UN: LOKI | VIDEO

[abit_ofboth]

[Loki is dressed impeccably, if casually (at least for him) in a black, button up shirt, undone at the collar, his hair tidy and brushed back from his face. He looks confident and relaxed, though anyone who knows him might note a smidge of nervousness.]

I was hoping someone here might know of a restaurant that is not either the diner or the pub. They are both fine establishments, but I was looking for something a little more upscale and intimate for a special occasion. Any chance one of you might know of such a place? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[ornithologist]

[ Harold is extremely fond of what might be considered 'general humanity'. He himself is probably counted as extraordinary by his own world's standards, but he never looked for that and doesn't enjoy it. In fact, he exerts quite a lot of effort indeed into living a life as quietly unacknowledged by others as possible. Harold not only doesn't want external validation, he actively tries to avoid attention altogether.

But he does fundamentally love people in all their messiness, and literature is one of the best examples of that. ]

Animal Farm is a fair place to start with classic works -- and making some assumptions based on your mythological reputation, I suspect you'd like it. It's a satirical allegory for the early 20th century Russian Revolution. A demanding read and quite scathing of its subject matter.

[ Then he pauses and registers the rest of what Loki said, blinking quickly. It does sound absolutely fantastical, but Harold has had to get used to a lot of absurd truths since coming to Etraya. ]

... You may be the only person here actually qualified to carry out the task we've been purportedly assigned, [ he notes, voice a little faint as he tries to process. ] In that case, perhaps I should be starting you with classic sci fi.

[abit_ofboth]

[Though his view on how he’s perceived has changed a lot more recently, Loki has always been one to enjoy attention. Even if he prefers to control how that might happen. He doesn’t want it at any cost and he would prefer to decide how he’s seen, but he does very much want to be seen. He just isn’t sure how he feels about people seeing the true him as opposed to the face he puts on for most people. It feels like too much power to give up.

Some of this has changed, of course. All the many years he spent trying to learn about the Loom so he could save the multiverse, and then taking over himself has made him need spectacle less than he had when he was younger. Still, he can’t say he doesn’t still like a bit of a show.

Harold does seem to be a bit different from the other humans Loki has come to know though and he wonders where he fits in, and if his book recommendations might give him some insight into that.]

That does sound interesting. I am often a fan of satire even if I’m sure I’ve been satirized enough myself.

[Loki nods almost sagely. This is the first time it seems someone has really understood what he was doing before. Of course, Loki hasn’t really revealed that to a lot of people either.]

What truly confuses me is that I am not only qualified, but I was actually accomplishing what they are asking of us here so why take me away from that to only save one timeline when otherwise I would be saving them all? [Loki pauses then, head tilting in curiosity.] Oh? Do tell.

[ornithologist]

[ What a strange thought, being satirized. And by strange he means horrifying. Harold doesn't even tell anyone his real name; being well-known enough to have works of media made about him is possibly his worst nightmare. There's a few people he's become close to, not entirely willingly, but for the vast majority he'd agree with Loki on one thing -- the face he puts on for others is deliberately crafted and allows him to maintain a necessary distance.

He clears his throat faintly and reorients himself, forcibly suspending a hefty amount of disbelief. It's only rational to accept what Loki's saying given the circumstances, but it's still incredible. ]

Aurora does seem to believe that we are here to save worlds, as they put it. [ The word world seems something of a misnomer to Harold, but he has no idea what else to use in its place. ] Even if we lend credence to that idea, it may not be as altruistic a motive as it seems. Perhaps Echo is making use of us to save certain worlds and not others.

[ The mechanics of that are an absolute mystery to Harold. Everything being a mystery, though, means he's forced to consider all options.

... Classic sci fi, right. A much more benign topic. ] Science fiction commonly features devices like time travel or alternate dimensions, or at least planets far-flung enough as to be a different existence entirely. Typically, though, they're used as literary elements to comment on a current societal issue, like classism or industrialism.

So sorry for the delay!

[abit_ofboth]

[When he was younger, Loki had felt like notoriety was something to achieve, something to desire and something only for those deserving and he so badly wanted to be deserving. Now that feels like a rather immature way to think. Though he supposes he was very immature back then. Now he sees much more usefulness in being an unknown. That just doesn’t seem to be something that is possible for Loki.

It wouldn’t surprise Loki if Harold didn’t believe him. He hardly believed it himself when he first arrived in the TVA. He often thinks of finding the Infinity Stones in Casey’s desk and just how startling that had been. But things being hard to believe did not make them untrue. He can only hope Harold gives him enough credit to try and believe him because he’s starting to think he could be quite useful in helping figure this place out.]

It does seem that they are focusing on certain worlds and not all, or else Etray would be overrun with millions of people. There are infinite timelines and that number is growing all the time. Though I do not know how many they wish to prune it down to, it is too much like what I worked so hard to fix and I cannot stand by and simply let it happen.

[Now that is interesting. Harold’s description of Science Fiction sounds a lot like Loki’s actual life. Except the fiction part, of course.] I see. Well, in my timeline those things are absolutely real and I have experienced them myself. I must seem like a fictional character to you.