Advanced Demon Training (Blogophilia 38.15)

In the DQ training room...

"Alright, everyone. Take your seats and let's get started."

A screen comes down from the ceiling. On it is an old timey streetlight. 

"Welcome to Adventures in Gaslighting - An Advanced Course in Mind Games. I'm Don Draper and this," nodding to the blond on his right, "is Rachel Jezebel. You may remember us from your Deadly Sins training."

Draper shuffles his notes.

What is Gaslighting? It is a mind game where the subject is convinced truth is a lie and lie is truth. It is the basis of most modern marketing and has significant uses in politics and crowd control.

"When I was topside, the subject was one of my specialties. I spent much of my time manipulating the public to buy things they did not need with money they did not have. And if the folks needed to go into debt to buy this stuff, the more money I and my client made. A good example was premium liquor. Often it is the regular stuff in a fancy bottle and people line up. People used to refer to me as a flaming bullshit artist and I would respond I was the best one, especially with the ladies. Right, Rachel?"

Rachel Jezebel blushes at the memory. "Yes, Don. You were the best."

"So, what does that diatribe have with the current lesson? If you remember the lessons of Greed and Gluttony, you are flipping the target back and forth between having and not having something. You might be thinking, I wonder if a strictly Envy strategy would work without bringing an artificial scarcity in. In a few cases, it would be adequate and it is a good place to start. But in DQ's long years of experience, we have found the combination of Lust, Greed, Glutton, and Envy is far more effective. Especially if you need a Wrath response to accompany the project."

Rachel speaks up.

"Lust is a good opening for a gaslighting campaign. The opposite doesn't need to be good looking, just "empathetic' to the cause. It sure worked for us."

Draper nods. "Absolutely. If the Mortal is unsteady due to a loss or death, the possibility of a rebound relationship is as effective as a scorpion sting. You get to turn both people at the same time, which looks good on your stats. We have whole telemarking divisions that specialize in lust combinations and they have proven effective time and again."

How does Envy play into this? As the new couple's "happiness" becomes apparent, those associated with them wonder what they are missing out on. Jealousy reactions come in two flavors: 1) I want some and 2) That is wrong. As time goes on, the reactions are broadcast over whatever gossip vehicles exist in the world you are working in. Each telling of the story will distort the truth and in the end, everybody in the chain fails the test and becomes one of us. The American Political system has always been my example of this. 

"Question in the back...What if the situation starts moving towards being charitable? That's where the greed and gluttony comes in. You give them an outstanding lust resolution, so good it can't be repeated, and the subject thinks reality is wrong, only dreams are real." As the couple gets more frustrated, one of two things will happen. Either they will drift apart looking for their dream in someone else or they will turn against each other in wrath. Long term, we prefer the first reaction since that will pick up more souls over time since Wrath often is an end unto itself. 

Remember, the goal always is to keep the target moving and unable to determine what the truth is. And if that means taking Maker's Charities and setting them on their heads, this is what needs to happen. What we need all of you to take from this lesson is flexibility. Again, no two cases are alike and it is up to the Demon Force to apply the right lie to the right situation. 

You're dismissed.