VIDEO | UNSEELIE LOCKED

[selfimage]

[ it's Loki! he turns his head for a moment before focusing back at the locket, his chin is resting on his hand, and his elbow on a desk. he gives a friendly wiggly-fingered wave, holding the locket with the other hand. ]

Hello. Story time, anyone? Some of you have already heard this one before, and I hate to tell it again, but bear with me, there are some interesting deets that most usually lack.

[ and then, he starts in his best storyteller voice, playing with words on his tongue and in a certain cadence. ]

There's a place known as Asgard aka the Realm Eternal. Asgard, in all of its glory, rests in the branches of the World Tree, up near the tippy-top. This place is the home to the gods. The nine realms below it are homes everyone else: storm giants, frost giants, angels, elves of the most annoying sorts, some humans, dwarves with bearded faces, etcetera etcetera. Inter-realm relations are always tenuous at best, someone is always fighting someone else over blah blah blah. There are even wars over dumb squabbles, and you'd think that the only way anyone could solve a problem is with an axe to the face.

However—cue the dramatic music—there was only ever one war to end all wars: Ragnarok. [ he draws a circle in the air with a dark nailed finger.

it's a funny thing to call something "the such-and-such to end all so-and-so," because it generally comes up again and worse somehow. there are lots of wars to end all wars, ends to end all ends, but it does make everything sound more dramatic. ]

In short, Ragnarok was a fated event and the Gods of Asgard were always finding new ways to try and stop it. [ a pause and he scratches the back of his head. ] Actually—erm, hold on just a sec. Let's rewind just a little bit. This Ragnarok, this "end of all ends" and "war to end wars," kept happening. Over and over and over again. The gods would get caught up in the same pattern, and boom! another Ragnarok. Even if details differed, everyone would fight and suffer and die just like the last time. [ then his hands come up in wonder! ] And then be reborn! Ta-dah! It would start all over again. More Ragnarok and more betrayal.

It's like they were stuck, and they were. Fate was using them, and just as many other things in this cosmos, someone found a way to take advantage of it. They stopped it eventually, and cut the threads of the tapestry that the Norns had woven. Those that had fed from their suffering were extinguished. [ and as an aside, he says: ] Or so they say. Who knows what happened to them?

And thus, the gods won their free future. Dancing ensued, parties happened, drinks were passed around, and everyone lived happily ever after. [ he lets out a breath and looks bitterly amused. ] Or so you'd think. But, hm, let's say—they kind of did. Here's the part they don't tell you, the epilogue: they didn't want it. They broke free from the horrors of Ragnarok only to find themselves at a loss. In their freedom they lacked security, so they forged themselves other chains of destiny.

[ he waves his hand and sits back in his chair, bringing the locket with him. ] There you have it. It's not like stories like that haven't been told a million times, but it does beg the question: are some events only deemed the "natural order" because they've happened so many times before, becoming a favorite trope of the cosmos? Perhaps fate would have us think so.

[ there's a pause. ]

Ah, well, enough of that for one day. I could use a pint of ice cream and a good romcom.

Comments

video.

[uneulogized]

Do you think people are gonna get it without you hitting the nail on the head in the most obvious manner possible?

[Jason looks tired on his end of the feed. After days of fighting, he is tired.]

And does ice cream even exist here?

[selfimage]

I'd hope so. We could go into the dirty details. This is an open forum, isn't it? [ Loki tips his head to the side. ]

And ice cream is a constant. It's here. Not the fun kinds like "cookie core" and "butter brown almond brittle," but I've found some vanilla caramel.

video.

[benumbing]

And yet the mention of a "good" romcom is the most unbelievable part of all of this.

[selfimage]

Ah, a skeptic. Tell me, Mister Dubious, has Drabwurld made it unbelievable, or are you from your own flavor of apocalyptic end-of-the-world shenanigans?

video.

[mixcds]

[wow subtle loki]

You're going to struggle for romcoms, but you might have better luck with the ice cream.

[like kieren would know; he eats people. but, idly:]

What's the point of a rebirth if you keep chasing the same end, really?

[selfimage]

Well, that depends on who it benefits, doesn't it? Either the universe and its own apocalyptic tropes that it can't write itself out, or there's a more nefarious something afoot.

video.

[andallbite]

... I've never heard that story before.

[ He knows nothing of mythology, really. But he also doesn't know what ice cream or romcoms are, so, you know. Details aside, he does listen to the story intently. Many specifics go over his head, but the important part is that he does catch the general point of it all. ]

Is that what's happening here? If everything gets wiped out now, it still won't stop this war?

[selfimage]

[ well, at least one person hasn't. it's a bit pleasing, gonna be honest. ]

That seems to be the case. That's the point of a hard reset. The world ends and fate brings it back just as it was.

video. private.

[vrykolakas]

I took an axe to the face the other day.

['And what nice weather we're having.']

Didn't solve me. Should you need an example to sway any unbelievers.

[The Brucolac is clearly having downtime, perhaps because of that axe to the face he mentioned earlier, though there's no physical evidence remaining in the form of injuries or scars. He's wrapped in a black robe, his hair slightly damp, the locket balanced on the arm of the sofa he's on.

(Because he doesn't really get the concept of downtime, there's also the rustle of paper as he leafs through some of the less demanding paperwork currently weighing heavily on his sense of duty.)]

video. private.

[selfimage]

Ah—yes. I'll be sure to use your the fine example of your current wounded and bloody consequence to assure all those that seek a more violent solution.

[ he sees that, sir. he sees that paperwork that you're doing.

his voice is hot, but he looks amused. ]

I'm sure they'll be swayed.

[ and a pause, he says curiously: ]

How big was the axe?

[survivra]

Yes, well, I think I see what point you're trying to make, but isn't freedom still better even with the uncertainty? That should be what makes it even better. And what's a romcom?

[selfimage]

[ there's a sigh on his part. maybe he sounds a tad bit more bitter than he means to. ]

You'd think so, but they didn't. The Asgardians ... [ there's an ironic smile on his face. ] All they knew was that cycle.

But, really, that's the definition of the nature of a god.

locked audio;

[zerotohiro]

Giving everybody a wake-up call? [When he finally chimes in, he sounds a lot less enthusiastic than usual. Exhausted, perhaps. And yet he's curious where Loki's intentions are with this.] Cool. Think it's gonna work?

If you get your hands on some ice cream though, mind sending some my way? I think I'll pass on the romcom though.

locked audio;

[selfimage]

Oh—if I find any ice cream, it's going in my mouth. You have to suffer through the romcom if you want me to share.

[ there's a little shrug. ]

We'll see what comes of it. Everyone has to wake eventually, Unseelie or no.

video;

[boutant]

Change is the natural order right up until people don't like the change. I'd say that's human nature, but it clearly goes beyond human.

Also, I'd love some chocolate chip cookie dough.

[selfimage]

It goes beyond human nature. Call it more of the ingrained resonance in the fabric of the universe.

Much like how I'll have to make cookie dough to accompany the ice cream.

video;

[extramural]

It is said by those who are unafraid of forces that they do not understand, who listen to them, that my world will die when the whales do.

[ That's almost like Ragnarok, right? ]

And so men hasten to their own end, hunting them mercilessly, giving no thought to the minds and hearts of such creatures: seeing them as beasts and sources of meat, of whale oil, and nothing else. Even if they knew, the profit would be great enough that they would not care.

[selfimage]

The ironic type of fate. Knowing exactly how one will meet their end but going through the motions toward it for personal gain, regardless.

[ there's an ironic, slightly bitter smirk. ]

How fitting.

Has it happened?

[digophelia]

The concept of fate is a ridiculous notion, I think. It seems so strange to believe that no matter what happens, no matter what action is taken, it is preordained because whatever being says so, Human nature is not that simple.

[ She has a lot of FEELINGS on that, obviously. An awkward pause follows, since last time he saw her not at all composed and in her rational mind. ]

[selfimage]

Human nature is not so simple to humans, you see, it's all in the perspective of the one observing it.

There are those that may beg to differ.

Video

[huntedby]

Shame the Seelie can't hear you.

And if I remember correctly, your children in lore had a large part in Ragnarok, did they not?

[She knows very well that this Loki is not the Loki of myth, though.[

[selfimage]

[ whoops. ]

"Children" could mean a few things.

[ so says the mother of monsters. ]

Some that are not so straight-forward.

video;

[individualist]

It's not like that isn't something people can try to take advantage of- [God did after all.] -but it isn't like the natural order's a bad thing just because of that.

There's more merit to blowing up the universe and starting over than people think.

[OH WAIT UNSEELIE RIGHT.]

I mean, if it's done right. Not in the case of here.

[selfimage]

Less so when everything becomes as repetitive as a ten hour clubhouse remix, but I've been through enough apocalypses to know that the cosmos generally likes to keep things in certain cycles.

[ he waves his hand outwardly. see: Drabwurld. ]

Of course, you've already observed Exhibit A.

video;

[tacticalturtleneck]

Asgard was pretty screwed up to start with. Seriously, turning blood into booze? Sex with horses? Good thing Jesus swooped in and beat Odin in a sweet one on one guitar duel because I would have hated to live in a world with those kinds of gods.

I know, I know. "Archer, wouldn't you think a lifetime of partying would be awesome? Don't you want to bang Valkyries." Yeah, maybe that would all be nice but even I have standards.

[selfimage]

You do know that this Mister Jesus did all of the same things, right? Something about stealing traditions, or so I've heard.

Well, maybe not the guitar battle. As talented as my father would like to make himself seem, he was still no Yngwie Malmsteen.

video;

[desperate_times]

I'm sensing this has to do with our little war. Or you're just really keen on stories.

[She shrugs.]

If the same thing happens over and over and it's the natural order or fate or whatever, why bother doing anything at all? Just eat ice cream and wait for the big kaboom.

[selfimage]

And here I thought the Unseelie were supposed to be tenacious. You don't normally lean toward the pessimistic, do you? It'd be terrible if we weren't given the chance to break from the narrative.

[semiurge]

[ There's a lot he could say here, especially considering what Loki dished about last summer. But what if romcoms? ]

What kind of romcom are you feeling?

[selfimage]

I'm not sure we're going to be able to find anything beyond Dirty Dancing. Up for Patrick Swayze's biceps?

[fulminants]

[ Johnny's been listening to all of it. It's depressing, when you think of the grander scale of things, and he shrugs. ]

Being gods pretty much suck too, huh? Looks like they're not so different from us.

[ He exhales. ] Think someone can boon themselves a Netflix subscription, a TV, and all of the shows on demand?

[selfimage]

I doubt the Monarchs would know what I'm talking about if I tried. I'll have to make do with Patrick Swayze's swagger.

[ there's a curious look at him, despite. ]

Though I believe them a bit too stuck at the moment to enjoy it.