malnosso | [Locked to Residents]

Greetings, Luceti. I see you've managed to open the proverbial Pandora's Box. I was wondering when that would happen.

More seriously, however- no doubt most of you have noticed the widespread issue that's resulted from that decision. Some might even recall a similar experience occurring years ago. If you're concerned about the affected residents meeting their unfortunate ends once again, well, that's unlikely. Death wouldn't be a particularly beneficial alternative to what you've unleashed this time.

However, there's still the matter of sorting out the spirits now. I'm interested in hearing what you lot have already tried when it comes to dealing with what you've unlocked, but my advice for getting the black spirit to relinquish control is to let the rest do the work for you. Last time this happened, I was able to fix it, but it's beyond my power now.

Discuss it amongst yourselves, trade your theories; I'm sure you'll come up with something. I'll help with what I can. Sooner would be better, though- I make no promises that my former comrades won't take measures to deal with you if this isn't resolved internally within a few weeks.

[ooc: arright kids, true to John's word, he'll be overseeing the discussion. He won't be telling people how to fix this problem, but he'll answer whatever questions he can and give some advice here and there. see what you can work out amongst yourselves and feel free to ping me if I'm needed and don't show up. if nothing comes up within a week, we'll throw you a more obvious bone or two. tally ho~]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Which, unfortunately, is the problem. Best I can come up with is if Twila stays in her hosts, the Malnosso will likely do a lot worse than what we can do to ourselves to 'fix' the situation. But since we're just hosts and she won't suffer for it, that's not exactly a compelling argument. 'Behave, or we'll put you back in the box' isn't going to be any better.

And I can't blame her, not really.

The hosts, I'm assuming, have already been given reasons for her to stay that likely pick at the most important thing for them. Other than 'do you really want another entity piloting you?' as an argument, I don't have much to go on, there, either, because whatever made them open up in the first place is still going to be there. That part, unfortunately, I think they'd have to shut down on their own, or get the help of people closest to them to see why they don't need the extra help from Twila.

You're not wrong. Twila is giving her hosts plenty of reasons to hang on to her. Giving up on her influence isn't a cakewalk. I've tried. But it's got to be possible to get her out the same way she got in.

~~We need~~ We think we need her. If we can be convinced that we don't, maybe we'll snap free. These spirits are all about communication. So we stop communicating. Stop giving her a reason to stick with us.

[Well, that answers that question.]

I guess the question then would be, why would you need her? Or think you do. What is she offering that you can't do on your own? Or at least you think you can't do on your own?

You don't have to answer me, by the way. But maybe that's where you need to start. You've never struck me as a man who needed outside agency to get something done. In fact, you tend to have the opposite problem, from what I recall.

Maybe Pepper could help you out with it?

[ He didn't want this to get personal, because that's when Twila started to get extra defensive. Because where Twila had decided to latch onto him? Was a very personal place.

So even if it's unhelpful, Tony has to put up a filter. It's the only way he can convince himself to respond at all. ]

She tried. That's why I'm speaking up.

[ The first question? Oh, he's avoiding that. Like the plague. Which, sure, is pretty much counteractive to this whole conversation, but still. ]

[He doesn't expect Tony to tell him everything; like he told Loki; a maybe friendship from another time and a run in where he's pretty sure Tony was ready to throw him out of the house of by the end of it was not a good foundation for someone spilling their soul out to him. He was surprised Tony was talking to him at all, to be honest.

Carefully, he takes the one tidbit the man was willing to give him.]

Do you think she'd be able to help you work it out if you gave her time? Or would it need someone else not as close to you? Or something else?

[ More than anything, it was that Tony knew he had to do something. He couldn't stay like this. Twila had already caused multiple fights between him and Pepper, and it wasn't going to get better on its own.

He works through the questions one by one in his mind, slowly, trying to keep Twila's influence at bay. He didn't need her clouding his thoughts now. ]

If that's really the way to exorcise the damn spirit, then yes. She could. It would take someone close to me to win me over. I'm sure it's the same way for others possessed by Twila.

Is Pepper affected too?

[Please don't say 'yes, and it's Hyt'...even if that seemed to be the bigger picture problem here if the rest of the transmissions were to be believed.]

Yes. Eferin.

[ But she seemed to have a better hold of herself than he did. ]

[Both Derek and his own piece of Tsinku winced. That could be almost as bad...]

...You two been fighting?

Does it matter?

[ Which could be easily interpreted as 'yes'. ]

Not wanting to fight might be some motivation for you to hold onto while you work on getting Twila out.

[Small weapons, small steps. He's trying to go with what he knows. Even if it isn't much to go on.]

It already has. [ He wouldn't even be participating now if she hadn't gotten through to him at least a little. ] But it's not enough. At least, not yet.

Well, it's a start.

I can't give any more suggestions, wish I knew enough that I could, but it sounds like you're on the right track.

[Hopefully.]

Let's hope so.

[Locked to Residents]

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