The theme music plays, and a sleazy-looking weasel of a man, who looks more like a car salesman who has a hard drug business on the side than a game show host, comes out on stage. He’s smiling the biggest, fakest, bleached-white smile on television.

“Hello, everyone! And welcome to Descent, the only trivia game show that gets easier the longer it goes on. I’m your host, Jacob Dawson and I’m here with the lovely Olivia.”

Olivia adjusts her glasses. The camera unsubtly does a pan up her body, slowing down around her hips and her breasts. Someone in the audience does a wolf whistle, earning them a disapproving look from Olivia. She’s wearing dowdy, professional clothing, but it does little to hide her curves.

“It’s uh, Dr. Neuman,” she says meekly. “Dr. Olivia Neuman.”

“Of course, Olivia,” Jacob nods. “Olivia, tell us a little bit about yourself?”

Several emotions pass over Olivia’s face as she tries to hide how offended she is at his calling her just “Olivia.”

“Hello, Jacob. It’s an, uh, honor to be here,” she says. “I’m a marine biologist here in Florida, and I’m raising my son, Austin, by myself.”

“It must be hard making ends meet,” the host says in his best impression of sympathy. “Taking care of a young child, and trying to pay off your student loans all by yourself?”

“Well, that’s why I’m here. I’m going to win it all!” Olivia says, trying to put on a cheery smile, the edges of her mouth not quite cooperating.

“That’s what we like to hear!” Jacob says. “Now, to our audience watching at home, let’s explain the rules of the show. A million dollars is on the line. If Olivia answers all the questions, she’ll be able to go home with the grand prize. But there’s a rub,” He paused for dramatic effect. “We’re going to put a special helmet on Olvia’s head. Let’s bring it out!”

An attractive young woman in a skimpy dress came out carrying a helmet. Olivia tensed when it came into view. Her discomfort was obvious as the young woman lowered it onto her head.

Jacob resumed. “This helmet is the Brain Drainer 9000! Whenever Olivia gets a question right, we’ll ZAP a little bit of her intelligence away.”

Olivia jumped involuntarily at the word “ZAP.”

Jacob smiled at the camera. “Looks like she’s already nervous she’s going to do well.” Titters of laughter from the audience.

“As I was saying,” he continued, “With every right answer, Olivia is going to get a little dumber. But fear not, dear audience. Olivia is a PhD in Marine Biology, with a measured IQ of 195. For people who don’t know how IQ works, 100 is an average IQ, and every 15 points is one standard deviation above the average. That means Olivia here is smarter than 99% of people in the world, and has a higher IQ than even Einstein.” Jacob did an aside to the audience. “Though that does rather raise the question why she’s on a game show like this, instead of out in the world raking in the big bucks with that enormous brain of hers.”

Olivia muttered under her breath. The microphone only picked up the words, “...marine biology… not lucrative…”

“In any case,” Jacob continued. “We like to keep things fair in Descent, so as Olivia gets dumber, the questions will get easier and easier. Play along at home, and see how long it takes for us to get to questions you start to know!”

Jacob seems ready to start, but then someone rushes out with a cue card and points dramatically at it.

“Oh, how could I forget?” he said, looking around the auditorium. “If Olivia wins, she not only gets her million dollars, but the week-long process to restore her to her original intelligence will be started right away. If Olivia loses, she’ll go to our sister reality show, Vapid, where she’ll get a second chance to make some money. She’ll keep the reduced intelligence she has at the end of this show, be surrounded by other contestants in the same predicament as her, and the audience at home will get to vote each week if they want to keep her on the show. We’ll be compensating her for each week she manages to keep audience interest - once she’s voted off of Vapid, she’ll be returned to her original intelligence and allowed to return to her normal life. Why don’t we see some highlights from the latest episode?”

* * *

Cut to a clip of a bottle-blond, spray-tanned young woman at a club. A banner appears at the bottom of the screen reading, “Professor Laura Stodden, Department Chair of Feminist, Gender and Sexuality studies at Stanford University, original IQ 187.”

A man with tattoos on his face and a worn out look about him comes up to Laura carrying a drink for her, which she gratefully accepts and promptly downs in a single gulp.

“Woo! Party!” she says, as the man starts to grope her and the two begin to grind together.

Cut to a confessional interview with Laura in a parking lot.

“My favorite thing about Sawyer?” she looks up in vacant thought. “Well,” she giggled, biting her lip, “His cock is huge. The first time I saw him, I was just, like, woah!”

Muffled sound of interviewer off mike.

“Oh, that’s not what you meant? You meant, like, real shit I like about him? Well… I guess he’s totally smart, you know? He’s a plumber, but he keeps teaching me interesting new things!”

Cut to scene of Sawyer and Laura in a dingy apartment. Sawyer is watching a show on the history channel.

“How in tarnation you ain’t never heard of the of the annunaki, sweet cheeks?” he says, roughly grabbing her breast. “Them’s the aliens what built the pyramids in Egypt and Mexico.”

“What’s a pyramid?” Laura asks, fluttering her empty eyes at him.

“What’s a-, what's a pyramid? Ya can’t be serious? What did they fill yar empty little head with in school?” he said in disbelief.

Laura pouts. “If you teach me what a pyramid is, I’ll, like, suck your cock!”

Cut to confessional interview with Sawyer, sitting on a couch with a satisfied look on his face.

“I ain’t keeping her around for her brains!”

* * *

“What a lovely clip!” Jacob says, as the Descent game show reasserts itself onscreen. “Laura has been kept on the show for 12 weeks now, but she faces stiff competition from last week’s Descent contestant Tiffany, as well as a group of fan favorites bringing drama, cat fights and more drama! Tune in tomorrow night at 10 to see if Laura can keep her streak going! Now, Olivia, are you ready to play?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be!” she says, almost deflating as the words come out of her.

“I don’t think the audience heard you,” Jacob says. “Are you ready to play?”

Olivia sits up straight, and says slightly louder. “I’m ready, Jacob!”

“Good enough!” Jacob exclaims, as music starts to play and lights pan around in swirls around the auditorium. “Let’s play Descent!”

“Your first question, Olivia: Neurologists believe that the brain's medial ventral prefrontal cortex is activated when you do what?

“Is it, A) Have a panic attack, B) Remember a name, C) Get a joke, or D) Listen to music?”

Without missing a beat, Olivia responded.

“C) get a joke. Final answer,” she said confidently.

“That’s right!” Jacob said. “You’ve earned yourself $500 dollars, and the first zap!”

Olivia waited as Jacob fiddled with the remote, wondering what it would feel like to become dumber. Would it hurt? Would it feel like anything at all?

Jacob finally had the remote firmly in his hand, and pressed a button. The helmet on Olivia’s head lit up, made a sound like a supersonic jet and then-

Olivia’s eye’s fluttered as a pleasant sensation played across her scalp. She tried to feel out what knowledge of hers was being taken away, but as she probed through her memory and tried to drill herself on her knowledge, but she didn’t notice anything missing.

The sound stopped almost as soon as it started, and Olivia felt like she was trying to recover her train of thought after a bad distraction. No, not a bad distraction. A rather pleasant distraction. Like feeling the sun gently play across her skin…

“Well, Olivia. I just heard from our technician over my earpiece that your IQ is estimated to be around 187 now. That’s still well above average. How are you feeling?”

Olivia smiled her first genuine smile the whole show. “I’ve scrutinized my knowledge, and I’m not noticing any egregious gaps in my memory. Quite the contrary, I’m now positive that I can go all the way tonight!”

Olivia was sitting up straighter, and her nervousness seemed to be cast off. One zap had just brought her down 8 IQ points or about one-half a standard deviation. There were 15 questions, and that meant she would have an IQ of around 83 when all was said and done. That was low, but she had done her research for the show ahead of time, and knew that the final 3 questions could be answered by 82% of people in the IQ range of 75-85.

Olivia smiled. As far as she was concerned, the game was already won.

“That’s what I like to see!” Jacob said. “A contestant with confidence. Here’s question two: Compiled by Benjamin Franklin in 1737, "The Drinker's Dictionary" included all but which of these synonyms for ‘drunkeness’?

“Was it A) Nimptopsical, B) Buzzey, C) Pifflicated or D) Staggerish?”

Olivia’s sharply intelligent eyes looked up for a second, before she answered.

“C) Pifflicated. Final answer.”

“That’s… correct!” Jacob said. “You’ve earned $1000 dollars, and your second zap!”

Jacob fumbled with the remote again, and Olivia tensed up in anticipation. He pressed the button-

Olivia winced at the jet engine sound, as she felt the pleasant tingling playing across her scalp again. She also felt a warmth starting between her legs.

The sensation stopped, and she tried to get her bearings.

“Olivia, the technician says your IQ is an estimated 179. Missed a great number by just 10. Oh well, perhaps on the next zap! How are you feeling?”

Olivia continued to wear her confident smile. “Jacob, I feel amazing. I’m not feeling slowed down at all! I’m ready to make a million dollars.” It wasn’t quite true. She was very in tune with her body and mind, and could tell that her mental processes weren’t quite as sharp. If she had to compare it, it was like watching her thoughts when she was drunk or low on sleep. She felt like most of her sharpness was still there, just dulled a little and thinking took just a little more effort than it normally would.

“Great! Let’s hear your third question: Who is the only British politician to have held all four 'Great Offices of State' at some point during their career?

“Was it, A) David Lloyd James, B) Harold Wilson, C) James Callaghan, or D) John Major?”

Olivia started to think out loud. “Alright, well I know Harold Wilson served as Prime Minister twice, and later as Parliamentary Secretary and Secretary for Overseas Trade. I don't recall ever reading him serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary.”

She had an intense look of concentration, a piercing, intelligent gaze that almost made Jacob’s showman veneer falter for a moment.

“There was a David Lloyd George who served as Prime Minister, but I don’t think there’s ever been a David Lloyd James. And as for John Major… I know he was Prime Minister, I want to say from around 1990 to 1997. And he was Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary under the Thatcher government, but I want to say he was never Home Secretary. Which leaves,

“D) John Major, Final Answer.”

Jacob looked at the camera dramatically. “Oh… Olivia. I’m so sorry,” he looked down at the cards in his hands. “Oh, never mind! You’re absolutely right!”

Olivia breathed a sigh of relief.

“Which means you’ve earned yourself $2000 dollars, and another zap from the device.”

It was infuriating for Olivia to watch the way Jacob struggled with the remote. He even dropped it for a second before catching it middair just before it hit the ground.

There was the sound like a sonic jet -- and then another one, as the helmet again sprang to life.

Olivia didn’t have time to process why there would be *two* sounds in quick succession, as a much stronger feeling hit her than before. The other zaps had been almost kind and gentle. Pleasant in a way. This one wasn’t playing around.

It hit Olivia like a truck, causing her to roll her head back in pleasure. The feeling between her legs that she had noticed before returned, but instead of a light tickle she felt herself getting incredibly aroused and rubbing her legs together.

A blissful, empty smile went across her lips, and she moaned and ran her hands over her body, enjoying the sensations. However, soon, much too soon, they were gone.

“Olivia, I’m so sorry about that, I don’t know what’s gotten into me,” Jacob said. “I’ve accidentally hit the remote twice - which I’m told by the technician is something I’m *really* not supposed to do. Very bad for the machine, and, uh, well don’t worry about any burnt hair you might smell! I’m told your IQ is now around 156.”

Olivia processed his words, and her face turned red with anger.

“156?” she said. “It should be, uh, wait a second - it should be 171! Even with two zaps it should only be 163. How could this happen?”

Jacob’s smile widened. “I’m sorry Olivia, these things happen. Tell you what, to make things a little more fair, I’m going to hand this remote to you,” he reached over to Olivia and handed her the remote. “There. Now you can zap yourself. No more of my fumblefingers tonight. And, normally you’d have to wait until the $5000 dollar question to get lifelines, but we’re going to give you your lifelines a little early. How does that sound?”

Olivia frowned. This was so unfair! She slowly did the math in her head, and realized the odds were still in her favor. Not as much as a sure thing as before, but still very doable. She knew that it was accept this compromise, or possibly have her appearance on the show thrown out. It took at least a week for a drained brain to be massaged back into shape, and Descent didn’t have the money, time or inclination to wait for her to get back up to her original IQ just so she could have a do-over.

“I guess I’ll keep playing,” Olivia mumbled angrily.

“Alright! What a good sport. Give it up fro Olivia everyone.” The audience applauded.

“That’s enough, that’s enough! Question Four: Which of these cetaceans is classified as a 'toothed whale'?

“A) Gray whale, B) Minke whale, C) Sperm whale, D) Humpback whale.”

Olivia smiled. She was a marine biologist, she could answer questions like these in her sleep.

But as she stared at the four names, the answer didn’t pop into her head.

Fuck.

She knew the helmet erased knowledge in a semi-random fashion, and it seemed like the specific answer to this question was one of the casualties of the zaps she had endured so far.

She wracked her brain, but no matter how hard she tried to think the answer just wouldn’t come.

“Uh, Jacob. I think I’m going to Phone A Friend,” she said, hanging her head in shame.

“Alright, you’re going to use one of your three lifelines and Phone a Friend, who are you going to call?”

“I’m going to call the grad student studying under me, Fernando Juarez,” she said.

“Alright, let’s get Fernando on the phone,” Jacob said.

There was ringing, and soon someone answered.

“Hello,” a male voice said.

“Hi, Ferndando!” Olivia said excitedly. “I’m on Descent, and I’ve got an embarrassing question that I’m sure we’re going to laugh about once I’m in my right mind.”

Nervous laughter. “Alright, shoot.”

Olivia slowly repeated the question to Fernando, and he was quick to respond.

“C) Sperm whale,” he said.

Olivia knew she could trust Fernando. She hung up and gave C as her final answer.

“Very good!” Jacob said. “It is indeed sperm whales! You’ve earned yourself $3000 dollars and another zap from the device.”

Olivia looked down at the remote in her hand and noticed that her fingers were trembling. This was so stupid! It was just pressing a button, why was she so nervous?

She thought back to the last zap when Jacob had accidentally zapped her twice. How good it had felt...

Olivia shook her head, trying to clear it. Her mind was going straight to the gutter.

She was on TV! She couldn’t give in to the absolute pleasure that two zaps had brought her.

But maybe- a chill ran up her spine. Just maybe... She *was* very smart, maybe she could afford two zaps again? She didn’t know the exact math, but just eyeballing, she was pretty sure that even with two zaps she would be going into the following rounds with a higher IQ than 60% of contestants who got this far. She could do two little zaps now, and then be patient for the following rounds.

Yeah. That seemed fine.

Olivia pressed twice quickly on the remote, and the sound and lights again filled the auditorium. Two sonic booms.

“Oh, Fuck!” Olivia said, rolling her eyes back in pleasure as her toes curled involuntarily.

The feeling across her scalp wasn’t like a pleasant breeze anymore - it was pure carnal pleasure. In between her legs, the warmth and arousal built over a few seconds, reached a crescendo and then-- left her disappointed as it died away *far* too soon.

She realized that her hands had gone between her legs, and her clothes were a little disheveled. She looked around the auditorium embarrassed, and sat back up in a proper modest pose and straightened her clothing.

“Uh, I’m so sorry about that,” she said. She was still feeling a bit loopy and disoriented from the incredibly sensations, and trying to keep a lid on it.

“Not to worry!” Jacob said. “We can always cut parts that are too spicy to air-”

Olivia’s giggling interrupted him. “I just got it now. Sperm whale! Sperm. That’s such a funny name. Why do you think they’re called that?”

Jacob rolled his eyes. “I don’t know.”

Olivia nodded sagely as if she was about to spit wisdom, then shook her head slowly when she realized she didn't know. “I don’t know either.” The loopy aftershock of the double zap finally subsided, and Olivia blushed at what she had just said. She was definitely still above such juvenile humor!

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me,” Jacob said. “I’m happy to report that your IQ right now is 124 - just below the cut-off for genius level. Under most classification schemes, you’d be considered mildly gifted now. You have a lot of questions still ahead of you. Are you sure you’re going to be able to keep up from here on out?”

Olivia was much less sure than she had been after the first question, but she put on a brave face. “I was born ready!”

“Alright, that’s what we like to hear on Descent. Question Five: Construction of which of these famous landmarks was completed first?

“Was it, A) Empire State Building, B) Royal Albert Hall, C) Eiffel Tower or D) 'Big Ben' Clock Tower?”

Olivia pouted as she looked over the options. She was sure she would know this if she had all of her brains, but right now...?

“Well, I know the Eiffel Tower was built at a world fair or something…” She sounded uncertain of herself. “And I’m pretty sure that most of the world fair stuff was happening during the 19th century.”

She furrowed her brow. Why was this so hard?

“And, um, ooh right, the Empire State Buidling! I think I remember reading somewhere that it was an Art Deco building. And Art Deco was just before WWI right? So it would have had to be later. And I don’t know much about the Royal Albert Hall, but I know Big Ben is really old, so I’m just going to take a bit of a leap of faith.

“D) Big Ben, final answer.”

“You are…” the audience waited with baited breath. “Absolutely correct! You’ve earned yourself $5,000, and another zap.”

Olivia looked at the remote. She had actually done… really well on that last question. It took her some thinking to get there, but her reasoning had been fundamentally sound and she was feeling pretty good about where she sat. If she just kept to one zap from here on out, she was sure victory would still be hers.

If.

If she just kept to *one* more zap. However, she drifted back into her recent memories. Double-zapping felt incredible. It was like nothing else she had ever experienced.

She was doing so well right now, and she had started out super smart. She could probably afford two more zaps now, right?

She tried to pull up her encyclopedic knowledge of past contestants on the show, but came up empty. That trivial knowledge had been snatched away by the last zap.

Olivia looked down at the remote, and bit her lip.

One zap? Or two?

She pressed down twice on the device.

The pleasure that surged through her was just as intense as before. Her nerves were lighting up with pure sensual, sexual pleasure of the highest order. She didn’t even care that she was moaning, and sweating and rubbing her hands between her legs in a most undignified fashion.

And just like that it was over.

“Olivia, that last zap seems to have taken quite a toll on you,” Jacob said. “Your IQ is now 95. You’re slightly below average, and you’re not even halfway through. Has your confidence been shaken at all?”

Olivia smiled blankly at Jacob, before realizing she had just been asked a question. She straightened up her clothes.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?” she said. “I lost my train of thought.”

The audience laughed at this.

“I just asked you if you’re still confident you can do well?”

Olivia nodded seriously. “Right, the game. Yeah, I can totally kick this game’s butt!”

“If you’re ready then, here’s question: At the closest point, which island group is only 50 miles south-east of the coast of Florida?

“A) Bahamas, B) US Virgin Islands, C) Turks and Caicos Islands, or D) Bermuda.”

Olivia looked the names over. She had never heard of the US Virgin Islands (lol, virgin - she hadn’t been one of those in ages!) and she was sure she would remember a name like “Turks and Caicos Islands.”

So it was either the Bahamas or Bermuda.

“Um… I want to use a lifeline. Can I get a 50/50?”

“Alright, let’s remove half of the answers from the board.”

Unfortunately, the two that she had narrowed it down to remained. She really didn’t want to get this question wrong. She wanted the million dollars. She had to keep her eyes on the prize.

She tried to imagine a map. She remembered being really good at geography, able to easily fill in the world's countries, capitals and islands with ease. It was really important as a marine biologist. However, as she tried to picture Florida and it’s neighbors, she realized how many blanks there were in her mental map.

She would have to guess.

“Um, D) Bermuda?” she said.

“Final answer?” Jacob asked. It was the first time she had been uncertain enough not to just say final answer right away.

“No…” she said slowly. “On second thought, A) Bahamas. Final answer.”

Jacob looked at his card. He looked gravely up at Olivia.

Olivia’s eyes widened. No, she couldn’t have!

But Jacob smiled. “You’re absolutely correct! And with that you’ve earned $7,000 and another zap.”

Olivia looked down at the remote in her hand. She started rubbing her thighs together unconsciously.

Unf. She wanted to do a double zap so badly, but she had done that too many times now and was already below average intelligence. She didn’t know for sure, but she had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t make it much further if she kept double zapping.

So she mustered all of her self control and hit zap-- once.

She felt the pleasant tingles play across her scalp, and felt a deep sense of disappointment. She knew what she wanted to feel, and this piddly little static wasn’t it.

She pouted, and Jacob continued.

“Alright, the technician says your IQ is now 87. That means you’re now only smarter than about 25% of people. 75% of people are smarter than you now! What do you think of that?”

Olivia played with her hair, and fidgeted in her seat. This game was getting so boring! When was she going to be able to stand up and do something fun? She thought about getting her nails done, or buying some new shoes, or, or...

“Like, I don’t know? That was a lot of numbers. I’m super duper smart, or, like, y’know I totally was, so I can definitely finish this out. I don’t even need to do the math to tell you that!”

Not that she could do the math of what her odds looked like anymore.

“Alright, you’ve got one lifeline left, and you’re halfway to $1 million. Let’s see if you can pull this out. Question seven: Which toys have been marketed with the phrase 'Robots in Disguise'?

“A) Bratz dolls, B) Sylvanian Families, C) Hatchimals or B) Transformers?”

Olivia smiled. She totally knew this one!

“B) Transformers. Final Answer!” she said brightly.

Jacob nodded. “Correct! You now have $10,000 and another zap.”

Olivia looked at the remote. The wheels in her head started turning.

A big part of her said she should only zap herself once, but she remembered how disappointing that had just been.

Then she remembered that two zaps had also been disappointing in its own way. It had felt amazing, but lasted too short a time.

So what if… instead of two zaps, she did *three* zaps?

Olivia giggled to herself. She was such a genius!

Olivia pressed the remote button three times.

Olivia felt her thinking slow waaaayyy down. She also felt her nerves practically singing out in pleasure. She panted as the sensation caught her, and rocked her existence to the core. Her hands were down her pants and furiously rubbing her wet pussy.

The sensations lasted much longer than before! It seemed to stretch on for a minute, as she was swept away by the explosion of orgasms rocking her body. She was panting, and sweating and her skin was flushed.

And yet, much like her two-zap attempts before, the feeling eventually subsided, leaving Olivia looking blankly at her surroundings. A dribble of drool crept down the corner of her mouth. She felt so blissed out, that it took her a good five minutes to realize that someone was trying to talk to her.

“Olivia, are you alright? Your IQ is now 69.”

Olivia smiled dopily at the number. That was the sex number! She giggled.

“My producer is saying that you’re now dumber than 98% of people. You started off smarter than 99% of people, and now you’re dumber than 98% - what do you think about that?”

Olivia put her finger to her mouth in thought. Her thoughts were coming like molasses. They were fluffy pink clouds that kept being blown away in the wind, like they never even happened.

She looked at Jacob, and realized he was pretty cute. She started daydreaming about his cock. About what he could do to her with his cock. It was such a yummy, simple thought. All of her thoughts were so simple now.

She imagined him saying her name during sex, and then frowned. Olivia didn’t sound very sexy.

She sat up with a start, as she realized she had never answered Jacob’s question.

“I want you to call me Livie when I suck your cock, Jacob!” she finally said.

“Woah, we’re definitely going to have to cut that,” Jacob said. “Well, I think it is pretty clear that she’s not that smarty pants she used to be. Why don’t we do the next question? Number eight: Which Disney character famously leaves a glass slipper behind at a royal ball?

“A) Pocahontas, B) Sleeping Beauty, C) Cinderella or D) Elsa?”

Livie’s ears picked up. She loved Disney movies! The princesses were so pretty, and some of them were sexy and they always ended up with cute princes. Livie started rubbing her breasts at that thought. Aladdin was probably hung, right? And Flynn Rider. Unf. Livie moaned.

“We’re going to need an answer from you,” Jacob said.

“Oh? Oh! Like, I totally forgot,” Livie said.

She started thinking about the question. Elsa had gone to a party or something, right? It was that party where you get a crown put on your head. What was that called again? It started with a C or K, right? Was a C-something the same thing as a “royal ball”?

But then there was Sleeping Beauty. There was a... birthday party(?) and then Angelina Jolie showed up and said mean and nasty things to everyone, and made everyone super sad. Livie liked birthday parties, but she was pretty sure they weren’t another word for “royal ball.”

Livie smiled proudly. “D) Elsa. Final Answer!”

Jacob's shoulders slumped.

“I’m so sorry, Livie! That’s incorrect. The correct answer was C, Cinderella. Don’t feel too bad though, my assistants are waiting offstage where we’re going to take you to the Vapid apartment complex, where filming for your first episode will start. We’ll be taking temporary custody of your son so you don’t have to worry about taking care of him, and in the meantime we’ll be setting you up with a debit card that you can use to spend the $10,000 you just earned as well as any money you make while filming for Vapid. Or you could save the money, whatever floats your boat.”

Livie jumped up and down in excitement. She had a lot of money! She was going to buy so many cute outfits, and pedicure and manicures. Cute bags. Shoes. The list was endless!

She vaguely remembered wanting to use the money for something boring, but why would she ever do that? Life was supposed to be fun and carefree!

Livie smiled a vacant smile. There was nothing behind her eyes. Nothing between her ears but fluffy pink cotton candy.

* * *

One year later.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to Vacant! The last year has been filled with many twists and turns. We’ve seen dum dums come and go, but all through that time, one person has remained constant. I’m talking of course, about fan favorite, Livie. Something about her bubbly personality, incredible curves, and complete lack of shame has won our viewers over, causing her to beat out many tough contenders. And so we have a special announcement to give, why don’t you tell them yourself, Livie?”

Livie stood in front of the camera, and waved happily at it. She was dressed in a barely there outfit, which showed off much of her delicious skin. She walked in a low class, slutty way, instead of the prim and proper way she always used to. There was no sign of the PhD Marine Biologist in her.

“Hello people!” Livie said cheerily. “I’ve had so much fun, like, buying cute clothes, fucking and sucking cute guys and being a total cumslut! But the people at Vacant have given me an incredible op-, oppor-, um, the people at Vacant told me about a totally cool idea they had. I’m so popular, that I’m going to get my own show, yay!”

Livie jumped up and down, her barely-supported breasts bouncing hypnotically.

“They handed me a big packet of papers with a bunch of big words, and told me if I wrote my name on a line I’d have my own show for ten years! They said I could even get my own makeup or clothing line. And they said that I’d get a ginormous raise, which I totally need, because I keep spending all the money they give me. Isn’t that super fun!”

Livie smiled a wide, dimpled smile.

“Oh, and one more thing. I hate to, like, be negative, but Grant, can you please stop stalking me and sending these dumb letters?" She pulled a piece of paper from her purse. "It’s getting super annoying and creepy!”

The camera man lowered the camera, and looked confusedly at the producer. It was everyone’s first time hearing about a stalker.

“Uh, can I see that letter?” the producer asked.

“Sure!” Livie said brightly, skipping over to him.

The producer stood in silence as he read the letter.

“Grant Application from the National Science Foundation -- Official Response

“Dear Dr. Olivia Neuman,

“The grant proposal submitted on your behalf by Fernando Jaurez has been accepted. We are prepared to offer you $566,744 for your research, with a per diem to cover living expenses and childcare. We require your response by June of this year, or your grant will be disbursed to someone else.”

The producer stopped reading.

“What’s it say?” Livie asked curiously. “It used a lot of big words, but I was sure that Grant guy was saying super perverted things to me,” she tilted her head in vacant thought. “I mean, I like perverted, but not when it’s gross stalker guys, you know?”

The producer nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you never have to worry about Grant again.”

Livie was so happy to hear that news! The one problem she had in her life was taken care of. She was going to be a (even more!) famous reality TV star with her own clothing line, she was going to keep being adored by thousands of fans, and fucked by a bunch of cute guys. Her life was going to be filled with shopping, and fashion and fun!

What more did a girl need? She literally couldn’t think of anything she’d rather be doing with her life.