![]() ![]() It's Deal with the Devil meets Break Them by Talking. Instead of the villain forcing a victim to do something against their will, the villain changes the victim's will. Magic forces may be at work, but it's really the despair, trickery, lies, and sometimes even carefully-selected truths, that are thrown in that successfully break the victim's spirit. What makes this "more than mind control" rather than simple manipulation is that this can still be assisted by magic or technology. It's essentially mind control, yes, but it's more than mind control. You can't make someone join you without convincing them their current life is worthless and they don't want to continue with it. You can't erase someone's memories until you talk them through the most painful ones and convince them they want to forget everything. You can't overcome the Power of Trust until you get them to doubt their own perception of reality and make them want to believe you're the Only Sane Man. You can't force someone to reject The Power of Friendship until you pick away at their jealousy and convince them they want to turn on their friends. To that end, mind control in some cases requires a lot of foreplay, independent of magic influence, on the part of the villain. Also, outright controlling someone's mind tends to require either magic or technology, and depending on the nature of the story, the villain might not have access to either of those. Mind Control is an effective weapon, but your garden-variety brainwashing or hypnosis is too mundane for some viewers, too predictable for some plots, too weak for some heroes, and too unambitious for some villains. They Might Be Giants, "Whistling in the Dark" ![]()
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