HOME | DD

Description
My name is Sarah Summers and I'm bored. It tends to happen when I get buried under a pile of paperwork. Well, 'mountain' might be more accurate, since becoming the Union of Justice's liaison with the UN. I pride myself on my professionalism, but even I have my limits. It's especially draining when I have to chip away at it alone. My former partner, Nicole Winters, is now a member of the Union, which has to take priority over police work.
Just let me push my chair back away from my desk so I can stand and open up a window. Ignore the fact that you've been at this for two hours and are barely halfway done. Just close your eyes and breathe deep. That's what Dr. Clark suggested.
Initially, I was distrustful of Nicole's therapist at the Union, Dr. Janet Clark. As the team's liaison, I'm one of the few non-members to know of Janet's role within the heroic organisation, for security reasons. Although, my knowledge comes less from my position, and more from my best friend being one of Dr. Clark's primary clients. Nicole has been taking regular therapeutic sessions with the good doctor, ever since her transformation into an honest-to-god minotaur a few months ago. The transformation (and brief brainwashing) took quite a toll on her mental health, which led to her taking regular sessions, similar to a number of other members of the team. One other member currently undergoing such therapy is Autumn Valentine, a former officer from the UK, and now the copper-skinned hero, Copper.
Unlike my two counterparts, however, I am not a super-hero, nor have I ever stepped into Dr. Clark's office entirely by choice. Instead, I, the officer that can actually live an ordinary life, have always gone out of concern for my friend. Janet is obviously aware of my unease towards her due to the fact that her power of mind control is not too dissimilar to the one that had temporarily ensnared my best friend's mind. She always maintains a professional, friendly demeanour, which does help put my mind at ease, somewhat.
It was during a recent session for both Nicole and Autumn, who had decided to take some sessions together, that I finally agreed to join in. I can't deny that the prospect of letting go of all my stresses and worries for a few minutes was almost irresistible, and the trance did make me feel more relaxed than I have in years. It felt nice to be stress-free for once, even if only for a half hour. Dr. Clark, evidently, picked up on the loneliness and resignation in my voice when the subject of my then-upcoming mountain of work came up, and she made a suggestion.
"It's a game I came up with back in college," she explained. College was where she had discovered her powers, so this was likely from her early experimentation days. "I call it 'Hypnotic Hangman'. It's a kind of single player version of Hangman. Basically, I give you some suggestions so that you can pick your phrase and set up the game, and then your conscious mind will forget what you chose. But subconsciously, you'll still remember, and you'll find your hand guided by your subconscious every time you choose a letter, filling in the letter or adding a piece to the gallows based on whether you were correct or not. I could give you those suggestions now, if you'd like."
I think I would have turned her down if I was awake. But in that state, I felt much more trusting towards Janet, which Nicole claims is me being more honest with myself. Either way, I accepted Janet's offer and am now, supposedly, equipped with all the tools I need to give this game a try. I'll just take out a piece of paper and a pencil, and set it all up.

Supposedly, there are two difficulty options Janet came up with for the game: Standard and Hard. Hard, apparently, makes the player completely incapable of guessing the words until only one letter is left to find. It makes sense; the player also chooses the phrase to begin with, so you run the risk of the game having no challenge to it because you know the kind of things you'd choose, making it too easy to just guess the answer. I like a challenge, and I don't see how much of a challenge I could really give to myself. After all, I like my games like I like my men. Hard.

Plus, I can't deny that I'm more than a little curious to see how such a limitation in my mind would feel. It should be interesting.
And, I can also choose a punishment I'll be compelled to fulfil if I lose. Yeah, no thanks. I could see that being fun for some, but I'm hardly going to risk making myself - cluck like a chicken - in the middle of the...

...crap. Crap, crap, crap! What the hell did I just... I didn't do a goddamn thing. She did this to me! Well, that's just lovely. Now, I've got my reputation riding on this because, if I quit or try to cheat by writing the answer down or asking for help, that counts as a loss...
Dammit... Guess I've got no choice then. Begin.
Aaaand... it's gone. Huh. Hmmmmm... Come on... Nope. Completely gone. Whoa.
I always open games of Hangman with all the vowels, in order. Not many words don't have any, so it's usually a safe bet.
A
Oh, wow. My hand is actually moving on its own. I can't control it at all. That's... Well, it's creepy, let's be honest.

Good, I can control my hand again. But it really works. Wow. I can see why Nicole's so into this sort of thing. It's crazy. Anyway, the game.
Hmm... It's not a great start, but, oh, well. There's plenty of room for the other vowels to make up for it.
E

Two, nice.
I

Two again. And one is in the middle word. I can guess what the word might be, so I guess I'll have to wait for one of the other words to get filled in some to see what the mental block feels like.
O

Looking good. With so few spaces left, U isn't likely to be on there, but it's better to be thorough than to overlook the obvious.
U

Nope. No big deal. I've got plenty of hits to spare before I face the gallows. Actually, why is it a person being hung- hanged- in this game for children? It seems a little grim. I'm shocked it's not been banned by overprotective parents yet. A-Anyway, the game.
Vowels are done. Next up, the common consonants. The middle word is either 'is', 'in' or 'if'. 'It' wouldn't work.
S

More like y-S. That's the kind of progress I like. Two instead of one. ...Like Nicole and me... No, stop it! You're an adult and a professional and lonely... Maybe I should have Dr. Clark help me feel less lonely without Nicole. Sigh.
T

Oh, think you're clever, do you... me? Okay. I see how it is. Let's see how you like this, then:
R

Okay, no big deal. Just because the gallows have been set up, doesn't mean I'm in trouble. I've not even started getting strung up yet.
M

Oh, come on!
N

Ha! Who's laughing now, huh? Well, I guess it would still be me, either way, but still...
P

I'm just cheating now, aren't I? Come on, brain, think. Even looking at the first word, I have no idea what it could be. I feel like I should be able to, though. It looks so familiar, but... nothing. But, I can do this.
L

Oh. OOOH! I see it now. It's 'Nicole'! Of course! Wow, this hypnosis stuff is incredible. I should absolutely have been able to guess that from, like, two letters ago. Crazy.
C

Okay, so, 'Nicole is '. Yeah, she was when Janet worked her magic on her. Two more letters, four more hits until death. Okay, that should be easy.
H

...I stand corrected. Um...
F

Crap! Running low on chances. But, I've weeded out most of the letters, at least. Stay positive. Okay. There aren't many words this could be, so let's see... Y works like a vowel half the time. That's it!
Y

Yes! Wow, this is getting close! Okay, one left, so I can just look at it and...
...
...
You can't be serious...

...
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god, why would I ever choose this!? Is it a subconscious thing!? I love Nicole like a sister, but do I actually...? No, no, that can't be right! There is no way that I...
What's my hand doing now? What is it writing?
Wha...

...
I'm gonna kill them.

Description
My name is Sarah Summers and I'm bored. It tends to happen when I get buried under a pile of paperwork. Well, 'mountain' might be more accurate, since becoming the Union of Justice's liaison with the UN. I pride myself on my professionalism, but even I have my limits. It's especially draining when I have to chip away at it alone. My former partner, Nicole Winters, is now a member of the Union, which has to take priority over police work.
Just let me push my chair back away from my desk so I can stand and open up a window. Ignore the fact that you've been at this for two hours and are barely halfway done. Just close your eyes and breathe deep. That's what Dr. Clark suggested.
Initially, I was distrustful of Nicole's therapist at the Union, Dr. Janet Clark. As the team's liaison, I'm one of the few non-members to know of Janet's role within the heroic organisation, for security reasons. Although, my knowledge comes less from my position, and more from my best friend being one of Dr. Clark's primary clients. Nicole has been taking regular therapeutic sessions with the good doctor, ever since her transformation into an honest-to-god minotaur a few months ago. The transformation (and brief brainwashing) took quite a toll on her mental health, which led to her taking regular sessions, similar to a number of other members of the team. One other member currently undergoing such therapy is Autumn Valentine, a former officer from the UK, and now the copper-skinned hero, Copper.
Unlike my two counterparts, however, I am not a super-hero, nor have I ever stepped into Dr. Clark's office entirely by choice. Instead, I, the officer that can actually live an ordinary life, have always gone out of concern for my friend. Janet is obviously aware of my unease towards her due to the fact that her power of mind control is not too dissimilar to the one that had temporarily ensnared my best friend's mind. She always maintains a professional, friendly demeanour, which does help put my mind at ease, somewhat.
It was during a recent session for both Nicole and Autumn, who had decided to take some sessions together, that I finally agreed to join in. I can't deny that the prospect of letting go of all my stresses and worries for a few minutes was almost irresistible, and the trance did make me feel more relaxed than I have in years. It felt nice to be stress-free for once, even if only for a half hour. Dr. Clark, evidently, picked up on the loneliness and resignation in my voice when the subject of my then-upcoming mountain of work came up, and she made a suggestion.
"It's a game I came up with back in college," she explained. College was where she had discovered her powers, so this was likely from her early experimentation days. "I call it 'Hypnotic Hangman'. It's a kind of single player version of Hangman. Basically, I give you some suggestions so that you can pick your phrase and set up the game, and then your conscious mind will forget what you chose. But subconsciously, you'll still remember, and you'll find your hand guided by your subconscious every time you choose a letter, filling in the letter or adding a piece to the gallows based on whether you were correct or not. I could give you those suggestions now, if you'd like."
I think I would have turned her down if I was awake. But in that state, I felt much more trusting towards Janet, which Nicole claims is me being more honest with myself. Either way, I accepted Janet's offer and am now, supposedly, equipped with all the tools I need to give this game a try. I'll just take out a piece of paper and a pencil, and set it all up.

Supposedly, there are two difficulty options Janet came up with for the game: Standard and Hard. Hard, apparently, makes the player completely incapable of guessing the words until only one letter is left to find. It makes sense; the player also chooses the phrase to begin with, so you run the risk of the game having no challenge to it because you know the kind of things you'd choose, making it too easy to just guess the answer. I like a challenge, and I don't see how much of a challenge I could really give to myself. After all, I like my games like I like my men. Hard.

Plus, I can't deny that I'm more than a little curious to see how such a limitation in my mind would feel. It should be interesting.
And, I can also choose a punishment I'll be compelled to fulfil if I lose. Yeah, no thanks. I could see that being fun for some, but I'm hardly going to risk making myself - cluck like a chicken - in the middle of the...

...crap. Crap, crap, crap! What the hell did I just... I didn't do a goddamn thing. She did this to me! Well, that's just lovely. Now, I've got my reputation riding on this because, if I quit or try to cheat by writing the answer down or asking for help, that counts as a loss...
Dammit... Guess I've got no choice then. Begin.
Aaaand... it's gone. Huh. Hmmmmm... Come on... Nope. Completely gone. Whoa.
I always open games of Hangman with all the vowels, in order. Not many words don't have any, so it's usually a safe bet.
A
Oh, wow. My hand is actually moving on its own. I can't control it at all. That's... Well, it's creepy, let's be honest.

Good, I can control my hand again. But it really works. Wow. I can see why Nicole's so into this sort of thing. It's crazy. Anyway, the game.
Hmm... It's not a great start, but, oh, well. There's plenty of room for the other vowels to make up for it.
E

Two, nice.
I

Two again. And one is in the middle word. I can guess what the word might be, so I guess I'll have to wait for one of the other words to get filled in some to see what the mental block feels like.
O

Looking good. With so few spaces left, U isn't likely to be on there, but it's better to be thorough than to overlook the obvious.
U

Nope. No big deal. I've got plenty of hits to spare before I face the gallows. Actually, why is it a person being hung- hanged- in this game for children? It seems a little grim. I'm shocked it's not been banned by overprotective parents yet. A-Anyway, the game.
Vowels are done. Next up, the common consonants. The middle word is either 'is', 'in' or 'if'. 'It' wouldn't work.
S

More like y-S. That's the kind of progress I like. Two instead of one. ...Like Nicole and me... No, stop it! You're an adult and a professional and lonely... Maybe I should have Dr. Clark help me feel less lonely without Nicole. Sigh.
T

Oh, think you're clever, do you... me? Okay. I see how it is. Let's see how you like this, then:
R

Okay, no big deal. Just because the gallows have been set up, doesn't mean I'm in trouble. I've not even started getting strung up yet.
M

Oh, come on!
N

Ha! Who's laughing now, huh? Well, I guess it would still be me, either way, but still...
P

I'm just cheating now, aren't I? Come on, brain, think. Even looking at the first word, I have no idea what it could be. I feel like I should be able to, though. It looks so familiar, but... nothing. But, I can do this.
L

Oh. OOOH! I see it now. It's 'Nicole'! Of course! Wow, this hypnosis stuff is incredible. I should absolutely have been able to guess that from, like, two letters ago. Crazy.
C

Okay, so, 'Nicole is '. Yeah, she was when Janet worked her magic on her. Two more letters, four more hits until death. Okay, that should be easy.
H

...I stand corrected. Um...
F

Crap! Running low on chances. But, I've weeded out most of the letters, at least. Stay positive. Okay. There aren't many words this could be, so let's see... Y works like a vowel half the time. That's it!
Y

Yes! Wow, this is getting close! Okay, one left, so I can just look at it and...
...
...
You can't be serious...

...
Oh, my god.
Oh, my god, why would I ever choose this!? Is it a subconscious thing!? I love Nicole like a sister, but do I actually...? No, no, that can't be right! There is no way that I...
What's my hand doing now? What is it writing?
Wha...

...
I'm gonna kill them.