I could have missed this story. The author does not have many stories on EMCSA, and from what I can gather is not active on the boards. So, I'm grateful to have caught this one. It is Lemma the Librarian by Midori Konton.
Lemma is a sorceress, a young, powerful, self-absorbed, intelligent, pretty (but no so pretty as she thinks), naive, volatile sorceress who because of the volatile, dangerous mix of character traits and power has been sent on a 'special' mission which has landed her in the backwaters of Lemura. The mission is to recover a group of stolen magical grimoires and return them to the library where they belong. She is bound to this duty by a spell which partially directs her actions. The grimoire in the first chapter is: Gender-Specific Glamours and Their Uses, by Soltad boSuntel the Surprisingly Popular
Lemma's character makes this story go. The story is written from her perspective, but her perspective is a well-executed example of an unreliable narrator which leads to most of the plentiful humor. Lemma's warped perspective on herself and events leads several clever moments of disconnect between what is happening and her reaction to those events. It also leads to her getting herself into serious trouble.
The mind control is interesting. The control is centered on character doing the controlling, leaving those influenced by it in a kind of netherworld when not in the controller's presence. They have their own minds and realize they are being controlled, but they also know they will continue to obey.
There's plenty of sex. Aside from the first scene, it's not a standout part of this story, but the first scene with and the the descent into the MC is plenty hot.
One note, this story is not complete. However, the first four parts make a complete chapter. This is what I'm recommending. I hope to recommend it all when it is complete. All in all, a nice addition to the list. I will make a page with them all in the next couple days.
You're right in that popular culture - whether movies, TV, or music, seem to be getting "louder" and more extreme in order to gain attention. I think another part of the decreasing empathy in popular culture is that the audience aimed at is increasingly the sort of audience that is not at an empathetic stage of life, but which has disposable income and less restraint in using it.
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