#Cyrus plays fallout

[avetruetovulpes]

For fuck’s sake, John

[aith-art]

The change of a decade

[ghost-qwq]

Did I post something about my fic when I was in the middle of writing chapter 7?... yeah :(

[waggishcoyote]

Another (as of now incomplete) furry VN I recently finished playing is Remember the Flowers. It was really good! A wonderful experience all around. But like ...

(Spoilers Below!)

Did anyone else notice that Cyrus, our MC, has an insane level of social and emotional intelligence?

This could genuinely just be my own personal bias talking. I've got a fairly robust social life, but I'm no extrovert. I have some close friends that I interact with regularly and a moderately wide sphere of acquaintances to boot. But if I'm being honest, I'm a novice when it comes to navigating complicated Adult Interpersonal Situations.

They rarely seem to come up in my friend groups (or I'm just ignorant ... yikes), and when they do, I'm usually able to get away with doing very little: serving as a soundboard for venting, providing some vague bog standard advice, staying out of the situation entirely, or some combination therein. I'm a bit socially underdeveloped, is what I'm trying to say, and my reading of RTF is probably colored as a result.

This being said, progressing through the linear narrative of the story in Cyrus' POV was an uncanny experience. Maybe it's just because Cyrus is canonically over 300 years old, but he is downright unreasonably good at navigating social situations.

"But wait!" you say, "isn't Cyrus a self-professed introvert?" Yes, and I (somewhat) believe him when he says that! Cyrus is not a master conversationalist outright. I'm talking about something different. Cyrus has mastered the metagame of social interaction. It's the way he carefully reads the people he forms close relationships with, and almost flawlessly updates his beliefs and behaviors accordingly. It's the way he balances spoken words and unspoken meanings. It's the way he boldly yet gently encourages his new friends to open up to him about their struggles while carefully avoiding overstepping boundaries in the process.

Interestingly enough, the narrative manages to portray Cyrus' social sagacity in a way that avoids coming across as forced. Maybe it's just authorial artifice, but Cyrus' help and advice never reads as being some contrived panacea for the social dilemmas he helps ameliorate. But ultimately, this doesn't matter. What is so impressive to me is simply that he is able to consistently be of service in the first place.

Like seriously, his success rate is incredible, and his talents are exemplified in the nuanced ways he provides social support to his friends. The way he encouraged Aaron to open up about his past life as a violent gang member. The way he consoled him afterwards, recognizing the terrible nature of his past crimes and denouncing them while simultaneously assuring him that he has grown, healthily reaffirming his humanity. The way he coaxed the blunt and hermit-like Vita out of their shell, laying the foundation necessary for them to come out of the bunker and to the surface for the first time since their rescue.

What was most impressive to me was the way he helped Canto and Silver's relationship. It's pretty damn bold to intercede in the relational struggles of two lovers whose multiple-years-long disagreements are coming to a head. I was cringing the entire time. I was sure that this was the moment that Cyrus' meddling would be his undoing. I was sure his efforts would blow up in his face, in one way or another. But they didn't!

Once again, I'm not stating this is as being a writing flaw per se. It's not that Cyrus attempted something within the story that should have been impossible, and was saved only by bad character writing. It's that Cyrus confidently intervened in an extremely challenging situation and managed to say (and do) all the right things necessary to believably help these two lovers work through their problems.

The outcome wasn't perfect. Silver and Canto break up. But it's pretty clear that they were headed for a much uglier fallout had Cyrus not intervened. Cyrus' intermediation alone allows the two to communicate, find a space to understand each other's struggles and perspectives, and come to a mutual and healthy (if still painful) decision to walk away from their romance. I think Cyrus might have known the two of them for several months at this point in the story (not sure, there are a few time skips), but this is still a miraculous outcome for someone who didn't know either of the involved characters at the start. Maybe it doesn't matter, but Cyrus might as well be a stranger to Canto and Silver, relative to the many years the two had known each other prior to meeting him.

I think, if memory serves, that Cyrus does make a few mistakes. He was a bit of a fool to trust Cooper. He was pretty short with Canto when they first met. He was a tad too pushy with Vita in their first argument about the safety of traveling to the surface. But these mistakes (besides the first) were never of massive consequence, and they were never wholly Cyrus' fault.

On a deeper level, one of the only crucial personal mistakes he makes occurs in a flashback from before the events of the story, in which his dedication?, ambition?, belief? inadvertently separates him from his family and sets the stage for the ensuing narrative. The only persistent character flaws we observe within Cyrus throughout the story itself are his trust, his idealism, and his self-sacrificing dedication to his friends.

But this level of social and emotional intelligence in our MC is still in complete contrast to a VN like Echo, where our main character and nearly all of the supporting cast are consistently saying all of the wrong things at all of the wrong times to one another, often to disastrous effect.

Compared to a Chase Hunter type, wise Cyrus represents an almost Ayanokoji-like level of MC self-insert escapism. It's the nearly same fantasy of the 10000 IQ charismatic anime protag, just translated onto a healthier (read: not downright Machiavellian) personality and story context. What if I had the confidence to help my friends in distress? What if I was able to speak without second guessing everything that comes out of my mouth? What if I chose all the right dialogue options in the infinitely complicated game of life?

I want to close by redoubling my assurance that this is not an attack on the verisimilitude and poignancy of Remember the Flowers as a novel. These observations neither hindered my enjoyment of the story nor seriously affected my immersion within it. As it stands, the facets of the story I discussed above ultimately constitute a small piece of RTF, and the game is still far from finished! I'm very curious to see if the story will eventually challenge Cyrus' personality, talents, and flaws as I've discussed them.

Thanks for reading!

[victorluvsalice]

Help: How Do Tav!Smiler in BG3???

Hi everyone -- say, do you remember how, way back at the end of January last year, I made a post about how I'd recently gotten my hands on Baldur's Gate III and I was going to make Smiler my "Tav?" To go with my VTMB Malkavian Fledgling Alice and my FO4 Sole Survivor Victor? Are any of you wondering how that's going?

It's -- kind of not! I haven't actually gotten that far in the game, mostly because I stopped playing for most of 2024 due to a combination of "I want to play with cool mods but I'm nervous that they'll break the game thanks to these glitches I read about on the game's subreddit" and "I am already stressed about this game, Larian, if you're going to get cutesy about when Patch 6 is actually coming out I'm going back to Sims 4 and Fallout 4." I finally picked it back up again late last year, clearing out all my old saves and starting again using the in-game mod manager to manage the mods I wanted. And I made some decent progress for once: getting past the tutorial, picking up a bunch of companions (Shadowheart, Astarion, Gale, and Lae'zel), fetching Withers from his crypt, and helping the tieflings defend their gate from the attacking goblin hordes. I was all set to head into the tiefling camp, start helping them with their problems, and pick up Wyll --

And then Patch 8 came out. And while I was waiting for mods to update (a process that involved me going "shit what's going to happen with ImpUI, the creator said they weren't updating it anymore and I'm pretty sure at least ONE of my mods needs it" and "uh, how DO you update mods in the in-game mod manager?"), something happened in my brain related to an entirely different thing that I enjoy --

That made me realize "fuck, I think I need to restart again...and I might need some help figuring out what exactly it is I want to do." Let me see if I can sum it up step by step:

I. Okay, so -- all three times I've tried to get a playthrough of BG3 going pre-Patch 8, I've always had Smiler start out as a Bard. Because, well, I like the class features they get, and I felt that it suited Smiler pretty well -- they're reasonably musical (they play guitar and drums, after all), and they are definitely a high-Charisma person, which is one of a Bard's primary stats.

II. However, I've never actually been able to come up with a backstory for my Bard Smiler, beyond "probably raised by their uncle Felix instead of Matt and Carol in this universe" and "likely a traveling entertainer/alchemist pre-abduction" (since I've always used mods to have them multiclass into the Alchemist subclass of the Artificer class to represent their talent for all things chemistry and alchemy). I never worried that much about it, though, as I wasn't really trying to make a story out of any of my playthroughs (I only need ONE project like "Londerland Bloodlines" going at a time, thank you) -- they were just supposed to be about having fun. I just thought it would be nice to know what that Smiler was all about.

III. And here's where the entirely different thing comes in. Who here has heard of the web series CaFae Latte? It's a fun TikTok series (though I only watch the YouTube compilations for each season because I don't have and don't want a TikTok account) about a group of people working in and having adventures out of a fairy-owned coffee shop in a more magical version of Minnesota, by one C. M. Alongi. My friend Gigs got me into it last year, and I've been really enjoying catching up on all the various adventures of Bob, Cyrus, JC, Nicole, and all the other staff/customers/related entities who show up. In fact, I've been enjoying it so much that recently I started writing mental fanfic for it --

And me being me, it was of course Valicer-related fanfic. XD Specifically, I started thinking, "wouldn't it be fun to have Smiler get hired as a new barista at the coffee shop? I already have them working at one in the Modern AU! Though, given this is an urban fantasy series, maybe I should go for a not-exactly-human Smiler...maybe I can do something like my VITD Smiler and have them be somehow connected to our favorite eldritch god of happiness Mar-Mal? Yeah, that'd work!" So I started imaging a scenario where a Smiler with a link to Mar-Mal (expressed, of course, through their glowing yellow eyes) got a job at the CaFae and started making friends with the people already there --

IV. Which led to me thinking of a moment where one of the characters asked Smiler if their relationship with Mar-Mal was like being a D&D warlock (since some of the characters are D&D fans). And this made me think, "Hmmm -- I know that eldritch entities ARE valid patrons for warlocks in that game -- just look at Prudence from Oxventure. But can you pick one of those with warlocks in Baldur's Gate III? I've only ever looked at the Bard write-up on the wiki in detail, I should check it out, just for funsies." So one Saturday night, I did indeed check it out, going through the BG3 Wiki's entry on the Warlock class and looking at the special features you get with a Great Old One Patron --

And. Right at level one. I saw that one of the things you get is a slightly-expanded spell list to pick from for your first couple of warlock spells. With the two extra spells Great Old Ones give you being "Tasha's Hideous Laughter" -- the most Smiler spell of the lot because it's literally INCAPACITATING PEOPLE WITH LAUGHTER -- and "Dissonant Whispers" -- a spell I had LITERALLY JUST FUCKING GIVEN SMILER during their second level-up before Patch 8, because I'd decided they should focus on Psychic damage and I could headcanon the whispers as distracting creepy laughter. And then I kept going down the page, and I kept seeing all the mind control spells I thought Smiler should have on the list of spells Warlocks could pick up as they level up, and near the bottom the "Thought Shield" stuff specific to Great Old One Patrons that both grants resistance to and reflects back all psychic damage dealt to the warlock...

V. ...and my brain immediately went "oh hey! Can you imagine a younger Smiler, maybe running away from the local version of Kelman, getting contacted by Mar-Mal and offered a pact to help them out? With their service being to use their talents to spread happiness and joy throughout the world? By any means possible?"

...cue me realizing FUCKING HELL, I MADE SMILER THE WRONG BASE CLASS. *facepalm* Like, how the HELL did I not realize this before?! One of my favorite versions of Smiler is my VITD Smiler, who -- while not exactly in a pact with their god -- does have a strong connection with them through Mar-Mal blessing them, and who I've already decided gets at least one of their special playbook powers through Mar-Mal granting it to them ("Mesmerism," for the curious -- will allow Smiler to Sway someone, then make them forget it happened until the next time they see Smiler. Mar-Mal thinks this is a useful talent; Smiler thinks Alice is gonna get mad at them if they use it). And Warlock is another Charisma-based casting class! Smiler being a warlock of some description TOTALLY makes sense!

VI. Except -- well, it's not quite as simple as that. I've been thinking about this for the past couple of weeks, and I've come to the conclusion that there are three key things about Smiler that I would like to express in the "Tav" version --

a) Their connection to Mar-Mal, and the mind- and emotion-control spells that grants

b) Their musical talents and ability to get people's attention with a show

c) Their alchemist talents and ability to craft various potions and elixirs and whatnot

Now, of those three, a) and b) are easy enough to represent -- I was already planning on multiclassing Smiler with the help of a "go all the way up to Level 20" mod, and "Bardlock" is a very legit dual-class combination, given that both are Charisma-based casters AND learning the "Song of Rest" as a bard gives you the benefit of an extra Short Rest to recharge the warlock spell slots. Plus, for Smiler specifically, Bard has the "buff your allies" spells that I'd like them to have (like "Sanctuary" -- both because it's useful for keeping enemies away from a person and because of the name accidentally referencing Kelman's little asylum of horrors :P) and, as of Patch 8, a lovely "College of Glamour" subclass that would allow them to buff their allies, automatically Charm enemies who attack those allies in melee, and order people around in combat. All things I would love for my Smiler to have! So yeah, to cover those two items, Bardlock Smiler is definitely the way to go.

As for c), however -- that's a little trickier. While the game does have an alchemy system that characters can use to craft various items, I'm not sure that just using that a lot is enough to get across the idea that Smiler is a talented alchemist. Hence why on my first playthroughs, I was using Artificer mods to make them an official Alchemist via the power of subclass. However, there's two potential problems with doing that now:

One, that would mean triple-classing, and I'm not sure if that would be too complicated a character build -- especially since I'm not sure which class should be primary (I was thinking Warlock, as per my initial reaction to realizing how well it fit them above, but given my idea is that Smiler would have at least their alchemy skills before any pact with Mar-Mal, maybe Artificer makes more sense...) and how many levels I should take of each (I want all my feats, but I also want as many goodies as I can get from each class)

Two, the Artificer mod I was using for my latest playthrough via the in-game mod manager, "Artificer for Home Brew - Comprehensive Reworks" -- well, when I first downloaded it, I didn't realize the "Home Brew - Comprehensive Reworks" part of the title was referring to another mod that this mod was designed to work in conjunction with. I thought it was just referring to how the mod creator adapted it to BG3! The mod seemed to work fine for the short time I had it ("Home Brew -Comprehensive Reworks" is not actually required to play with it, from what I can see), but as you might imagine, I am somewhat concerned that the damn thing might break if I keep using it in a playthrough without the "base" mod (and after taking a quick look at said base mod, I'm not interested in it). I know there are other Artificer and even custom Alchemist class mods out there, but I'm not sure which ones are good and/or Patch 8 ready (and at least one seems to have used AI images to generate class icons and pictures for their write-up on how the class works, so I don't want to use that one on principle). I could also fudge it with this mod that turns the "Experimental Alchemy" passive certain Wizards get into a feat anyone can pick up, but THAT requires either waiting until I hit level 4 in a class (which feels like it could take a while) or tracking down a Patch 8-ready mod that allows me to just pick up ONE extra feat (as I feel like getting feats every level or every other level like most mods is a TOUCH overpowered).

So yeah. Shit be complicated, yo. And that isn't even getting into me debating if Smiler's background should be "Guild Artisan" (gives skill proficiency in Insight and Persuasion, has a "can happen anywhere" inspiration trigger) or "Entertainer" (gives skill proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance, has inspiration triggers involving telling stories and participating in comedy contests that do feel very Smiler)! *grabs head* I just want Smiler to be right, damn it!

Which is why I'm hoping to get some advice from the rest of you. What do you people who are more experienced with the game recommend I do to get the Tav!Smiler I want? In fact, let's do it in the form of a poll, bitches love polls:

I'd add in suggestions for how many levels to take of each class (like 12 Warlock/4 Bard/4 Artificer), but I have limited poll options and limited characters within each option, so if you have any suggestions regarding THAT, please leave them in the replies or a reblog, a la Option 7. Any help is appreciated!

[crazylittlejester]

Hiiiii, I also have finals so it’s understandable to be STRESSIN’ cause I’m doing the same and I’d be a hypocrite, but I hope you’re able to take time to rest and drink lots of water and able to take care of yourself <3

ALSO, onto the brainrot train and allowing my mind to wander right now, listening to a lot of music to study gave me another question: what would the chain’s favorite artists be??

HIII sorry for answering this late i have been Stressed lmao 😭

idk if you mean for like, my modern au or for my thoughts on just regular lu but they’re honestly mostly the same so technically here’s both alskdk

Time: KISS, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Metallica, basically he is your average father who hasn’t listened to new music since like. the 80s. I DO think it’d be really really funny if he also just really fucked with like two Katy Perry songs

Warriors: Queen, David Bowie, Arctic Monkeys, Brittney Spears, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, ANY of those songs playing in really thirsty ass tiktok edits, Nicki Minaji’s Starships specifically, Lady Gaga again, Marina and the Diamonds, he’s a 2010s pop girlie mainly. But then also this motherfucker would put on the most violent sounding classical music you’ve ever heard in the middle of a playlist that has Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars in it. He would also LOVE Hozier

Twilight: “he listens to country music” yes, BUT i think he’d also just really love music from the 50s and 60s. and specifically just Shake It Off by Taylor Swift. Just that one

Sky: The Crane Wives, Ricky Montgomery, Conan Gray, Hozier, Mitski, Laufey, ABBA, Queen, probably Taylor Swift

Hyrule: He found some random french dude who no one has ever heard of before and he fucks with it SO heavily. Also just rain sounds and video game tracks

Legend: Mcr, Fallout Boy, Will Wood, Will Wood and the Tapeworms, The Living Tombstone, Mindless Self Indulgence, Set It Off, Insane Clown Posse, Gorillaz, Paramore, and you’ll have to torture it out of him that he genuinely likes some P!ATD songs still

Wild: The literal definition of “whatever”. Like literally anything. The home depot beat, blink-182, Taylor Swift, jazz, Lana Del Ray, the sound of a metal pipe hitting a wall, the Arcane soundtrack, literally anything

Four: Cosmo Sheldrake, AURORA, also rain sounds, Modest Mouse, Vampire Weekend, Big Thief, also the literal sound of a metal pipe hitting the wall

Wind: The Living Tombstone because he LOVES FNAF, ABBA, Queen, Gorillaz, songs from tiktok edits that get stuck in his head, and Lady Gaga because he spends a little too much time with Warriors and is slowly absorbing his taste in music

[rainbowrocketquotes]

Guzma: What are you playing?

Cyrus: Fallout: New Vegas.

Guzma: I'll never understand that game. I mean, if you have to make up an entire monument for the main plot point, then you should just change the setting to someplace that has a better monument with real world historic value.

Cyrus: ...The Hoover Dam?

Guzma: Yeah, I mean—

Cyrus: Guzma, the Hoover Dam is real.

Guzma: No, I mean, in real life, there's no—

Cyrus: Guzma, listen to me very carefully. Have you ever left Alola?

[npdkondraki]

heard eridan & dirk talking and i went to say something and eridan immediately was just like "shut up cyrus you dont have an edge in this conversation all you do is play fallout and post about trannies" and i was so shocked i fucking dissociated for 45 minutes straight

[creepypasta-fan-page]

“Creepypasta headcanons, BEN drowned edition„

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

-: BEN has hacked into videogames to customize the characters more, he started after getting angry at the Fallout Shelter: New Vegas customization.

-: When playing hide n seek with Sally BEN often uses his size to his advantage. He curls into a ball and squeezes into places. He does deny this.

-: These places are usually in between the dryer and washer, behind doors, under beds, hanging inside boxes, etc.

-: He does listen to hyper pop. And Miley Cyrus.

-: He is a hello kitty fanboy. He has her stuffies, matching croc charms w X-Virus, her ramen and completed “Hello kitty: Island Adventures” the moment it came out.

-: BEN does do skin care with Sally and X- Virus. He has a huge acne problem due to his hormonal teenage acne. This is an insecurity.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

[chloe12801]

Introduction post

Hello! My name is Chloé, I’m in my early twenties, bisexual, and I’m currently going to college for psychology as well as environmental studies. I have a puppy named Ella Stein (after Frankie Stein) and here are some other facts about me:

☀️Sagittarius,🌙Libra,⬆️Cancer (Astrology is fun!)

Fluent in English, know some French (could probably survive a conversation)

Favorite musicians: Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Rico Nasty, Eminem, Nirvana, and MCR

I consider myself a music enthusiast. I collect physical copies, collectibles, merch, and am always trying to diversify my music taste/knowledge. As a result, we probably enjoy some of the same artists :)

I also collect monster high dolls, crystals/rocks, and pins

I love animals, I want to use my degrees to do something involving them

Favorite video games: GTA (mainly V, haven’t finished IV or played any other), RDR (2, need to buy and play the first one), Fallout 4/NV/76, and the Sims

I’m very much in love with Trevor Philips

I am a proud lover of old men, average Lana stan moment

I love Deadpool and Harley Quinn🥺

I am a creative, I have dabbled in music/art/edits/videos/written work/clothes/upcycling/photography

I am an immersive daydreamer. This means I have deep lore filled daydream universes that go on for years. Ex: I have one with an OC and Trevor that I thought up around 2 years ago. I really should write it down bc it’s essentially fanfiction

I love vintage stuff, particularly 60s-00s

I like girly, grunge, coquette, goth, and rave type fashion. Combining this with vintage and you get my style

I’m really into aesthetics, I’ve been making themed boards on Pinterest and weheartit since middle school

I LOVE horror, the rare times I watch movies they are almost always horror (or cinematic bc I like visuals)

I like visiting cemeteries, I just find them peaceful and nice to remember those who aren’t around anymore

If I’m watching tv shows, I’m usually watching children’s cartoons. My favorites: Regular Show, SpongeBob, Adventure Time, and The Amazing World of Gumball

I’m usually watching YouTube though, mostly stuff with video game or horror themes

I’m shy (probably bc of my GAD) but very friendly and non-judgmental so feel free to talk and interact with me, I have a hard time making the first move sometimes

On top of having GAD, I also have major depressive disorder, OCD (mainly contamination), body dysmorphia, recovering from an ED, and other symptomatic issues stemming from these things like anger issues

I tag all posts I add something to/create with #cafa / #cafaoc

I think this is a pretty solid start to knowing me, of course there’s a lot more to me than this but yeah welcome to my account! :)

[avetruetovulpes]

Scribe Haylen what do you MEAN you’ve been “visiting Danse at the bunker while I’m away” I have NOT let him leave my side. Haylen back tf off my man

[luxmaeastra]

Retribution had come, as he'd warned Vincent 20 years it would. He was good, he was just but he was not kind or nice. Those things didn't work in a Valg society especially like one in Terresan.

Noelle's son cut through the poorts, bringing soldiers, hundreds, thousands of them.

Sebastian took to the air, directing, directing and watching.

Cyrus and Noelle had agreed, whatever bond their boy Luther and Charmaine had - whatever bond the boy pleaded mercy for..they would not give it. Cyrus had nearly killed him for it, choking him and slamming him back into the snow.

"You gave them legitimacy boy! You gave them a leg to stand on! And it will be that sin that dooms them! That dooms you!"

He knew Noelle to be ruthless, knew her to cunning and violent. They hadn't survive the Ironteeth on blood alone. The way Natalia told those stories it was Noelle who was always a step behind her. A second in everything but name to stop favoritism. But she was protective and had nearly killed him more than once. He knew that violence, that promise of blood in her. It's what made her and Cyrus a good match. They'd both watched for them as they'd grown up. Cyrus had been his lieutenant longer than he had been his friend. Cyrus would not waver for anything, neither would she. If he gave the word, if he simpky as gave the nod they'd tear Luther apart and give his heart to them.

But there were some traditions even he would not continue. The boy had been in lust of course he had. The magic had been loud just when he'd seen him. When Luther had been on his knees and begged for him to stop this. As Heir he could, as Heir to the Valg line of Terresan he probably could have.

If he was someone with kindness he would have spared them, let that girl come here. Let Luther play father to the family he seemed desperate for.

But he was none of those things and even if Vincent held on for three years it didn't stop.

Alana was the one to finally meet him. It wasn't tears in her, just exhaustion.

"Make their deaths quick Sebastian. If Natalia asks, this - this was the vision we were trying to avoid."

He sneered and stepped toward her.

"No. No he didn't did he? His brother didn't? He laid seige to our home for two years -"

"You did for three years -"

"I gave you three years to get your affairs in order. I will not be kind, I will give you every bit of rage I've wanted to for the last twenty years Alana. Starting with your siblings."

He dropped their heads at her feet, she didn't scream, not yet. She would, they all would soon.

She began to scream when he cut down Leesan and Jona. He remembered those two, the wannabe soldier and the wild one. How Aelin and her had been as thick as theives. They'd held hands as they ran through the halls. He cut her hands off first and then her head.

Vincent must have hidden himself, a coward.

He moved through the halls, his soldiers filling through, tearing their art - their servants down.

They wanted him to be a monster? He'd show them a monster.

He stopped, finding Vincent in front of a door. His sword out, they didn't talk. There wasn't really anything left to say was there?

He knew what was behind that door. Aerleas had been promised that retribution and he would let him have it. Let him break his brother for it. Let Narcissus deal with the fallout to come of his family.

Sebastian exhaled, calling on that magic. The lighting and cold, he became it the lightning energizing his blood and the cold? The Killing Cold flowed through his mind, making it all simple.

He lunged, their weapons slamming into each other again and again. He would not die here, he would not leave them like this. Natalia would not accept such a stupid way to die. For her, for their kingdom, for their children - he would not die here.

Aerleas struck, he tore the doors off the room. He took the toddler from her, ignoring as Charmaine screamed for it. Ignored as Luther lunged for him. Traitor, running to the people who took their home. Coward to swear to the family that took theirs away.

Did he not remember that day? Did he not remember grabbing the twins and running for the windows? Did he not remember fighting their way to safety and making sure those two didn't die?! Did he not remember the year of grief and shock to come?? Did he not have the fire in him?

He gave the toddler to his hounds, made her watch as they tore it apart. He looked to her, looked to Luther. He grinned at Charmaine and lunged throwing her to his soldiers. His brother though? His brother he tortured like their mother had taught him.

A week, a week of this till Sebastian had finally cut it off. That frenzy needed to end, that orgy fo violence and more had to stop. He would have not Terresan fall from the inside.

He clamped Aerleas on the shoulder steering him away to the food.

"Save that rage nephew. We still need to take Adarlan down brick by brick. Did you take the girl?"

Aerleas slowed and looked to him. The question was calculated and he shook his head.

"I know who my mate is Uncle. I would not mar her with that."

Sebastian nodded and looked to where Charmaine had been sent. A tent for the Ironteeth healers. Natalia had finally come home with them, all rallied under one banner. Maybe the Crochans would follow it was their blood enslaved by the fae in Prythian anyway.

Sebastian exhaled and left Aerleas alone. He would need to speak to Viren, this type of display of violence - he wouldn't like it. He never liked it when the "innocents" were slaughtered in Valg wars. But had she been innocent? She'd been 16 but she hadn't refused the mating. Hadn't refused the child. She must have known what to was come no? At 19, she must have known how her world was about to end. He'd let the Ironteeth deal with her now, the Bluebloods would figure out what to do. If they still saw Alana as their blood.

He found Natalia and their boys easily enough. The ringing in his ears finally stopped and he exhaled moving to take her hand. It felt strange after holding his spear for so long.

He should probably say something right? Make some joke? He was the one that usually brought levity to their family. He didn't have the energy for it. He looked to the castle, the holdy fires burning again.

"We are home."

This campaign was one they had all planned for, one which they knew had to proceed even if some of the outcomes were far from ethically correct. It had been one of the few debates that had delayed her from coming quicker, one of the few reasons why she had been kept back as the bulk of the advance had been completed. It was a flaw she hated, as cold and distant as some said she was, she respected her friends and allies too much to just cut them off.

Still, she eventually found her way there. She brought Ironteeth as promised, they had set up where needed. She reunited with her children, looking over them to ensure the brunt of what was going on wasn’t affecting them. Valg life was not the easiest to stomach at times, sometimes it was hard to just consider how cruel they could be.

However, they were her family now. Sebastian had shown her his world and she took it in her stride, she barely allowed it to affect her as she found her coping mechanisms.

Natalia turned, looking to Sebastian as he appeared from whatever situation he was dealing with. She could only imagine what he saw, further into the fray of this. It was clear the toll had been paid, she noted the lack of quip or energy he seemed to have.

“Did it go well? Should there be anything I should be made aware of.”

[h-worksrambles]

Well, I got caught up with Remember the Flowers. And considering that doing so left me an emotional wreck at 4 in the morning. I don’t think it’s a surprise that I have a lot to say.

Now before I get into my spoiler heavy thoughts I want to say one thing: Play Remember the Flowers. I don’t care if you’re not a furry. Just do it. I cannot recommend it enough. If you want a genuinely good and refreshing isekai story with memorable characters, gorgeous art and music, an excellent sense of mystery and incredibly emotional payoffs, you will get all of that and more here, even in its current WIP state. The 13 chapters currently available are worth the experience alone (and it’s free by the way).

Now with that said, allow me talk about just why this game made such an impression on me. FULL SPOILERS FOR UP TO CHAPTER 13 BELOW. DO NOT READ ON IF YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED.

First and foremost, the structure and delivery of the story is fantastic. You experience the plot over the course of story arcs of about 4-5 chapters each, and every single one does incredible work escalating upon it itself. The pacing is something of a slow burn but every chapter still provides plenty of interesting character interactions and new things to learn about the world. And the payoff comes with the finale of each arc, all of which somehow managed to one up each other in their dramatic weight. The first arc already managed to end on the emotional gut punch of Cooper’s betrayal. The second arc took great advantage of Cyrus dealing with that emotional fallout and trying to adjust to the new status quo despite being more afraid and distrusting than ever, before the devastating revelations of his own past. The third arc has an absolute beautiful exploration of the characters’ relationship, seeing Cyrus becoming truly comfortable around this found family, many of them starting to heal from their own traumas in the fight against Resoom, before leading to an emotional tour de force that completes Cyrus’ character growth beautifully. While I think the dystopian world is interesting, I think it’s this execution and craft of of this story that really elevates it to something special.

Speaking of the characters, they’re also a delight. It’s honestly impressive that most of the actual main cast are as compelling as they are when none of them actually show up until roughly 5 hours in. Pretty much every character with prominent screentime in the first few hours is a red herring. Diana and Damion, who are first introduced as lovable supporting figures in Cyrus’ life who he longs to reunite with, turn out to be long gone given the game’s twist about its timespan. And Cooper, who is effectively the second main character when the story starts is…well we’ll get to that.

Making the player care about the resistance team when they effectively replace the people you thought were the main cast promised to be a tricky business. Fortunately, the game pulls it off marvellously as these guys are a joy. Aaron is an absolutely precious character, and if you follow my blog you’ll know I’ve gushed about him (and what absolute husband material he is) already. It’s very easy to warm to Aaron very quickly. He’s attentive and affectionate as a friend to Cyrus, especially at a point where Cyrus really needs that kind of friend, consistently selfless, a good leader. He almost feels like Mr. Perfect when you meet him. And that’s because he’s trying so SO hard to be. Learning the truth in Chapter 13 of his journey from an impoverished orphan, to a bitter thug hell-bent on violence, to a man genuinely inspired to fight for what he loves recontextualises his past kindness, but not in a bad way. He acts this way because he’s determined to prove to himself and to others that he’s not the killer he used to be. And he’s clearly holding himself to a high standard, afraid that anything less than his best would be enough to make Cyrus see him as the monster he still believes he is. Even now knowing little about his history with his lover Xavier and the role that played in redeeming him, there’s something powerful in just how much of an inspiration he was to Aaron. We don’t know fully who Xavier was. But we can definitely see who Aaron is now and that is an unequivocally good person. By the time it really becomes apparent that Aaron as being set up as the actual love interest, it’s very easy to already fall for him.

And the rest of the cast is also excellent. Canto’s standoffish nature is contrasted by the fact that he’s just genuinely a funny and entertaining presence in the narrative. Karin’s boundless enthusiasm and energy, mixed with a punch first, ask questions latter attitude but also a genuine love for her friends is consistently endearing. Vita’s quiet, business like manner conceals a character who ends up becoming a kindred spirit, one of the few who can really understand what Cyrus is going through. And their own steady growth to overcome the damage done to them physically and emotionally by Resoom leads to some truly poignant payoffs. Silver, despite being the last character to be introduced properly, more than makes up for it with a strong first impression. His quickly blooming friendship with Cyrus is a pleasant contrast that prevents him feeling the ‘edgy dude with a sad backstory’ trope. In fact, watching Cyrus and Silver empathise with each other over their experiences in one scene, and comfortably joke around each other as roomies in the next, feels natural and cathartic.

These guys genuinely feel like a found family before long. Cyrus’ steadily growing attachment to them feels earned. And seeing him heal from the terrible things he’s endured with a group of people who love and support him is incredibly heartwarming.

But I want to focus my discussion on two characters who particularly stuck with me. The first is the resident bastion of controversy, Cooper, or Lance I guess I should say. Suffice to say my earlier post about how I knew he was a polarising character but was liking him so far aged…interestingly to say the least. Seeing Cooper’s early impression of a rough around the edges bad boy with moments of emotional sincerity quickly come crashing down as he’s revealed to be a selfish merc willing to sacrifice innocent lives for a quick buck was a horrible shock to be sure. The story succeeds at making you genuinely like Cooper and his seeming budding friendship with Cyrus. Which makes the reveal all the more heartwrenching. Any kind of ‘I can fix him’ charm is utterly dismantled. Because even if that was real, even if there was a connection here, Lance still chose to throw that away. And we know now it’s not the first time he’s thrown away people he cares for out of selfishness. Still, piece of scum though he is, I was hoping Lance would make a reappearance eventually as I was genuinely curious where they were planning to take his character next. Especially as Cyrus meets and tries to bond with Lance’s former teammates who themselves have been hurt by the guy in the past.

What really fascinated me was when we started changing perspective to follow what happened to Lance after he sold out Cyrus. It was definitely interesting to see him at such a low point. Having all his actions bite him in the ass seemed to make him briefly realise how much he’s screwed himself and everyone around him. While spiralling in self loathing he’s forced to admit what a despicable person he’s been and even expresses regret for what he did to Cyrus. It’s clear that there’s a lot of anger, bitterness at his life, grief over his lost friend and pure simple selfishness that’s brought him to this point. But maybe, just maybe, spending time with Cyrus, did make him start to remember what it’s like to actually give a damn about someone else and to be cared about in turn. Reminded him of everything he’s thrown away. For one moment, you think he might be starting to get it. Might be taking that first step to be a better man like you’ve seen hints he’s capable of being…

And then when Artemis brings his old team up, and all those feelings of anger, jealousy, grief and resentment, that thickheaded belief that he’s the victim in all this, comes back full force. And before you know it, he’s in too deep, utterly in Resoom’s pocket and unable to get out of it if he even wanted to, It reminds me of that one scene from Bojack. ‘You can’t keep doing shitty things and then feel bad about it like that makes it ok.’ Much like that show, there’s something so maddening about seeing someone who has the potential to be better being so close to a breakthrough only to slide right back into the same self destructive impulses and be right back where they started.

This man is a fascinating trainwreck of character and I want to study him with a microscope like a cockroach but he also makes me want to rip my hair out. Despite being one of the most despicable members of the cast, he’s probably the one I’m most interested to see where his character goes. As a foil to a cast who all have baggage and have all done bad stuff in the past, but all ultimately make the effort to be better and work for something other than themselves, Lance makes a very effective counterpart. While they collectively heal, he is continuing to spiral, and I can’t wait for the inevitable confrontation, however it turns out.

And last of all I want to talk about our protagonist, Cyrus Cantwell, who might be my favourite member of the entire cast. The first few chapters do a good job establishing Cyrus as a protagonist with a refreshing amount of backbone and spirit given his situation. His back and forth with Lance (pre-reveal) establishes him as someone determined to get home, but increasingly frustrated over his powerlessness in this new setting. He’s inquisitive, intelligent and empathetic but he doesn’t put up with people’s crap, all of which makes him pretty immediately likable. But it’s the second arc where he really comes into his own as a character. Having been sold out by the one person he’d formed any attachment to in this strange new world, Cyrus’ dynamic to the resistance team is very different. He’s much more guarded. Much more jaded, dead set on getting away from his apparent rescuers pretty much from the word ‘go.’ But he slowly starts to respond to their unconditional warmth and kindness, the kind he hasn’t experienced in a very, very long time. And he’s gonna need it because this leads directly into the emotional turmoil that is Chapter 9.

This is probably ‘that one moment’ for people who’ve played the game. The truth finally comes out. Cyrus’ history as a test subject of Resoom for 300 years. Centuries of traumatic suffering locked away in his lost memories. And worst of all, the earth shattering revelation that Damion, Diana, his parents, all the loved ones in his scraps of memory he’s been trying to get back to, are all long since dead and gone. The life Cyrus once had is gone and he can never get it back. The delivery of this scene is phenomenal and Cyrus’ reaction over the next few days, from sheer emotional numbness until he finally lets himself feel it with Aaron’s help, is agonising.

…And yet. Despite everything, Cyrus slowly recovers. Over the third arc we see him carve out a new routine at the resistance base. His new friends support him in that process, and he in turn does what he can to help them. All of which builds up to one more emotional tour de force, yes, even more than the last two.

Cyrus’ return to his old home, after centuries of decay, is a devastating moment of grief, but it’s also one of genuine catharthis. Cyrus is able to say goodbye to the life he left behind and let go. But not before he finds one last gift (and this is what had me almost sobbing at my computer). A final set of messages and parting gifts left buried as a time capsule by his loved ones, knowing they’ll never see him again. Throughout this story, Cyrus has been asking himself who he is in this new reality, with or without his memories. He’s been pulled into a resistance against a despicable organisation who ruined his life, but he’s not sure what he’s fighting for. Seeing these last messages reminds of what kind of person he was and is. The empathy and concern for others and dedication he’s always had. And now he’s ready to fight for both the family he’s lost and the one he’s gained. So they can all live the life they deserved. It’s a beautiful resolution to an arc of self actualisation and identity that we’ve seen play out over all 13 chapters. And I for one can’t wait to see where we go next.

There’s a lot to love about Remember the Flowers: Its beautiful art, with every character design full of striking personality. The deliberate, excellent pacing of its story and reveals. Or the emotional, poignant journey of self discovery and healing at its core. And I have faith that it’s only going to get even more remarkable from here.

[autumn-sweet-fae]

Ok so a separate ask, cuz not as connected but like, I feel like it would also be so cool if Saturn did end up being the one to change after all. And I just also thought, what if once the researchers start to get too impatient and through all fucks our the window to appearances, they actually decide to team up with team plasma. And then, once they decide to kidnap emmet and the whole showdown happens, it’s Saturn and Mint that decide enoughs enough and help rescue Emmet! Just a cool thought to me. Or the idea of Drayden going to Sinnoh when he sees that Emmets been kidnapped and deciding the police aren’t doing enough anymore and he needs to be there NOW. I know probably not gonna happen but man would I love to see something about Drayden, not going crazy, but kinda losing his cool a little.

Connected to last ask, I also think Drayden would be well within his rights to be upset cuz I also imagine the whole kidnapping happening after the public realized the researchers were lying and maybe even during the whole thing with Ingo staying behind to go to a Pokémon center for one of the eggs. Ingo and emmet already had their reunion, now they are sneaking out the back with the help of the nurses and the researchers make their move with some of them disguised as police who take emmet hostage, which ingo and emmet don’t worry about at first cuz they think, well the police let emmet go when they found out he wasn’t ingo last time, but then the car he’s in doesn’t go to the police station and everyone finds out he’s been kidnapped and the researchers are evil

I have yet to play Black & White or their sequels, but from what I understand the side of Team Plasma that were still antagonist in the sequel were the ones loyal to Ghetsis. While Belladonna is hiring a number of shady people to help her track down Ingo and Akari I don’t think what remains of Team Plasma proper will be involved…

Colress however! Now that shady scientist is interesting and definitely someone I need to look more into and consider adding to my story. From what I read he honestly seems like someone Belladonna would be interested in working with.

Team Galactic’s role is also something I need to put more thought into. While I will to have some of the team members defect after learning about the Galaxy Team, I feel like it could be more complicated. Some have genuinely rethought their actions decided to go a different route with their life. Some may see Akari as the next Cyrus. It depends on the grunt. Also there is the fallout that Akari’s identity reveal could cause among Team Galactic.

Saturn’s, and in extension Mars and Jupiter’s, roles are something that might change from what I first considered, but I don’t think they would be teaming up with Akari/Ingo/Mint, so much as against the research lab. I could see them having some kind of beef with each other.

The events surrounding Emmets kidnapping are also very much undecided as they are very far off from the point I am currently at and there are too many variables I’m going to need to consider first.

But I can say that by the point that Emmet is kidnapped would be by the very end regarding the research labs credibility so Drayden would have been given the ok to collect his nephews by this point. It would be a very ‘calling in the Calvary’ moment if Drayden arrives mid battle to back them up with his literal dragons.

Thank you for sending your ask and I’m sorry it took me so long to answer! I’ve had a weird week.

[cutekittenlady]

You know what would be a big plot twist, the villain is somehow Volo with a different name.

I'm not quite certain how that'd work tbh. I mean, I assume you mean he'd be like an alternate reality Volo or something?

I know I've seen some fun idea on tumblr about Volo actually being immortal and using that to go into the future and use Emmet to sorta get revenge on the main character/try his hand at meeting Arceus again, it's not really something I want to do myself.

I mean, I love those ideas, and I'm excited to see where the artists and writers go with it, but the idea of Volo as an immortal isn't really one that appeals to me.

To be clear, I haven't played the post-game of legends Arceus yet. I've been dragging my feet filling out the pokedex rather than completing the main story so I'm not sure if maybe there's some character moment or something that implies Volos immortal or something. Still where I stand currently I prefer the idea that Volo is a purely regular mortal man who has become dangerously obsessed with meeting Arceus to the point of Villainy. I like this both because it draws some fun parallels between Volo and Cyrus in the original Sinnoh games, and because it just makes Volo's character a tad more compelling for me. Again, this is just me.

Beyond that, I also have the fun idea of Volo actually helping out when it comes to dealing with the fallout surrounding Emmet's actions. I mean these events are taking place between the end of the main story and the end of the post game so the big reveal about Ingo's realy intentions haven't happened yet and, in fact, I can imagine all this rigmaroll with the disappearing nobles is wrecking hell with Volo's plans.

Like, Volo wanted the player character to collect the plates for him so he could take them and use them to encounter Arceus. With all this junk going down as a result of Emmet and Elesa showing up no one is looking for the damn plates. A fact that probably frustrates the shit out of Volo.

If nothing else Volo is looking off in the vague direction of this (likely oc) villain and flipping them the bird while vowing to "kick them outta my territory" or something like that. Volo's got his own villainous shit going on and this half-baked extremist from the future is ruining his plans.

So yeah, there's that.

Beyond that tho I imagine the villain who brought Elesa and Emmet into the past in the first place is largely motivated by an obsessive view of history, or more specifically a very misplaced view of it. I think he views "the future" (that the is the present state of the pokemon world that the player character, Ingo, Elesa, and Emmet are all from) as flawed and imperfect. He views the people of the future as weak willed, driven by their emotions, and lacking knowledge and conviction that the "ancient" people of Hisui had. I even see him, in some villainous speech, using Emmet and Elesa's own actions against them. Claiming that Emmet's misdirected conviction to find his brother and Elesa's feelings of friendship for Ingo and love for Emmet made them both incredibly easy to manipulate.

He points out that the nobles "gave up" all their great power after the people of sinnoh started living closer and closer with pokemon and started needing the nobles power and protection less and less. "Allowing themselves to disappear, be chased out, or become the merest pet of wayward children" is how he describes it.

His whole evil plan is to, essentially, take the past nobles of HIsui to the future with him and use their power to "change things back to their more ideal state" or whatever.

(and just like that over the course of a post I figured out hte villainous motivation lol)

There are holes in this plan big enough to drive a truck through obviously, but tbh I kinda consider that more a feature of villainous pokemon teams plans at this point more than anything else to the point that I'm almost convinced it could be considered a thematic element.

But no yeah, I don't really see Volo being the big bad behind this whole thing in this au. Not when he has his own stuff going on.

[spenciegoob]

The 4 Types of Manipulation

A/N: hey hey hey cuties... just thought I’d drop in to tell you I love you and Harry Styles at the Grammy’s, oh and Miley Cyrus in general. Okay that’s it.

Summary: Spencer has to interrogate an unsub, but she has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Unsub!Reader

Category: Not fluff, but not angst... angsty fluff? fluffy angst?

Content Warning: mentions of murder, manipulation, mentions of sex in the form of flirting, mentions of drug use, mentions of emotional abuse

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.8K

____

Nobody dared to take a breath out of place, every profiler was packed into the room watching with careful eyes at the sobbing girl in the interrogation room through the glass. No one knew what their first step should be, but I guess there’s a first time for everything, right? Winging it was not something anyone in the BAU enjoyed doing, each case needed a thought out plan.

But they’ve seen this unsub before, they know the profile, the history, they know her. So why was she crying so hard that the weight of her head became unbearable, leaving her only option to sob into the crooks of her elbows as best as she could with wrists cuffed to the table?

Nobody knew, except for Spencer Reid.

Emily was hesitant, as expected, to blindly send in one of the best agents she’s ever seen into the room that with each tear shed slowly morphed into a lion’s den. Reid deserved better, she knew that, especially since the last time they dealt with an unsub like this one, Spencer had to be so far out of the loop that the case almost broke him.

He put up a good fight though, and if the determination set in his eyes wasn’t enough to inform the unit chief that she was not winning this argument, his deviance to storm through the door, startling the young woman chained down definitely did.

Why was it always Spencer?

Tears:

“P-please, I didn’t do anything.” Those were the first words anyone’s heard her say since the arrest, even if they were separated by sniffles and choked out sobs. 

Spencer just stared down at her, not taking the risk to further entertain the stuttering girl with wet cheeks and tired eyes.

“I promise I’m not a murderer. You have to believe me, please.” That promise whispered so quietly made with unbreakable eye contact urged him to take a second to reevaluate the situation.

She was apprehended in place of Jacob Hughes, the man they had originally been looking for. There was a chance she wasn’t complicit, a chance she was innocent. Maybe Jacob placed a hair of hers at the latest crime scene because he knew they were closing in.

Or maybe she is just as sick as he is. 

“Prove it,” Spencer said, his tone loud and assertive, leaving no room for argument. She didn’t plan on fighting his demand anyway.

“I- I haven’t seen Jacob for days. He drugged those men, and did h-horrible things. Those poor men.” This struck a nerve, everybody could tell, even the one person in this interaction that wasn’t a profiler. 

Spencer’s shoulders tensed for a millisecond, but she saw it. She saw what her words were doing to him, after all, he used to be one of those poor men she felt so sorry for.

Another loud sob echoed off the concrete walls before she bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath.

“I can’t believe he mur... did that to them. H-how could he?” Spencer watched as the young girl looked up to him like he held the answer to the million dollar question. He studied the way her eyes bounced around his face, looking for something, anything to relieve some confusion when it came to her fiancé.

“Jacob Hughes is what we call a vindictive narcissist and a sadist. He receives pleasure from hurting others, and in this case, drugging and torturing men because he feels he’s been wronged his whole life. The question, however, is why. I know you know, just like how I know you’re aware of his crimes.”

It was a blow so low it could’ve come from hell itself. Spencer regretted it immediately when he watched the way her whole body stiffened at the mention of her knowledge, but he had to be certain no matter the fallout.

“I-I still don’t understand. I’ve never seen him hurt anyone.” Denial, guilt and fear all jam packed into 3 little words that had his heart dangerously close to breaking. The sorrow in her eyes believable enough that Spencer left his standing position between the suspect and the door to sit directly across from her.

She watched his movements with careful eyes, only stealing glances from her peripherals before returning to her cuffed wrists.

“Maybe you’ve never seen him physically hurt anyone, but we know what he does to you.” It was the first and only time Spencer let any emotion, as fake as it was, show in his responses. How could he not try when the girl resumed her sobbing at the implication of her past deception from the man she loves? 

“You know nothing,” she whispered back, her tone laced with defensive anger.

“I know everything.” Was he challenging her?

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Was she challenging him?

“You know what it means.” Yes, he was.

“Do I?” Yes, she was.

The two stared at each other for the entire tone shift in the stuffy interrogation room. The other profilers on the other side of the mirror had no knowledge of how thick the tension had just become because unlike Spencer, they weren’t standing in the middle of it.

Small sniffles were the only noise breaking through the quiet until suddenly, they just stopped.

“Ugh, fine! You win this round. My eyes are starting to hurt from all this goddamn crying. Do people actually cry this much when you arrest them?”

Spencer leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms to clearly convey just how unamused he was with the girl’s antics. She watched him intently, picking apart every move down to the muscle trying to search for any indicators that her little performance worked even a fraction of what she was hoping for.

And she got her wish in the form of the agent’s fingers tapping lightly at his sides under perfectly muscular, if she may add, arms, because any other movement would have been too obvious.

Spencer Reid was getting nervous, because the second her facade faded, he lost the upper hand. She just had to get him trapped in here.

“Oh come on. Not even a ‘good job’? I wasn’t expecting full blown applause, but some appreciation for that show would be nice.” Still, Spencer gave her nothing. He needed her to keep talking, and filling silence was a sure way to make certain she did just that.

“I’ll tell you what you need to know, but first you have to admit that I had you fooled for a second there.”

Lies:

“No.” Unexpectedly, instead of getting frustrated with Spencer’s refusal to play along, she just smiled brighter. This was exciting to her, and it was getting on his nerves.

“What gave it away? Did I look to the left before I spoke or something?” Spencer kept his mouth shut. “Come on, what’s my tell? Enlighten me.”

She copied his movements as Spencer leaned over the cool, metal table slightly, eyes racking over her face, lingering on certain parts for longer than others.

“No.” At this, she huffed back in her seat, leaving the close proximity that would later be used as a secret tool against the doctor before he had the chance to catch on. 

“If you’re just going to shut down every single one of my proposals, then why am I here?”

“You’re here because you’re a suspect in a series of 7 murders in the past 5 weeks.” She perked up at his words, amusement dripping from her features.

“Finally, Doc has something more to say than just ‘no.’ Tell me, was that so hard?”

“No.”

“Ugh!” Rolling her eyes would be giving ammo to the enemy, but the urge to do so was quite strong. In fact, she almost did until she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the one way mirror.

“I’m serious when I say this,” she said, looking directly into Spencer’s eyes so he couldn’t accuse her of lying. “If you take the cuffs off, I’ll answer everything.”

“No.”

“Please! They’re seriously starting to hurt. I put 100% into that performance, and now it’s coming back to bite me in the-”

“Fine!” Spencer stood up carefully, not walking around the table until he was certain the girl wasn’t a flight risk, or worse. When he did finally make his way over, she sat completely still, not taking her eyes off where his fingers grazed hers as the handcuffs unlocked.

A breath of relief escaped her as she rubbed her wrists with the opposite hands, eventually feeling the blood fully return to all 10 fingers.

“Thank you.” It was so vulnerable and raw that it knocked Spencer back for a second. They locked eyes, and something deeper than he was ready for passed between them.

He didn’t know what it was, all he knew was that he hated it so much that he tore his eyes away immediately to return back to his original spot seated across from her.

“Answer me this-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there.” Neither of them spoke for far too much time, and Spencer was growing more annoyed by the second.

“What?” It came out harsh, and mean, and downright cruel, but he couldn’t care less.

“Oh nothing, I just wasn’t going to answer anything. I really just wanted to fix my hair.” And, in being true to her words this time, she secured her hair into a messy bun using the elastic Spencer didn’t even realize was missing from his wrist.

“I’m putting the cuffs back on.”

“No wait,” she pleaded, halting Spencer’s move to get up. “They really did hurt, I wasn’t lying about that.”

“I don’t care.” He made his way over, forcefully grabbing both of her wrists before securing the handcuffs back on. Spencer only regretted his actions slightly when she winced at the metal now back to pressing into her skin.

“Yes you do. It’s your biggest flaw.” Instead of answering, Spencer just returned to his seat, leaning back with crossed arms. He didn’t need to listen to a psychopath tell him his flaws.

“You care too much,” she continued, not minding if he was listening or not. “It gets you hurt, other people hurt. I wish that wasn’t the case. You deserve better, Doc.”

Spencer didn’t engage, opting to gawk tiredly at the suspect, and watch the way her eyes flicker across his features, gauging for a reaction. She wasn’t done.

“Hey, okay, fine. I’m just messing with you,” she laughed, finally breaking her serious facade. “What? A girl can’t joke around while she’s being accused of murder?”

“Accused? Or caught?”

“Accused.” It was final, her tone immediately dropping to a fiery rage. Her defenses were up, and Spencer was never really good at playing on the offensive team.

This time, it was Spencer’s turn to analyze, watching the way the blood rushed to her cheeks with her rising anger level. How all of a sudden her eyes lost their playful glint, giving him the chance to fully see the soul buried deep in them. For a split second, she was completely unveiled right before his eyes.

Spencer, clearly not anticipating just how long the girl in front of him could hold her own, used his last bullet.

He placed the crime scene photos in front of her.

“You know who did this.” It wasn’t a question, he saw it in her eyes. Spencer watched the way they remained stoic even after looking at the bloody walls, and vacant eyes of the deceased.

“No.” Oh, how the tables have turned.

“Who are you protecting?” Her head shot up at his question, eyes flashing red before she blinked it away again. Subconsciously, she started to pick at her fingernails.

“No one.” It was a lie if he’s ever heard one. 

Fear:

“You’re lying. Who is it?” 

“I’m not lying.” She wouldn’t even make eye contact with him. Instead, she gave her undivided attention to her shaky hands confined to the table.

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not!”

“Enough! Who are you protecting?!” At this, Spencer stood up and slammed his hands against the table with a strong amount of force that she flinched hard enough to further irritate her wrists.

He felt awful, the bouncing back and forth between them should have given him enough indicators that she wasn’t lying out of spite. But he couldn’t back down, he had her cornered and her only way out was to tell the truth.

“No one.” She wouldn’t look at him, even as she whispered. “Please stop.”

Spencer truly believed that he had her in a bind, an inescapable one at that, but it wasn’t the truth. Oh no, what the profiler failed to realize was she had him where she needed him.

“I have no information to give you,” she whispered before tagging along. “I’m sorry.” It was the first time she apologized for something Spencer could have seen as an inconvenience.

He believed her, too.

“I shouldn’t have yelled.” That was his form of an apology. Spencer wasn’t going to go any further with it, even if she was coerced into lying by whoever the true unsub is, she was still getting on his nerves.

Her hands were still shaking at this point, and she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Spencer just slumped back into his seat, settling into the silence between them until ultimately he was either called out of the room, or she gave him another indication that her game hasn’t ended.

A loud sigh bounced off the walls. “I don’t care that you yelled in my face. You think it’s the first time a man’s done that? You’re not special, Doctor.”

“I never said I was.” So the game carries on, but this time, she didn’t smile at his sarcastic response. Leaning back in her chair, she huffed a breath before continuing.

“You really want to be though, don't you?”

Lust:

She was pushing his buttons, trying so hard to dig under his skin till she was unremovable. She wanted Spencer to leave this room with her on his mind for the rest of his days.

She was close too.

“No, I don’t,” Spencer deadpanned, trying to keep a cool tone. If he continued to hand her the ammunition she needed, he would be left defenseless.

“Oh come on, loosen up. I was just joking.”  A smirk grew across her features, a thought crossing her eyes. One Spencer knew would not be in favor of his win tonight. “I could help you with that, you know.”

“No, I don’t know.” He did. Spencer wasn’t going to lie to himself and say that the woman sitting across the table wasn’t extremely attractive; she was. He just would never admit it aloud.

“I have a feeling you like to get rough, don’t you, Doctor?” She asked, sitting up and crossing her legs. The stare shared between the two of them was a mix between passion and anger, meeting in the middle to create a new kind of emotion.

“Is this fun for you?” She left out bait, and Spencer was stupid enough to fall for it. Emily once said that a pretty face slashed his IQ in half.

He couldn’t help but agree.

“Undo these cuffs, and I’ll show you what fun is.” She was toying with him now, and they weren’t going to get anywhere, but Spencer couldn’t find it within himself to get up and leave. She had him by the...

“I’m going to get that confession.” It was like he was five years old again, arguing on the playground with the older kids about how their insults didn’t make sense.

“What’re you going to do, punish me?” She asked, the last words in a hushed whisper. When Spencer’s cheeks grew hotter, and his eyes darker, she knew she had him.

“You do like to get rough! My, my, Doctor, you're keeping me at the edge of my seat here.” She let out a boisterous laugh before really digging the knife deeper. “Is that why you kept the cuffs on?”

Before he could snap back, the door flew open and Emily stood there with a tablet in her hand. “You need to see this.”

Spencer got up to leave, thankful for the reprieve even if he did have to return to the interrogation after speaking with Emily. He almost made it to the door before a voice called out behind him.

“Wait!” She called after him, the cuffs rattled when she instinctively went to reach for Spencer. “Aren’t you going to answer my question, Doctor.”

Playing chess his whole life, Spencer had never once played a game where Checkmate presented itself unexpectedly. He was always at least three moves ahead in his mind, seeing the inevitable end before he even began his gameplay. There was a first for everything, because his last move suddenly arose.

“No.”

_____

Join a taglist here Tell me your thoughts on this fic here Have a request? Send it in here

Taglist: @the-girl-who-writes-fanfiction @haylaansmi @masumiyetimziyanoldu @cielo1984 @rexorangecouny​ @username2002​ @calm-and-doctor​ @pieceofried​ @mermaidshmari​ @missyoumaybank​ @everythingbutnormal​ @seasonfivereid​ @no-honey-no​ @muffin-cup​