Deep Dream State

Garter | The Chthonic | S1E6 | GE6

Deep Dream State

Show Notes

The veil lifts, and the ceremony deepens. A garter coils and slithers.

Welcome to Episode 6 of Deep Dream State, where the rituals no longer pretend.

Episode Summary

Sarah follows a mysterious note into the stone corridors beneath the Chthonic complex, believing she is close to uncovering the truth behind the Institute’s rituals. She is met instead by Nikki and Fion, two insiders who claim to be acting on her behalf. They warn that her investigation has gone too far, that every riddle she has chased was planted to lure her deeper.

They offer her a glowing book hidden in the vault. A vaccine, they call it. A controlled dose of the power she has been chasing. Reluctant but intrigued, Sarah agrees to read a single page. The words seem harmless at first. The air shifts as if they carry intent.

What begins as an intervention becomes a conversion. Nikki and Fion fall into unison. The chamber becomes a mirror of the Chthonic’s larger seduction: clarity disguised as surrender, safety offered through submission. By the time Sarah kneels before the text she can no longer tell whether she is uncovering a secret or becoming one.

The spell breaks with Holly and Selene’s intervention, exposing the exploitation behind the ritual and revealing that the Chthonic’s dream technology is real and spreading. What seemed like a private awakening has been a performance staged for power and profit.

Garter stands as one of Deep Dream State‘s most haunting chapters. Intimacy becomes a conduit for control, and resistance takes the form of reclaiming one’s own mind. The episode closes with a reminder that in the Chthonic’s labyrinth, even freedom may be scripted.

Cast

Ship’s Crew

Olivia, Cruise Director – Bliss Blank

William, Ship Captain – Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns

Nika, Ship Maid – Echo Doll

Selene, Chief Purser – Syndi_Rella

Mairead, Spa Manager – Bun Li

Fion, Chief Engineer – Jade

Guests

Alistair, CEO of Neuroplex – Jericho Caine

Holly, His Girlfriend – Dizzy Dollie

Emma, The Bride – Pipp

Brittany, Bridesmaid – Kitten Azazel

Kara, Bridesmaid – Tender Confusion

Sarah, Bridesmaid – Ring of Keys

Amanda, House Mother – Korrupted

Tiffany, Bridesmaid – Britt Reprogrammed

Production Credits

Deep Dream State is written, produced, and directed by Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns. Sound design, editing, and scoring by Neural Nets and Pretty Patterns.

Support the Show

New productions and the full catalog are available through Patreon. Your support sustains independent audio drama and the ongoing expansion of the Neuralverse.

Explore More

Deep Dream State on IMDb – full series listing and credits.

Official Carrd Hub – links, news, and creator info.

Reddit – discussions, updates, and episode drops.

Content Advisory

This episode contains adult themes and ritualistic horror. Intended for mature audiences only. This is a work of fiction, not a guide to real life phenomenona.

Source

More from Deep Dream State

Sep 4, 2026

After After is the monster romance fifth season of Deep Dream State. Naia takes control of humanity’s next step, seven extrahuman factions make their case, and listeners vote on what comes next. Monster romance, desire horror, queer posthuman desire, and a species-level happily ever after.

Aug 28, 2026

I know exactly what you are. You’re trade.

Aug 21, 2026

Yield kicks off with a very normal ad for Spotlight, assuming your definition of normal includes performance conditioning and Iris Vale enjoying the attention a lot too much. Then everybody goes to court, where Elle tries to win a serious legal case while the rest of the cast provides the world's least helpful whispered commentary. Long-running jokes and suspiciously specific phrases start paying off in ways that suggest somebody has been planning this for a while. By the end, the legal question may be settled, but the show is still very interested in asking whether all of this was theater, which is exactly the sort of question you want answered one episode before the finale.

Aug 16, 2026

The Deep Dream State enters its final Vale Four cycle with Radix, a story about astroturfing, manufactured agreement, and the illusion of control. Naia, Tessa, June, Z, and Meg move through competing layers of reality as candid conversations and behind-the-scenes fragments become part of the experiment itself. Everyone thinks they understand who is watching, who is performing, and who has the clicker. They're all wrong.

Aug 8, 2026

Z releases the eager wolfgirls for the hunt while Elle and Porsche watch Tessa’s subjugation through the library’s magical surveillance system, only to realize the approaching wolfgirls are real and flee deeper into the stacks.

See all episodes →