Getting positive Bela Lugosi Dracula cape vibes here.

Since Patrick McGoohan appeared in four (and won two Ennies from them) Columbo episodes, directed five of them, wrote two, and produced two, would that make him the equivalent of The Master?

The First Columbo ran a game show entitled "You Bet Your Life Sentence".

I can just hear him saying that, with his exagerated, raspy pronunciation.

Bela Lugosi as Dracula
Christopher Lee as Dracula

Knowing the character, that chest is either full of money or its full of food. Either way, it won't last.

Obviously, he's the Master of Ceremonies.

Post an image you saved because it makes you laugh.

(Loki obviously posted some really awful Steve/Tony slash fiction on the Marvel equivalent of AO3.)

One of my video production co-workers has a hat that says "Make Video Horizontal Again."

I would say "Make Video Landscape Again" but that's just me.

I should mention we produce video for collegiate and professional sport teams, and vertical formatted videos are an abomination.

Just be glad the moisture got into in an easily-accessable area.

Especially when you're already in a compliant state after the first few tests and then the nurse tells me to follow her finger up and down and left and right and ...

Now that I'm thinking about it, I will try this out as an induction sometime.

You are loved, dear heart.

Jack "The King" Kirby would approve.

Player: "I'm going to steal his hoodie."
GM: "Roll for it."
Player: rolls a natural 20

Ruby / Xang slash fiction (really, really badly written slash fiction.)

Not just how bad most representations are, but also why? (The need for dramatic or comedic effect, for one.)

I might also hope my name would be on the cover, or, at least, in the credits and references.

They would also burn hashish (and incense to cover the smell) because it caused heightened suggestibility (or so it was claimed: I've seen data that this may be true.)

5/fin

One of my earliest exposures to stage hypnosis was an article entitled "Secrets of the Sleep Merchants". It described some of the tricks carny stage hypnotists used, like using a bulb full of chloroform concealed up their sleeve to spray it into the face of their volunteers.

4/

"Do you like my perfume? That's one of the tricks: its got a little something extra that makes people very sleepy and suggestible. Like you are, right now."

My mind was so foggy that I barely understood what she was saying or doing, but I totally understood what she said next.

"Sleep!"

3/

"Gramps and Da were stage hypnotists, and they taught me all their tricks, like this one!"

She wiggled and waved again and that heavy perfume got stronger and stronger and my eyes got heavier and heavier. I could barely keep following the motions of her fingers and hands.

2/

"Juat carrying on an old family tradition." That's what Lola said as she wiggled her fingers and waved her hands before my eyes, and a heavy incense-like perfume surrounded me. My eyes started getting heavy and I felt drowy and dreamy all of a sudden.

"What's ... what's ... what's that?"

1/

She's one of those weird people that I'd like to have in my life. Not that I go in for all the weird stuff she does (I can tell its not real) but I would like to be nearby when she tosses one of those smoke bombs around.

Everything about the hypnotist was fake: their credentials, their long hair, their boobs, their accent, their paste jewelry, their pearl drop earrings, everything was fake.

But when she said "*sleep*" and snapped her fingers, the trance was real enough.

"Its just another Stepford City Sunday,
Here in robot women land."

(I've had "Pleasant Valley Sunday" by the Monkees stuck in my head for most of the afternoon.)

By Boolean logic, -or- can mean either one and also both. Otherwise, you'd need an either-or gate to just specify one option.

Gee, do I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon?

Maybe?

Do I wish this would happen?

...

Maybe??

Would it work?

...

...

Maybe?

The next thing I knew, the gorgeous doctor told me my vitals are all okay, but my obedience levels need to improve and scheduled me for sessions with her every night for the rest of the week.

I just nodded and said "I will obey."

2/fin

It was my regular medical checkup. The pretty nurse at the office checked my vitals with quiet but cheerful efficiency and recorded them on her tablet. Then she said "Just one more test." as she reversed it and showed me this wave of colors that totally captured my attention.

1/

Addenda: I started this story on a whim, and just let the conclusion develop as I was writing it.

I wanted to do another of these short-short stories, but I was lacking inspiration, until I glanced as some tangential @sleepymaid artwork.

Then we blinked, and she was gone, and all I and the other woman remembered was that we were there on a blind date. How and why was irrelevent, because we hit it off fron that moment, almost as if someone who knew our most intimate secrets matched us with the perfect partner.

6/fin