ooc: The Return Journey App

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OOC Info
Player: Kelsey
Contact: aninkywisp
Age Confirmation: 30
Other Characters: None

IC Info
Character: Loki Odinson
Canon: MCU
Canon Point: Post Infinity War + CRAU
Age: 1055 years
History: Link
CRAU: Yes, he will be a CRAU.

Loki arrived on the barge with rough certainty that agreeing to an attempt at rehabilitation would only earn him a bit more time. He'd resigned himself to the fact that his last act was the best he'd ever do, and probably his only shot at Valhalla. His crimes weren't the kind one could make up for. And surely he couldn't change at this point.

But in truth, his experiences on the Barge began changing him almost immediately. Through breaches he got to experience lives where he was just a person-- not a jotun, not a god, not a prince. He conned his way into getting his powers back by securing an easily persuaded warden, only to find himself growing fond of the complete and utter weirdo. He was prompted again and again through events and interactions with other residents of the barge to consider whether he might do some good should he actually go home and try rather than simply sacrificing himself.

So he started looking to angle himself towards graduation. He reflected on his actions and relationships and found himself improving where he had failed before. There were bumps in the road, and there was some backsliding, but ultimately he found ways to do more good than harm with his knowledge and skills, such as teaching magic. Most importantly, he finally reckoned with the worst of his crimes (the attempted destruction of Jotunheim) and made the conscious choice to prioritize righting those wrongs if he was given the chance.

About:

You could try to sum Loki up as the God of Lies and Mischief, but that would be more than a little reductive. And while he'll happily list all his titles for you, they don't really capture his essence either. It's cliche, but the best word to sum him up is complicated.

That's what Loki goes for, anyway. He would much prefer to be seen as mysterious and aloof. Untouchable. Able to adapt to any situation. Because the alternative-- vulnerability and honesty --has so rarely served him. This is something that he's improved upon over the course of his time on the Barge, of course. He is capable of connecting with others as he is rather than as he presents himself to be, he knows that now. But old habits die hard, and the first impression Loki gives off is likely to be anywhere from snobby and condescending to irritating and rude.

But that impression can fade rather quickly, depending on the circumstances. Anyone Loki finds interesting will get a far more friendly treatment, as will anyone whose power or skill is worthy of respect. If he's thrown into a dangerous situation, he rises to the occasion to fight and protect others with very little thought, and particularly aims to guard those who he assumes (rightly or wrongly) will not be able to protect themselves. And if someone wrongs anyone Loki has already grown fond of, well. He's not as good at hiding his dislike as he would prefer, but he can certainly ruin their day in small ways without them realizing. Usually.

That isn't to say that Loki is going around collecting as many grudges as friends, though. For the most part, Loki is far less volatile and far more relaxed than he was early in canon. He's seen where rage and hate gets you, and frankly he just has far less of either than he used to. The hurt and pain that drove him to madness is no longer what defines or motivates him. It is his desire to right all that and to use his power and skill to be productive rather than destructive that has him moving forward.

And if he gets to enjoy himself along the way? All the better. He lost sight of that, for a while. Being a trickster is fun, after all. Sure, he'll be "more" and earn his brother's trust again, but he would have truly lost his way if he stopped fucking with Thor just because of all that. What's the point of reclaiming your only family if you don't get to wake them up with the illusion of a spider on their face every once in a while?

Of course, that is not Loki's major motivation for earning a windfall and returning to his reality, though he very well might say it is. The loss of his parents and his home have left him free from their expectations, perhaps, but all he feels is the ache of it. No matter their past conflict, Thor is all Loki has left of his family, and is the person he loves more than anyone still living in his reality. He sacrificed himself on the chance that Thor might be spared to preserve "balance", and it is only the promise of a windfall that might guarantee Thor's survival in the fight to come that has brought him from fighting at Thor's side to the Peregrine.

Yet, given Loki's tendency to grow attached to those he gets along with rather quickly (such as his own warden on the Barge), it is possible he may struggle to return to his reality even with such strong motivation. For all that he would do anything to protect Thor, he has had so few true friends that he values those he has made very highly. In the end, there's no question that he will return. But it will be an incredibly difficult departure, and not just because the thought of facing Thanos again will be daunting. No matter how many jokes he may make on his way out, those who know him will know that leaving those he's grown close to on the Peregrine behind will break his heart. There won't be any lying about that.

Skills and Abilities:

-Insubstantial illusions. It is unclear how long he can maintain them, but in canon they are completely convincing until touched. It appears he's capable of projecting at least images of himself over quite long distances. He can also use this power to change his own and others' appearances temporarily.

-Shapeshifting and magic outfit changing. When he masqueraded as Odin he was physically shifted into Odin's shape, so he is capable of this in at least some instances.

-Invisibility, including hiding his and others' movements from magical surveillance.

-Skilled fighting hand to hand, with spears/staves, and with knives (including throwing them). Super strength and durability.

-Storing and retrieving small objects with magic.

-Some telekinesis but with limited control.

-Ability to bury and/or alter memories. Can also draw out memories, making people relive them and seeing them himself.

-Teleporting over short distances.

Why is your character a warden?

Loki is pretty nervous about taking this on, to be honest. He knows he can keep people in line as far as preventing them from committing more crimes. But helping them to improve? To change their ways? Even if he's done it himself, he knows he's sort of a terrible role model.

I am interested in having Loki figure out just how his own experiences can actually lead to something good by informing how he works with an inmate. Rather than all his mistakes merely being something he has to learn from, I want him to use them as common ground between him and someone with a vastly different life from his own. The fact is, Loki lived a pretty damn privileged life, and the crimes he committed come from a very different place than that of many inmates. He's going to have to put some effort forth to understand where they are coming from and help guide them through whatever obstacles they specifically have, but he does have his own framework to start with, at least.

I see this going incredibly poorly at points-- not all the lessons Loki learned and the ways he learned them are going to be at all applicable or useful to potential inmates --and there will definitely be a learning curve. Something Loki continues to struggle with is seeing things from others' perspectives and really seeing them as people, a holdover from having to ignore the harm he did in order to achieve his goals. In pairing with an inmate and finding what works for them, Loki will become just a bit better at considering others' thoughts and needs before his own. He'll also come to a better understanding of why certain things worked for him during his own graduation process, further improving upon it.

Pick and Choose:

– What is something your character cannot put up with? Who isn't redeemable to them?

In Loki's mind, there is a difference between hurting someone as a side effect of some other action, and hurting someone for the sake of hurting them. Enjoying causing someone or something pain-- true pain --is the kind of monstrous behavior he feared himself capable of. The idea of wanting to see someone genuinely suffer and then putting that plan into action is abhorrent to him. Even in the course of revenge, Loki would never carry it out in the form of torture. That pain serves no purpose and turns justice into the very cruelty it set out to punish.

Yes, people may get hurt along the way towards any goal, and Loki has been the cause of that pain and death more than once. But anyone who considers that pain to be their goal is someone who has no ability at all to empathize with others. And that is what is ultimately needed to earn redemption for intentionally causing others pain. If you cannot empathize with those you hurt, how can you ever be trusted to make up for what you've done? To never do it again? It is, ultimately, a horrifying paradox that cannot be resolved, as far as Loki can tell. He would have great difficulty working with any inmate who wasn't just claiming sadism in an attempt to be edgy.

Windfall: I haven't nailed down the specifics, but Loki would be looking for a way to prevent Thanos from attacking the Asgardian refugee ship at the very least. His goal is ultimately to save as many Asgardians as possible, with awareness that there are limits on the windfalls and solving one problem (Ragnarok) doesn't necessarily solve others (the Snap). He may end up sticking around for more than one if the first windfall doesn't feel sufficient.

Sample: