you know?