VIDEO. UN: LOKI.

[selfimage]

Hello there.

[ Loki's standing on the porch of the ashen saloon, black bones against a dusky horizon. ]

Another day saved, another mission over ... [ he says it in an "all in a day's work" sort of tone. a finger twists and he gestures outward. ]

As the story continues! [ the drawl comes from his lips slowly, as if for dramatic effect. ]

We've met our arch-foes, saved a part of the fractured multiverse from apparent destruction and preserved the integrity of the timeline—erm, hopefully on the last two, anyway. In light of current events, and while we all cool down, I thought we'd play with a little fun hypothetical to stimulate conversation. Call it something that's been on my mind. So, riddle me this, Audentes ...

If saving a world meant destroying it—you know, kind of like a hard reset—what would you do? Would you do it, let it die and get coffee instead, or would you fight with tooth and axe for its survival, despite all odds? All methods in between, of course, feel free to be creative.

[ sometimes, some things remind him all too much of Ragnarok. ]

Comments

[selfimage]

That is Fate.

[ he says simply, easily. fate was what kept the rules of Ragnarok turning, the tapestry woven and fed to the Norns, weaving the fate of the gods in a consistent circle: birth, life, death, rebirth, over and over and over again. color him bitter for being stripped of agency for a few millennia before expectation somehow wrote his story into the heart and mind of the universe. ]

And I suppose that I'm one of those other way type of people. I don't like being told what to do.

[ a curious pause. ]

That would be the option that lends to the most freedom.

[predomination]

Our tapestries must be very different, then. [said equally simply. it's an easy mistake, but he's seen the Royal Realm. he knows the Soul King doesn't pick the souls he balances between the Living World and Soul Society to follow some singleminded objective.

and perhaps that makes him fortunate- to have such clarity on Fate holding no sway on the lives of his world. if Loki believes in it, then he's intelligent enough that he must have proof of its existence.

but... enough of Fate.]

I agree. Any problem is worth being approached differently than how it's expected to be. You learn more that way. [and you save more that way, sometimes- other times you make it worse. he still can't find it in his heart to believe it's terrible advice, all things considered.]

[selfimage]

Have you been to the outer edges of the multiverse?

[ curiously. there's something there, but he can't put his finger on it. ]

Before ALASTAIR swept you up. How much of it have you seen?

[predomination]

[the outer edges of the multiverse? absolutely not. the realms of the dead and, briefly, a realm beyond that? yes. he's not entirely sure that's the answer Loki wants to hear, and he doesn't particularly want to admit his own limitations, but there's no way around it.]

I'm afraid the "multiverse" is a bit out of the range of my abilities.

[selfimage]

There are mayflies out there—dimensions that are taken by an idea, but not a strong enough one, that take shape. They're unstable, essentially, and crumble soon after. They're fleeting thoughts, they live momentary lives.

They're produced by resonance, and only hold the weight that the universe gives them. I doubt we'll cross them, our missions are only focused on anything of substance.

[predomination]

An existence with no value... [there's a thought.] So for every world that we save here and elsewhere, there are countless others that crumble to dust without ever seeing true potential. That's a very sad way of looking at it.

[however, it's no different from human souls, is it not? all those souls festering away in what they were promised was a peaceful afterlife, never really knowing if they'll ever meet up with their loved ones again, left to die and be reborn again, while only a small handful have the spiritual wherewithal to become shinigami. they're important to the balance, the cycle of souls, but that's all they are- resonance, echoes of human life produced over and over again. and there's really no helping that.] I can't deny it makes sense.

[selfimage]

[ there's a bit of a pause and he hums lowly in thought. ]

No value is a tad bit extreme. [ calculating mortal value of these sorts of things on higher level never seemed to work out in the same way. ] They're more of a consequence. Expectations built into reality, just as it echoes through our own universes, influencing our own actions.

So, I take it you've never met another self of yours.

[predomination]

[he considers that and makes a soft noise of agreement, but the last question catches him off-guard.]

No, but I take it you have.

[he's not sure he wants to meet another version of himself. that wouldn't end well for anyone.

meanwhile, in filler land]

[selfimage]

Several, actually. More than that, if we count some interlocking timelines.

[ there had been the mayflies, there had been the past, and then there had been King Loki. thinking of him still left a foul taste in his mouth. the Loki that would be his ass. ]

We'll talk about the tapestry thing again when you do.

[predomination]

[a chuckle.] Fair enough, Loki-san.