Well, Bill put my niece and nephew through some pretty terrible things. I know he wouldn't do them again, not with me around, but Stan doesn't. If he remembers what Bill did to the kids, it's not going to be pretty.
And Stan was the one who killed Bill. Well, sort of. I pulled the trigger, but it was Stan who trapped Bill in his mind in the first place, and sort of mind-punched him to death.
Mmm. [No comment on Bill having tormented kids. Hange's second impression ever of Bill was his having killed so many planets he's developed favorite ways of doing it, which she's never forgotten, and there were certainly kids on those planets.
Genuinely intrigued, though:]
How did that work, trapping Bill in a mind? My impression is he's capable of just about anything, and I'm not speaking morally this time, but...?
Bill is capable of possessing someone's body, once they shake his hand and make a deal with him to allow it. He got me to do it thirty years ago by offering to keep working on our project in my body while I was asleep, so we could stay on schedule and I could get some rest.
Looking back, he probably made the timeline impossible for that very reason.
Anyway, to keep him out, I had a metal plate installed in my head. That meant that in order for him to get back into my mind at all, I had to make a new deal and let him in.
Actually, I think he just likes deals -- instinctively. He doesn't have the ability to make them magic here, since that power got taken away years ago, but I suspect he likes the transactional nature of it. He trusts it more than something more vague, like friendship or good will.
Also, he can't just possess someone who makes any old deal with him. The deal has to be worded in a way that implies possession is part of the deal. The agreement to work on the project while I was asleep meant he could only take over my body while I was sleeping. In my nephew's case, Bill asked for a "puppet" in exchange for a password to my old computer. The puppet he was referring to...turned out to be my nephew.
[Hange digests this - it makes sense and makes her feel better about... stuff. She can deal with transactions. Part of being a good ally and friend is making sure your allies and friends are supported back. A deal just clarifies the whole shebang.]
Can he possess people here at all...? I removed that ability from Betelgeuse - I couldn't see it leading to anything but trouble.
I think that's wise. I'm not the only person here with an uncomfortable history of possession, and Betelgeuse doesn't strike me as the type to respect that. [Guess who understands trauma better now? This traumatized guy!] Bill's possessed people here before, but he won't be able to until Luke gives him the power back or he graduates.
This became about Bill, but I was calling about you. Last time you spoke publicly you sounded unwell - it sounds like things are chaotic now, but perhaps improved?
I, ah, had to sort out a few things. That project meant a lot to me! I was hoping I could use it to prove I could help out around here without causing colossal amounts of damage.
It's not really your fault that other people reacted the way they did. Library on fire or not, Betelgeuse has his own emotional issues to get hold of. Getting him some better ways of dealing with being upset is on my to-do list.
What you did was good, Ford. People got upset because they thought we might be doing something awful, because they care about the people we leave behind and the worlds we go through. I also think that we should continue to inspect and study the path we leave, not just blindly trust the Admiral either.
Bill's suggested leaving beacons of some kind behind in ports. Something to take readings and broadcast them back to us. I think it's worth a shot. Even if we don't get anything and are cut off from ports we leave completely, that's still information we didn't have.
And -- is it just me, or is Betelgeuse very easy to upset?
And he is. There's a lot about Betelgeuse that's... soft, actually, and just as much that rubs people the wrong way... he's not so good at. You know. Maintaining good relationships for himself.
You can say that again. I can never tell if saying he's deeply unpleasant will be taken as a compliment or make him cry! Or if telling him he's been a good friend will mean something or "ruin his reputation"!
Yes... I think he's not sure what he really wants yet, or how he wants his 'redeemed' self to look. He's actually very old, you know? Ancient. He's had a long time to get set in his ways. Even if he doesn't admit it I imagine it's perturbing for so much to change so quickly... it can really leave a person at a loss.
Oh, I can understand that. When someone's been around that long, any change at all is remarkable. And it can leave them feeling...like they aren't themselves anymore. Like they're losing part of who they are. Small, when they didn't used to be.
Yes. I think at one moment, he probably enjoys feeling accepted and taking in the warmth of camaraderie. And then at the next, he probably feels like he's standing in quicksand. Viciousness is useful in its own way, you know? Under certain circumstances it helps protect you, helps you survive. Letting go, even just of some of it... you become more vulnerable.
And now he's in a place where in order to survive, he has to open himself up to that vulnerability -- a place that happens to be full of liars, torturers, and murderers. It takes a lot of strength to open up like that -- to trust people when you're used surviving by doing the opposite. It's hard having to adjust to that. You make mistakes along the way.
When he's inconstant, I think it's not anything to do with you, or what you've said or done. It's him, being in tumult. I think the best thing to give him in turn is your steadiness... I don't always succeed at it but don't let him rile you. Remind him that he wants friends, because he does. If he storms off, give him a little space. Not that I'm asking you to take his abuse either, and if he ruins his relationship with you it's on him to fix it, but if he's remorseful I guess... be firm for yourself but kind to him?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sure, that works for me!
And Stan was the one who killed Bill. Well, sort of. I pulled the trigger, but it was Stan who trapped Bill in his mind in the first place, and sort of mind-punched him to death.
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Genuinely intrigued, though:]
How did that work, trapping Bill in a mind? My impression is he's capable of just about anything, and I'm not speaking morally this time, but...?
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Looking back, he probably made the timeline impossible for that very reason.
Anyway, to keep him out, I had a metal plate installed in my head. That meant that in order for him to get back into my mind at all, I had to make a new deal and let him in.
[With him so far?]
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[SHE'S BEEN PARANOID ABOUT THIS SINCE THE BEGINNING.
VINDICATED.]
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Also, he can't just possess someone who makes any old deal with him. The deal has to be worded in a way that implies possession is part of the deal. The agreement to work on the project while I was asleep meant he could only take over my body while I was sleeping. In my nephew's case, Bill asked for a "puppet" in exchange for a password to my old computer. The puppet he was referring to...turned out to be my nephew.
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Can he possess people here at all...? I removed that ability from Betelgeuse - I couldn't see it leading to anything but trouble.
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Hange lets out a sigh.]
This became about Bill, but I was calling about you. Last time you spoke publicly you sounded unwell - it sounds like things are chaotic now, but perhaps improved?
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What you did was good, Ford. People got upset because they thought we might be doing something awful, because they care about the people we leave behind and the worlds we go through. I also think that we should continue to inspect and study the path we leave, not just blindly trust the Admiral either.
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Bill's suggested leaving beacons of some kind behind in ports. Something to take readings and broadcast them back to us. I think it's worth a shot. Even if we don't get anything and are cut off from ports we leave completely, that's still information we didn't have.
And -- is it just me, or is Betelgeuse very easy to upset?
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And he is. There's a lot about Betelgeuse that's... soft, actually, and just as much that rubs people the wrong way... he's not so good at. You know. Maintaining good relationships for himself.
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When he's inconstant, I think it's not anything to do with you, or what you've said or done. It's him, being in tumult. I think the best thing to give him in turn is your steadiness... I don't always succeed at it but don't let him rile you. Remind him that he wants friends, because he does. If he storms off, give him a little space. Not that I'm asking you to take his abuse either, and if he ruins his relationship with you it's on him to fix it, but if he's remorseful I guess... be firm for yourself but kind to him?