Deep Dream State

Hook Line

S4 E2: Hook Line (GE29)

You already fell for it.
Blubrry | RSS | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
All strings attached.

Summary

Celeste keeps hearing the same song and dreaming the same dream. When she wakes up in the dorm, Vera shows her how they've all been dreaming the same. She shows Vera the device she found, Buzzies. They can use it together, and the circle keeps spreading wider. The scene ends on a murmur that isn't just two women; it's a chorus.

June and Naia are the audience; they're watching from the Garden Nest. June can see herself in the dorm. She understands why the hooks work. Naia has her own version of hooks attached to restraints. She's eager to see which version works best; she needs every puppet string she can use to steer the action.

Elle and Cael don't see all the strings, but they're definitely dancing. They breach a space deep in the backrooms, and discover original charter. It's paper only, no backup. It establishes that if the IPO fails, control of everything reverts automatically to Meridian A and Naia.

Getting there will take some work, though. Elle is always willing to put in the work. Celeste and Vera come to her, hoping for some clarity about the hooks that are starting to control them. Elle hands them a map to see the real conditioning room. She's truly sincere, but we all know she's got her own plan for hooking.

Meet The Cast

Written and Produced by: Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns

Directed by: Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns

Co-Directed by: Bliss Blank

Z Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns Recurring Cast
June Lowell Bliss Blank Recurring Cast
Tessa Finn Ring of Kees Recurring Cast
Meg Aerin Bun Li Recurring Cast
Naia Anderson Dizzy Dollie Recurring Cast
Elle Lawson Echo Doll Recurring Cast
Iris Vale Swirls and Twirls Recurring Cast
Cael Yupp Jericho Caine Recurring Cast
Hespa Apate Syndi Rella Recurring Cast
Astoria Dakota Dream Recurring Cast
Hilton Tickled Panda Recurring Cast
Synthserv 3.0 Valentina Vallay Recurring Cast
Vera Fallen Guest Stars
Celeste Panda Moanium Guest Stars

More Info

All Vale Four Episodes

GE28 / S4E1: Refrain

GE29 / S4E2: Hook Line

GE30 / S4E3: Sinker

GE31 / S4E4: Slowplay

GE32 / S4E5: Raise

GE33 / S4E6: Pot Limit

GE34 / S4E7: The River

GE35 / S4E8: Quiver

GE36 / S4E9: Nock

GE37 / S4E10: Bullseye

Human Made Art

The poster image for this arc is from Sunrise Forever, under the Pixabay license. Layer art overlays are used to vary each iteration of the image. You can find the original here.

Consent Declaration

Deep Dream State is a desire horror audio drama written and produced by Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns. It explores psychological fiction at the boundaries of control, identity, and complicity. The manipulative elements depicted are fictional and intentional. This is a story about what happens when consent is algorithmically removed, not a celebration of that process. Vale Four explores audio conditioning and behavioral manipulation as horror. The hooks in this episode are fictional. The science behind them is not. All performances are works of fiction and take place within a consensual creative context.

Chapters