Hypnopics Collective

I'll put a ticket in with our email provider to have a look...


Tera
Admin

Sorry to be a bother, but the doubling stopped last night after I posted. It had been doing it for a couple of weeks at least but it seems to have stopped at this time. The last 4 PM's I have received had single emails

Minor problem

I am set to receive an email notification for PM's received, the setting
"Notify by email every time you receive a personal message:"

I get the notification twice, as in two emails, certainly not much of a problem. I do not get emails from other people duplicated so it does not appear to be an ISP, email provider or client side issue.

I use Thunderbird email client under Windows 10

Thank you

Preparations for Christmas Day were in full swing in Auralis City on that day. Many people drove around the city, trying to find an open store to buy gifts for their loved ones at the eleventh hour. Even more were toiling away in their kitchens, getting everything ready for the next day. Some were treating it as a day like any other for one reason or another.

One person, however, suspected that they wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. She glanced at the clock: the day was almost over. Most people were retiring to their beds after a long day, but she was filled with a sense of trepidation. With a sigh, she stretched her legs on the couch and flipped the TV on, just to kill the time. In a few hours, it wouldn’t matter anyway. She’d accepted her fate long ago, ever since that faithful night, even if she couldn’t help but hope that “perhaps this year will be the one”. She tried many things. She barricaded the windows, locked the doors from the outside, and even sealing herself in the basement on one occasion. Nothing worked. Every year, the result was the same. With a sigh, she stretched, and started drifting off to the sound of Christmas carolers on the television. At one minute to midnight, she was sound asleep, and the carols were accompanied by the sound of her peaceful snoring. Had there been anyone else there with her, they’d describe the expression on her face as ‘serene’. Perhaps even ‘content’ if they didn’t know her any better.

Had she been awake at this time, each second would feel like an eternity. This year, however, she was blissfully oblivious to the passage of time. As the hands of the clocked moved closer to the zero hour, the window creaked open. Cold wind rushed inside, but even the sudden gust of near-freezing air wasn’t enough to wake her from her slumber. She murmured something incoherent in her sleep and lazily flipped over to the other side as the midnight breeze gently caressed her form.

Snow rarely showed itself in Auralis but, through some miracle or forces unknown, a gust of snowflakes rushed in through the open window and started circling over the sleeping woman. Faster and faster it went, until it turned into a blizzard. The expression on her face tensed up as the peaceful slumber was disturbed by the howling wind and her belongings scattering throughout her room. The ticking of the clock on the wall grew louder and louder until it was almost deafening. A thin sheet of frost covered her exposed skin, hair, and clothes. Her petite body shuddered, and her teeth chattered inside her mouth as the biting cold filled her cozy home. Stubbornly, she kept her eyes closed and curled up on the bed. She hugged her knees in one final act of defiance until-


Her eyes opened on their own. She was suddenly awake and more energetic than ever. Sleep was impossible now but, somehow, that didn’t bother her anymore. Slowly, she sat up on the couch and carefully looked around the room. Everything looked immaculate. It was as if the blizzard was nothing more than a figment of her imagination, but she knew better. The window remained open, after all, even though she knew she closed it in the evening. Defeated yet again, she got up from the couch and looked at the clock. Waiting for the night to pass was pointless, she knew that. The damned thing would remain stuck at midnight until her task was completed.

She looked down and groaned. Either she was becoming paranoid, or the damned skirt looked like it was getting shorter every year. Or perhaps the powers that be that cursed her into fulfilling this role were simply perverted and were punishing her for her reluctance. Grumbling under her breath, she leaned forward slightly and tugged at her outfit. To no avail. Her legs would remain exposed and, unless she wanted to expose something more, she would have to do her best and avoid leaning too much in one direction or another.

Cautiously, she put her hand on top of her head and-

Hat. Of course. It wouldn’t be complete without a hat. And a mistletoe, too, she noticed. Thank goodness no one yet felt the need to take advantage of the situation and use it as an excuse to steal a kiss or two. She had no idea what would happen if she tried to refuse. Nothing good, probably.

Instead, she decided to play along this year. To put on a smile and go with the flow. Yes, it was a thankless job most of the time but if she was going to go through this ever year, she might as well try to enjoy herself every once in a while. At least it was an opportunity to get out, travel, enjoy the sights, and meet new people. Right before putting them to sleep, naturally, as there were strict rules about such encounters. Long enough to have a brief conversation, but short enough to make them think it was all but a dream.

As she caught the glimpse of the sleigh already waiting for her outside the window, she decided to walk up to the mirror hanging on the wall to take one look at herself. Not that she expected to see anything wrong – the outfit was always immaculate – but she still wanted to be sure she looked presentable and appropriate.



”Hmm.” Vee hummed quietly to herself and smiled. Her reflection smiled back. She brought her fist to her mouth, cleared her throat, coughed, and said: ”Ho-Ho-Ho!” Three weeks of practice paid off, the telepath Santa thought to herself. Whatever was keeping her in this role better be happy that she sacrificed her free time to be the best Santa she could be this year!

Reflexively, she looked at the clock. It was still 00:00 AM.

”Right…” Santa Vee shook her head at her own forgetfulness, turned away from the window, and approached the window. She climbed on top of the window-ledge and looked down at the street several dozen feet below. The cold winter breeze brushed against exposed legs and thighs, but the Holiday Cheer kept her warm. Carefully, she climbed into the sleigh and gripped the sides as it rocked briefly upon her entry. The reindeers looked back at her, once again making Vee wonder about their intelligence. Half the time, she suspected that they were still holding a grudge for what she did to their previous boss, but she never actually managed to confirm her suspicions. Mostly because they followed her commands without question and carried her wherever she was needed.

The list of all the gift recipients was already on the seat next to hers. Vee picked it up and started reading. ”Okay, guys. We’re going to the Hidden Village first. Naoki Yuzumi and Kuroyuri Saboten.” Said Santa Vee as she grabbed the reins. The reindeers, however, remained completely still, looking back at the girl with indifferent expressions. Not that the telepath would even know the full range of reindeer facial expressions.

Vee sighed heavily and rubbed her temples. ”Do I… have to do it every time…?” She didn’t know why she asked. She knew the answer already. Not that the reindeers would ever respond to her question in any way that she could interpret clearly. Their lack of action, however, told her the entire story. The brunette sighed heavily and slumped against the back of the sleigh.


That seemed to satisfy the reindeers. Although Vee could’ve sworn that they looked amongst themselves and exchanged amused smirks. Not that she had any time to look closely as the sleigh suddenly took off, pinning her against the back of her seat. Terrified, she held on to her hat as tightly as she could…

The Hidden Village

Wide-eyed and dizzy from the flight, Vee jumped onto the rooftop of the Yuzumi household and nearly slid down the side of the building as the roof was uneven. The telepath quickly stretched out her arms as wide as she could to retain her balance and then looked around for a chimney. It didn’t matter how wide or narrow it was – the power of Christmas always knew what to do. When she couldn’t find it, she sighed heavily and carefully approached the edge of the roof. Hanging onto it for dear life, she hung off the ledge and swung slightly forward to open one of the windows with her foot. ”Easy.” Windows were always a problem. As a Santa, she instinctively knew what to do with chimneys, but no one really clued her in what to do in terms of windows. Aside from pulling up to them in their sleigh. That, however, was a bit tricky in this case as the Yuzumi home was surrounded from all sides by tall trees.

”Get it…!” She gritted her teeth as she tried to kick the window open, but came up a few inches short. After readjusting her grip, Vee swung back with more force, hoping to use the momentum to make her way inside. Her heart stopped, however, when she heard the wood crack above her head. With a terrified yelp, the plank she was holding onto came loose. The forward momentum launched Vee at the wall of the house and way off her intended target. She ended up breaking through the ground floor window instead. As she burst inside, she tumbled forward a few feet before she came to a complete stop. Somehow, by some miracle, she managed to hold onto the sack of presents flung over her shoulder. With a groan, she stood up.

”Ow-!” Rubbing her butt – which took the brunt of the fall – she stepped forward and tripped. ”Huh, was that tripwire-OOP!” Vee immediately ducked, barely dodging a whole array of ninja stars, kunai, and drugged needles that were launched directly at her head. Thank goodness her Santa powers enhanced her reflexes.

Looking out for any other boobytraps and tripwires, Vee walked up to the table with a piece of paper on it and noticed a distinct lack of cookies and milk. With a light frown of disappointment, she picked up the letter and started reading.

”Dear Santa,

I don’t want all that much for Christmas-“

Vee closed the letter, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply through her nose. ”I swear, if this is another ‘all I want for Christmas is you’ joke…” She grumbled under her breath, opened the letter, and continued reading.

”-but if there was one thing-“

The brunette closed the letter again. She was half-tempted to put the author of the letter on the Naughty List. But, against her better judgement, she decided to give them another chance. After she finished the letter, found Naoki’s request quite sweet. With a contemplative expression, she reached into her pocket to retrieve her Naughty/Nice List and quickly found Naoki’s name.

Naoki Yuzumi: 0

Neither Naughty nor Nice. Vee clicked her tongue. Well, he seemed polite enough, but she couldn’t give him everything on his list for being Neutral. After a short contemplation, she reached into her sack and pulled out a CD with a Christmas hit single for him to enjoy. A consolation prize for not being Naughty, but hopefully a helpful reminder and motivation to be Nice next year.

”Ho-Ho-Ho!” Vee exclaimed as she was suddenly yanked backwards by an unseen force. In a blink of an eye, she found herself sitting back in her sleigh. She crossed out Naoki Yuzumi’s name and then looked at the next person on her list.


Saboten Residence

Saboten’s house was a lot easier to get into than the Yuzumi household. Far fewer trees and not as many boobytraps, Vee was happy to note as she pulled out a few poisoned darts from her shoulder. Much like with the first person on her list, Kuroyuri didn’t leave her any milk or cookies, either! Santa Vee pouted yet again as her stomach grumbled. She put her hand on her tummy to calm it down. Without milk and cookies, her Santa powers would diminish over time, leaving her powerless and exhausted. And then… well, she didn’t know what would happen then. Nothing good, most likely. But she decided to set her hunger aside for the moment. Someone would offer her cookies eventually! Hopefully…

”Dear Filthy Gift Gi-hey!” Vee exclaimed in a reproachful tone as she looked at the letter with a cross expression. ”I am doing my best here!” She grumbled under her breath, and started reading the rest of Saboten’s letter. This one was quite the character! Naoki’s requests were considerate. He wanted nothing for himself. Whereas Kuroyuri was quite the opposite. The brunette rubbed the back of her head, wondering just where the heck she was going to find scandalously sexy red lingerie at this time.

She looked down and blushed. At that point, she realized that she never actually checked what was under her Santa outfit. Was she… was she wearing scandalously sexy red lingerie underneath? Was that part of the contract? Was she going to have to give it up and give it to Yasu as part of Kuroyuri’s gift? Swallowing nervously, Vee decided to consult the Naughty or Nice List.

Kuroyuri Saboten: -1
Naughty Deeds:

• Said a mean thing to another character: called Iki psychotic -1

Vee slowly exhaled with relief. Kuroyuri was definitely on the naughty side, as she expected from reading her letter. As punishment, she reached into her sack of gifts and pulled a set of nice, sexy stockings and thigh-highs locked inside a box that could be open after finding the correct solutions to complex calculations. Something something about ironic gifts and such. Coal was overrated by modern standards.

”Ho-Ho-Ho!” said Vee and, after a flash, she was in her sleigh, ready to go.

Kuroyuri’s name was promptly crossed out.


Auralis City – Radio Station

”Hahh… hahh… hahh…!” Vee panted as she climbed the flight of stairs. The reindeers knew where to take her but, once inside the building, she was on her own. Unfortunately, no one ever specified where exactly Fae lived. And so the poor Santa girl had to go floor by floor in a massive office building in the middle of downtown to find where Fae made her base. With the elevator broken, she had no choice but to climb on her own two legs, with the sack of gifts on her back, and her stomach devoid of milk and cookies. Her powers were waning to dangerous levels, and she was getting mighty hungry.

”Hahhh…” The brunette leaned against the wall once she reached the top floor. She wiped the sweat from her brow and entered the station’s offices. After a quick search, she found the letter – and no cookies – on the desk. After giving it a quick read, she pulled out the List for consultation.

”Oh…” Her expression sank. ”Oh, dear…”

Fae: -6
Nice Deeds:

• Said something nice to another character: Beautiful singing voice (Amanda) +1

Naughty Deeds:

• Attacked first (Amanda) -1
• Invaded -1
• Corrupted/Brainwashed someone (Amanda, Jessie) -2
• Did something lewd to another character (Amanda, Jessie) -2
• Implanted someone with weaknesses specific to your character (Jessie) -1

No ‘ifs’, no ‘buts’. Fae was definitely Naughty. And by a fair margin! Santa Vee clicked her tongue and consulted Fae’s letter again. That thing she said about coal being an outdated and ineffective method of teaching? Yeahhh… she might’ve jumped the gun on that one way too soon, now that she thought about it. Shaking her head, Vee reached into her bag, retrieved a lump of coal, and put it under the mermaid’s Christmas Tree. That would have to do for now. But enough dawdling!

”Ho-ho-ho!” The reindeers were probably wondering what took her so long. Not that they cared enough to show it. Next was Zlata, off in… ”Oh…” Vee glanced at the giant rift off in the distance. With a sigh, she grabbed the reins.


Carmelina’s Residence

There had to be some kind of “higher management” she had to contact about her job conditions. Why did she have to procure cookies on site?! More importantly, this was the last time she was going to go to Dis to deliver presents. (Probably not, though). The non-Euclidean natura of demonic palaces and mansions left her feeling confused and with a massive headache. All the hours – if not longer – lost wandering the halls, looking for the Christmas letter.

Until she reached the armory. ”Ooh!” Vee’s eyes lit up with excitement and awe at the sight of all the weapons, armors, and war equipment. The thing that caught her attention was a golden winged helmet. Its golden surface was polished to the point where the Santa could practically see her own reflection. Intrigued and fascinated, she took a step closer to get a closer look…

…and accidentally bumped into a shield resting against a spear rack. ”Ow!” The brunette hopped on one foot, holding onto her bruised shin, and then her eyes went wide as she realized that the shield rolled forward and bumped into a suit of armor. Which started to tilt dangerously forward. With her face pale, Vee slowly exited the room and gently, delicately locked the door behind her.

*CLANG! CRASH! BANG!*

Vee winced every time she heard a noise from the other room as her little accident caused a domino effect. Feeling more than a little guilty, she left in a hurry and eventually managed to find the letter. She’d given up on the cookies at this point.

”Dear Santa. It is strange to ask a Catholic saint – well, you’re in for a surprise…” The heroine giggled, shook her head and continued. Oh, dear. She wanted that kind of gift. Vee started to sweat. She looked at the List, looking for an excuse to cop out of the responsibility…

Zlata: 0

Neutral. Well, this was going to be awkward. She felt so terribly guilty, but maybe she could make it up to her somehow. Biting on her lip, she took out pen and paper and, in beautiful cursive, she wrote: “You Are Zlata”.

”Ho-Ho-Ho!” There was a slight, barely perceivable delay that time. She wouldn’t have noticed it if all the previous instances weren’t near instant. But, for some reason, getting back to the sleigh took longer than it should’ve. After crossing Zlata’s name off the list, she grabbed reins.


Maybe she was getting the hang of this?

Institute of Justice!

Thank God for the familiar halls of the Institute, thought Santa Vee as she landed on the rooftop: the place where it all began. She never really found out what happened to the body of the original Saint Nick after she accidentally knocked him out during their first encounter. Knowing her luck, fat bastard-”Ha-gurkh!” The telepath’s oxygen was suddenly cut off when her outfit suddenly grew tight. Too tight. She tried to tug at the collar to catch her breath, but she couldn’t fit her finger in the gap. Is it because I thought… I’ll be good! I’ll be good! The heroine thought in a panic and, to her relief, she was able to breathe again.

”Ugh… this is going to cost me next year…” Santa Vee murmured to herself as she propped the roof door open with a brick and went downstairs to find Claire’s room. Regardless of her status as the director, the rules were clear: do not get seen! She carefully navigated through the hallways until she finally found the heroine’s room. Carefully, she slid inside and, on the tips of her toes, walked over to her desk and grabbed the letter.

”Huh…?” Vee scratched the back of her head as she read the letter once, twice, and then three times. She didn’t seem to ask for anything in particular, except warning her about the weather situation. But what did the List have to say?

Claire Emont: 0
Nice Deeds:

• Defended a Location +1

Naughty Deeds

• Attacked first -1

Well… she couldn’t just leave without leaving Claire something! Oh! She was going to thank her for the warning! Vee took the letter, took out her own pen and wrote at the bottom of the page:

Dear Claire,
     Thank you for the warning.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Ho-Ho-Ho!
Vee Santa!

Well, that was close. She almost gave away her secret Santa identity with that. ”Ho-Ho-Ho!” That time, she felt a little dizzy. Gosh, she badly needed some cookies and milk to recharge. Who was next again? Vee glanced at the list.

And froze.

Institute of Justice! …Again!

”Read a name ahead next time…” Vee mumbled to herself as she went downstairs again and found Maria’s quarters. Which, coincidentally, was in the same hallway as Claire’s! Which only made this all the more frustrating. She snuck into Maria’s room and quickly snagged the letter from the maid heroine’s nightstand. ”Aww…” She cooed as she looked down at the paper. Maria wrote it in crayons! How adorable. With a smile on her face, Santa Vee carefully read the letter, already thinking about giving the heroine something nice for her efforts.

”Therapy knives…?” Vee blinked, unsure whether she read the sentence correctly. What made a knife therapeutic? The sharpness? The size? The edge? The shape? Well, maybe if she gives her a standard knife set then she would be able to sort it out all on her own. ”Oh…” Santa blushed slightly when she read the second half of the letter. Now, she shouldn’t be biased…

…but she really wouldn’t mind getting some coffee for-”Gurk!” The suit tightened again. ”Okay! Okay! I won’t!” Vee wheezed out, which seemed to satisfy the outfit. Shaking her head, she finished reading the letter and glanced at the list.

Maria Grace: 0
Nice Deeds

• Crayon bonus points +2

Naughty Deeds

• Not Actual Crayons -2

After leaving a box of knives and mediocre coffee (the outfit couldn’t even settle for ‘great’ or even ‘good’!) in Maria’s stockings, Vee uttered out a quiet ”Ho-Ho-Ho!” and slumped in her seat. All this teleporting was knocking the wind out of her.


The reindeers looked back at her.

”Oh, come on!” Santa Vee threw her hands up. ”I am rhyming “you” the word with “u” the letter! It counts!”

She nearly fell out of the sleigh as the reindeers went from zero to a hundred in an instant, obviously unhappy with her laziness…

DRU Base

”Left! LEFT!” Vee clutched the reins, trying to steer the reindeers when they were targeted by the base’s surface-to-air missiles. The entire sleigh rocked violently as a missile exploded nearby. ”Gah! What weapons does this thing have!?” Santa exclaimed and looked down at the ground, watching in terror as she watched the DRU soldiers man the flak cannons.

At a loss for what to do, Vee brought the reins closer, and quickly thought of a rhyme to get her out of the situation. Hopefully this works… The telepath thought as she closed her eyes and crossed her fingers.


Slowly, she opened her eyes. The explosions had ceased, and the sleigh continued on its current course. ”It worked…?” She blurted out, equally flabbergasted as she was relieved. ”What else can this thing do…!?” As expected, no one answered her question.

Two minutes later, she managed to squeeze through the window and entered Silvia’s room. The gift sack was undamaged, although the back of the sleigh was slightly signed from the DRU attack. She would have to tell them to relax their guard next year to avoid similar situation. Rubbing her temples, she picked up Sylph’s letter and started reading. Another selfless soul trying to help those in need. But the question was: Naughty or Nice?

Silvia Jones: 2
Nice Deeds:

• Defended a Location +1
• Partook in consensual cuddling, kissing, hugging, handholding, and adult situations +1

”Hmm…” Vee rubbed her chin. Well, she could tell Silvia everything she’d ever want to know but the only thing the girl wanted was a clue. After a quick consideration, she took out a pen and started writing a letter of her own.

Dear Silvia,
    I think it is very sweet of you to care for another person – be it human or demon – so much. Have you tried summoning Pervy Mary again since your dream? I would suggest giving that a go. Maybe even ask a dispatch operator in the command center about your fight with Mary. 
   Merry Christmas!
   Santa Vee

That should do it! Thought Vee as she pulled out a box of chocolate chip cookies from her sack and placed it in Sylph’s stockings. After that, it was time to go, so she catapulted back to the sleight with a simple ”Ho-Ho-Ho!”

A familiar name was next.


Tower of Magic

Vee blinked. She was on the phone with a lawyer for the past hour, discussing the contents of Akalyn’s cease and desist order. They obviously weren’t happy about being woken up in the middle of the night but, once Santa Vee explained the urgency of the situation, they promised to ‘look into it’. But the allegations weren’t the only things that bothered her about Akalyn’s letter. After she read the opening line, Vee’s mouth formed a thin line, and she couldn’t help but look down at her own body. With furrowed brow, she lifted her top slightly and pinched her stomach. Okay, so, maybe she was spending a lot of her time behind the desk at the Institute these days. But she was still considered “skinny” by all standards! Not to the point where she looked malnourished like she used to a while back, but she still had a healthy and slender physique!

”Huh? No! I’m here!” She responded to the voice on her phone as she kept pinching her stomach. ”Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Uhhh… both, I guess? I don’t know, what do you think? Uh-huh. Right. I… don’t think she is…? Well, how much is this going to-? Oh. Ohh… err… I don’t think I am…? Well, how would you verify immortality? I’m not doing that! Hang on a sec…” With a sigh, Santa Vee fixed her outfit and reached for her list.

Akalyn: -2
Naughty Deeds:

• Invaded a location -1
• Brainwashed/Corrupted another character -1

Now, as a Santa, Vee wasn’t allowed to be vindictive. But because Akalyn mentioned a specific genre in her letter, she technically could exploit that loophole to her advantage. She retrieved a whole stack of hentai doujins with “Fat bastard” tag and put them under the so-called “Sorceress Supreme’s” Christmas Tree. She felt kinda good doing it, too, especially since Akalyn acted like such a massive ”Ho-Ho-Ho!”

Vee came to a few minutes later. She felt… weak. So weak. The lack of cookies and milk was taking its toll. With a groan of pain, she pulled herself up into a half-sitting position and looked at the next name on the list…

Exhausted, she grabbed the reins…


Cathedral of the Chained Cross…

”Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…” Vee carefully walked across the rooftop of the Cathedral which, as it turned out, had far more pointy spires than she thought. Not even her black Santa boots were strong enough to protect her poor, dainty feet! To their credit, though, the Cathedral did have a chimney! With a little bit of Christmas magic, Santa Vee managed to squeeze through and ended up in the Chained Cross’ common room. The paladin on duty was dozing off in the corner, so she decided not to wake him. Instead, she decided to crawl towards the Christmas Tree in the corner of the room.

”Need… cookies… milk…” Vee groaned, her powers and strength fading fast as she grabbed Irene’s letter from the table and started reading. ”Well… this is awkward.” Santa Vee scratched the back of her head. Now, she wasn’t totally clear as to what she was supposed to do when people wrote letters to other deities. She saw the “Santa” crossed out at the top of the page – which is probably what tipped the Santa Alarm – but she wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed. Would the powers at play frown if she pretended to be another gift-giving entity? Probably. Shame, too! Thought Vee as she glanced at the List-

Irene Ottilie Myklebust: 2
Nice Deeds

• Fought in a training battle +1
• Partook in consensual etc. +1

-since Irene was clearly on the “Nice” side of things. But… well, she couldn’t give Irene exactly what she wanted since that could be misinterpreted as her assuming another deity’s identity. With a sigh, Vee reached into her sack of gifts and pulled out a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a plush teddy bear.

Dear Irene,
    Santa here. I couldn’t help but swing by your house Cathedral and read your letter. Since I can’t give you exactly what you want, I hope that this box of chocolates and plushie will help you with your chase!
    Merry Christmas,
    Santa!

Well, it would have to do, Santa Vee thought as she took a deep breath and let out one last ”Ho-Ho-Ho!”