CONTEXT OF THE AU
Okay, to provide context for this AU, we'll use elements from Bill's book and website, such as the Ciphertology and the chapter on "the Anti-Cipher Society."
1982
Bill has been stalking Earth for years. His objective is clear: to build a portal and save himself from the imminent destruction of the Nightmare Realmβbasically the same as the canon up to this point.
But what happens when your own whims get in the way of your "mission"?
Cipher never needed the approval or devotion of others if it wouldn't serve his purpose, but that stupid human body, the one he now controlled completely after a deal that erased even the soul of its former owner, gave him a ridiculous satisfaction, the same satisfaction he got from possessing people. This would be his "vessel" to roam the earth and gain devotees. After so much chaos, the Cold War was still raging, and people were looking for a respite from it all, and that's where the cabaret becomes relevant again... a place where you could drink, enjoy shows, the music, forget for a second about everything happening outside... just enjoy yourself once more, without worrying about the state of the country. And Bill saw an opportunity, because... who would want to go to church every Sunday when they had more important things to do? More important things to worry about? Give people what they like, offer them their greatest desires and their smallest dreams, and they'll be at your feet in no time... and that's how the Church of Ciphertology was born.
A "church" that was really just a cabaret in disguise. Yes, everything done there was supposedly done by and for "Bill Cipher, the One-Eyed Creature," but there was nothing but personal enjoyment and pleasure in everything people did. They didn't have to "repent of their sins," and when you give people what they need, they're much easier to manipulate. Sure, Bill was deviating from the main plan for his own delight, but he excused it by saying he "hadn't yet found the right person smart enough for the task of a portal." But he wasn't really looking for anyone either. Under the dim lights at night, no one noticed his yellow eyes with cat-like pupils, no one noticed if he disappeared into the smoke on stage, and he truly loved the attention the audience gave him once he introduced the next act of the night. That vessel he called his body felt a shiver every time it received what it wanted and felt good... but time was really running out. He was nearing the end, and had a large number of devotees. He was also the leader of his own cult, claiming to be the messiah sent by Bill Cipher to save them from the misery they were living in.
How did Bill Cipher manage to gain total control of a body?
We know that Bill Cipher's specialty is deals, and this case is no exception. But when you sink so deep into something that you can't even live afterward, you give it more power than it should. And if you have no one to cling to, a deal promising you peace is the easiest way out.
