(tw, dumbification, iq play, subliminal hypnosis)
(I spent all day writing this, I hope you like it!
Lucy was a freshman in college. She had worked hard to get into a good school and was doing great in all her classes, especially her introductory Algebra class. She only had one friend in the class, Daniel, who wasn’t the smartest, but whoever you sit next to is who you get.
Lucy had helped Daniel study for most of the tests throughout the semester, and tomorrow was the midterm. She’d spent all weekend studying with Daniel for this test, but Daniel said he had found a couple videos that helped him really grasp the concepts. Lucy had to admit, she was worried about this midterm; the test was worth about 20% of her whole grade this semester. She figured whatever videos Daniel had found wouldn’t hurt, and her hands were tired from writing so much. Maybe a video would help.
The next day, the two of them walked into class and took their seats. Daniel seemed confident, even a little excited for the test, which Lucy thought was strange. Maybe the videos really helped him. Weirdly enough, she thought back and couldn’t remember anything about them. She must have fallen asleep through them. They were probably really boring. Thankfully, she did lots of studying on her own, too. Just then, Professor Graff began passing out the sheets. One sheet with the 20 multiple choice questions all on the front, one piece of scrap paper, and a scantron sheet to record our answers.
Lucy sat ready in her seat, pencil in hand. Professor Graff gave her announcement about how the test is to be taken. Lucy tuned it out. She knew this. She was going to ace this test. Daniel snickered next to her when Graff explicitly said to fill each bubble on the scantron full and neatly in pencil. He looked at Lucy and winked.
“Begin," Professor Graff announced.
Question 1: Factor 2x^2 + 7x + 5.
She knew the answer as soon as she saw the option in the multiple choices below. She picked up her pencil and scrawled in C on the scantron. POP! She felt happier knowing she got it right.
Polynomials, easy. Onto the next one.
Question 2: Factor 3x^2 - 4x - 7.
She factored it out in her head and marked option A on her scantron. POP! Lucy scanned down the test, seeing that the rest of the questions were formatted very similarly, smiling to herself. She'd seen and studied for everything.
This is gonna be a piece of cake. I bet I'll do twice as good as Daniel and his silly videos.
The next few questions went on like usual. Lucy did the math in her head, scrawled in the circle on the scantron, POP! and moved on to the next. She noticed a faint popping sound in the classroom as she did her test. It was probably just someone chewing gum behind her. The next problem stopped her in her tracks.
Question 7: Factor (4x+1)^2 - 8x - 2.
It was the same kind of question as the others, but it was harder to do the math in her head now. She felt a little fuzzier, spacing out as she stared at the numbers on the equation. She reluctantly grabbed her scrap paper, working through the problem. She had planned on not using it at all, but hey, no harm in using all your resources. After some work, she found that D was the answer. She scribbled in D on the scantron.
POP!
Where is that fun popping sound coming from?
She looked around for the source, seeing her classmates with their faces in their tests. She looked at Daniel besides her, who looked at her confused expression and grinned. Did he make the noise? Professor Graff noticed Lucy looking around.
"Eyes on your own paper, everyone."
Lucy was flustered, and faced forward in her seat. She mouthed a "sorry" to her Professor as her head dropped and she started on Question 8. Onto solving polynomials. She knew exactly how to do it, but for some reason, this one gave her some trouble. She continued on her scrap paper. The answer was C.
She double checked her work, and saw her mistake. 4x6 isn't 48, it's 24.
Whoops, that was a close one, she thought to herself, as she scrawled D on the answer sheet.
POP!
Her eyes glazed over at the sound. Although she had no idea where it came from, she found it kinda relaxing. She enjoyed it for a second, giving her brain a little break from the test before getting back to work.
Question 9: Solve for x: x2+8x−20.
Ummm, where do I even start?
She started to panic a little. Earlier she saw this question and thought nothing of it. She wrote it down on her scrap paper, then wrote it again.
She erased the second one and began writing on her scrap paper, glancing at her previous work to make sure she was following the steps right. After a minute, she had the answer. She moved to her answer sheet. She filled in the bubble, starting from the outside and working her way in. Like a spiral, eventually reaching the center and...
Lucy heard the sound again louder, like a bubble popping in the room. She didn't care where it came from now; it sounded so nice. It relaxed her, calmed her down. She relaxed further, and smiled.
Filling in the bubbles was so much fun, she thought. The test could wait. The sound felt so good, like a bath for her head. The bubbles were so much fun…
Lucy awoke to the sound of her pencil clattering onto the floor. Her eyes opened quickly, waking up from her daydream.
She looked at the clock. Two minutes had passed since she looked at it last. Daniel bent down and handed her the pencil, giving her a wink. She blushed, and mouthed "thank you" to him.
Uhh, that was… weird. What’s going on? Oh, crap. You're taking a test, Lucy. Wake up. Focus. 10 questions- no, 11 questions to go. You can do this. You're good at math.
She stared at question 10 for a while, feeling more scatterbrained than before. She spaced out and copied the question on her scrap paper, copying the steps she took before.
These problems are getting so much harder, but...
Filling in the bubbles is so much easier. I can't wait to fill another--
Stop! Go back to the problem, Lucy!
She pushed the bubble shee- the scantron to the corner of her desk and went back to her scrap paper. After straining her brain, she found that x=4. That means the answer is A. She flipped to the scantron and began to color in the bubble, smiling to herself, and as it filled in solid.
Another pop, each louder than the last filled her brain again. She had filled in a bubble, and that made her so happy. She felt the need to giggle, but held it back. The quiet classroom around her started to disappear, feeling so relaxed and empty staring at the bubbles on the paper. A dribble of drool formed on her lips and it plopped on the bubble sheet...
Oh my god. She just drooled on her midterm. Something was wrong with her. Flushed and embarrassed, she raised her hand.
"Can I umm, run to the restroom, Professor Graff?"
The professor glanced up from her book at her, a little surprised.
"Lucy, we’re halfway through the semester. You don't have to ask anymore, you're not in grade school. Just go."
"Oh, my bad," Lucy said sheepishly.
She knew that, why did she ask such a stupid question?
Even more embarrassed, Lucy hurried out of the classroom, trying to remember where the bathroom was. As she walked down the hall, she heard a voice call out from behind.
"So how's the test, Lucy?" Is our studying paying off?"
Daniel appeared outside the door of the class, smirking and leaning against the wall. Lucy felt relieved to see him and walked back.
"Daniel, omg something is really wrong with me. I keep spacing out really bad and I'm making these dumb mistakes. Like, I know that I know the answer, but my brain just keeps moving through molasses. And there's this weird sound that keeps-"
“Shhh, calm down. I’m sure you’re doing fine. Graff's tests are usually pretty hard, but remember that I helped you study so much! Those videos I mad- *ahem* found sure work, huh?”
Lucy scoffed at the remark.
“I don’t remember those videos, Daniel. I’m getting through the test because of my hard work studying. And don't forget, I'm the one that helps you study, not the other way around. I’m just, um, out of sorts right now.”
“Uh huh. One quick question Lucy, how many have you done?”
She thought for a moment. Remembering numbers was a little harder than before. That doesn't help calm her down.
"Umm, I’m like, halfway through the questions? I made it through the factoring and now I’m having trouble solv-"
"No silly, I mean how many bubbles have you filled in?"
Lucy giggled at the thought of the bubbles. She answered excitedly.
She stepped back, shocked by her immediate answer.
“Daniel what is going on? Why did I say that?”
"It's our studying paying off, remember? I told you all those videos you watched are going to help a ton on your test. You sure you don’t remember anything about them?”
Lucy thought really hard, visualizing where she was when she saw them. She was in Daniel’s dorm. She was sitting at a desk... No. She was on the floor, looking at the screen. She didn't remember numbers, but… she remembered a voice. Yeah, that’s right. It was saying something, something about colors, or shapes, or bubbles…
Lucy’s head hurt from thinking so hard.
Why couldn't she remember anything right now? What was wrong with her? Was it something she drank? Did she not sleep enough?
Daniel spoke up, interrupting her slow train of thought.
"Here, let me help. Let's see if you remember your mantra.
When you fill a bubble full and grey..."
Lucy’s mind went blank. She answered happily and automatically, as if she was a toy and he just pulled the string on her back.
"A pink bubble pops my brain away!"
What the hell! What was that? What did he do to her? Why couldn't she think about anything but the bubbles in her head?
She was about to ask another question, but Daniel interrupted.
“Good girl! You do remember the subliminal. You paid really good attention to them. And to see you this ditzy halfway through the test, I can't imagine what you'll be like at the end."
“Daniel, did you… did you try to hypnotize me? What was that video?”
“Better get back to your test before you run out of time Lucy. Come find me after class when you’re done with your test, I’m sure you’ll have so much fun.”
With that, Daniel walks back into the classroom, snickering to himself.
Lucy is left stunned. He must have hypnotized her. No, he wouldn’t… They were friends. She started to panic.
Did that actually happen? Those videos... No way, she was just tired. He’s just messing with her. But what if he isn’t?
Anxious and confused, she came back into the classroom. Lucy returned to her seat and grabbed her pencil, eager to prove Daniel wrong. As she sits next to him, he gives her another wink as he scribbles in a bubble on his scantron. She feels a twinge of excitement.
Question 11. Solve for x if y=3 6x^2 + 8xy = 192
You can do this Lucy, you're good at math. Don't let Daniel and his stupid hypnosis mess with you. Hypnosis isn't even real.
She continued on, doing the work on the scrap paper. Every second it takes her makes her more worried, but she solves it. x=5, Answer C. She moved to her scantron, as a twinge of anxiety and excitement hit her. She nervously filled in the bubble, trying to concentrate really hard on the numbers. Math. Algebra. Numbers…
The sound reeled in her head as she finished filling the bubble. All her worry drained away the moment the sound rang out in her head. Relax, accept, listen. She looked hard at the paper and saw the bubble she filled in and felt happy. She felt the need to giggle in her head as the thoughts popped away. Right before the laugh left her lips, she snapped back.
Determined and in denial, she quickly moved onto another problem. She scrawled out her work on the scrap paper and found that x=7. She looked at the multiple choices, but 7 wasn't an option.
She went back and did her work again. x=7. What was she missing? Something. Okay, just relax. Breathe. Her mind emptied and she smiled. Her mind drifted to the pops in her head. She looked at the bubble sheet. She loved her bubble sheet. Option B was x=8.
She concedes, too excited to start filling another bubble. Lucy thought of going back and trying it again. She couldn't afford to get questions wrong, but that thought quickly left her head as she had already filled in the-
Lucy’s mind became jumbled, lost in the sound of the pop in her head. She filled in the bubble with grey and then a pink bubble popped in her head. That made her feel so good, so relaxed, so… bubbly! Her thoughts danced in her head.
Taking the test was supposed to be stressful, not fun.
Wait, it’s the other way around. Whoopsies!
Lucy picked up her pencil in her hand and stared at the papers in front of her. She should do the next problem. She happily copied problem 13 onto the paper with all of the scribbles, and stared at that. With all that was left of her willpower, Lucy put everything into solving this problem. She skipped through all the steps in her empty head and found the answer! She did it!
That meant she got to fill in a bubble. She slid her bubble sheet to the center of her desk and smiled wide. Her brain exhausted from all that hard work, she filled in A, the very first bubble she saw.
Daniel was right: she was having so much fun!
Lucy giggled and laughed aloud. A couple of students stared at her as she blankly looked back, a dumbfounded happy face from the sound of the bubble. She didn't care. The mantra she had learned found its way in her thoughts.
When you fill a bubble full and grey,
a pink bubble pops your brain away!
Her head felt so empty as the pink bubble popped her brain. The pop sound finally leaves her head, she looks back at the next question, excited to solve the next bubb- problem.
Question 14: Find the roots of this polynomial. (x-1)(2x^2+3x-9)
Omg that's like super hard! Okay, lets see, I just move the numbers around and like, get the answer. Focus, Lucy. If you get it right, you get to pop another bubble.
She tries to write the numbers down on the paper and finds she was using the eraser to write. Whoops. As she flipped it around the eraser caught her eye. She got lost in it, a pretty pink circle. Just like the bubbles that pop in her brain! Lucy giggles to herself.
Trying her best, she got x to be 13! She looks at the answers below.
Hmmm, 13 isn't one of the options, but D says that x=1 and x=1/3, so that's kinda close, I'll do that one!
She begins to excitedly fill in the bubble. She knows she didn't get it right, but she tried! And that deserves another bubble!
The sound echoes in her head, like a shout in a cavern. Why was she so worried earlier? Didn't she know she could just fill in the bubbles and everything would be okay? She laughed at how anxious she was, but at least she was right about one thing: This test was really easy. Giggling to herself, she looks at the equation sheet. Question 14. For a second, Lucy snaps out of it.
Wait, didn’t I just do number 14?
She can't remember, so she looks at her bubble sheet. She tries to count the bubbles, but once she finishes, she fills in another one. It's just too fun to make your brain go…
More giggles erupt from her, trying to be quiet, which only makes her giggle more. Some students are staring at her, wondering why the smartest girl in class hasn't finished the test yet, and is instead giggling like a bimbo with fresh nails. Daniel glances at her and smiles to himself harder, proud of his creation. Lucy looks back, dreamily.
Wow, Daniel is so smart, he offered to show me those videos in order to pass my test. He's such a good friend. I should thank him somehow...
She looks back down at the sheet full of questions, confused.
"Wait, there's no bubbles here!"
As the whole room stares at her, she covers her mouth. A couple of students giggle, but most just stare at her confused.
“Quiet down, Lucy. People are still taking the test,” Professor Graff scolds, obviously annoyed with her distracted laughing. She resumes reading her book.
Oops, I said that out loud! I'm so stupid. Okay, next bubble, errm, question. Oops again.
Question 15: Which graph represents the following pol- polyn…
Lucy trails off. The questions are just so hard to read now, so she just looks at the answers.
What are all of these weird lines? X and Y? I thought math was supposed to be with numbers, not letters. This is too hard.
Lucy looks to the other page in front of her, featuring a bunch of scribbling and equa- math stuff. Her face lights up.
Omgz, a cheat sheet! Perfect, now I have all the answers. Wow, whoever gave me these notes is soo much smarter than me. Okay, ummmm, oh there! It says x=4!
She turns to the bubble sheet again, antsy to fill in another.
Okay, x=4 is ummm, what letter again?
Lucy thinks hard, searching through the pink fog that now sits in her brain. She imagines the bubble about to pop, spreading more fog and giggles aloud again.
Oh! It must be D because D is the fourth letter of the alph- the umm, alfabet! I guess math does use letters too!
She ditzily fills in the bubble, eagerly awaiting her new favorite sound.
Filling and emptying her head all at once. She giggles again, this time louder. People are staring at her now, but Lucy doesn’t notice. She looks back at the two papers without the bubbles. The numbers and letters jumble around in her brain and fly right back out with each giggle.
Lucy sweeps the other papers on her desk and onto the floor. Daniel watches it happen with joy.
She looks at her bubble sheet, the source of all her happiness. That and the pops in her head. The bubbles and the popping are all she can think of as she looks at her test.
Hrmmm, A, B, C, or D? Oh boy, this test was saving the hard questions for last.
She tries to think and instead just laughs. The answer has to be B. B for Bubbles!! She takes her pencil and fills in the bubble, and…
The sound is so loud now she feels it in her whole body. It relaxes her. It empties her head and fills her body with tingles and wiggles and giggles. Her happy thoughts flutter in her vacant head.
Next bubble! Wait, it's the same question as the last one... that means I already know the answer! B for Bubbles!
She fills in the bubble, feeling happier knowing she got it right.
So blank and dumb now, Lucy’s head feels lighter than air. The classroom fades away, the students fade away, everything but the bubbles and the sound of the bubbles. Lucy giggles and fills in another B, as the smartest student in the class keeps mindlessly giggling.
Blissfully lost in the pink fog in her brain, she feels the best she’s ever felt. Happy and tingly, her head droops over to her right, drool falling from her lip onto her shoulder. Looking back at her is Daniel! She remembers what he told her to do after the test and gets excited. Daniel gestures to her paper, and whispers in her ear.
“One more to go! Be a good girl and fill another bubble for me. Then we can go back to my place and you can make something else pop.”
Lucy giggles and nods her head up and down. Looking back at the sheet full of bubbles, she looks at the last row. Four more bubbles stare at her. She giggles and takes her pencil and fills all four.
I’m gonna get such a good grade!
