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[mothmansplaining]

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"Stanford Pines. Leave a message."

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[mothmansplaining]

But it's true! I know I'm no good at telling what's acceptable and what isn't. Being on the Barge has proven that! The best I can do is try not to hurt anybody, and she doesn't want to hurt anyone either! I don't know where to go from there!

[A beat. Then, resentfully:]

There's no logic to graduation standards. Everyone's are different. I have no idea what I'm doing. I just know I can't leave yet.

[tetractys]

OH, NO, THAT PART'S MESSED UP. TRYING TO FIGURE OUT GRADUATION STANDARDS WAS HOW I CAME TO THE IDEA THAT THERE'S A COUNCIL THAT RUNS THIS PLACE RATHER THAN JUST THE ADMIRAL. IT'S NUTS.

[mothmansplaining]

...Jon has a theory that wardens don't exist to tell their inmates how to be good. They aren't supposed to identify problems that their inmate has to work on before they graduate. He thinks that the purpose of a warden is to be a companion, someone to go through all of the things the Barge throws at us with their inmate, until their inmate changes due to its influence.

I have my doubts that that's how the system is supposed to work, and I'm positive most wardens don't think that way. My first warden gave me homework!

...but considering the purpose of the ship is entertainment, it might be an approach worth trying. No one's going to want to watch an inmate who immediately fixes their behavior once someone points out to them what they're doing wrong. It isn't like fixing a machine, it's...it's getting them through the story someone else has in mind.

[tetractys]

YEAH, THE MORE ENTERTAINING YOU CAN MAKE IT THE BETTER.

[A little bitter.]

...FORD, YOU KNOW BEING GOOD WITH PEOPLE'S A SKILL YOU CAN LEARN, RIGHT? I MEAN, IT'S BETTER TO LEARN IT AS A KID, BUT EVERYTHING IS.

[mothmansplaining]

....if that's true, then it isn't the case for me. It's never made sense!

[tetractys]

DOESN'T COME NATURALLY, SURE! BUT I COULD TRY TO TEACH YOU SOME STUFF.

[mothmansplaining]

.....

[Skeptical. But listening.]

Such as?

[tetractys]

WELL, IT'S KINDA LIKE LEARNING CHESS. IF YOU SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING, YOU CAN GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THEY WANT, AND IF YOU KNOW WHAT THEY WANT, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY'LL DO. YOU JUST HAVE TO GET ONE THING TO CLICK!

[mothmansplaining]

You make it sound so simple.

[tetractys]

THEN THAT'S MY MISTAKE! IT'S COMPLICATED - REAL COMPLICATED. THE BETTER YOU KNOW A PERSON THE BETTER YOU GET AT IT, BUT SOMETIMES BEING SOCIAL MEANS TRYING TO READ SOMEONE YOU JUST MET, AND THOSE ARE PRACTICALLY TWO DIFFERENT BALLPARKS.

BUT, HEY, MULTIDIMENSIONAL PARADIGM THEORY IS COMPLICATED, TOO.

[And Ford put his mind to that and picked it up!]

[mothmansplaining]

[nice bill?? encouraging bill?? reassuring bill??? it isn't that Bill has never been nice to Ford before. It's just never been this frequent. Ford cracks a smile.]

I suppose I could try thinking about it like that. See what I can figure out.

[tetractys]

THERE'S NOT A LOT IN MY LIFE THAT I EARNED WITHOUT TAKING IT FROM SOMEONE ELSE FIRST! BUT THIS ONE'S ALL ME. THIS I CAN DO!

[mothmansplaining]

Thank you.

[He shifts in the arm nest, finding a hand to squeeze affectionately.]

[tetractys]

I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPIER WITH YOURSELF. [Bill murmurs, squeezing Ford's hand back.] YOU'RE A GREAT GUY.

[mothmansplaining]

What? I'm not unhappy with myself. Where'd you get that idea?

I just happen to know all of the things I'm not good at!

[tetractys]

FOOORD.

[come on dont do the thing youre doing]

[mothmansplaining]

I'm fine! Really!

[He is totally not but Ford's definition of "fine" is "not immediately falling apart and able to continue on," so it's not a lie.]

I have a healthy estimation of my own abilities.

[tetractys]

[do not manage]

AAAGH.

[DO NOT MANAGE]

OKAY. OKAY. I'M TRUSTING YOU, THAT YOU'RE FINE.

[mothmansplaining]

[Is he....not okay? Bill seems very sure that Ford is not okay. But if he weren't okay, he'd have noticed, right? But Bill knows him. Bill's Ford-knowledge is better than Ford's self-knowledge. Maybe....Ford should think about this? That he is unhappy with who he is?

....who he is is disconnected from what is acceptable normal behavior, which is just a fact that makes life more difficult, not something to like or dislike. He's fine.]

Okay.

....[Is he missing something?]

....I'm not about to become incapacitated because of something I've missed, am I?

[tetractys]

NAH. ... UNLESS WE BOTH MISSED IT!

[mothmansplaining]

....then I'll be fine.

[what's bill know that ford doesnt know? this is going to nag at him, but he doesn't want to go into it now.]

Is there anything else I've missed? Not about my mental state. I mean in general! With you!

[tetractys]

"WELL, I WAS IN THE POOL FOR AWHILE. HAD TO THINK ABOUT SOME STUFF. I THINK I'M GOING TO TRY TO BRING BACK THE SECOND DIMENSION. AND LUKE IS DEPRESSED ABOUT SOMETHING KYLO TOLD HIM ABOUT HIS FUTURE, BUT THAT'S BEEN ON LOW BOIL FOR A LONG TIME I THINK?

WHAT ABOUT YOU."

[mothmansplaining]

[Oh dear. Well, the bit about Luke is concerning for sure, and he can't help wondering how long Bill was in the pool, but one of those things gets most of his attention.]

You're really bringing back the world you came from?

[Disregard the what-about-you, Ford can get back to talking about himself whenever! This is big.]

[tetractys]

[that IS a legit followup, to be fair]

YEAH. EVEN IF IT WAS NEVER REAL, I REMEMBER IT AND LUKE REMEMBERS IT.

[Wait, does he need to clarify that?]

FROM THE FLOOD WHERE HE WAS A TRIANGLE.

[mothmansplaining]

Yes, I remember that one. We spoke, briefly.

He mentioned that his world was terrible.