painfully new, and oh so very homeless

[solifelike]

Mundane, is it?

[Begin the rapid, hyperactive talking.]

While the lack of confidence in some of your activities is from your observed behavior clearly an ingrained tendency -- I have to say, my opinion, in this case, is to concur with your line of thinking: you do need more practice and to give yourself a wider pool to draw from points of reference. Not just with my 'voice', as you call it, but also to familiarize yourself with my history in a proper chronological fashion. It's going to be hard to choose a canon point or establish any coherent pattern of behavior if you're not even entirely sure what happens when. Also, you could stand to brush up a little on your vocabulary. I am, after all, an expert in multiple scientific fields, and while that might not be strictly necessary to pass yourself off as me, there is only so much you can get away with by 'winging it'.

[He pauses, to slow down, draw a breath and look more worried.]

Also, I have to comment that I find it rather unsettling you've grown notably more interested in playing me immediately after hearing one of your online companions has a character I could encounter in some of these memes. Or, rather, I'm mainly concerned because of the nature this other individual seems to possess, and the kind of interactions you seem to be planning on me having with him.

I...know it's common for most people to use the term 'torture' not as literally as I'm used to encountering it in my work, but I'm pretty sure that here you mean it in all seriousness.

Comments

[sorcerous]

Fewer words have a greater power. You'd do well to learn that.

[solifelike]

Assuming you mean 'torture', I can certainly agree with that. Most people have an automatic reaction to it and associate it with the most extreme form of stress or physical displeasure they can possibly imagine. Which makes it almost ironic how often the word is abused; much like the phrase 'starving', which is prone to use in dramatic exaggeration...

Oh. Uh, you're the one that my Mundane was talking about, aren't you?

[sorcerous]

I meant that the more words you use, the less likely anyone is to listen.

And if I were?

[solifelike]

Oh! Sorry. I uh, misunderstood your placement of emphasis. Well, as William Shakespeare did write, "Brevity is the soul of wit--"

[And he cuts himself off so abruptly there's practically an audible gulping sound. This is one of those points where Hotch or Morgan would say "Reid, be quiet", isn't it?]

Well. In that case, it would...informative, that the two of us were getting a beforehand chance to know one another?

[sorcerous]

And another: "I would write you a shorter letter, but I haven't the time."

-- Oh, I know you. A bright creature, made of both too much and too little humanity to satisfy you.

[solifelike]

[He brightens. Trading quotes is always fun; they do it all the time at the BAU. It's practically like making smalltalk about letters and numbers on Sesame Street.] That one's attributed to Mark Twain. You're familiar with historical literary figures?

It sounds as if you're trying to say you know me by reputation. I'm afraid that means you have me at a disadvantage.

[sorcerous]

I don't think I do.

[solifelike]

You don't know me after all, or, you don't have me at a disadvantage...?

[O-kay: Reid just freezes for a moment, awkward, because he really does not have the advanced social skills necessary for this. Finally he decides to back up and attempt to establish some kind of norm, and formally introduces himself.]

Dr. Spencer Reid, of the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI. [He offers his hand hesitantly, both because he's not sure if he'll actually get a shake and is even less certain if he wants to.] And, you are?

[sorcerous]

[ There: have his hand. A firm clasp, and cool fingers.

His grip lingers. ]

Loki.

[solifelike]

[Reid manages something that could be called a small, and resists the urge to yank away too fast or shake his hand off after.

Also, he mentally adds 'firm handshake' to the list of behavioral tics he's compiling.]

Nice to meet you. So, uh, my Mundane seems to think, I mean she tells me that -- you're supposed to be some kind of god?

[sorcerous]

Don't tell me you've never heard of me.

[solifelike]

Ah. So you're really supposed to be that Loki. The archetypal trickster figure, from the Nordic mythology. Not that too much is really known about Nordic mythology, by our understanding, since most of the stories we have come from sources that were actually written much later, after Christianity had already come to the surrounding area...and I, ah, probably don't need to be lecturing you on any of this, do I? Sorry.

[sorcerous]

Oh, do go on. Tell me: what is it you know of Loki Laufeyson?

[solifelike]

[Completely missing the tells, Reid happily shifts to information-share mode, not really registering the fact that the figure he's talking about is in all likelihood standing right in front of him.]

Well like a lot of the other Norse deities, the majority of information comes from a collection of stories known as the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, the latter usually attributed to an Icelandic historian named Snorri Sturluson. In these, the being called Loki or 'Loptr' is described as being at least part-giant, and is associated with the gods as both an ally and the source of many of the troubles that lead to their adventures. He's a common companion to Thor, the god associated with storms and strength in battle. Loki himself is connected to everything from chaos to death to being the god of fire, and scholars are divided on what role precisely his purpose has in the original mythology. The names commonly given to his parents are Fárbauti and Laufey, which mean respectively "lightning" and "leaves" -- some inference can be made that it's actually an observation on the conception of a wildfire in nature: what happens when a lightning bolt strikes dry kindling and starts a random, uncontrolled inferno.

[sorcerous]

[ not sure if should be offended... ]

I suppose I am something like that.

[solifelike]

[He withdraws a little, dialing it back.]

That isn't even a fraction of the information that's been compiled over the years, but I only usually read about mythology as a byproduct of reading through other scholarly papers...and, uh, anyway, like I said if you really are Loki, I'm sure somewhere in there I covered something that can be considered accurate.

[sorcerous]

Strange how your world knows what I am, when it was hidden from me for so long.

[solifelike]

What do you mean? There's...something about your own history you were unaware of?

[sorcerous]

I was raised an Aesir, Reid-son. Ignorant of my nature until it was far too late.

[solifelike]

[Well that's...different. Reid isn't used to his allegorical mythological figures having a legitimate family history he can profile.]

So no one told you that you were adopted, then? That the parents that raised you weren't really your parents?

[sorcerous]

Few knew.

[ A guarded look, at Reid, very unsure. The facts of his parenthood have grown public, but that doesn't mean he wants them analyzed. ]

[solifelike]

[The guarded look might ping a few warning bells but unfortunately, not nearly enough.]

That couldn't have been very good for your self-esteem or sense of worth. Even from a young age, we want to be able to identify what makes us like those around us when we look at our families; perceiving something that enforces that sense of belonging is like a psychological security blanket. It must have been devastating, to have that taken away.

[His tone is sympathetic, for what that's worth. Which is probably very little. He just can't help himself: he has to poke his fingers into all of those dark holes.]

[sorcerous]

And your own self-esteem, is it tied to your blood? Did you look at your father and think that is what I am?

[solifelike]

[Quietly.] More with my mother, actually. She's always been the one I was closest to.

[sorcerous]

[ He cocks his head: a whisper, from the mundane. ]

And what is so terrible about madness, Reid-son?

[solifelike]

How...how did you know about-?

[He stops, swallowing to clear his throat, and tries speaking again quickly to cover it up. He's treating Loki like a suspect, like one of the dangerous personlities he profiles: the worst thing you can do is let them know they're getting to you, or have caught you off-guard. Unless of course that's what you want them to think. But Reid hasn't prepared for this.]

The problem I have with madness is where it interferes with a brain's ability to cognitively function; for a person to be able to interact healthily with the outside world. [He's trying to keep this abstract but the fervor to his words betrays personal investment, emotional involvement.] The mind is -- is the greatest tool that we as human beings have at our disposal. For it to be compromised in its efficiency, by anything, medical or otherwise is nothing less than...criminal. [His voices softens; he knows he's said too much.] It isn't fair.

[iwouldknow]

Oh I highly doubt your mundane will listen. They have a nasty habit of not doing so.

[solifelike]

I've heard that that tends to be the case.

There's relatively little harm to be achieved in asking, though, isn't there?

[iwouldknow]

If you like wasting your time, then no not really.

[solifelike]

That's not exactly very encouraging.

[godandhermother]

Torture? Oh, so you got one of the sadists. Good luck with that.

[Yep, this is a seven-year-old talking. A very, very creepy seven-year-old.]

Try withdrawing a lot with trauma. They usually get bored after they break you.

[solifelike]

I don't know if the term 'sadist' is correct, exactly. At the very least I'd need the chance to make a little more observation...

'Break' me? [Time for a nervous swallow.] I take it this kind of repeated exposure to traumatize experiences that you seem to be describing is, uh...is concerned the norm, around here?

[godandhermother]

Sadist means someone who takes pleasure in causing pain, right?

Well, it's part of the norm. Some muns only put us into relationships and play those out, some just like humiliating us, and some are sadists. Sounds like yours is a sadist. [And by God, so is hers.]

[solifelike]

Yes; either physical pain, or humiliation, or both. Sadists are often characterized as being vicious and manipulative towards others, which admittedly so far it seems like she has in spades. It's also a personality type disorder, or at least it used to be -- more recent psychiatric textbooks don't list it and so it's often categorized as a "personality disorder not otherwise specified".

I uh, just don't know entirely what her intentions towards me are yet. There are some hints that you may be right, she may be interested in something that would be considered sadism. I prefer not to comment too soon until more data has emerged.

[godandhermother]

[Huh. Alessa herself fits that description to a T too.] So it's not something you diagnose? Not something they put you away for?

Well either way, I wish you good luck. Maybe you have a mun who isn't too vicious. Some of them will just knock you around until you cry and then leave you alone for a week, and others really do want to break you.

[solifelike]

Not on its own, usually, no. Of course a truly dangerous sadist would likely also be a sociopath or a psychopath, and become a possible source of harm for themselves or others.

Really? Well, if that's the case...maybe I should hope that she takes a good long amount of time with her research before she starts playing me more thoroughly.

[godandhermother]

How can you tell if someone's a sociopath or a psychopath? [She's wondering if she fits those descriptions too. It actually would be smart to toss her in an institution without any way to harness her powers; she doesn't have the best history with controlling violent behavior.] They're the ones who hurt strangers, right? Instead of just their partner? [Ignore the weirdly not-childlike behavior coming from this child, Reid.]

If you really are an expert, it'll probably take her a while. She might lose interest, then you'd be off the hook. Pray she doesn't like researching stuff.

[solifelike]

A sociopath is someone who has no remorse or empathy for others. A psychopath is someone whose behavior demonstrates a marked break from reality. Both can become violent and hurt others, but a sociopath would be more likely to hide it, while a psychopath tends to act in an uncontrolled manner, normally as a part of some delusion. Spree killers are often in the midst of a psychotic break, while the majority of serial killers display both sociopathic and sadistic features. You...seem to have a lot of interest in this subject?

From what I've seen so far it looks like she doesn't; her actual academic interests lay more in the humanities, and she grows easily frustrated with any kind of science that involves numbers like physics or statistics. I'm more concerned though that she and the others she play with might consider simply watching more of my canon and borrowing my knowledge would be sufficient, versus building any for herself.

[godandhermother]

Yes, I do. [Might as well be brazen about it.] I deal with a lot of people like that. After a while, you pick things up. [Violence begat violence in this child. After being raised in a brutally violent cult and then basically running hell, she doesn't really see much of a problem with hurting people.] Can you have sociopath tendencies but still have empathy and remorse sometimes?

Hope they get sick of your canon, then. My mun likes researching stuff in my background a bit too much. [She pauses, cocking her head.] ...Your mun doesn't like researching psychology, hopefully. [Because it sounds like you're a psychological professional more than anything, if this conversation is something to go by.]

[solifelike]

I see. I've...been dealing with people like this since kind of early age, too. [Even when he was very small, it was pretty obvious how sick his mother was. The curse of being a genius.] Yes, it's possible. Hence why it's termed 'tendencies' versus flat-out sociopathy. Even if they feel remorse though, someone with heavy sociopathic features usually can't recognize that there's something wrong with them. Instead they think it's the rest of the world that functions incorrectly.

She has a variety of interests. She...dabbles, mostly though, more than anything.

[godandhermother]

You seem pretty nice to have dealt with it. You haven't tried to intimidate me or anything. [Granted, that could be because she is itty bitty and most people don't think they need to assert their dominance over her, but she forgets that she's harmless-looking and that most people aren't always focused on creating a pecking order.

Also, thank you, Reid, you have described Alessa. And now she knows she's got a sociopath streak.] They think that most other people are soft, right? That they can't do what needs to be done? Or maybe that other people are too restrained by their own sense of right and wrong.

Maybe she'll lose interest before she does much with you. You might be lucky.

[solifelike]

[Nervous chuckle.] I've uh, never been much of an 'intimidating' kind of guy.

Exactly. It's that other people are weak and broken, not them. You sound like you already know somebody that fits the profile.

So far that hasn't seemed to be the case. She hasn't done anything yet, though.

[godandhermother]

Yeah, I can tell. It's nice, really. It's a nice change. You're grown up but you're not mean.

[Her lips twitch into a tiny smile. It's not a very nice smile.] Yes. I do.

[solifelike]

[Perturbed, and more than a little concerned.] You're used to grown-ups being mean to you? How so?

[godandhermother]

[She has a tendency to forget most people aren't used to hearing about the abused little girl.] Normal stuff. Shouting at me, ignoring me, beating me, cutting me, burning me... stuff like that.

You're not like that. It's odd.