Grounding

[From Mystery's Lounge — Mystery's classic Grounding article.]
I'm sure you've found yourself in a set when you reach the point where your target says, "What do you do?" You either give her your honest but lame answer like, "I'm a student", or "I'm a system administrator", or worse, you try to circumvent the question entirely with "I'm an ass model." A cocky answer like this might be funny at first, but she will probably ask you again shortly. Do you have something to hide?

The problem is you don't have an attractive identity, or if you do, it's not a strong one. Some guys will experiment with "I'm a rock star," or "I'm a promoter," or "I'm a public speaker," but your target will either feel you are lying (in the same way we believe an "actress" is likely a "waitress"), or if she does believe your evidence, she becomes intimidated - you get weighed down by the stereotype she has of you. For example, I am a magician. How can she relate to that?

Instead of answering her question with "I'm a magician," I can ground my present identity to her reality and harness the opportunity to convey a much richer personality. Here's how I do it:
Here is the applied format that I used to ground my
identity to a recent 9's reality. It helped to attract
her and build enough comfort to get her back to my place.

I 1. "Well when I was little I wanted to be..." I (Childhood regression. Tell stories about my dreams and ambitions as a child.)
2. "When I was a teenager..." (Tell stories about how I got from 1 to 3.)
3. "Now I'm a magician. Can you believe it?" (Talk about where I am now and what I'm working on next.)

Bait - Hook - Reel - Release

The "Bait—Hook-Reel-Release" metaphor is one that continually resurfaces in study of the game. One way to apply it is in A3. You want to give IOIs to the target, but you don't want to seem too easy. (Otherwise she won't appreciate your pair bond; instead she will enjoy your IOIs as a validation of her sexual power, but she will lose attraction for you.)

The idea is to make the woman demonstrate higher value to you. Bait her into telling you interesting things about herself (not "what do you dot") so when she replies (the hook) you can IOI her (reel her in) only to push her off again (release her from the pressure of being hit on.) This process repeats several times.
Here is an example for you to use in-field right away
You: [Bait] What nationality are you?
Her: [Hook] French.
You: [Reel] Seriously? No WAY!!! The girl I had the biggest crush on in high school was French! [Release] I can't even talk to you now.

Every time she gives you a demonstration of higher value, you indicate your interest to her. This way she will believe your IOIs, and when you fully SOI her, she will feel like she really deserves it. This allows your attraction for her to legitimately grow over several minutes instead of just IOIing her because she first IOI'd you.
An important aspect of the Mystery Method is to restructure routines to be in context with YOUR IDENTITY in particular. Take the time to write up some personalized routines with this in mind. Again, make yours congruent with your identity. You do not have to be a magician to do the Mystery Method, but you do need a strong identity

"So how do you all know each other?"

The line "So how do you all know each other?" is a rather crucial one. (If the set is a boy/girl two-set, try asking "So how long have you guys been together?") Because this question is a piece that must occur in every set, it is said to be a waypoint in the game.

It's a harmless, reasonable, sociable question. It generates conversation and provides the venusian artist with oodles of useful information. For example, if the set consists of two girls, and you ask, "So how do you guys know each other?" It's possible that one of them will say, "Oh, she's my boyfriend's sister."
The important information isn't the existence of a boyfriend. If your game is tight, girls will cheat on their boyfriends at the drop of a hat. Rather, the important information is that she is probably not going to cheat on her boyfriend in front of his sister, who is standing right here.

"So how do you all know each other?" might also reveal that the group consists of coworkers,
or that the guy you thought was a threat was actually your target's brother. (Lucky you were doing Mystery Method and befriended him in the first place.)