Chapter 925 – Moralisation

Chapter 925 – Moralisation

Demoralisation was the first step of the Agitprop (Agitation and Propaganda) program originally employed by the Soviet Union. Its goal was, fundamentally, to program a generation of people to react positively to notions such as socialism and never get taught about the upsides of capitalist or western values. Utilizing the more forgiving nature of these western states, these ‘ideologically contaminated’ people would then spread upwards through the institutions and subvert it from the inside. From the start of education to the demoralised person hitting the ‘useful’ age, it took twenty years.

It was a strategy by which the Soviet Union had wanted to take over the United States without engaging in hot warfare. Arguably, its effects could still be felt to this day. Not that the USA hadn’t used its own dirty propaganda tricks in its time. The woes and ideological battles of the mundane world were, however, not why John was thinking about Agitprop at the moment.

‘I need to keep the spirits high,’ he thought. Demoralisation was traditionally a guided effort, but there was no reason why stress or hopelessness couldn’t create a particularly nihilistic outlook on the world which then propagated itself in society through continued pressure. In a way, the threat of the Lorylim was just as bad as the Lorylim themselves. People got crazy when they thought there was something coming for them.

This natural demoralisation wouldn’t stick for twenty years, but it could wreak havoc within society regardless. The good news was that, if things got too bad, humanity had a tendency of bouncing back through humour. When the black death had ravaged across Europe, the humorous depictions of death skyrocketed in the common art. Times got tough and people got tougher.

Those people that survived.

Which was why John was thinking about ways to invert the Agitprop ideas. He had to moralize his people and accelerate the building of a common identity. That way, he would hopefully be able to resist any collapse of society.

Fusion was a house of cards he had glued together. People in Florida had incredibly little in common with those in Little Maryland and both were incredibly civilized compared to the downright terroristic competition culture the Small Lake Pact had before John reformed them. It would take more than a couple of months to get over those differences.

With the looming Lorylim making everyone uneasy, it would only take a few unlucky gusts of wind to make the entire thing collapse. It didn’t even have to be the Lorylim themselves that attacked. Internal issues, natural catastrophes or a third-party invading all could make the mood boil over and cause Fusion to tear itself apart from the inside. Large powers rarely fell because of one issue alone.

As much as the Lorylim and associated dangers threatened to unravel the precariously arranged fabric of the Federation, it was also an opportunity. Standing up against an outside threat was the quickest way for any central authority to gain the trust of the people it lorded over. Failure was the death of Fusion, victory a leap towards consolidation. Rome had been forged by the veterans of the wars against Carthage. If confrontation was inevitable, then John had to arrange it so the old house of cards wouldn’t collapse but merely fall into a new order.

‘The four steps of Agitprop are demoralisation, destabilization, crisis and normalization,’ John thought. ‘The opposite of that would be moralisation, stabilization, resistance and normalization. The final step has to be the same, I don’t want to be stuck in a perpetual state of preparing for a new evil. That’s how I end up leading a military dictatorship.’

Moralisation had to highlight the advantages of Fusion. It wasn’t even necessary that the things he said were true, but because John respected his media adversaries and he had principles, he would stick to what was reality. “I guess I need to increase my media presence.”

“Funny that you say that,” Scarlett said, approaching the couch with a cup of iced coffee in hand. John was lying on his back, watching a movie on the flatscreen. That was until Scarlett moved her naked body into the armchair next to him. From that point onwards, he was captured by her pink lips.

He had returned from law drafting about an hour ago. They had come to a conclusion on the act and the final version would be sent to him via email over the course of the evening. He was as happy with it as he could be with a liberty impeding defence act. Since then, he had showered, gotten into an orgy, and been left behind by the rest of his harem who were now showering themselves. They were having lesbian fun in there, John could hear it, but he had been barred from entry by his girlfriend. Ladies time, she had called it.

Scarlett was the only one around because she had come in about five minutes ago from her own work. If John had still been busy with his girls, the chances that he would have in-depth thoughts about propaganda tactics rather than the perfection of their butts were rather low.

“Two questions,” John said. “Since when do you drink iced coffee?”

“Since I’m naked most of the time and don’t feel like scorching my skin off,” Scarlett responded.

“Alright, and what’s funny?”

“I was just having the same thought. You should go out there and put out all of your dirty laundry within the next week,” the technomancer told him. “My true identity, what your scar is, everything.”

“I was thinking more that I should espouse all of the good things about Fusion.” John raised an eyebrow and sat upright to have the conversation eye to eye. “Inverting the demoralisation that could come from the Lorylim threat.”

Scarlett mockingly blew air out of her nose. “Of course, you’d immediately lose yourself in the complicated long term. John, the current tense mood is an opportunity to depress everyone to the lowest point. As Machiavelli described, it’s best to get all cruelties done in one fell swoop and then distribute all of your benevolent actions across time.” She placed both feet on the table. “To put it in my jargon, a business that makes a moderate deficit every third year is less attractive than one that goes bankrupt every fifty. Dealing with repeated interruptions is poison to patience.”

“So, you suggest we drown them in bad news and then bombard them with everything that’s good?” John asked.

“To me?” Rave’s expression shifted from mildly upset to confused.

“She says she is from a woman’s magazine and would like to write an article about you. If you don’t care, I can send her away or I can give her another time.”

“Hmm... ladies, ya fine if I check this out?” Rave asked and got universal agreement from everyone around. “Alright, Gnome, ya keep mediating, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best.” The autumn elemental shook her fists in a self-motivating gesture.

John and Rave left the bathroom behind. “Can I ask what needs mediating?”

“Just Siena and Aclysia having a disagreement about where Siena leaves her chocolate treats. Siena is a tease, Aclysia is being strict, ya know how it goes.”

“I do indeed,” John agreed and didn’t ask further about the matter. Every so often, he was pulled into these conflicts and rarely did he feel bothered by it. It was part and parcel of being part of a social group this large and multi-facetted. The harem making up among themselves smoothened out a lot of his day, though, so he was infinitely thankful that he had a girlfriend to take charge of his social life. “Alright, I’ll go tell her we’re coming. You get dressed.”

“I’m already wearing my best suit,” Rave said and grabbed a towel from one of the many shelves in the changing area. She quickly dried herself. The white towel travelled up her hairless legs and curves, transformed her healthily tanned body from a glistening to a simple work of art. Her nicely shaped thighs, her absolutely perfect bubble butt, her athletic waist and her decently sized chest all got the necessary attention. Once her almost impossibly wild and beautiful, bubblegum pink hair was freed of the majority of moisture, she was ready.

John just smiled and shrugged. “As you say,” he said and opened the doorbell camera again. “We’ll be on our way. I’ve unlocked the door. Feel free to come in and then enter the second room to the left.” The ground level of the palace had a multitude of conference rooms and the one he had just pointed her at was good for a small gathering. He put on his suit.

“Not gonna commit to being naked with me?” Rave asked.

“I don’t want to send the wrong signals to the reporter,” he told her.

“Whatever suits ya.”

“This suit does suit me,” John joked while they walked through the living room.

Rave rolled her eyes and then looked over to the redhead in the armchair. In passing, she said, “Yo, Scarlett, swing your delicious bum into the ladies’ meeting. I wanna cuddle ya and talk about things.”

“Things and stuff don’t really interest me,” the technomancer returned, by now on the laptop that controlled the living room’s entertainment outlets. “You have fun without me.”

Rave stopped for a second. “Seriously, I want you to be part of it,” the Lightbearer spoke slowly. “You can leave if it gets too tiresome for you, just come talk to us about things for a bit. Girls got to help each other sort girl things out, right?”

After a couple of seconds still working on the computer, Scarlett sighed. “Alright, I guess I got ten fucking minutes,” she said and headed to the bath.

“Wouldn’t want to let her deal with the whole ‘I kinda wanna be pregnant’ situation on her own,” Rave explained to her boyfriend, who had figured out as much.

As much as he had his own, fairly strong, feelings on the matter, it was doubtlessly true that the nature between men and women in this situation were different. All the talks he had with them about those things were fulfilling in one way, those they had with their fellow haremettes in another. Their complicated web of relationships was its own house of cards. More resilient even than the Federation’s political system, that much John had no doubt about, but still reliant on everyone to stand strong in order to be fully functioning.

“I’m so happy I can share the mess of my life with you,” John confessed, leading the way out the apartment door.

Rave suddenly grabbed his arm and pressed a long, loving kiss on his cheek. “That might be my favourite way ya said ‘I love you’ so far,” she whispered into his ear. Stomach fluttering with happiness, he put an arm around her body.



Her naked skin felt fantastic beyond primitive arousal.